The administrative division of Yemen consists of two main divisions (governorates and districts). There are 22 governorates, including the capital Sanaa (Amanat Al Asima) and Socotra Archipelago. The 22 governorates are then divided into 333 districts, subdivided into 2,210 sub-districts, and then into 38,284 villages (as of 2001).

Throughout history, Yemen has been divided into several administrative divisions. In the Ottoman era, the Yemen Vilayet (from Arabic ولاية wilayah) was divided into sanjaks (also called livas). Sanjaks were further subdivided into kazas. During the reign of the Mutawakkillite Kingdom of Yemen, some of the elements were integrated into a new division. These divisions were also used by the later Yemen Arab Republic with minor adjustments.

According to the outputs of the Yemeni National Dialogue Conference, Yemen was expected to be divided in late 2014 into six provinces: 'Azal, Al-Janad, Tihama, Hadhramaut, Saba, and Aden.

Administrative divisions There are two main administrative divisions in Yemen: governorates and districts. Governorates (Arabic: محافظة ) are the highest administrative division in Yemen. Yemen is divided into twenty-one governorates and one municipality. Districts (Arabic: مديرية ) are the second administrative division in Yemen. Each governorate in Yemen is split into a number of districts for a total of 333 districts in Yemen. The remaining administrative divisions are separate for urban and rural areas.

Administrative divisions in urban areas are as follows. Cities (Arabic: مدن ) are an administrative division in Yemen, defined as being the seats of governorates and/or districts. They tend to have a substantial population and a variety of services. Neighborhoods (Arabic: حي ) are the fourth-level administrative division in Yemen's urban areas. It consists of multiple adjacent blocks, the amount varying from neighborhood to neighborhood. Blocks (Arabic: حارة ) are the lowest-level administrative division in urban areas. They are defined as groups of adjacent buildings surrounded by a group of streets to separate them from other blocks. Administrative divisions in rural areas are as follows. 'Uzal (Arabic: عزلة ) are the next-level administrative division following districts in Yemen's rural areas. They are filled with villages. There are about 2,210 'uzal in Yemen. Villages (Arabic: قرية ) are a fourth-level administrative division in Yemen. They are clustered settlements, similar to towns. They may range in size from only a couple houses to sizable communities. They also typically include shops and fields for agriculture. There are roughly 40,000 villages in Yemen.

List of the divisions of Yemen

KeyDivisionCapital cityPopulation2004 censusCentral Statistical Organisation of Yemen. General Population Housing and Establishment Census 2004 Final Results , Statistic Yearbook 2005 of Yemen Population2006 est.1 Aden Aden 589,419 634,7102 'Amran 'Amran 877,786 909,9923 Abyan Zinjibar 433,819 454,5354 Dhale Dhale 470,564 504,5335 Al-Bayda Al Bayda 577,369 605,3036 Al Hudaydah Hodeidah 2,157,552 2,300,1797 Al Jawf Al Jawf 443,797 465,7378 Al Mahrah Al Ghaydah 88,594 96,7689 Al Mahwit Al Mahwit 494,557 523,23610 Amanat Al Asimah Sanaa 1,747,834 1,947,13911 Dhamar Dhamar 1,330,108 1,412,14212 Hadhramaut Mukalla 1,028,556 1,092,96713 Hajjah Hajjah 1,479,568 1,570,87214 Ibb Ibb 2,131,861 2,238,53715 Lahij Lahij 722,694 761,16016 Marib Marib 238,522 251,66817 Raymah Al Jabin 394,448 418,65918 Saada Saada 695,033 746,95719 Sanaa Sanaa 919,215 957,79820 Shabwah Ataq 470,440 494,63821 Taiz Taiz 2,393,425 2,513,00322 Socotra Hadibu 1) 1)

1) Soqatra Governorate was created in December 2013 from parts of Hadramaut, data included there

Historical subdivisions Yemen became a unified country in May 1990 after the merger of the northern "Yemen Arab Republic" (North Yemen) and the southern "People's Democratic Republic of Yemen" (South Yemen).

Governorates of South Yemen

Following independence, South Yemen was divided into six governorates (Arabic: muhafazat), with roughly natural boundaries, each given a Roman numeral.

NumeralNameApproximate area (km.²)CapitalIAden6,980AdenIILahij12,766LahijIIIAbyan21,489ZinjibarIVShabwah73,908AtaqVHadhramawt155,376MukallaVIal-Mahra66,350Al Ghaydah

Provinces of North Yemen Until 1980, North Yemen was split into governorates. In 1980, the country was reorganized into eight provinces (Arabic: liwa). NameApproximate area (km.²)Al-Bayda'15,000Al-Hudaydah35,000Hajjah17,000Ibb13,000Rida'10,000Saada18,000Sanaa80,000Taiz12,000

References