South Yemen

This article has an unclear citation style. The references used may be made clearer with a different or consistent style of citation and footnoting. (June 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

People's Republic of Southern Yemen (1967–1970) People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (1970–1990)
1967–1990
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: وحدة ، حرية ، إشتراكية Waḥdah, Ḥurrīyah, Ishtirākīyah ("Unity, Freedom, Socialism")
Anthem: النشيد الوطني لجمهورية اليمن الديمقراطية الشعبية An-Našid al-Waṭani li-Jomhuriyat al-Yaman ad-Dimoqrâṭiya aš-Šaʿbiya "National Anthem of the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen" (1967–1979) رددي أيتها الدنيا نشيدي Radidi Ayatuhal Duniya Našidi "Repeat, O World, My Song"(1979–1990)
Show map of Middle East Show administrative divisions Location of claimed territory of South Yemen (red) – in Asia (tan & white) – in Arabia (tan)
Capital and largest city	Aden 12.7855° N, 45.0187° E
Official languages	Arabic
Religion	Islam[a]
Demonym(s)	Yemeni/Yemenite
Government	Unitary Marxist–Leninist one-party socialist republic[4]
General Secretary
• 1978–1980	Abdul Fattah Ismail
• 1980–1986	Ali Nasir Muhammad
• 1986–1990	Ali Salim al-Beidh
President
• 1967–1969 (first)	Qahtan al-Shaabi
• 1986–1990 (last)	Haidar Abu Bakr al-Attas
Prime Minister
• 1969 (first)	Faysal al-Shaabi
• 1986–1990 (last)	Yasin Said Numan
Legislature	Supreme People's Council
Historical era	Cold War
• Independence declared; Arab League membership	30 November 1967
• UN membership	14 December 1967
• Corrective Move	22 June 1969
• Constitution adopted	31 October 1978
• Unification	22 May 1990
Area
• Total	360,133 km2 (139,048 sq mi)
Population
• Estimate	2,200,000[5]
Currency	South Yemeni dinar (YDD)
Drives on	right
Calling code	+969[6]
ISO 3166 code	YD
Internet TLD	.yd[b]
Preceded by Succeeded by Federation of South Arabia Protectorate of South Arabia Yemen
Today part of	Yemen
ISO 3166-1 = YD ISO 3166-3 = YDYE

South Yemen,^[c] officially the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen,^[d] abbreviated to Democratic Yemen,^[e][f] was a state that existed from 1967 to 1990 as the only communist state in the Middle East and the Arab world.^[7] It was made up of the southern and eastern governorates of the present-day Republic of Yemen, including the island of Socotra. It was bordered by North Yemen to the north-west, Saudi Arabia to the north, and Oman to the east.

South Yemen's origins can be traced to 1874 with the creation of the British Colony of Aden and the Aden Protectorate, which consisted of two-thirds of present-day Yemen. Prior to 1937, what was to become the Colony of Aden had been governed as a part of British India, originally as the Aden Settlement subordinate to the Bombay Presidency and then as a Chief Commissioner's province. After the collapse of Aden Protectorate, a state of emergency was declared in 1963, when the National Liberation Front (NLF) and the Front for the Liberation of Occupied South Yemen (FLOSY) rebelled against the British rule. The Federation of South Arabia and the Protectorate of South Arabia were overthrown to become the People's Republic of Southern Yemen (PRSY) on 30 November 1967.

On 22 June 1969, the Marxist–Leninist faction of the NLF led by Abdel Fattah Ismail and Salim Rubai Ali, overthrew the Nasserist President Qahtan al-Shaabi in an internal bloodless coup that was later called the Corrective Move. The Marxist–Leninist takeover later led to the creation of the Yemeni Socialist Party (YSP), and South Yemen's transformation into a one-party, socialist state. The official name of the state was changed a year after the reforms to the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY), and was able to establish strong relations with Cuba, East Germany, North Korea, China, and the Soviet Union. Despite its efforts to bring stability into the region, it was involved in a brief civil war in 1986. The PDRY unified with the Yemen Arab Republic, on 22 May 1990 to form the present-day Republic of Yemen.

Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).