NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE SURVEY 32A; YEMEN (SAN'A'); MILITARY GEOGRAPHY

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• Collection: NIS
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP01-00707R000200100029-4
• Release Decision: RIF
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 26
• Document Creation Date: October 25, 2016
• Sequence Number: 29
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CONFIDENTIAL
32A /G; /MG
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Yemen �an
April 1973
NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE SURVE
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This chapter was prepared for the NIS by the
Defense Intelligence Agency. Research was 'sub-
stantially completed by November 1972.
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YEMEN (SANW)
CONTENTS
This General Survey supersedes the one dated
June 1970, copies of which should be destroyed.
A. Location and description 1
Importance of location, size of country, and num-
ber of people.
1. Topography 1
Brief overview of landfomis, vegetation, water
supply, pattern and physical characteristics of
settlements, and transpoilation network.
2. Climate 4
Summary of climatic elements� temperatures,
rainfall, cloudiness, relative humidity, winds,
and visibility �in the eastern plains, hills and
mountains, and the coastal plain.
B. Military geographic regions 5
Effect of terrain on operations by conventional
ground forces, airmobile and airborne forces,
amphibious forces, and irregular forces in the fol-
lowing regions:
1. Western Plains and Highlands 5
2. Desert Plains 8
CONFIDENTIAL
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Page
C. Strategic area 8
Population, primary activities, significant indus-
tries, and key airfields in the San`a' strategic area
and in another important area, Al 1Hudaydah,
D. Internal routes I....... 10
Description of terrain, road characteristics, and
conditicns for off -road dispersal and cross- country
movement along the land routes connecting the
land approaches and the San a' strategic area.
E. Approaches 10
Data on land boundaries, coastline, and distance
of offshore territorial waters.
Page
L. Land 10
Conditions for movement in the border zones,
and description of terrain.
2 Sea 11
Conditions for amphibious approach to the i
coast.
3 Air 11 r
Approach routes to Yemen and critical terrain
and weather conditions en route.
FIGURES
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Page
Page
Fig. I
MilitLry geographic refions and ter-
Fig. 9
Strategic area, internal routes, and
rain (map)
2
approaches map)
9
Fig. 2
Rugged mountains west of Santa'
Fig. 10
San`a' strategic area (map)
10
(photo)
3
Fig. 11
San`a' (photo)
11
Fig. 3
Narrow stream valley in highlands
Fig. 12
26 September Street (photo)
11
photo)
4
Fig. 13
Terrain along northern land ap-
Fig. 4
Plains in the northeast photo)
4
proach photo)
12
Fig. 5
Desert plains photo)
5
Fig. 14
Weather conditions in the air ap-
Fig. 6
Street scene in Jisayn photo)
6
proaches table)
12
Fig. 7
Ta`izz photo)
6
Fig. 15
Terrain and transportation
Fig. 8
Climatic elements chart)
7
map) follows
13
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Military Geography
A. Location and description (U /OL1)
Yen)en (Sar --the Yemen Aral) Republic -is
located in tile, southwesterr, corner of the Arabian
Peninsula, north of the strait connecting the Red Sea
Will) the Indian Ocean. `i'be nor(hcrn boundary of th
c �ocmtr is witltirt 800 nautical miles 0f the principal
Persian Gulf ports about 1,0OO nautical miles from
Cairo, Egypt, and within, 1,300 nautical miles of the
U. S. S. It.
Yemen lists 1111 stirnated area of about 73,000
square miles, The` country's exact size is difficult to
determine because Yemcu has no established
boundaries in the east. using the boundary in the cast
recognized by the British, the country's size -1111 shape
is about the Sam(! as that of Illinois. Maxirriuni
dinumsions are 340 miles' north -south and about 230
tt)iles cast vest. Yen)cn, less barren than roost of the
Arabian )'cninsula, has ;t relatively high I)opuhition
density �an estimated 6,074,000 itihabitants.
1. Topography
r.
Yemen consists of a coastal plain hordc'inl; ll)e Red
Sea, hacked by a broad range of hills ;ind high
nu>11ntains which fall away eastward to a flat to
dissected desert plain (Figura i ;u)d the Mill), Figure
1.5, at the end or the chapter).
The mountains and hills, 2,000 to IQQOO feel ill
elevation, are in wide- ranges that exlend across 1'crnen
from the Saudi Arabia boundary in the north to
Yemen (Aden) �the People's I)etnOCratic 13cpnhlic of
Y(,n)en -in tit( south and southeast. A few mountains
exceed i Lwo feet; the highest peak of the Arabian
'Distances are in statute miles unless nautical miles are
specifically stated.
Perin' 111 located west of San'a', is 12,336 feet in
clevat,on (Figure 2), 'I'll( motilititins and hills are part
of ;u, irregular helt of highlaricls extending :,long the
entire west coast of the Arabian Peninsula Slcipes in
the tnounlaitis and hills are cnnlmen1y 3W,( to more
than .;.j 'I'hr nu)n,t:ii11 sur)n)its arc ;it least 2,(1(x)
feet above adjacent valleys and frequently are 4.000 to
6,000 feet. 1 11e sto'y soils are shallow will, numerous
o tilc'rops of bedrock. Ifills, including uutnerrus y01-
ca'Ile are generally 300 to 2,(x)0 feet above acl-
j'leent valleys, Sma!1 lava flows occur in same hill areas.
The sandy coastal plain, tuostly from 13 to 30 miles
Wide, is uSUally flat to gentl sloping, but in 1 n )laces is
declAy dissected i)Y wadies. In Sol]](. Sol]](. areas ear the
coast there are discont i uo,is. low sand dunes and
scattered salt flats. The pl ain range ill clev,itic :n from
Lea level to 2,(X10 feel. with sh,I)es generally less than .it'j,
except in areas (t dissection, where !hey arr 20`4 1()4,
I'lle mountains and hills are drained by sever;d
streams� which are perennial in the highl:urds butt
intermittent along their Iewer courses across the
cc ustal plain, (sipper and middle stream courses are
conur,orly confited in narrow, steep -sided vallevS
(Figure 3) and gorges, and gradients are steep; lower
courses are generally broad, with moderate to g(-)tle
gradients. 'Tributaries and 'lost smailer watercourses
in the 1110untains and hills are intermittent throughout
the year and flow, generall for brief periods. only
after occasional torrential ruins. Floodin of valley
bottoms may occur, 1 11111011 9/1 most of the runoff is
caught b low, earthen darns. The water is diverted
via irrigation ditches to many small te raced fields on
slopes adjacent to stream valleys (sec the Economy
chapter, under Agricui(ure). The terraces, which hove
stone retaining walls 6 to 20 feet high, cover large
'For diacritics on plane'. tonnes see the list of names on the apron
of the Terrain and Transportation rnap, the nuap itself, and rnaps in
the lext.

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2 FIGURE 1. Military geographic regions and terrain (C)
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areas (it, %anti dines, ~1(41)4� in dissected urea,. s:uul
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gc iwrall% less (hall 5'e'.
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