Flags of Aden
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Yemen was under (nominal) Ottoman rule from 1538, but only in 1848 did this control assume any sense of reality. For most of its recent history, Yemen has been divided, often at a very localised level, and these divisions are reflected by what follows here.
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COLONY OF ADEN 1937-1963
In 1839, South Arabia came under the "protection" of the British East India Company and, from 1860 until 1937, of India. In 1937, Aden was established as a separate colony with separate East Aden and West Aden Protectorates. In 1965 these states were reconstituted as the Federation of South Arabia. Aden remained under shrinking British control until 1967. There is evidence the flag was used after 1963 on Perim Island and the Kuria Muria islands
FEDERATION OF SOUTH ARABIA 1963-1967
In the wake of the growing revolution in North Yemen, the sultanates of South Arabia (Quatiri, Seiyun, Hamra and Socotra, Kethiri, Aden, and others) were merged under a new form of British "protection" between 1959 and 1965 into the Federation of South Arabia. Almost immediately with the formation of the federation, opposing nationalist groups began to challenge the ongoing British role in Yemen; these groups, especially the Front for the Liberation of Occupied South Yemen (FLOSY) and the National Liberation Front (NLF), soon moved into armed struggle against the British. The federation came to an end on 30 November 1967 with British withdrawal, NLF victory, and the formation of the People's Republic of South Yemen.
YEMEN ARAB REPUBLIC
Created when the last Zaydi Iman, Badr, was overthrown in 1962. With substantial Egyptian support, the republic was firmly established against internal and external challenges by 1968.
PEOPLE'S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF YEMEN
On 30 November 1967, South Arabia gained independence under National Liberation Front (NLF) leadership as the People's Republic of South Yemen. On 1 December 1970, it was reconstituted as the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY).
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REPUBLIC OF YEMEN
In May 1988 discussions aimed at achieving unification were opened between the Yemen Arab Republic (North Yemen) and the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (South Yemen); on 22 May 1990 the new unified Republic of Yemen was declared. The flag is essentially the Arab Liberation Flag of 1952, introduced after the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 in which Arab nationalism was a dominant theme.