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Sanaa

For other uses, see Sanaa (disambiguation).
Sanaa
صَنْعَاء‎
Arabic: أَمَانَة ٱلْعَاصِمَة, romanized: ʾAmānat al-ʿĀṣimah
Capital city
The skyline of the Old City of Sanaa
Houses in the old city
Al-Saleh Mosque
Rainy day in Sanaa
Gate of Yemen
National Museum of Yemen
Al-Bakiriyya Mosque
Nickname: 
ʾAmānat Al-ʿĀṣimah (أَمَانَة ٱلْعَاصِمَة‎)
Map of the city
Map of the city
Sanaa in the Republic of Yemen
Sanaa in the Republic of Yemen
Sanaa is located in Yemen
Sanaa
Sanaa
Sanaa is located in West and Central Asia
Sanaa
Sanaa
Coordinates: 15°20′54″N 44°12′23″E / 15.34833°N 44.20639°E / 15.34833; 44.20639
Country Yemen
GovernorateIndependent city
Control Houthis
Area
 • Total126 km2 (49 sq mi)
Elevation
2,250 m (7,380 ft)
Population
 (2017)[1]
 • Total2,545,000 Increase
 • Estimate 
(2024)[2]
3,407,814 Increase
 • Density20,320/km2 (52,600/sq mi)
Demonym(s)Sanaani, San'ani
Time zoneUTC+3 (AST)

Sanaa,[a][b] officially the Sanaa Municipality,[c] is the capital and largest city of Yemen. The city is the capital of the Sanaa Governorate but is not part of the governorate as it forms a separate administrative unit. According to the Yemeni constitution, Sanaa is the capital of the country,[3] although the seat of the Yemeni government moved to Aden, the former capital of South Yemen, in the aftermath of the Houthi occupation. Aden was declared the temporary capital by then-president Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi in March 2015.[4]

At an elevation of 2,300 metres (7,500 ft),[5] Sanaa is one of the highest capital cities in the world and is next to the Sarawat Mountains of Jabal An-Nabi Shu'ayb and Jabal Tiyal, considered to be the highest mountains in the Arabian Peninsula and one of the highest in the region. Sanaa has a population of approximately 3,292,497 (2023), making it Yemen's largest city.[6] As of 2020, the greater Sanaa urban area makes up about 10% of Yemen's total population.[7]

The Old City of Sanaa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has a distinctive architectural character, most notably expressed in its multi-story buildings decorated with geometric patterns. The Al Saleh Mosque, the largest in the country, is located in the southern outskirts of the city. During the conflict that raged in 2015, explosives hit UNESCO sites in the old city.[8][9]

Sanaa has been facing a severe water crisis,[10] with water being drawn from its aquifer three times faster than it is replenished. The city is predicted to completely run out of water by around 2030, making it the first national capital in the world to do so. Access to drinking water is very limited in Sanaa, and there are problems with water quality.[11]

  1. ^ Central Statistics Organization. "Yemen Statistical Yearbook 2017". Archived from the original on 20 January 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  2. ^ "Sanaa Population 2024".
  3. ^ "Yemen's embattled president declares southern base temporary capital". DPA International. 21 March 2015. Archived from the original on 11 July 2015.
  4. ^ "Yemen's President Hadi declares new 'temporary capital'". Deutsche Welle. 21 March 2015. Archived from the original on 5 June 2015. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  5. ^ McLaughlin, Daniel (2008). "3: Sanaʽa". Yemen. Bradt Travel Guides. p. 67. ISBN 978-1-8416-2212-5. Archived from the original on 14 February 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  6. ^ "Sanaa Population 2023". worldpopulationreview.com. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  7. ^ Sana'a City Profile (PDF). United Nations Human Settlements Programme in Yemen. 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  8. ^ Young, T. Luke. "Conservation of the Old Walled City of Sanaʽa Republic of Yemen". MIT. Archived from the original on 3 August 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2011.
  9. ^ Anna Hestler; Jo-Ann Spilling (2010). Yemen. Marshall Cavendish. p. 16. ISBN 978-0-7614-4850-1. Archived from the original on 14 February 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  10. ^ "Yemen facing water shortage crisis". BBC News. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  11. ^ Al-Hamdi, Mohamed I (2000). Competition for Scarce Groundwater in the Sana'a Plain, Yemen. A Study of the Incentive Systems for Urban and Agricultural Water Use. Taylor & Francis. pp. 1–8. ISBN 90-5410-426-0. Retrieved 15 February 2021.


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