The country of Somalia in northeastern Africa is a hot and dry land. Only a small portion of the territory can be used for farming. To survive in this difficult environment, many of the people follow a nomadic, or wandering, lifestyle. The capital is Mogadishu. GeographySomalia is located in the Horn of Africa, the easternmost part of the African continent. It is bounded on the north by the Gulf of Aden, on the east by the Indian Ocean, on the west by Ethiopia, on the southwest by Kenya, and on the northwest by Djibouti. Somalia covers an area of 246,000 square miles (637,000 square kilometers). The landscape consists largely of plains and plateaus. In the extreme north, along the Gulf of Aden, is a narrow, sandy plain called the Guban. The plain rises in the southeast to the Ogo Highlands, which contain the country's highest peak, Surud Cad, at 7,897 feet (2,407 meters). To the south the highlands give way to the Haud region, which is cooler and drier. The extreme south consists mainly of plains. Along the Indian Ocean coast is a stretch of permanent sand dunes. Somalia's major rivers are the Jubba and the Shabeelle. They rise in Ethiopia and flow southward across the country toward the Indian Ocean. Between these two rivers lies the richest farmland in the country. Plants and animalsMost of the northern areas of Somalia have scattered low trees and patches of grass. Forests exist only in the highlands. About two thirds of the land is used as pasture for raising livestock. The country's wildlife includes lions, leopards, hyenas, foxes, warthogs, ostriches, and antelopes. The numbers of giraffes, zebras, oryx (a type of large antelope), hippopotamuses, rhinoceroses, and, above all, elephants have been greatly reduced by hunting. National parks and game reserves have been established to protect endangered species. People and cultureMore than half of Somalia's people lead a nomadic life raising livestock. Settled farmers live mainly in the southern part of the country. Almost all of the people are ethnic Somalis. Bantus and Arabs form the most significant minorities. The Somalis are divided into numerous clans, or groups that trace their common ancestry back to a single father. The official religion is Islam, and nearly all of the people are Muslim. Somali and Arabic are the official languages, but English and Italian are also widely spoken. Somali was an unwritten language until an alphabet was adopted in 1973. The urban population of Somalia has increased rapidly since World War II and continues to grow. Mogadishu, the capital and largest city, has a population of more than 1 million. Once a bustling Indian Ocean port, Mogadishu was devastated by civil war in the 1990s. EconomySomalia is one of the poorest countries in the world. Its economy is largely based on livestock and farming, though only about 2 percent of the land is suitable for growing crops. The main crops include bananas and other fruits, sugarcane, sorghum, corn (maize), cassava, cotton, and sesame seeds. Sheep, goats, camels, and cattle are raised. The leading export is live animals, followed by bananas. Fish, animal hides, and frankincense and myrrh are exported as well. Somalia has a small manufacturing sector. Industries include meat and fish processing, sugar refining, textile production, leather tanning, and printing. Many manufacturing facilities were shut down during the civil conflict of the 1990s. HistoryThe northern and eastern Somali coasts probably formed part of Punt, a land mentioned in ancient Egyptian writings. Between the 7th and 10th centuries Arabs and Persians established trading posts along the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean coasts. By the 10th century Somali nomads had entered the area. Colonization and independenceEuropean exploration of the region began in the 19th century. In 1884 the British set up a section in the north known as British Somaliland. In 1889 Italy acquired two regions in the northeast corner of Somalia. Italy established another colony on the southern part of the Somali coast in 1905. The land claimed by Italy was known as Italian Somaliland. In 1960 Italian Somaliland and British Somaliland were united to form the independent country of Somalia. For nine years after independence Somalia was governed as a democracy. In 1969, however, Major General Maxamed Siyaad Barre led a military takeover of the government. He became the leader of the country's new military regime. In 1977 Somalia attempted to annex a region of Ethiopia that was occupied almost entirely by ethnic Somalis. Somalia was defeated in 1978. Clan warfareSiyaad ruled Somalia until he was ousted in 1991 by an alliance of rebel groups. The country then split into a number of regions, each controlled by a clan or an alliance of clans. The former British Somaliland announced that it was becoming an independent state, the Republic of Somaliland. Civil war erupted as the clans competed for territory. The northeastern portion of Somalia, known as Puntland, declared itself a self-governing region in 1998. During the 1990s all attempts at bringing together the warring groups ended in failure. In 2000 a new transitional government was established, but clan-based battles continued. Population (2001 estimate), 7,489,000. |