Aden

Aden (pop. 407,000), former capital and chief port of the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (Southern Yemen), on the Gulf of Aden. Sana became the capital upon the creation of the Republic of Yemen (May 22, 1990) which merged the two Yemens. Under British rule from 1839 to 1967, it became a coaling station for ships sailing between Europe and India with the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. Chief trade center of southern Arabia, it is also the country's industrial center, with an oil refinery.

See also: Yemen.