Location: The Republic of Yemen is located in the southern part of the Arabian peninsula. Neighbors are Saudi-Arabia in the north and the Sultanate of Oman in the east. On the west it borders the Red Sea, in the south the Indian Ocean.

  Area and Population: The total area of Yemen is approximately 555.000 sq. km, excluding the Al-Rubu' AlKhali desert. with a population of about 18 Million.

Climate: The climate of Yemen differs from region to region and from season to season. One can differentiate three zones: Tihama and the coast of the Indian Ocean, the mountains of northern Yemen and Rub Al- Khali and the eastern massive of former South-Yemen. In the Tihama and on the coast of the Indian Ocean temperatures are high in summer (over 40 C at daytime) with extremely high humidity. Moderate temperatures between 30 and 35 C at daytime prevail in winter. In this season the

humidity is low and during the night it cools down. In the mountains 30 C are rarely exceeded in the hottest time of the day in summer (winter: 25 C), caused by a constant, light wind. At night temperature drops from 8 to 13 C; over 3000m even to the freezing point in winter. The monsoon in March/April and August/September brings short but heavy rain, especially in the afternoon. The humidity is low throughout the year. The deserts of Yemen are dry and hot. Rain is rare and temperatures reach 45 C in summer and 30 to 35 C in winter.  

Language: Official language is Arabic, with English as the second language.  

Religion : Islam is the official religion. All Yemenis are Muslims, except a Jewish minority who enjoy equal citizenship rights according to the Yemeni constitution .  Currency and Foreign Exchange The currency in Yemen is the Rail (Kindly see the daily Money Exchange). Foreign currencies can be exchanged at banks, exchanges offices and hotels. Credit Cards, American Express, Visa Cards are accepted in some hotels and banks in Sana’a city and other main cities( see banks).

Time zone :  

Greenwich mean time ( GMT )   + 3 hrs. Visas : Visas may be obtained in advance from Yemeni consulates and Embassies.                 Visa may also be issued on arrival point in Yemeni ports.
Clothing:

 Yemen is a Muslim country and it is important that, as guests of the country, everyone should respect the local customs. Yemenis do tend to dress modestly so shorts, skimpy tops and tight clothes should be avoided, for either sex. It is advisable to bring with you warmer clothes for the cold mountainous areas, and light clothes for warm deserts and coastal areas. • Electricity

The voltage in Yemen is often 220v. Five stars hotels provide 220v. or 110v.

• Official working hours in Yemen

The public offices open daily from 8:00am until 3:00 pm except Thursdays and Fridays. In Ramadan Month, the working time starts at 10 am and finishes at 3 pm.

• Public Holidays

Weekends, two days, Thursdays and Fridays. Annual Fixed Holidays are: May 1 (Labor Day) May 22 (National Day of Unity in 1990) September 26 (National Day of Yemeni Revolution in 1962) October 14 (National day of Liberation of South Yemen from the British