Geography of Yemen

Geography of Yemen
Topographic map of Yemen
ContinentAsia
RegionMiddle East
Coordinates15°N 48°E / 15°N 48°E / 15; 48
AreaRanked 49th
 • Total555,000 km2 (214,000 sq mi)
Coastline1,906 km (1,184 mi)
Borders1,746 km (1,085 mi)
Oman: 288 km (179 mi)
Saudi Arabia: 1,458 km (906 mi)
Highest pointJabal An-Nabi Shu'ayb
3,667 m (12,031 ft)
Lowest pointArabian Sea
0 m (0 ft)
Natural resourcesOil, natural gas, rock salt, marble
Exclusive economic zone552,669 km2 (213,387 sq mi)

Yemen is located in West Asia, at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, between Oman and Saudi Arabia. It is situated at the entrance to the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, which links the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean (via the Gulf of Aden) and is one of the most active and strategic shipping lanes in the world. Yemen has an area of 555,000 square kilometres (214,000 sq mi), including the islands of Perim at the southern end of the Red Sea and Socotra at the entrance to the Gulf of Aden.[1] Yemen's land boundaries total 1,746 kilometres (1,085 mi). Yemen borders Saudi Arabia to the north (1,458 km or 906 mi) and Oman to the northeast (288 km or 179 mi).[2] Through the Socotra island, Yemen also shares borders with the Guardafui Channel and the Somali Sea.[3]

  1. ^ "About Yemen". Ministry of Oil and Minerals.
  2. ^ "Country Profile: Yemen" (PDF). Federal Research Division. United States Library of Congress. August 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 March 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2019. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. ^ McLaughlin, Rob. "The Continuing Conundrum of the Somali Territorial Sea and Exclusive Economic Zone." The International Journal of Marine and Coastal Law 30.2 (2015): 305-334.