Middle East DVEP - Armed Forces Pest Management Board

a. Geography. Slightly smaller than Texas, Yemen has a land area of 528,000 sq kmand can be divided into five physiographic areas: (1) The coastal lowlands, which varybetween 6.5 km and 64 km in width, follow Yemen’s entire coastline, paralleling the Gulfof Aden to the south and the Red Sea to the west. (2) The highlands are a series ofmountains that rise sharply inland from the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea coastal plains,interspersed with jagged valleys, canyons, and low plateaus. Overall elevations arebetween 460 and 1,400 m above sea level in the western half, increasing in elevation in theeastern half to the highest point in the Arabian Peninsula, 3,800 m above sea level nearSanaa. (3) Further inland, the central plateau contains lowlands less than 1,500 m abovesea level and stretches to the east, falling steeply in the north to the desert, and interruptedby several wadi basins in the south. The largest wadi, Hadhramaut, fertile along its upperand middle sections and approximately 200 km inland, is an imposing valley runningparallel to the coast of the Arabian Sea. (4) North of the plateau, the northern desert is anextension of the Saudi Arabian Rub al-Khali (Empty Quarter). (5) The islands of Socotra,Peril, and Kamaran make up the remainder of Yemen.b. Climate. Yemen’s climate varies over its area. (1) The climate in the coastal zoneis hot and humid throughout the year, with maximum daily temperatures between 35 o Cand 41 o C but occasionally exceeding 54 o C. This zone receives rainfall only during thesummer monsoon season. (2) The highlands have a subtropical climate, with a meanannual temperature of 21 o C, occasionally dropping close to 0 o C in winter (October toMarch). Rainfall primarily occurs from March through May and during August andSeptember. (3) The central plateau has a temperate climate with significant seasonalvariations. Winter produces daily lows frequently below 4 o C, while in summer (April toSeptember) the mean daily temperature is 21 o C. The Hadhramaut and central highlandsreceive as much as 500 to 700 mm of rain per year, most falling during summer, whensouthwest monsoon winds bring intense rains that cause flooding. (4) The climate in thenorthern desert region produces a mean daily maximum of 44 o C and cold nighttimetemperatures. Sandstorms occur during summer, with rain only once every 5 to 10 years.Throughout the country, average annual rainfall is only 76 mm, but marked regionaldifferences produce both droughts and floods.________________________________________________________________________Aden (elevation 3 m)Mean Daily Temperatures ( o C)MONTH J F M A M J J A S O N DMaximum 27 28 29 31 33 35 34 34 34 32 29 28Minimum 24 25 26 27 29 31 30 30 31 27 24 24Monthly PrecipitationMean (mm) 7 3 5 2 1 0 3 3 4 1 3 661