ABSTRACT
North Yemen, or, more properly, the Yemen Arab Republic (YAR), is located on the margins of the Arab world, on the southwest corner of the Arabian Peninsula, the corner that is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, pointed toward Ethiopia and Djibouti, and separated from the African continent by the narrow Bab al-Mandab Straits. The mountain spine of North Yemen helps divide it into four major geographic regions. The less extensive southern uplands, also known as Lower Yemen, are somewhat lower in elevation and less rugged than the much larger northern highlands, or Upper Yemen. Hailstorms occur in summer, but few Yemenis have ever seen snow, even from a distance. The rainfall in the Sanaa region, the geographic center of the country, ranges from 8 to 20 inches per year.
