Query: Yemen's temporary capital is Aden.

Relevant passages:
Sana'a <=SEP=> Sana'a ( also spelled Sanaa or Sana ; صنعاء -LSB- sˤɑnʕaːʔ -RSB- , Yemeni Arabic : -LSB- ˈsˤɑnʕɑ -RSB- ) is the largest city in Yemen and the centre of Sana'a Governorate . The city is not part of the Governorate , but forms the separate administrative district of `` Amanat Al-Asemah '' . Under the Yemeni constitution , Sana'a is the capital of the country , although the seat of the internationally recognised government moved to Aden in the aftermath of the 2014 -- 15 Yemeni coup d'état . Aden was declared as the temporary capital by President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi in March 2015 .   Sana'a is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world . At an elevation of 2300 m , it is also one of the highest capital cities in the world . Sana'a has a population of approximately 1,937,500 ( 2012 ) , making it Yemen 's largest city .   The old city of Sana'a , a UNESCO World Heritage Site , has a distinctive visual character due to its unique architectural characteristics , most notably expressed in its multi-storey buildings decorated with geometric patterns . In the conflict that raged in 2015 , bombs hit UNESCO sites . Located here is the Great Mosque of Sana'a , the largest in the city .

Yemen <=SEP=> Yemen ( -LSB- ˈjɛmən -RSB- اليَمَن ) , officially known as the Republic of Yemen , is an Arab country in Western Asia , occupying South Arabia , the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula . Yemen is the second-largest country in the peninsula , occupying 527,970 km2 ( 203,850 sq mi ) . The coastline stretches for about 2,000 km ( 1,200 mi ) . It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north , the Red Sea to the west , the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea to the south , and Oman to the east-northeast . Although Yemen 's constitutionally stated capital is the city of Sana'a , the city has been under rebel control since February 2015 . Because of this , Yemen 's capital has been temporarily relocated to the port city of Aden , on the southern coast . Yemen 's territory includes more than 200 islands ; the largest of these is Socotra .   Yemen was the home of the Sabaeans ( biblical Sheba ) , a trading state that flourished for over a thousand years and also included parts of modern-day Ethiopia and Eritrea . In 275 AD , the region came under the rule of the later Jewish-influenced Himyarite Kingdom . Christianity arrived in the fourth century , whereas Judaism and local paganism were already established . Islam spread quickly in the seventh century and Yemenite troops were crucial in the expansion of the early Islamic conquests . Administration of Yemen has long been notoriously difficult . Several dynasties emerged from the ninth to 16th centuries , the Rasulid dynasty being the strongest and most prosperous . The country was divided between the Ottoman and British empires in the early twentieth century . The Zaydi Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen was established after World War I in North Yemen before the creation of the Yemen Arab Republic in 1962 . South Yemen remained a British protectorate known as the Aden Protectorate until 1967 when it became an independent state and later , a Marxist state . The two Yemeni states united to form the modern republic of Yemen in 1990 .   Yemen is a developing country , and the poorest country in the Middle East . Under the rule of President Ali Abdullah Saleh , Yemen was described as a kleptocracy . According to the 2009 international corruption Perception Index by Transparency International , Yemen ranked 164 out of 182 countries surveyed . In the absence of strong state institutions , elite politics in Yemen constituted a de facto form of collaborative governance , where competing tribal , regional , religious , and political interests agreed to hold themselves in check through tacit acceptance of the balance it produced . The informal political settlement was held together by a power-sharing deal between three men : president Ali Abdullah Saleh , who controlled the state ; Major General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar , who controlled the largest share of the Republic of Yemen Armed Forces ; and Abdullah ibn Husayn al-Ahmar , figurehead of the Islamist Islah party and Saudi Arabia 's chosen broker of transnational patronage payments to various political players , including tribal sheikhs . The Saudi payments have been intended to facilitate the tribes ' autonomy from the Yemeni government and to give the Saudi government a mechanism with which to weigh in on Yemen 's political decision-making .   Yemen has been in a state of political crisis since 2011 , starting with street protests against poverty , unemployment , corruption , and president Saleh 's plan to amend Yemen 's constitution and eliminate the presidential term limit , in effect making him president for life . President Saleh stepped down and the powers of the presidency were transferred to Vice President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi , who was formally elected president on 21 February 2012 in a one-man election . The transitional process was disrupted by conflicts between the Houthis and al-Islah , as well as the al-Qaeda insurgency . In September 2014 , the Houthis took over Sana'a , later declaring themselves in control of the government in a coup d'état . Since then , a Saudi-led intervention has taken place , however , it could not stop the civil war . The Saudi-led intervention has caused massive damage to Yemeni infrastructure and has resulted in the bombing of hospitals and funeral processions among other civilian targets .

Aden <=SEP=> Aden ( -LSB- ˈeɪdən -RSB- , -LSB- ˈɑːdɛn -RSB- ; عدن Yemeni pronunciation : -LSB- ˈʕæden , ˈʕædæn -RSB- ) is a port city in Yemen , located by the eastern approach to the Red Sea ( the Gulf of Aden ) , some 170 km east of Bab-el-Mandeb . Its population is approximately 800,000 people . Aden 's ancient , natural harbour lies in the crater of a dormant volcano which now forms a peninsula , joined to the mainland by a low isthmus . This harbour , Front Bay , was first used by the ancient Kingdom of Awsan between the 5th and 7th centuries BC . The modern harbor is on the other side of the peninsula . Aden gives its name to the Gulf of Aden .   Aden consists of a number of distinct sub-centers : Crater , the original port city ; Ma'alla , the modern port ; Tawahi , known as `` Steamer Point '' in the colonial period ; and the resorts of Gold Mohur . Khormaksar , located on the isthmus that connects Aden proper with the mainland , includes the city 's diplomatic missions , the main offices of Aden University , and Aden International Airport ( the former British Royal Air Force station RAF Khormaksar ) , Yemen 's second biggest airport . On the mainland are the sub-centers of Sheikh Othman , a former oasis area ; Al-Mansura , a town planned by the British ; and Madinat ash-Sha ' b ( formerly Madinat al-Itihad ) , the site designated as the capital of the South Arabian Federation and now home to a large power/desalinization facility and additional faculties of Aden University .   Aden encloses the eastern side of a vast , natural harbor that comprises the modern port . The volcanic peninsula of Little Aden forms a near-mirror image , enclosing the harbor and port on the western side . Little Aden became the site of the oil refinery and tanker port . Both were established and operated by British Petroleum until they were turned over to Yemeni government ownership and control in 1978 .   Aden was the capital of the People 's Democratic Republic of Yemen until that country 's unification with the Yemen Arab Republic in 1990 , and again briefly served as Yemen 's temporary capital during the aftermath of the 2014 -- 15 Yemeni coup d'état , as declared by President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi after he fled the Houthi occupation of Sana'a . From March to July 2015 , the Battle of Aden raged between Houthis and loyalists to President Hadi . Water , food , and medical supplies ran short in the city . On 14 July , the Saudi Army launched an offensive to retake Aden for Hadi 's government . Within three days the Houthis had been removed from the city .