The Century-Old Misconception About Yemen's Size
Uncovering the historical errors in Yemen's geographical measurements
1Initial Discovery
The author stumbled upon a comment questioning Yemen's size, leading to an investigation. Initial Google searches and Wikipedia cited Yemen's area as 555,000 sq km. However, drawing borders on Google Maps revealed a discrepancy, showing Yemen's size as 456,000 sq km, including all islands like Socotra.
2Historical Sources
The 555,000 sq km figure traces back to the 1991 Statistical Year-book by Yemen's Central Statistical Office, published post-unification. This source inaccurately extended Yemen's northern border to the 20th latitude, despite the border agreement with Saudi Arabia placing it at the 19th latitude.
3CIA World Factbook
The CIA World Factbook lists Yemen's size as 527,968 sq km, a figure echoed by the World Bank and UN. This number originates from the 1991 unification, summing North Yemen's 195,000 sq km and South Yemen's 332,968 sq km, both of which are historically inaccurate.
4North Yemen's Size
North Yemen's size was historically recorded as 195,000 sq km, derived from the 1964 Statesman Yearbook. This figure was based on the Ottoman Empire's Yemeni Vilayet, not independent North Yemen, which was actually 136,000 sq km, highlighting a century of uncorrected misinformation.
5South Yemen's Size
South Yemen's size was initially recorded as 287,000 sq km until 1976. Post-1976, sources like the CIA and UN inflated it to 332,968 sq km due to a World Bank report error, where Thamud's area was double-counted, leading to a significant overestimation.
6Unification Errors
During Yemen's unification in 1990, sources combined the inflated sizes of North and South Yemen, resulting in an even more inaccurate total size. This error persisted due to a lack of fact-checking and reliance on outdated sources.
7Population Density
The misinformation extends to Yemen's population density, incorrectly cited as 65/km². Accurate calculations based on corrected land area reveal the true density is 75/km², further emphasizing the scale of historical errors.
8Call for Correction
The author highlights the need for institutions to correct this century-old error. Despite the challenge, raising awareness could prompt organizations like the CIA, World Bank, and UN to update their records, ensuring accurate geographical data for Yemen.
Original article: Hacker News: Front Page — The Century-Old Misconception About Yemen's Size