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.
The Houthi insurgency in Yemen, also known as the Houthi rebellion, Sa'dah War, or Sa'dah conflict, was a military rebellion pitting Zaidi Shia Houthis against the Yemeni military that began in Northern Yemen and has since escalated into a full-scale civil war. The conflict was sparked in 2004 by the government's attempt to arrest Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi, a Zaidi religious leader of the Houthis and a former parliamentarian on whose head the government had placed a $55,000 bounty. Initially, most of the fighting took place in Sa'dah Governorate in northwestern Yemen, but some of the fighting spread to neighbouring governorates Hajjah, 'Amran, al-Jawf and the Saudi province of Jizan. Since 2014 the nature of the insurgency has changed with the Houthi takeover in Yemen and then into the ongoing Yemeni civil war (2015–present) with a major Saudi-led intervention in Yemen beginning in 2015.
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. Under the leadership of Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi, the group emerged as a Zaydi opposition to former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh, whom they charged with massive financial corruption and criticized for being backed by Saudi Arabia and the United States at the expense of the Yemeni people and Yemen's sovereignty. Resisting Saleh's order for his arrest, Hussein was killed in Sa'dah in 2004 along with a number of his guards by the Yemeni army, sparking the Houthi insurgency in Yemen. Since then, except for a short intervening period, the movement has been led by his brother Abdul-Malik al-Houthi.
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. Hajrat Shawkan village is in this district.
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.
Khawlan District is a district of the Sana'a Governorate, Yemen. As of 2003, the district had a population of 28,925 inhabitants.
Manakhah District is a district of the Sana'a Governorate, Yemen. As of 2003, the district had a population of 78,932 inhabitants.
Nihm District is a district of the Sana'a Governorate, Yemen. As of 2003, the district had a population of 41,502 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 Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi led Yemeni government and the Houthi armed movement, along with their supporters and allies. Both claim to constitute the official government of Yemen.
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.
