Hadhramaut or Hadramaut [key], region, S Arabia, on the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea, occupying the southeastern part of Yemen. Historically, the name refers to the former Hadhramaut states, a collective term for the Quaiti and Kathiri sultanates. The chief port and city of the region is Mukalla. The Hadhramaut extends c.400 mi (640 km) from east to west, encompassing a larger area the Yemeni Hadhramaut governate. It consists of a narrow, arid coastal plain, a broad plateau averaging 4,500 ft (1,370 m) high, a region of deeply sunk wadis (watercourses), and an escarpment fronting the desert. The sedentary population, the Hadranis, live in towns built along the wadis and harvest crops of wheat, corn, millet, dates, coconuts, and coffee. On the plateau the Bedouins raise sheep and goats. The Hadhramaut is called Hazarmaveth in the Bible.
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