Yemen is a country in Asia, in Middle East, with about 41.8 million people (2025) and an area of 527,970 square kilometres. Its capital is Sanaa, and it shares land borders with 2 countries.
By Team Geography·Last reviewed
Flag of YemenYemen in solid, land neighbours outlined, capital marked.
The app teaches each country through short hand written lenses: PLACE for physical geography, STORY for history and identity, NOW for the news, and THREAD for the ties between countries. Here is one of Yemen's 5, in full.
PLACELens 1 of 5
Where the Arabian Peninsula meets Africa
Yemen occupies the southwestern corner of the Arabian Peninsula, with coastline on both the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. At Yemen's southwestern tip, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait narrows to just 30 kilometers, separating the peninsula from the Horn of Africa. Roughly 10 percent of global trade passes through this chokepoint, making Yemen's location strategically significant even as its state has fractured.
More on Bab el-Mandeb Strait
The strait connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean beyond. Any disruption here affects traffic through the Suez Canal, which is why Houthi attacks on shipping in 2023-2024 triggered a major international military response.
4 more lenses on Yemen in the app
STORY Arabia Felix, the green corner of a desert peninsula
NOW The war the world stopped watching
STORY A country that was two countries until 1990
THREAD A proxy war with global shipping consequences
Titles only. The app brings each lens back on a spaced repetition schedule set by how well you knew it: New, Hazy or Clear.
Compare Yemen with another country
Opens the country comparison tool with population, area, income and more side by side, every figure dated.
Common questions
What is the capital of Yemen?
The capital of Yemen is Sanaa. Sanaa lies at about 15.4 degrees north and 44.2 degrees east. Yemen is in Asia, in the region often called Middle East. It is home to about 41.8 million people. The world capitals quiz on this site tests every capital, and the printable capitals sheets cover each continent.
What is the population of Yemen?
About 41.8 million people live in Yemen, according to the World Bank figures for 2025. That makes it the 37th most populous of the 195 countries. With an area of 527,970 square kilometres, that is about 79 people per square kilometre.
What countries border Yemen?
Yemen shares land borders with 2 countries: Oman and Saudi Arabia. The map on this page outlines each of them around Yemen. The count includes only borders on land, not neighbours across a sea or a lake. Borders here follow Natural Earth at the 1:50 million scale, with Crimea shown as part of Ukraine and Western Sahara as a separate territory.
How big is Yemen?
Yemen covers 527,970 square kilometres, or about 203,850 square miles. That makes it the 51st largest of the 195 countries. The figure is total surface area, which includes inland water such as lakes and rivers. Its population of about 41.8 million gives a density of 79 people per square kilometre.
Yemen is a country in Asia, in Middle East, with about 41.8 million people (2025) and an area of 527,970 square kilometres. Its capital is Sanaa, and it shares land borders with 2 countries.
Capital
Sanaa
Continent
Asia
Region
Middle East
Population
41,773,878 2025, World Bank. 37th of 195.
Area
527,970 km² (203,850 sq mi) World Bank, surface area. 51st largest of 195.
Population density
79 people per km²
Land neighbours
2: Oman, Saudi Arabia
Official name
Republic of Yemen
UN status
Member state
PLACE · from the Geography app
Where the Arabian Peninsula meets Africa
Yemen occupies the southwestern corner of the Arabian Peninsula, with coastline on both the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. At Yemen's southwestern tip, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait narrows to just 30 kilometers, separating the peninsula from the Horn of Africa. Roughly 10 percent of global trade passes through this chokepoint, making Yemen's location strategically significant even as its state has fractured.
Keep going on your iPhone. Scan for Geography: the world, one country at a time, about five minutes a day. No quizzes and no streaks. playgeography.app/countries/yemen/ · Map data: Natural Earth. Figures: World Bank and national sources, as listed on the page.
Geography · Country report
Yemen
NameDate
Draw the flag
Colour Yemen on the map, then fill in what you find.
Capital
Continent
Population
Area
Languages
Currency
Neighbours
Landmarks
Rivers or mountains
Three things I learned
1
2
3
One question I still have
?
Keep going on your iPhone. Scan for Geography: the world, one country at a time, about five minutes a day. No quizzes and no streaks. playgeography.app/countries/yemen/ · Map data: Natural Earth. Figures: World Bank and national sources, as listed on the page.
