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Climate
It is
worth emphasising that Yemen is rich in flora because it has
a diverse range of topography and ecosystems. Its topography
has determined its climate and soils. Consider the following
features of Yemen's topography:
- Coastal
zones. Yemen has two coastal zones, one on the west named
Tihama and the other along the south. As the Arabic name
suggests, the western coastal Tihama has very high humidity.
- Mountains.
High mountains rise in several places to more than 3000
m. and stand in spectacular contrast to the eastern escarpment
with an altitudinal range of only c. 1000 m. These high
mountains drop in a series of steps from steep slopes to
the flat basins of the coastal plain, which consist of alluvial
deposits.
- Wadis.
Wadis draining from the escarpment area into the sea intersect
several regions of Yemen along their course and along their
raised embankments. It is should be noted that the large
wadis of the plains are heavily cultivated.
- Hadramout
plateau. This plateau consists of sandstone and limestone.
It rises more than 2000 m mainly at Kar Sieban.
- Desert
and semi desert. The eastern and northern desert and semi
desert can be classified as the Hammada type, but there
are regions that consist of large fields of mobile sand
dunes. These desert plains are intersected by relatively
big wadis, which finally end in the Rub' al-Khali.
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The topography,
varied patterns of rainfall and temperature have endowed Yemen
with a wide variety of plant life. Yemen's designation as
the Green Valley of Arabia is hardly a misnomer. Rainfall
plays an important role in the plant life of Yemen. Table1
and Map 1gives at a glance the climatological data that can
help to explain how the topography and climate factors relate
to plant life in different regions of Yemen.
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