Somalia
Population
17,700,000 peopleCapital
MogadishuCurrency
Somali shillingLanguages spoken in Somalia
SomaliMap of Somalia
Area in square kilometers
637,661 km2Gross domestic product per capita
$ 2,941
In antiquity, Somalia was an important center for commerce with the
rest of the ancient world. Its sailors and merchants were the main
suppliers of frankincense, myrrh and spices, items which were
considered valuable luxuries by the Ancient Egyptians, Phoenicians,
According to most scholars, Somalia is also where the ancient Kingdom
of Punt was situated. The ancient Puntites were a nation
of people that had close relations with Pharoanic Egypt during the
times of Pharoah Sahure and Queen Hatshepsut. The pyramidical
around Somalia are said to date from this period. In the classical
era, several ancient city-states such as Opone, Mosyllon and Malao
that competed with the Sabaeans, Parthians and Axumites for the
wealthy Indo-Greco-Roman trade also flourished in Somalia.
Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS) were underway in Djibouti. In January
2009, following the creation of a TFG-ARS unity government, Ethiopian
military forces, which had entered Somalia in December 2006 to support
the TFG in the face of advances by the opposition Council of Islamic
Despite the lack of effective national governance, Somalia has
maintained a healthy informal economy, largely based on livestock,
remittance/money transfer companies, and telecommunications.
Agriculture is the most important sector, with livestock normally
accounting for about 40% of GDP and about 65% of export earnings.
Somalia was never formally colonized. The Dervish State
successfully repulsed the British empire four times and forced it to
retreat to the coastal region. As a result of its fame in the
Due to its ancient brotherly ties with the Arab world, Somalia was
accepted in 1974 as a member of the Arab League. To strengthen its
relationship with the rest of the African continent, Somalia joined
other African nations when it founded the African Union, and began to
instability, Somalia has also managed to sustain a freemarket economy
which, according to the UN, outperforms those of many other countries
in Africa.
Contents
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* 1 History
independent republic of Somalia was created in 1960 out of the British
and Italian territories. Mogadishu is the capital and the largest
city. Population: 9,120,000.
Somalian So·ma'li·an adj. & n.
Answers.com
* Answers.com ▼
Somalia has a developing mixed economy based largely on livestock and
agriculture. It is one of the poorest countries in the world. Muslim
Arabs and Persians first established trading posts along the coasts in
the 7th – 10th centuries
Since the fall of Mohammed Siad Barre in 1991, Somalia has no
permanent national government. A Transitional Federal Government, was
formed in 2004 with a five-year mandate. The 275-seat Transitional
Federal Assembly, whose members are chosen from the various clans,
elected a interim president in 2004
Flag of Somalia is light blue with a large white five-pointed star in the center.
PROFILE
OFFICIAL NAME:
Somalia
NOTE: There is no official U.S. representation in Somalia. Statistical
Somalia is located on the east coast of Africa on and north of the
Equator and, with Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, and Kenya, is often
referred to as the Horn of Africa. It comprises Italy's former Trust
Somalia was under British military administration, transition toward
self-government was begun through the establishment of local courts,
planning committees, and the Protectorate Advisory Council. In 1948
Britain turned the Ogaden and neighboring Somali territories over to
Ethiopia.
with the devastation of civil war, Somalia was plunged into a severe
famine that killed 300,000. U.S. troops were sent in to protect the
delivery of food in Dec. 1992, and in May 1993 the UN took control of
the relief efforts from the U.S
Since 1991 Somalia has been engulfed in anarchy. Years of peace
negotiations between the various factions were fruitless, and warlords
and militias ruled over individual swaths of land. In 1991, a
breakaway nation, the Somaliland Republic, proclaimed its
independence
spent its first year operating out of Kenya—Somalia remained too
violent and unstable to enter—eventually settling in the provincial
town of Baidoa.
In May 2006, the country's worst outbreak of violence in 10 years
began, with Islamist militias, called the Somali Islamic Courts
WARNING: Somalia is most emphatically NOT a tourist destination and
not safe for independent travel or sightseeing. Those visiting for
business, research, or international aid purposes should consult with
their organization and seek expert guidance before planning a trip. If
Somalia is located on the Horn of Africa, and is bordered by Ethiopia
to the west, Djibouti to the north-west, and Kenya on its south-west.
This is a country with a troubled past. Civil war, military coups,
Somalia was an unknown country for European explorers until the
Portuguese explorers reached the coastal cities of Somalia on their
way to India. They called it Terra Incognita, which means the unknown
land. These new discoveries encouraged many other European navigators
Mogadishu, the capital city of Somalia, is an
extremely dangerous city where different clans constantly
battle for control.
Source: www.bbc.com.
Somalia is a country that has experienced excessive amounts of
political instability during the past decade. Somalia, like most other
countries in Africa, was colonized by European nations during the late
1800s. In 1887, Britain became concerned with keeping the route to
possessions in Africa and control of Somalia was given to the United
Nations and for 10 years it was a UN trust territory under Italian
administration until July 1, 1960 when Somalia was granted
independence and it merged with the former British protectorate of
Somaliland.
The latest video from Somalia's al Qaeda-backed Al-Shabaab wing is as
slickly produced as a reality TV show but with a startling message -
complete with a hip-hop jihad vibe.
Video
More than $200M pledged to beat Somali pirates
Gunmen attacked a convoy Sunday in Somalia and took several hostages,
including two foreign aid workers from the group Doctors Without
Borders.
French capture 11 suspected pirates; Greek ship freed
The French navy on Wednesday captured 11 suspected pirates off the
Somalia, the French president's office in Paris said Friday.
VideoPhotos
Pirates captured after attacking German tanker
Seven suspected pirates are in German custody after they fired on a
naval tanker off the coast of Somalia and were pursued by warships,
Under Barre's leadership Somalia joined the Arab League (1974) and
developed strong ties with the Soviet Union and other Communist-bloc
nations. In the late 1970s, however, after Somalia began supporting
ethnic Somali rebels seeking independence for the disputed Ogaden
parliament at Baidoa, Somalia, and the following month it met there.
There were outbreaks of fighting in Mogadishu in Feb.–Mar., 2006,
between militia forces aligned with unofficial Islamic courts and
militias loyal to several warlords. In April, Baidoa was officially
established as Somalia's temporary capital
the coast of Somalia, says he will give up this career if certain
terms are met.
Pirates Map: Hot Spots Off SomaliaInteractive Graphic
Pirates Map: Hot Spots Off Somalia
Somalia has a long coastline, extending for about 2735 km (about 1700
mi), but it has few natural harbors. A sandy coastal plain borders on
the Gulf of Aden in the N. A series of mountain ranges, with average
Somalia has few natural resources. The grasslands are suitable for
grazing livestock, and the fertile land in the river valleys of the
Juba and Webi Shabeelle and in some coastal areas is used for
agricultural crops
The principal occupation in Somalia is the raising of livestock. In
2002 livestock included an estimated 12.5 million goats,13 million
sheep, and 5 million cattle. The principal crops (2003) include
sugarcane (200,000 metric tons), corn (164,000), sorghum (121,000),
Somalia was created on 01 July 1960 following the independence of
Italian Somaliland from Italy, which then immediately united with
British Somaliland to form the Somali Republic. British Somaliland had
gained its independence just five days earlier on 26 June 1960.
The Flag Day in Somalia is therefore 26 June, celebrating the first
hoisting of the flag of the independent Republic of Somalia on 26 June
1960.
As it was the case in other African countries, the flag was adopted
Did the flag of Somalia undergo a flag change? I received 3 of these
VEX IV flag cards, and on one of these cards, it shows a flag of
Somalia which features the star in a triangle, set against a light
Somalia's new president Saturday after he was voted in by the
country's parliament, a Somali journalist said.
Islamist fighters seize Somali government seat
Radical Islamist fighters seized control of the seat of Somalia's
U.N.-backed transitional government Monday, raiding the parliament
Piracy off the coast of Somalia can't be stopped until there is some
authority to bring pirates to justice, according to the commander of
the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain.
Video
Pirates release two ships off East Africa
A reporter for Somalia's Shabelle Radio was shot and killed Thursday
during a gun battle south of Mogadishu, the network reported.
Somali president quits amid power struggle
Somalia's transitional president has resigned amid a power struggle
Somalia was self-sufficient in grain, and its agricultural land is
productive enough that the country should have been able to feed
itself despite the drought.
Often references were made to warfare as the cause of famine in
Much coverage of Somalia has reflected a colonial mindset, arrogant
about U.S. power and disparaging of Somalis. CBS's Alan Pizzy compared
the U.S. intervention to the Marine presence in Lebanon (12/9/92): "As
The political factions in Somalia were discussed in cartoon-like
stereotypes: Time (12/14/92) referred to them as "Mad Max characters,"
and Newsweek's Joe Klein (12/14/92) called them "thugs, warlords and
micro-messiahs." Despite the dismissive treatment of the so-called
Though Somalia has been plagued by violence for much of the last
fifteen years, fighting intensified in 2006 as militias loyal to
the country’s Islamic courts began expanding their territorial
control
clan—one of the largest in Somalia, though it is actually
comprised of many smaller sub-clans. The other major Somali clan,
Darod, tends to support the government. Though clan loyalties are
believed to be operating in Somalia, the country has been used
as a transit point and safe haven by the perpetrators of
several terrorist attacks in and around the Horn of Africa.
Because Somalia is a chaotic, poor, battle-weary Muslim country
with no central government. As former Secretary of State Colin
Powell has said, “terrorist activity might find some fertile
First, while Somalia is about as big as Afghanistan, its landscape
lacks Afghanistan's many natural hiding places. Second, Somalia is
a more secular society where Taliban-style fundamentalism is
unfamiliar
Somalia, and an international fleet is monitoring sea traffic.
Meanwhile, U.S. military officials have been meeting with Somali
clan leaders and officials in neighboring Ethiopia. And senior
1 Apr 2002 State of Southwestern Somalia is proclaimed
by Rahanwein Resistance Army (not recognized).
Presidents
1 Apr 2002 - 200. Hassan Mohammad Nur "Shatigadud" Mil/RRA
(loses control of Baidoa 3 Oct 2002¹)
Somalia, officially the Somali Republic, is located on the Horn of
Africa in East Africa. It is bordered by Djibouti to the northwest,
Kenya to the southwest, the Gulf of Aden with Yemen to the north, the
Indian Ocean to the east, and Ethiopia to the west
Africa's easternmost country, Somalia is slightly smaller than the
state of U.S. state of Texas. Somalia occupies the tip of a region
commonly referred to as the Horn of Africa—because of its resemblance
on the map to a rhinoceros's horn—that also includes Ethiopia and
Somalia was one of the many countries affected by the tsunami which
struck the Indian Ocean coast following the 2004 Indian Ocean
earthquake, destroying entire villages and killing an estimated 300
people.
Somalia's worst fighting in months was aggravating an already dire
humanitarian emergency in the Horn of Africa state, and joined world
powers in condemning the violence.
Comment?
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Fri May 15, 2009
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Institutions and the African Union Mission in Somalia was convened by
the United Nations Secretary General following the request of the UN
Security Council in its resolution 1863 of 16 January 2009 under the
joint auspices of the African Union and United Nations and hosted by
arbitrary detention in Somalia, says Amnesty International. The
TFG, aided by Ethiopia and the US, overthrew the Somali ruling
government in 2007. The report urges the UN Security Council to
The armed conflict in Somalia, which has been going on for more
than 20 years, has involved many actors. Ethiopian troops,
supported by the US, are withdrawing from Somalia after having
been deployed in the country since 2006
for the Re-Liberation of Somalia rebel group, peace remains
unlikely. The author warns that the agreement shows no real
prospect of ending conflict because the Somali government and the
UN excluded the al-Shabaab militant group and key members of the
health-care system, Somalia has some of the worst health indicators in
the world: one in ten women die during child birth and more than one
in five children die before their fifth birthday. The impact of the
Somalia is experiencing "the worst violence" in years, Reuters' Guled
Mohamed reported May 4, 2006. "The United States is funding a
coalition of Somali warlords fighting hardline Islamic militia in the
capital Mogadishu as part of Washington's declared war on terrorism, a
Somalia (Somali Democratic Republic) has a "coastline approximately
3300 km long." Somalia "forms the area known as the Horn of Africa,
bordered on the North by the Gulf of Aden, on the East and South by
In May 2002, the International Crisis Group wrote that "Somalia is one
of the world's chief examples of a failed state - a frequently lawless
land of chronic, criminally opportunistic, conflict. There is no
functioning, nationally-recognised central government. Somalia is
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