Yemen

American  

[yem-uhn, yey-muhn] / ˈyɛm ən, ˈyeɪ mən /

noun

1. Formerly Southern Yemen.  Republic of Yemen, a country in southern Arabia, formed in 1990 by the merger of the Yemen Arab Republic and the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen. 207,000 sq. mi. (536,130 sq. km). Sanʿa. Aden.

2. Also called North Yemen.  a former country in southwestern Arabia: since 1990 a part of the Republic of Yemen. Sanʿa.

3. Also called South Yemen.  a former country in southern Arabia: since 1990 a part of the Republic of Yemen. Aden.

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Yemen British  

/ ˈjɛmən /

noun

1. Official name: Yemen Republic.  a republic in SW Arabia, on the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden: formed in 1990 from the union of North Yemen and South Yemen: consists of arid coastal lowlands, rising to fertile upland valleys and mountains in the west and to the Hadhramaut plateau in the SE: the north and east contains part of the Great Sandy Desert. Official language: Arabic. Official religion: Muslim. Currency: riyal. Capital: San`a. Pop: 25 408 288 (2005 est). Area (including territory claimed by Yemen along the undemarcated eastern border with Saudi Arabia): 472 099 sq km (182 278 sq miles) See also North Yemen South Yemen

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Yemen Cultural  

1. 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.

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Discover More

Northern Yemen became an independent country after World War I.

The two Yemens were reunified as a result of the democratic reforms of the Soviet Union and its satellite countries in 1990.

Southern Yemen won independence from Britain in 1967 and became the world's only communist Arab state.

Example Sentences

It is now sailing in the Gulf of Aden between Yemen and Somalia, and is expected to anchor in Somali waters in the coming hours.

From BBC • May 2, 2026

Eritrea is rich in mineral resources and its Red Sea coast is across from Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026

Reports of civilian casualties from U.S. operations also muddy the death tolls, especially in Somalia and Yemen.

From Salon • Apr. 22, 2026

Nowadays, the group can hardly exert control of areas within Yemen itself, and again, the intelligence community in 2025 and 2026 can only ascribe “intent” to the group and not actual attacks.

From Slate • Apr. 21, 2026

His dad’s family is Ashkenazi, and on his mom’s side are Jewish refugees from Yemen.

From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed