Aden is a port city located in Yemen in the southern part of the Arabian peninsula, positioned near the eastern approach to the Red Sea. It is situated approximately 170 km east of the Bab-el-Mandeb strait and north of the Gulf of Aden. With its strategic location on the coastline, Aden serves as a gateway between the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, making it a crucial maritime hub connecting Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. As of 2023, Aden City has a population of approximately 1,080,000 residents, making it one of the largest cities in Yemen.
The flag of Yemen was adopted on May 22, 1990, the day that North Yemen and South Yemen were unified. The flag of Yemen resembles the Arab Liberation Flag of July 23, 1952, introduced after the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 in which Arab nationalism was a dominant theme. The Arab Liberation Flag of July 23, 1952 served as the derivation for the flags of both North and South Yemen prior to unification by omiting the distinctive elements from the existing designs, as well as for the current flags of Egypt, Iraq, Sudan, Palestine and Syria.
South Yemen, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, abbreviated to Democratic Yemen, was a state that existed from 1967 to 1990 as the only communist state in the Middle East and the Arab world. It was made up of the southern and eastern governorates of the present-day Republic of Yemen, including the island of Socotra. It was bordered by North Yemen to the north-west, Saudi Arabia to the north, and Oman to the east.
The Federation of South Arabia was a federal state under British protection in what would become South Yemen. Its capital was Aden.
The Aden Protectorate was a British protectorate in southern Arabia. The protectorate evolved in the hinterland of the port of Aden and in the Hadhramaut after the conquest of Aden by the Bombay Presidency of British India in January 1839, and which continued until the 1960s. In 1940, it was divided for administrative purposes into the Western Protectorate and the Eastern Protectorate. The territory now forms part of the Republic of Yemen.
Aden Colony, also the Colony of Aden, located in the south of contemporary Yemen, was a crown colony of the United Kingdom from 1937 to 1963. It consisted of the port of Aden and its immediate surroundings.
The State of Aden was a state constituted in Aden within the Federation of South Arabia. Following its establishment on 18 January 1963, Sir Charles Johnston stepped down as the last Governor of Aden.
Dhala or Dhali`, Amiri, or the Emirate of Dhala was a state in the British Aden Protectorate, the Federation of Arab Emirates of the South, and its successor, the Federation of South Arabia. Its capital was Dhala.
Upper Yafa or Upper Yafa'i, officially the State of Upper Yafa, was a military alliance in the British Aden Protectorate and the Protectorate of South Arabia. It was ruled by the Harharah dynasty and its capital was Mahjaba, a small town on a hill located about 50 km northeast of Habilayn. Upper Yafa was one part of Yafa'a, the other part being Lower Yafa.
The Federation of the Emirates of South Arabia was an organization of states within the British Aden Protectorate in what would become South Yemen. The Federation of six states was inaugurated in the British Colony of Aden on 11 February 1959, and the Federation and Britain signed a “Treaty of Friendship and Protection,” which detailed plans for British financial and military assistance. It subsequently added nine states and, on 4 April 1962, became known as the Federation of South Arabia. This was joined by the Aden Colony on 18 January 1963.
Fadhli, or the Fadhli Sultanate, was an independent sultanate on the southern coast of the Arabian Peninsula from the 17th century until 1967.
The Alawi Sheikhdom, or Alawi — was a Sheikhdom located in the Aden region of southwestern Yemen. Its capital was Al Qasha. The state was abolished in 1967 with the independence of the People's Republic of South Yemen.
Qutaibi or the Qutaibi Sheikhdom was a polity in the western Aden Protectorate, a dependency of the Emirate of Dhala and now part of the Republic of Yemen. In 1964, during the Aden Emergency, its tribesmen attacked British Empire troops in the Radfan Hills area and became known as the "Red Wolves" for their combat ferocity.
The Aden Emergency, also known as the 14 October Revolution or as the Radfan Uprising, was an armed rebellion by the National Liberation Front (NLF) and the Front for the Liberation of Occupied South Yemen (FLOSY) against the Federation of South Arabia, a British Protectorate of the United Kingdom, which led to the proclamation of the People's Republic of South Yemen.
The General Service Medal, is a campaign medal of the United Kingdom introduced in 1962 to replace both the General Service Medal (1918), as awarded to the Army and RAF, and the Naval General Service Medal (1915). The 1962 GSM was awarded until 2007, when it was replaced by the Operational Service Medal. In 2015 the General Service Medal (2008) was introduced.
General Sir Charles Henry Pepys Harington, was an officer in the British Army. He served in the British Expeditionary Force and in Normandy during the Second World War. He was later Commander-in-Chief of the three-service Middle East Command from 1963 to 1965, based at Aden. He ended his military career as Chief of Personnel and Logistics at the UK Ministry of Defence from 1968 to 1971.
British Forces Aden was the name given to the British Armed Forces stationed in the Aden Protectorate during part of the 20th century. Their purpose was to preserve the security of the Protectorate from both internal threats and external aggression.
The Radfan Campaign was a series of British military actions during the Aden Emergency in January–May 1964. It took place in the mountainous Radfan region near the border with the Yemen Arab Republic. Local tribesmen connected with the NLF began raiding the road connecting with Aden with the town of Dhala.
The Arab Police mutiny was an incident during the Aden Emergency where Arab soldiers and police mutinied against British troops. While the mutiny itself was localized and quickly suppressed, it undermined the South Arabian Federation which had been organized by Britain in 1959 as an intended successor to direct colonial rule.
HMS Sheba also known as HM Naval Base, Aden was a Royal Navy shore base at Steamer Point in Aden. It was closed after South Yemen achieved independence in 1967.
