Geography of Somalia

Population: 9,925,640 (July 2011 estimate)
Capital: Mogadishu
Bordering Countries: Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya
Area: 246,200 square miles (637,657 sq km)
Coastline: 1,879 miles (3,025 km)
Highest Point: Shimbiris at 7,926 feet (2,416 m)

Somalia is a country located in eastern Africa on the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya and has coastlines along the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. Somalia is known as being one of the world's poorest and most politically and socially unstable countries in the world.

History of Somalia

The earliest form of organized government in Somalia was in the 7th century C.E. with an Arab sultanate. Europeans landed in the region in the 15th and 16th centuries as traders from Portugal arrived and took over several of its coastal areas as trading ports. By the 19th century, several other European countries had arrived in the area and established their own trading ports. In 1886 the British officially took control of northern Somalia and in the 1890s Italy claimed a portion of Somalia. By the early 1900s however, British rule of the north was challenged through rebellions led by Mohamed Abdullah (U.S. Department of State). In 1920 the British defeated Abdullah.

During Italy's battles with the United Kingdom in World War II, Italian forces in Somalia also began to take over British territories in that area. In 1941 the British fought against Italy and took over a portion of what was known as Italian Somaliland. In 1947 Italy gave up all control of Italian Somaliland and the United Nations General Assembly placed the area under an international trusteeship with Italian authority for ten years (U.S. Department of State). In addition at the same time the British portion of the area, British Somaliland, was beginning to govern itself and push for independence.

In June 1960, British Somaliland shifted from a British protectorate to an independent country and on July 1, 1960, it joined Italian Somaliland in forming the Somali Republic (U.S. Department of State). Following its initial independence Somalia worked to achieve a stable government, however by 1969 hostilities in different parts of the country caused a coup which eventually ended constitutional democracy there. As a result the Supreme Revolutionary Council (SRC) took over Somalia's government and reduced the freedoms of its population through military force (U.S. Department of State).

During the 1970s, Somalia was engaged in the Ogaden War with Ethiopia and in 1978 it was defeated and lost its international relationship with the Soviet Union. Shortly thereafter the United States began supplying aid to Somalia and in the 1980s it supported Somalia during a war with Ethiopia. In addition, the Somali government during this time also continued to take freedoms from its citizens and by the late 1980s a civil war erupted causing an economic crisis.

Because of the severe instability in Somalia during the late 1980s, many of its citizens began to flee to neighboring countries. By 1990 the problems in Somalia were so severe that the country was on the verge of collapse and in 1991 president Mohamed Siad Barre was driven from power. Since the 1990s, Somalia's government has not fully recovered and it has become one of the poorest, most violent and most unstable countries in the world.

Government of Somalia

Today Somalia's government is considered a government in transition but there is still no permanent national government. There is however an executive branch with a chief of state and a head of government, as well as a unicameral National Assembly for its legislative branch. These branches are transitional though and they do not have permanent power. Somalia's judicial branch is nonexistent and most areas of the country use local forms of conflict resolution (CIA World Factbook).

Economics and Land Use in Somalia

Although Somalia does not have a large formal economy, it does have a relatively stable informal one that is based on agriculture, livestock and local traditions. About 40% of the country's economy consists of agriculture and nomads and semi-pastoralists are a large percentage of its population (CIA World Factbook). The main agricultural products of Somalia are bananas, sorghum, corn, coconut, rice, sugarcane, mango, sesame seeds, beans, fish and livestock like cattle, sheep and goats.

Geography and Climate of Somalia

Somalia is located east of Ethiopia on the Horn of Africa. Most of the country is located just north of the equator, but it does pass through Somalia's southern tip (map). It has a varied topography that consists of hills to the north and flat plateaus in the central and southern areas of the country. The highest point in Somalia, Shimbiris, is located in the north and has an elevation of 7,926 feet (2,416 m).

The climate of Somalia is mainly desert with warm temperatures in the north and very hot temperatures in the south. Rainfall in the country is irregular and often sparse. Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, has a January average low of 73˚F (23˚C) and a May average high of 90˚F (32˚C).

To learn more about Somalia, visit the Geography and Maps page on Somalia on this website.

References

Central Intelligence Agency. (16 August 2011). CIA - The World Factbook - Somalia. Retrieved from: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/so.html

Infoplease.com. (n.d.). Somalia: History, Geography, Government, and Culture- Infoplease.com. Retrieved from: http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107979.html

United States Department of State. (17 May 2011). Somalia. Retrieved from: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2863.htm

Wikipedia.org. (16 August 2011). Somalia - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somalia