[yem-uh
n, yey-muhn] 
| 1. | Republic of, a country in S Arabia, formed in 1990 by the merger of the Yemen Arab Republic and the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen. 13,972,477; 207,000 sq. mi. (536,130 sq. km). Capital: (political) Sanʿa. Capital: (economic) Aden. |
| 2. | Also called North Yemen. a former country in SW Arabia: since 1990 a part of the Republic of Yemen. Capital: Sanʿa. |
| 3. | Also called South Yemen. a former country in S Arabia: since 1990 a part of the Republic of Yemen. Capital: Aden. |
Yem·en (yěm'ən, yā'mən)  (click for larger image in new window) A country of southwest Asia at the southern tip of the Arabian peninsula. It was ruled by various peoples, such as the Sabaeans, Himyarites, Romans, Ethiopians, and Persians, in ancient times. It was conquered in the 7th century A.D. by Muslim Arabs and became part of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century. The northern part (known as Yemen or North Yemen) was established as an independent kingdom in 1918 and made a republic in 1962. The southern part consisted of several British protectorates in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Britain withdrew from the area in 1967, and Southern Yemen became independent soon after. The two united in May 1990. San'a is the capital and the largest city. Population: 22,200,000. Yem'en·ite', Yem'e·ni (-ə-nē) adj. & n. |
Now the Republic of Yemen. Yemen is at the mouth of the Red Sea, in the southwestern corner of the Arabian Peninsula, bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north and Oman to the east; formerly divided into North Yemen (the Yemen Arab Republic) and the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen.
Note: Northern Yemen became an independent country after World War I.
Note: Southern Yemen won independence from Britain in 1967 and became the world's only communist Arab state.
Note: The two Yemens were reunified as a result of the democratic reforms of the Soviet Union and its satellite countries in 1990.