Physical Geography

Yemen occupies part of a rough, arid plateau that rises abruptly from the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden and slopes downward toward the north and east. Along the coast are narrow lowlands, which include the Tihama in the west. The edge of the plateau is steepest and highest in western Yemen, where elevations on the plateau range generally between 5,000 and 8,000 feet (1,500 and 2,400 m). In some areas peaks rise 10,000 feet (3,000 m) to more than 12,000 feet (3,600 m) above sea levvel. A major topographic feature of eastern Yemen is the Hadhramaut, an inland valley following the Wadi Hadhramaut. In northern Yemen is the southwestern part of the Rub al Khali, or Empty Quarter, which lies mainly in Saudi Arabia. The Rub al Khali is a vast sandy desert and one of the most desolate areas on earth.

The climate of Yemen, except in the western highlands, is hot and extremely dry. Aden, for example, has average temperatures of 75° F. (24° C.) in January and 90° F. (32° C.) in July; its annual rainfall is usually less than 5 inches (130 mm). In the extreme east rain may fall only once every 5 to 10 years. The climate of the western highlands is far more moderate. It is marked by warm, temperate, rainy summers and cool, fairly dry winters with occasional frost and snow.