TIHAMIT AL-YAMAN

coastal plain in western Yemen, fronting the Red Sea. A 260-mile (420-kilometre) southern extension of the Arabian Tihamah (coastal plain), it consists of a strip of arid coastal land stretching between Maydi, on the northern border with Saudi Arabia, and the El-Mandeb Strait, near the southern limit of the country. It occupies an area of 5,220 square miles (13,520 square km) and rises to a maximum elevation of 660 feet (200 m). In its upper reaches the terrain of Tihamit al-Yaman changes into jagged valleys incised in low plateaus. Seven major wadis, including the Maur, Surdud, and Zabid, allow for some agricultural activity; irrigated fields are scattered among extensive chains of sand dunes. Dates, tobacco, and cotton are major crops. Salt is mined at As-Salif. Fishing is based at the shallow Red Sea ports of Al-Luhayyah, Al-Hudaydah, Al-Ghulayfigah, and Mocha, which are also the region's manufacturing centres.