Yemen

Located in the Middle East and bordering the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea, Oman, and Saudi Arabia, the geographic location of Yemen historically ensured its position as a major shipping area. Yemen covers an area of 527,968 square kilometers (roughly 203,850 square miles), but is called upon to support a population of over 26 million. Despite having a coastline of 1,906 kilometers (about 1,184 miles), Yemen has almost no inland water resources. Thus, water scarcity is a daily problem for much of the population. Less than a third of the population lives in urban areas. Most Yemenis work in agriculture or herding, and the agricultural sector uses 90 percent of the nation’s scarce water resources.

Oil production, which has helped to fuel ...