Introduction and history

North and South Yemen were united in 1990, ending a three-century separation. In ancient times the territory of Yemen was part of the trade empire of the Minaean Kingdom and later the Kingdom of Sheba. The area was a crucial link between Africa and India, as well as a hot spot for the trade of frankincense and myrrh. Turkey controlled Northern Yemen until the later gained its independence in 1918 when the Zaidi monarchy seized power. Southern Yemen, which was occupied by Britain in 1839 and became a protectorate in the 1930's, won its independence in 1967. The "National Liberation Front" came to power with independence, making South Yemen the only Marxist state in the Arab world. In 1970, South Yemen signed a 20-year treaty of friendship with the former Soviet Union. With unification in 1990, North and South Yemen merged to form the Yemen Republic, governed by a parliament.