Yemen is divided into twenty-one governorates (muhafazah) and one municipality :
Sanaʽa is a governorate of Yemen. Its capital is Sanaʽa, which is also the national capital. However, the city of Sanaʽa is not part of the Governorate but instead forms the separate governorate of Amanat Al-Asemah. The Governorate covers an area of 13,850 km². As of 2004, the population was 2,918,379 inhabitants.
The administrative division of Yemen is divided into two main divisions. There are 22 governorates, including the capital Sana'a and Socotra Archipelago. The 22 Governorates are then divided into 333 districts, subdivided into 2,210 sub-districts, and then into 38,284 villages.
Judeo-Yemeni Arabic is a variety of Arabic spoken by Jews living or formerly living in Yemen. The language is quite different from mainstream Yemeni Arabic, and is written in the Hebrew alphabet. The cities of Sana'a, Aden, al-Bayda, and Habban District and the villages in their districts each have their own dialect.
The Houthi movement, officially called Ansar Allah, is an Islamic religious-political-armed movement that emerged from Sa'dah in northern Yemen in the 1990s. They are of the Zaidi sect, though the movement reportedly also includes Sunnis.
Sanaʽa, also spelled Sanaa or Sana, is the largest city in Yemen and the centre of Sanaʽa Governorate. The city is not part of the Governorate, but forms the separate administrative district of "Amanat Al-Asemah". Under the Yemeni constitution, Sanaʽa is the capital of the country, although the seat of the internationally recognised government moved to Aden in the aftermath of the September 21 Revolution. Aden was declared as the temporary capital by President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi in March 2015.
Al Haymah Ad Dakhiliyah District is a district of the Sana'a Governorate, Yemen. As of 2003, the district had a population of 83,234 inhabitants.
Al Husn District is a district of the Sana'a Governorate, Yemen. As of 2003, the district had a population of 30,124 inhabitants.
Attyal District is a district of the Sana'a Governorate, Yemen. As of 2003, the district had a population of 36,253 inhabitants. Shawkan village is in this district.
Bani Hushaysh District is a district in Sana'a Governorate, Yemen. As of 2003, the district had a population of 73,957 inhabitants. It's also famous for grape plantations.
Hamdan District is a district of the Sana'a Governorate, Yemen. As of 2003, the district had a population of 85,370 inhabitants.
Jihanah District is a district of the Sana'a Governorate, Yemen. As of 2003, the district had a population of 50,747 inhabitants.
Nihm District is a district of the Sana'a Governorate, Yemen. As of 2003, the district had a population of 41,502 inhabitants.
Sa'fan District is a district of the Sana'a Governorate, Yemen. As of 2003, the district had a population of 33,722 inhabitants.
Sanhan District is a district of the Sana'a Governorate, Yemen. Its seat is Sanhan. As of 2003, the district had a population of 400,399 inhabitants.
Socotra Archipelago or Suqutra is officially one of the governorates of Yemen. It is composed of the archipelago of Socotra.
The Yemeni Civil War is an ongoing conflict that began in 2015 between two factions: the internationally recognized Yemeni government, led by Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, and the Houthi armed movement, along with their supporters and allies. Both claim to constitute the official government of Yemen. Houthi forces controlling the capital Sanaʽa, and allied with forces loyal to the former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, have clashed with forces loyal to the government of Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, based in Aden. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant have also carried out attacks, with AQAP controlling swathes of territory in the hinterlands, and along stretches of the coast.
A military intervention was launched by Saudi Arabia in 2015, leading a coalition of nine countries from the Middle East and Africa, in response to calls from the internationally recognized pro-Saudi president of Yemen Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi for military support after he was ousted by the Houthi movement due to economic and political grievances, and fled to Saudi Arabia. Code-named Operation Decisive Storm, the intervention is said to be in compliance with Article 2(4) of the UN Charter by the international community; this has been contested by some academics. The intervention initially consisted of a bombing campaign on Houthi rebels and later saw a naval blockade and the deployment of ground forces into Yemen. The Saudi-led coalition has attacked the positions of the Houthi militia, and loyalists of the former President of Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh, allegedly supported by Iran. The Houthis who had pressured Mansur Hadi for reforms, say that they took power through a popular revolution and are defending Yemen from a western backed invasion. The Saudi-led bombings soon expanded to most of Western Yemen including civilian targets and was followed by UAE-led deployment of ground forces in the South.
On 15 May 2016, a suicide bombing in the southern Yemeni port city of Mukalla, the capital of the Hadhramaut province, killed at least 47 police and injured over 60. The bombing was preceded by an attack, where 15 Yemeni troops were killed in attacks on army positions outside Mukalla. ISIL said, one of its militants blew up a vehicle, packed with explosives, in an army base in the Khalf district at the city's eastern outskirts.
