Yemen

Thamud is located in decimal degrees at latitude 17.300 and longitude 49.917.Yemen is a much smaller country than the United States. While Yemen has only 21,456,188, the United States has 299,398,484(Republic of Yemen15 Jul 2007). It is going to be difficult to adjust because the population number is so much lower. Thamud, Yemen is a much smaller city than what most cities in the United States are now. The land area is 527,970 km2 excluding Al Rub al-Khali. (Yemen travel guide)While the land area is 9,158,960.00 sq km in the Untied States, it is a much larger area than Yemen (Total land area). As many people living in Yemen, it has a very small land area. That would be hard to get used to being over populated, being that close to people all the time. I thought where I lived was small but it does not compare to Yemen. It would make a big difference that would be hard to get used to living there.

"Visitors to Yemen are struck by how distinctive it is from the rest of the Arabian Peninsula. No wonder it is called the "green land of Arabia." Lush green valleys and rugged mountains stand in stark contrast to the endless deserts elsewhere. Yemen's roots are far deeper than its Islamic past. Civilizations thousands of years old left remnants of impressive structures as a testimony to their genius. This was the fabled land of the Queen of Sheba, where kingdoms flourished on the fringes of the desert. In contemporary Yemen, ancient traditions survive in spite of modern developments spurred on by the recent discovery of oil. Yemenis still marry according to age-old customs, and tribesmen still wear handcrafted daggers. The unique Yemeni identity is alive and well" (p. 3 of Cultures of the World: Yemen Hestler).

In Thamud, the official language is Arabic; the majority of the people would speak this language. However, you could also hear people speaking in English if you went to visit Thamud. The official currency of Yemen is the Yemeni Rial. You would most likely hear English because you the urban growth that is going on now in Yemen. (Marcovitz 75-92) The value of Rial against the United States dollar has dropped significantly compared to 4 Rials per dollar in 1990. (Yemeni Rial)

Yemen is a low-income country, with low life expectancy. (Housing)Their housing for the poor is inadequate (Housing). The majorities of the low-income families' lives in structures called make shift homes, such as huts and tents anything that is built cheaply and easily moved (housing) while the wealthier families are living in big houses that are unique. Muslim including Shaf'i (Sunni) and Zaydi (Shi'a), small numbers of Jewish, Christian, and Hindu.(Yemen N.D.)

Majority of the population listens to folk music. Some of their famous artists are

Ahmad Fathey and Osma Al Attar. Certain families have cell phones and land lines telephones,

but not many people have internet. Over half of the roadways are paved. While there are Airports

run ways over half unpaved.(Yemen N.D.)

The prejudice against Americans in Yemen most people would expect that there is more racism there to do with Americans but overall America considered Yemen as in ally. On September 11, 2001 with the attacks on the World Trade Center, Yemen became an ally in the "war on terror". (Yemen after the Vote) "They are due to the less than fully developed institutions, they are due to corruption and sometimes lack of competence on the part of some. However Yemen is still considered by the United States as a friend and an ally in the war on terror."(Yemen after the Vote)

There are many interesting dishes you may eat while your there, such as Salta the main national dish. It is a highly spiced stew, chicken or lamb with lentils. It also contains chickpeas, beans and coriander; Salta is made on a bed of rice. At lunchtime, you would usually eat with out implements. By using a piece of bread, they scoop the food the bread. Shurba is also important dish of stew, it is made of a more soup like and it contains lamb lentils. Bint Al Sahn is a dessert made of sweet bread dipped into honey and butter. There is no alcohol sold within the whole country. Their