Yemen is located in the southwestern portion of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered to the North by Saudi Arabia, to the east with Oman, to the west the red sea separates Yemen from Ethiopia and to he south is the Gulf of Aden and the western part of the Arabian Sea. The Republic of Yemen includes certain Red Sea islands including Kamaran, Perim and the Hanish Islands. The island of Socotra located in the Arabian Sea is also part of Yemen. The four regions of Yemen are the western coastal plains, the western highlands, the eastern highlands and then Rub al Khali desert to the east. The Rub al Khali is known as the Empty Quarter and occupies areas of Yemen, Oman, UAE and large portion of Saudi Arabia.