It is the second-largest Arab sovereign state in the peninsula, occupying , square kilometres , square miles. The coastline stretches for about 2, kilometres 1, miles. Yemen's territory encompasses more than islands, including Socotra , one of the largest islands in the Middle East. Yemen's constitutionally stated capital is the city of Sana'a , but the city has been under Houthi rebel control since February Yemen is a developing country [9] and in the United Nations reported that Yemen is the country with the most people in need of humanitarian aid with In ancient times, Yemen was the home of the Sabaeans , [11] [12] [13] a trading state that flourished for over a thousand years and included parts of modern-day Ethiopia and Eritrea.
Islam spread quickly in the seventh century and Yemenite troops were crucial in the early Islamic conquests. The country was divided between the Ottoman and British empires in the early twentieth century. South Yemen remained a British protectorate known as the Aden Protectorate until when it became an independent state and later, a Marxist-Leninist state.
President Ali Abdullah Saleh was the first president of the new republic until his resignation in His rule has been described as a kleptocracy.
Since , Yemen has been in a state of political crisis starting with street protests against poverty, unemployment, corruption, and president Saleh's plan to amend Yemen's constitution and eliminate the presidential term limit, in effect making him president for life.
The total absence of central government during this transition process exacerbated several clashes on-going in the country, like the armed conflict between the Houthi rebels of Ansar Allah militia and the al-Islah forces, as well as the al-Qaeda insurgency. The conflict has resulted in a famine affecting 17 million people.
