other · Arabia and the Gulf

State of Aden

1963 CE – 1967 CE · capital Aden

The former Aden Colony as a member state of the Federation of South Arabia, the scene of the Aden Emergency.

Origins

In January 1963 the Colony of Aden entered the Federation of South Arabia as the State of Aden, keeping its own government under a chief minister, while Britain retained sovereignty and control of the military base. The merger was opposed by Aden's nationalists, who resented being joined to the hinterland rulers.

Rule and society

Aden's legislature was elected on a narrow franchise. The chief minister Hassan Ali Bayoomi supported the merger; a later chief minister, Abdul Qawi Mackawee, sided with the nationalists and was dismissed in 1965, after which Britain ruled directly. Strikes, bombings and assassinations by the National Liberation Front and FLOSY made Aden the centre of the emergency.

Decline and legacy

In June 1967 armed nationalists briefly held the Crater district. British forces withdrew in November 1967 and Aden became the capital of South Yemen.

Lineage

Colony of Aden 1937 CE – 1963 CEState of AdenSouth Yemen 1967 CE – 1990 CE

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). State of Aden. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/state-of-aden
MLA
“State of Aden.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/state-of-aden. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “State of Aden.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/state-of-aden.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘State of Aden’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/state-of-aden (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻