Somalia officially the Republic of Somalia and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic

Somali Democratic Republic

The Somali Democratic Republic was the name that the communist regime of former President of Somalia Major General Mohamed Siad Barre gave to Somalia after seizing power during a bloodless coup d'état in 1969...

 under communist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa

Horn of Africa

The Horn of Africa is a peninsula in East Africa that juts hundreds of kilometers into the Arabian Sea and lies along the southern side of the Gulf of Aden. It is the easternmost projection of the African continent...

. It is bordered by Djibouti

Djibouti

Djibouti , officially the Republic of Djibouti , is a country in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, and Somalia in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at the east...

 to the northwest, Kenya

Kenya

Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...

 to the southwest, the Gulf of Aden

Gulf of Aden

The Gulf of Aden is located in the Arabian Sea between Yemen, on the south coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and Somalia in the Horn of Africa. In the northwest, it connects with the Red Sea through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, which is about 20 miles wide....

 with Yemen

Yemen

The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....

 to the north, the Indian Ocean

Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...

 to the east, and Ethiopia

Ethiopia

Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...

 to the west. With the longest coastline on the continent, its terrain consists mainly of plateau

Plateau

In geology and earth science, a plateau , also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau...

s, plain

Plain

In geography, a plain is land with relatively low relief, that is flat or gently rolling. Prairies and steppes are types of plains, and the archetype for a plain is often thought of as a grassland, but plains in their natural state may also be covered in shrublands, woodland and forest, or...

s and highlands

Highland (geography)

The term highland or upland is used to denote any mountainous region or elevated mountainous plateau. Generally speaking, the term upland tends to be used for ranges of hills, typically up to 500-600m, and highland for ranges of low mountains.The Scottish Highlands refers to the mountainous...

.

In antiquity, Somalia was an important centre for commerce with the rest of the ancient world. Its sailors and merchants were the main suppliers of frankincense

Frankincense

Frankincense, also called olibanum , is an aromatic resin obtained from trees of the genus Boswellia, particularly Boswellia sacra, B. carteri, B. thurifera, B. frereana, and B. bhaw-dajiana...

, myrrh

Myrrh

Myrrh is the aromatic oleoresin of a number of small, thorny tree species of the genus Commiphora, which grow in dry, stony soil. An oleoresin is a natural blend of an essential oil and a resin. Myrrh resin is a natural gum....

 and spice

Spice

A spice is a dried seed, fruit, root, bark, or vegetative substance used in nutritionally insignificant quantities as a food additive for flavor, color, or as a preservative that kills harmful bacteria or prevents their growth. It may be used to flavour a dish or to hide other flavours...

s, items which were considered valuable luxuries by the Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...

ians, Phoenicia

Phoenicia

Phoenicia , was an ancient civilization in Canaan which covered most of the western, coastal part of the Fertile Crescent. Several major Phoenician cities were built on the coastline of the Mediterranean. It was an enterprising maritime trading culture that spread across the Mediterranean from 1550...

ns, Mycenaeans

Mycenaean Greece

Mycenaean Greece was a cultural period of Bronze Age Greece taking its name from the archaeological site of Mycenae in northeastern Argolis, in the Peloponnese of southern Greece. Athens, Pylos, Thebes, and Tiryns are also important Mycenaean sites...

 and Babylon

Babylon

Babylon was an Akkadian city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which are found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad...

ians with whom the Somali people

Somali people

Somalis are an ethnic group located in the Horn of Africa, also known as the Somali Peninsula. The overwhelming majority of Somalis speak the Somali language, which is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family...

 traded. According to most scholars, Somalia is most likely where the ancient Land of Punt

Land of Punt

The Land of Punt, also called Pwenet, or Pwene by the ancient Egyptians, was a trading partner known for producing and exporting gold, aromatic resins, African blackwood, ebony, ivory, slaves and wild animals...

 was situated. The ancient Puntites were a nation of people that had close relations with Pharaonic Egypt

Pharaoh

Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...

 during the times of Pharaoh

Pharaoh

Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...

 Sahure

Sahure

- Etymology :Sahure's birth name means "He who is Close to Re". His Horus name was Nebkhau.- Biography :Sahure was a son of queen Neferhetepes, as shown in scenes from the causeway of Sahure's pyramid complex in Abusir. His father was Userkaf. Sahure's consort was queen Neferetnebty. Reliefs show...

 and Queen

Queen regnant

A queen regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right, in contrast to a queen consort, who is the wife of a reigning king. An empress regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right over an empire....

 Hatshepsut

Hatshepsut

Hatshepsut also Hatchepsut; meaning Foremost of Noble Ladies;1508–1458 BC) was the fifth pharaoh of the eighteenth dynasty of Ancient Egypt...

. The pyramidal structures

Architecture of Somalia

Somalian architecture is the engineering and designing of multiple different construction types such as stone cities, castles, citadels, fortresses, mosques, temples, aqueducts, lighthouses, towers and tombs during the ancient, medieval and early modern periods in Somalia, as well as the fusion of...

, temples and ancient houses of dressed stone

Masonry

Masonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar; the term masonry can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are brick, stone, marble, granite, travertine, limestone; concrete block, glass block, stucco, and...

 littered around the country are said to date from this period. During the Middle Ages, several powerful Somali empires dominated the regional trade, including the Ajuuraan State

Ajuuraan State

The Ajuuraan state or Ajuuraan sultanate was a Somali Muslim empire that ruled over large parts of East Africa in the Middle Ages. Through a strong centralized administration and an aggressive military stance towards invaders, the Ajuuraan Empire successfully resisted an Oromo invasion from the...

, the Sultanate of Adal

Adal Sultanate

The Adal Sultanate or the Kingdom of Adal was a medieval multi-ethnic Muslim state located in the Horn of Africa.-Overview:...

, the Warsangali Sultanate and the Gobroon Dynasty

Gobroon Dynasty

The Gobroon dynasty or Geledi sultanate was a Somali royal house that ruled parts of East Africa during the 18th and 19th centuries. It was established by the Ajuuraan soldier Ibrahim Adeer, who had defeated various vassals of the Ajuuraan Empire and established the House of Gobroon...

.

Somalia was never formally colonized. Muhammad Abdullah Hassan's Dervish State

Dervish State

The Dervish state was an early 20th century Somali Sunni Muslim state that was established by Muhammad Abdullah Hassan, a religious leader who gathered Somali soldiers from across the Horn of Africa and united them into a loyal army known as the Dervishes...

 successfully repulsed the British Empire

British Empire

The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...

 four times and forced it to retreat to the coastal region. Due to these successful expeditions, the Dervish State was recognized as an ally by the Ottoman

Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...

 and German Empire

German Empire

The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...

s. The Turks

Turkish people

Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...

 also named Hassan Emir

Emir

Emir , meaning "commander", "general", or "prince"; also transliterated as Amir, Aamir or Ameer) is a title of high office, used throughout the Muslim world...

 of the Somali nation, and the Germans promised to officially recognize any territories the Dervishes were to acquire. After a quarter of a century of holding the British at bay, the Dervishes were finally defeated in 1920 as a direct consequence of Britain's new policy of aerial bombardment

Airstrike

An air strike is an attack on a specific objective by military aircraft during an offensive mission. Air strikes are commonly delivered from aircraft such as fighters, bombers, ground attack aircraft, attack helicopters, and others...

. As a result of this bombardment, former Dervish territories were turned into a protectorate

Protectorate

In history, the term protectorate has two different meanings. In its earliest inception, which has been adopted by modern international law, it is an autonomous territory that is protected diplomatically or militarily against third parties by a stronger state or entity...

 of Britain. Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 faced similar opposition from Somali Sultan

Sultan

Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...

s and armies, and did not acquire full control of parts of modern Somalia until the Fascist era in late 1927. This occupation lasted until 1941, and was replaced by a British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 military administration

Military administration

Military administration identifies both the techniques and systems used by military departments, agencies, and Armed Services involved in the management of the armed forces...

. Northern Somalia would remain a protectorate

Protectorate

In history, the term protectorate has two different meanings. In its earliest inception, which has been adopted by modern international law, it is an autonomous territory that is protected diplomatically or militarily against third parties by a stronger state or entity...

, while southern Somalia became a trusteeship. The Union of the two regions in 1960 formed the Somali Republic. A civilian government was formed, and on July 20, 1961, through a popular referendum

Referendum

A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...

, a new constitution

Constitution

A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...

 that had first been drafted the year before was ratified.

Due to its longstanding ties with the Arab world

Arab world

The Arab world refers to Arabic-speaking states, territories and populations in North Africa, Western Asia and elsewhere.The standard definition of the Arab world comprises the 22 states and territories of the Arab League stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the...

, Somalia was accepted in 1974 as a member of the Arab League

Arab League

The Arab League , officially called the League of Arab States , is a regional organisation of Arab states in North and Northeast Africa, and Southwest Asia . It was formed in Cairo on 22 March 1945 with six members: Egypt, Iraq, Transjordan , Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Syria. Yemen joined as a...

. During the same year, the nation's former socialist

Socialism

Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...

 administration also chaired the Organization of African Unity, the predecessor of the African Union

African Union

The African Union is a union consisting of 54 African states. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established on 9 July 2002, the AU was formed as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity...

. In 1991, the Somali Civil War

Somali Civil War

The Somali Civil War is an ongoing civil war taking place in Somalia. The conflict, which began in 1991, has caused destabilisation throughout the country, with the current phase of the conflict seeing the Somali government losing substantial control of the state to rebel forces...

 broke out, which saw the collapse of the federal government. Somalia's inhabitants subsequently reverted to local forms of conflict resolution, either secular

Civil law (legal system)

Civil law is a legal system inspired by Roman law and whose primary feature is that laws are codified into collections, as compared to common law systems that gives great precedential weight to common law on the principle that it is unfair to treat similar facts differently on different...

, Islamic

Religious law

In some religions, law can be thought of as the ordering principle of reality; knowledge as revealed by a God defining and governing all human affairs. Law, in the religious sense, also includes codes of ethics and morality which are upheld and required by the God...

 or customary law, with a provision for appeal of all sentences. As with other previously nationalized

Nationalization

Nationalisation, also spelled nationalization, is the process of taking an industry or assets into government ownership by a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to private assets, but may also mean assets owned by lower levels of government, such as municipalities, being...

 sectors, informal providers stepped in to fill the void and replaced the former government monopoly over healthcare, with access to facilities witnessing a significant increase and general living conditions improving. Through similar grass-roots initiatives, many educational institutions were restored and newer ones were developed; several are now ranked among the 100 best universities in Africa. Additionally, a Transitional Federal Government

Transitional Federal Government

The Transitional Federal Government is the current internationally recognized government of the Republic of Somalia. It was established as one of the Transitional Federal Institutions of government as defined in the Transitional Federal Charter adopted in November 2004 by the Transitional...

 was created in 2004, which saw the restoration of numerous national institutions, including the Military of Somalia

Military of Somalia

The Military of Somalia was, up until 1991, made up of the army, navy, air force, and air defense command. The outbreak of the Somali Civil War during that year led to the de facto dissolution of the national armed forces. However, efforts to re-establish a regular armed force by a re-constituted...

. While it still has room for improvement, the interim government continues to reach out to both Somali and international stakeholders to help grow the administrative capacity of the Transitional Federal Institutions and to work toward eventual national elections in 2011. According to the CIA

Central Intelligence Agency

The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...

 and the recently re-established Central Bank of Somalia

Central Bank of Somalia

The Central Bank of Somalia is the monetary authority of Somalia. Among other duties, it is in charge of ensuring financial stability, maintaining the internal and external value of the local currency, and promoting credit and exchange conditions that facilitate the balanced growth of the...

, despite experiencing civil unrest, Somalia has also maintained a healthy informal economy, based mainly on livestock

Livestock

Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...

, remittance/money transfer

Wire transfer

Wire transfer or credit transfer is a method of electronic funds transfer from one person or institution to another. A wire transfer can be made from one bank account to another bank account or through a transfer of cash at a cash office...

 companies, and telecommunication

Telecommunication

Telecommunication is the transmission of information over significant distances to communicate. In earlier times, telecommunications involved the use of visual signals, such as beacons, smoke signals, semaphore telegraphs, signal flags, and optical heliographs, or audio messages via coded...

s. Libertarian

Libertarianism

Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...

 economist Peter T. Leeson

Peter Leeson

Peter T. Leeson is BB&T Professor for the Study of Capitalism at the Mercatus Center, George Mason University He authored The Invisible Hook: The Hidden Economics of Pirates, a book in which he uses rational choice theory to examine the economic conditions and incentives that influenced pirate...

 attributes this increased economic activity to the Somali traditional law (referred to as Xeer

Xeer

Xeer, pronounced , is the polycentric legal system of Somalia. Under this system, elders serve as judges and help mediate cases using precedents. It is a good example of how customary law works within a stateless society and is a fair approximation of what is thought of as natural law...

), which provides a stable environment to conduct business in.

General reference

• Pronunciation
  International Phonetic Alphabet
  The International Phonetic Alphabet "The acronym 'IPA' strictly refers [...] to the 'International Phonetic Association'. But it is now such a common practice to use the acronym also to refer to the alphabet itself that resistance seems pedantic...
  
  :
• Common English country name: Somalia
  Somalia
  Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
  
  
• Official English country name: The Somali Republic
• Common endonym(s):
• Official endonym(s):
• Adjectival(s): Somali
  Somali
  Somali can refer to:* Somali people, ethnic group who inhabit the Horn of Africa * Somali language* Somali clan, social grouping of the Somali people* Somali Region, in Ethiopia* Somali , breed of cat* Republic of Somalia...
  
  
• Demonym(s): Somali; Somalian
• ISO country codes: SO, SOM, 706
• ISO region codes: See ISO 3166-2:SO
  ISO 3166-2:SO
  ISO 3166-2:SO is the entry for Somalia in ISO 3166-2, part of the ISO 3166 standard published by the International Organization for Standardization , which defines codes for the names of the principal subdivisions of all countries coded in ISO 3166-1.Currently for Somalia, ISO 3166-2 codes are...
  
  
• Internet
  Internet
  The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
  
   country code top-level domain
  Country code top-level domain
  A country code top-level domain is an Internet top-level domain generally used or reserved for a country, a sovereign state, or a dependent territory....
  
  : .so
  .so
  .so is the Internet country code top-level domain for Somalia. After a long absence, the .so domain was officially relaunched on November 1, 2010 by .SO Registry, which is regulated by the nation's Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications.-Overview:...
  
  

Geography of Somalia

• Somalia is: a country
• Location:
  • Eastern Hemisphere
    Eastern Hemisphere
    The Eastern Hemisphere, also Eastern hemisphere or eastern hemisphere, is a geographical term for the half of the Earth that is east of the Prime Meridian and west of 180° longitude. It is also used to refer to Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australasia, vis-à-vis the Western Hemisphere, which includes...
    
    , on the Equator
    Equator
    An equator is the intersection of a sphere's surface with the plane perpendicular to the sphere's axis of rotation and containing the sphere's center of mass....
    
    
  • Africa
    Africa
    Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
    
    
    • East Africa
      East Africa
      East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
      
      
      • Horn of Africa
        Horn of Africa
        The Horn of Africa is a peninsula in East Africa that juts hundreds of kilometers into the Arabian Sea and lies along the southern side of the Gulf of Aden. It is the easternmost projection of the African continent...
        
        
  • Time zone
    Time zone
    A time zone is a region on Earth that has a uniform standard time for legal, commercial, and social purposes. In order for the same clock time to always correspond to the same portion of the day as the Earth rotates , different places on the Earth need to have different clock times...
    
    : East Africa Time
    East Africa Time
    East Africa Time, or EAT, is a time zone used in eastern Africa. The zone is three hours ahead of UTC , which is the same as Arabia Standard Time, and also the same as Eastern European Summer Time....
    
     (UTC+03)
  • Extreme points of Somalia
    • High: Shimbiris
      Shimbiris
      Mount Shimbiris is the highest peak in Somalia. It sits at an altitude of above sea level. It is located in the Cal Madow mountain range in northern Somalia, in the Sanaag region. SRTM data shows that its often quoted elevation of 2,410m is slightly low....
      
       2450 m (8,038 ft)
    • Low: Indian Ocean
      Indian Ocean
      The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
      
       0 m
  • Land boundaries: 2,340 km

 Djibouti 58 km

 Ethiopia 1,600 km

 Kenya 682 km

• Coastline: 3,025 km
• Population of Somalia: 8,699,000 - 90th most populous country
• Area of Somalia: 637,661 km²
• Atlas of Somalia

Environment of Somalia

• Climate of Somalia
• Environmental issues in Somalia
• Ecoregions in Somalia
• Renewable energy in Somalia
• Geology of Somalia
• Protected areas of Somalia
  • Biosphere reserves in Somalia
  • National parks of Somalia
• Wildlife of Somalia
  Wildlife of Somalia
  The wildlife of Somalia is composed of its flora and fauna. It has 177 species of mammals and 727 species of birds....
  
  
  • Flora of Somalia
  • Fauna of Somalia
    • Birds of Somalia
    • Mammals of Somalia

Natural geographic features of Somalia

• Glaciers in Somalia: none
• Islands of Somalia
• Lakes of Somalia
• Mountains of Somalia
  • Volcanoes in Somalia
• Rivers of Somalia
  • Waterfalls of Somalia
• Valleys of Somalia
• World Heritage Sites in Somalia

Administrative divisions of Somalia

• Regions of Somalia
  Regions of Somalia
  Somalia is officially divided into eighteen administrative regions , which in turn are subdivided into districts. On a de facto basis, northern Somalia is now divided up among the autonomous states of Puntland and Somaliland...
  
  
  • Districts of Somalia
    Districts of Somalia
    ||Somalia is officially divided into eighteen administrative regions , which in turn are subdivided into districts....
    
    
    • Cities in Somalia

Regions of Somalia

• Awdal
  Awdal
  Awdal is a region in northwestern Somalia. Its capital is Borama.Awdal is bordered by Ethiopia, Djibouti, the Somali region of Woqooyi Galbeed, and the Gulf of Aden...
  
  
• Bakool
  Bakool
  -Overiew:It is bordered by the Ogaden and the Somalian regions of Hiiraan, Bay and Gedo.Bakool, like Gedo and Bay, as well as most parts of the Jubbada Dhexe region, used to be a part of the old Upper Region, which was subdivided in the mid 1980s...
  
  
• Banaadir
  Banaadir
  Banaadir is a region in southeastern Somalia.-Overview:The Somali term Banaadir derives from the original Persian word بندر bandar, meaning "port" or "harbour"...
  
  
• Bari
• Bay
  Bay, Somalia
  Bay is an administrative region in southern Somalia.-Overview:It is bordered by the Somalian regions of Bakool, Lower Shabele, Middle Juba and Gedo....
  
  
• Galguduud
  Galguduud
  Galguduud is an administrative region in central Somalia.-Overview:It is bordered by Ethiopia, the Somalian regions of Mudug, Hiiraan, Shabeellaha Dhexe , and the Indian Ocean....
  
  
• Gedo
  Gedo
  Gedo is an administrative region , formerly part of the historic Upper Juba Region in southern Somalia. Its regional capital is Garbahaarreey. Gedo is a region created in 1980s and is bordered by the Ogaden in Ethiopia, the North Eastern Province in Kenya, and the Somali regions of Bakool, Bay,...
  
  
• Hiiraan
  Hiiraan
  Hiran is an administrative region in south-central Somalia.-Overview:Hiiraan is bordered by the Somali Region of Ethiopia to the northwest, and the Somalian provinces of Galgudud to the northeast, Middle Shebelle) to the south, Lower Shebelle to the southwest, and Bay and Bakool to the west.The...
  
  
• Jubbada Dhexe
  Jubbada Dhexe
  Middle Juba is an administrative region in southern Somalia. With its capital at Bu'aale, it is located in the Jubaland autonomous region.Middle Juba is bordered by Somali regions of Gedo, Bay, Lower Shabele and Jubbada Hoose and the Indian Ocean...
  
  
• Jubbada Hoose
  Jubbada Hoose
  Lower Juba is an administrative region in southern Somalia. With its capital at Kismayo, it lies in the Jubaland autonomous region.Lower Juba is bordered by Kenya, the Somalian regions of Gedo, Middle Juba, and the Indian Ocean...
  
  
• Mudug
  Mudug
  Mudug is an administrative region in north-central Somalia. Bordered by the Ogaden, the Somalian regions of Nugaal and Galguduud, and the Indian Ocean, its capital is the city of Galkacyo.-Districts:...
  
  
• Nugaal
  Nugaal
  Nugal is an administrative region in northeastern Somalia.-Overview:It is bordered by Ethiopia and the Somalian regions of Sool to the west, Bari to the north, and Mudug to the south, with the Indian Ocean to the east....
  
  
• Sanaag
  Sanaag
  Sanaag is an administrative region in northern Somalia. Its capital city is Erigavo.Sanaag has a long coastline facing the Gulf of Aden to the north, and is bordered by the Somali regions of Woqooyi Galbeed, Togdheer, Sool and Bari....
  
  
• Shabeellaha Dhexe
  Shabeellaha Dhexe
  -Overview:It is bordered by the Somali regions of Galgudud, Hiran, Lower Shebelle, and Banadir, as well as the Indian Ocean.As part of the former Benadir region, Shabeellaha Dhexe's capital was Mogadishu up until the mid-1980s, when the town of Jowhar became the capital...
  
  
• Shabeellaha Hoose
  Shabeellaha Hoose
  Lower Shebelle is an administrative region in southern Somalia.-Overview:It is bordered by the Somalian regions of Banadir, Middle Shebelle, Hiran, Bay and Middle Juba, and the Indian Ocean...
  
  
• Sool
  Sool
  Sool is an administrative region in northern Somalia.-Overview:With its capital at Las Anod, Sool is historically known for being the seat of the anti-colonial Dervish movement....
  
  
• Togdheer
  Togdheer
  Togdheer is an administrative region in northwestern Somalia. It lies in the territory of Somaliland, a self-declared republic that is internationally recognized as an autonomous region of Somalia.-Overview:...
  
  
• Woqooyi Galbeed
  Woqooyi Galbeed
  Woqooyi Galbeed, also known as Maroodi Jeex, is an administrative region in northwestern Somalia. It lies in the territory of Somaliland, a self-declared republic that is internationally recognized as an autonomous region of Somalia....
  
  

Government and politics of Somalia

Main article: Government of Somalia and Politics of Somalia

Politics of Somalia

The politics of Somalia are defined by the state of civil war which, since 1991, has divided the country. What started out as various warring entities and autonomist and secessionist regions fighting for control developed into a fragile government fighting an Islamic insurgency. In 1991, Mohammed...

• Form of government
  Form of government
  A form of government, or form of state governance, refers to the set of political institutions by which a government of a state is organized. Synonyms include "regime type" and "system of government".-Empirical and conceptual problems:...
  
  :
• Capital of Somalia: Mogadishu
• History of the Transitional Federal Government of the Republic of Somalia
  History of the Transitional Federal Government of the Republic of Somalia
  The Transitional Federal Government of the Republic of Somalia is the nation's federal government. Established in 2004 through various international conferences, it is the most recent attempt to restore national institutions to the country after the 1991 collapse of the Siad Barre regime and the...
  
  
• History of Somalia (1991-2006)
• Elections in Somalia
  Elections in Somalia
  The Somalian state only has loose governmental structures with "no effective central government" since 1991. Political parties organized based strictly or primarily on political beliefs don't play much of a role; instead, there is a strong sense of ethnic identity and clan-based organization...
  
  
  • (specific elections)
• Political parties in Somalia
• Taxation in Somalia

Executive branch of the government of Somalia

• Head of state
  Head of State
  A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
  
  : President of Somalia, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed
• Head of government
  Head of government
  Head of government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet. In a parliamentary system, the head of government is often styled prime minister, chief minister, premier, etc...
  
  : Prime Minister of Somalia
  Prime Minister of Somalia
  This page contains a list of the Prime Ministers of Somalia.-Prime Ministers of Somalia :-Affiliations:*SYL - Somali Youth League*SNL - Somali National League...
  
  , Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke
  Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke
  Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke is a Somali diplomat and politician. He is the former Prime Minister of Somalia.-Biography:...
  
  
• Cabinet of Somalia

Legislative branch of the government of Somalia

• Parliament
  Parliament
  A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
  
   of Somalia: Transitional Federal Parliament
  Transitional Federal Parliament
  The Transitional Federal Parliament of the Somali Republic is an interim Parliament of Somalia formed in neighboring Kenya in 2004.The Transitional Federal Parliament has 550 members representing Somalia's clans, Islamist opposition, representatives of citizens' groups and the Somali...
  
   (unicameral)
  • List of members of the Somali Transitional Federal Parliament

Judicial branch of the government of Somalia

• Transitional Supreme Court of Somalia (seated at Mogadishu
  Mogadishu
  Mogadishu , popularly known as Xamar, is the largest city in Somalia and the nation's capital. Located in the coastal Benadir region on the Indian Ocean, the city has served as an important port for centuries....
  
  )
• Transitional Appeals Court of Somalia

Foreign relations of Somalia

• Diplomatic missions in Somalia
• Diplomatic missions of Somalia
  Diplomatic missions of Somalia
  This is a list of diplomatic missions of Somalia, excluding honorary consulates. Foreign relations of Somalia are handled primarily by the President as the head of state, the Prime Minister as the head of government, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Transitional Federal...
  
  

International organization membership

The Republic of Somalia is a member of:

• African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of States (ACP)
• African Development Bank Group (AfDB)
• African Union
  African Union
  The African Union is a union consisting of 54 African states. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established on 9 July 2002, the AU was formed as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity...
  
   (AU)
• Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development
  Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development
  The Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development is a Kuwait-based, pan-Arab development finance institution. All member-states of the Arab League are members of the AFESD. As of 2003, it held around USD 7.3 billion in assets....
  
   (AFESD)
• Arab Monetary Fund
  Arab Monetary Fund
  The Arab Monetary Fund is a regional Arab organization, founded 1976, and operational from 1977. It is a working sub-organization of the Arab League.-Objectives:...
  
   (AMF)
• Council of Arab Economic Unity
  Council of Arab Economic Unity
  The Council of Arab Economic Unity was established by Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Mauritania, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Tunisia, Syria, United Arab Emirates and Yemen on 3 June 1957...
  
   (CAEU)
• Food and Agriculture Organization
  Food and Agriculture Organization
  The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and...
  
   (FAO)
• Group of 77
  Group of 77
  The Group of 77 at the United Nations is a loose coalition of developing nations, designed to promote its members' collective economic interests and create an enhanced joint negotiating capacity in the United Nations. There were 77 founding members of the organization, but the organization has...
  
   (G77)
• Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD)
• International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
  International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
  The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development is one of five institutions that compose the World Bank Group. The IBRD is an international organization whose original mission was to finance the reconstruction of nations devastated by World War II. Now, its mission has expanded to fight...
  
   (IBRD)
• International Civil Aviation Organization
  International Civil Aviation Organization
  The International Civil Aviation Organization , pronounced , , is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth...
  
   (ICAO)
• International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol)
• International Development Association
  International Development Association
  The International Development Association , is the part of the World Bank that helps the world’s poorest countries. It complements the World Bank's other lending arm — the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development — which serves middle-income countries with capital investment and...
  
   (IDA)
• International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
  International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
  The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is a humanitarian institution that is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement along with the ICRC and 186 distinct National Societies...
  
   (IFRCS)
• International Finance Corporation
  International Finance Corporation
  The International Finance Corporation promotes sustainable private sector investment in developing countries.IFC is a member of the World Bank Group and is headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States....
  
   (IFC)
• International Fund for Agricultural Development
  International Fund for Agricultural Development
  The International Fund for Agricultural Development , a specialized agency of the United Nations, was established as an international financial institution in 1977 as one of the major outcomes of the 1974 World Food Conference. IFAD is dedicated to eradicating rural poverty in developing countries...
  
   (IFAD)
• International Labour Organization
  International Labour Organization
  The International Labour Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that deals with labour issues pertaining to international labour standards. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland. Its secretariat — the people who are employed by it throughout the world — is known as the...
  
   (ILO)
• International Maritime Organization
  International Maritime Organization
  The International Maritime Organization , formerly known as the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization , was established in Geneva in 1948, and came into force ten years later, meeting for the first time in 1959...
  
   (IMO)
• International Monetary Fund
  International Monetary Fund
  The International Monetary Fund is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world...
  
   (IMF)
• International Olympic Committee
  International Olympic Committee
  The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
  
   (IOC)

• International Organization for Migration
  International Organization for Migration
  The International Organization for Migration is an intergovernmental organization. It was initially established in 1951 as the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration to help resettle people displaced by World War II....
  
   (IOM)
• International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
  International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
  The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is an international humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide which was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and to prevent and alleviate human...
  
   (ICRM)
• International Telecommunication Union
  International Telecommunication Union
  The International Telecommunication Union is the specialized agency of the United Nations which is responsible for information and communication technologies...
  
   (ITU)
• International Telecommunications Satellite Organization
  International Telecommunications Satellite Organization
  The International Telecommunications Satellite Organization is an intergovernmental organisation charged with overseeing the public service obligations of Intelsat.-External links:*...
  
   (ITSO)
• Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)
• Islamic Development Bank
  Islamic Development Bank
  The Islamic Development Bank is a multilateral development financing institution located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It was founded by the first conference of Finance Ministers of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference , convened 23 Dhu'l Qa'dah 1393 AH.The bank officially began its activities on...
  
   (IDB)
• League of Arab States (LAS)
• Nonaligned Movement (NAM)
• Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)
• United Nations
  United Nations
  The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
  
   (UN)
• United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
  United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
  The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development was established in 1964 as a permanent intergovernmental body. It is the principal organ of the United Nations General Assembly dealing with trade, investment, and development issues....
  
   (UNCTAD)
• United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
• United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
  United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
  The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees , also known as The UN Refugee Agency is a United Nations agency mandated to protect and support refugees at the request of a government or the UN itself and assists in their voluntary repatriation, local integration or resettlement to...
  
   (UNHCR)
• United Nations Industrial Development Organization
  United Nations Industrial Development Organization
  The United Nations Industrial Development Organization , French/Spanish acronym ONUDI, is a specialized agency in the United Nations system, headquartered in Vienna, Austria...
  
   (UNIDO)
• Universal Postal Union
  Universal Postal Union
  The Universal Postal Union is an international organization that coordinates postal policies among member nations, in addition to the worldwide postal system. The UPU contains four bodies consisting of the Congress, the Council of Administration , the Postal Operations Council and the...
  
   (UPU)
• World Federation of Trade Unions
  World Federation of Trade Unions
  The World Federation of Trade Unions was established in 1945 to replace the International Federation of Trade Unions. Its mission was to bring together trade unions across the world in a single international organization, much like the United Nations...
  
   (WFTU)
• World Health Organization
  World Health Organization
  The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
  
   (WHO)
• World Intellectual Property Organization
  World Intellectual Property Organization
  The World Intellectual Property Organization is one of the 17 specialized agencies of the United Nations. WIPO was created in 1967 "to encourage creative activity, to promote the protection of intellectual property throughout the world"....
  
   (WIPO)
• World Meteorological Organization
  World Meteorological Organization
  The World Meteorological Organization is an intergovernmental organization with a membership of 189 Member States and Territories. It originated from the International Meteorological Organization , which was founded in 1873...
  
   (WMO)

Somalia is one of only 7 U.N member countries, which are not a member state of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

Law and order in Somalia

• Capital punishment in Somalia
  Capital punishment in Somalia
  -Methods:The sole method of execution in Somalia is a firing squad. However, in certain cases of adultery and homosexuality, the method is stoning.-Capital crimes:Capital Crimes in Somalia include:* Murder* Rape* Sodomy* Kidnapping* Homosexuality* Adultery...
  
  
• Constitution of Somalia
• Crime in Somalia
  • Kidnapping and hostage taking in Somalia
    Foreign hostages in Somalia
    Kidnapping and hostage taking has become a common occurrence in Somalia since 2008, while the country is still facing civil war Kidnapping and hostage taking has become a common occurrence in Somalia since 2008, while the country is still facing civil war Kidnapping and hostage taking has become a...
    
    
  • Piracy in Somalia
    Piracy in Somalia
    Piracy off the coast of Somalia has been a threat to international shipping since the second phase of the Somali Civil War in the early 21st century...
    
    
  • Terrorism in Somalia
    Terrorism in Somalia
    Terrorism in Somalia refers to violent attacks by militant or terrorist groups on civilians and/or government officials in Somalia.- List of attacks :*February 2008 Bosaso bombings*2008 Mogadishu bombings*2008 Hargeisa–Bosaso bombings...
    
    
• Human rights in Somalia
  Human rights in Somalia
  Human rights in Somalia are extremely poor and serious human rights violations are a problem due to the unstable political situation in the country. Somalia has not had a central government since President Mohamed Siad Barre fled the country in 1991...
  
  
  • Freedom of religion in Somalia
  • LGBT rights in Somalia
    LGBT rights in Somalia
    LGBT rights in Somalia fall under the scope of Somalia's federal laws. As such, homosexuality is illegal in the country and is punishable by imprisonment.-Legislation:...
    
    
• Law enforcement in Somalia
• Marriage in Somalia
  • Polygamy in Somalia
    Polygamy in Somalia
    Polygamy is legal in Somalia. Under law, however, court permission and proof a man's first wife is sterile or was incarcerated are first required.-External links:*...
    
    

Military of Somalia

• Command
  • Commander-in-chief
    Commander-in-Chief
    A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
    
    : Yusuf Osman Dumal
    • Ministry of Defence of Somalia
      Ministry of Defence (Somalia)
      The Ministry of Defense of the Transitional Federal Government of the Somali Republic is the government body in charge of the TFG armed forces-Established by Transitional Federal Charter:...
      
      
• Forces
  • Army of Somalia
  • Navy of Somalia
  • Air Force of Somalia
  • Special forces of Somalia
• Military history of Somalia
  Military history of Somalia
  The military history of Somalia encompasses the major conventional wars, conflicts and skirmishes involving the historic empires, kingdoms and sultanates in the territory of present-day Somalia, through to modern times...
  
  
• Military ranks of Somalia

History of Somalia

Main article: History of Somalia

History of Somalia

Somalia , officially the Republic of Somalia and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya on its southwest, the Gulf of Aden with Yemen on its north, the Indian Ocean at its east, and Ethiopia...

, Timeline of the history of Somalia, and Current events of Somalia

• Economic history of Somalia
  Economic history of Somalia
  - The colonial economy :The colonial era did not spark foreign economic investment despite the competition of three major European powers in the area of present-day Somalia. Italy controlled southern Somalia; Britain northern Somalia, especially the coastal region; and France the area that became...
  
  
• History of the Transitional Federal Government of the Republic of Somalia
  History of the Transitional Federal Government of the Republic of Somalia
  The Transitional Federal Government of the Republic of Somalia is the nation's federal government. Established in 2004 through various international conferences, it is the most recent attempt to restore national institutions to the country after the 1991 collapse of the Siad Barre regime and the...
  
  
• Maritime history of Somalia
• Military history of Somalia
  Military history of Somalia
  The military history of Somalia encompasses the major conventional wars, conflicts and skirmishes involving the historic empires, kingdoms and sultanates in the territory of present-day Somalia, through to modern times...
  
  
  • Somali Civil War
    Somali Civil War
    The Somali Civil War is an ongoing civil war taking place in Somalia. The conflict, which began in 1991, has caused destabilisation throughout the country, with the current phase of the conflict seeing the Somali government losing substantial control of the state to rebel forces...
    
    
    • Attempts at reconciliation in Somalia (1991–2004)
      Attempts at reconciliation in Somalia (1991–2004)
      Many factions opposed to Siad Barre set aside tribal and political differences to unite in purpose to overthrow his regime. After the collapse of Siad Barre's government in 1991 the nation fell into a long period of increasingly chaotic conflict between forces of clans, militias, warlords,...
      
      
    • Factions in the Somali Civil War
      Factions in the Somali Civil War
      Over the course of the Somali Civil War, there have been many revolutionary movements and militia groups run by competing warlords which have held de facto control over vast areas of the country.- Somali Salvation Democratic Front :...
      
      
    • Timeline of the War in Somalia
      • 2005 timeline of the War in Somalia
      • 2006 timeline of the War in Somalia
        2006 timeline of the War in Somalia
        The timeline of events in the War in Somalia during 2006 is set out below.-Battle of Baidoa:On December 20, first major hostilities broke out on many sides around Baidoa. Heavy shooting broke out between Somali government troops and Islamists southeast of Baidoa where the Islamists claimed to have...
        
        
      • 2007 timeline of the War in Somalia
        2007 timeline of the War in Somalia
        The timeline of events in the War in Somalia during 2007 is set out below.-January 1, 2007:On January 1, Islamists abandoned their last stronghold in Kismayo. After their departure, looters took to the streets, but order was restored shortly. The Islamists are reportedly retreating toward the...
        
        
      • 2008 timeline of the War in Somalia
        2008 timeline of the War in Somalia
        This sets forth a timeline of the War in Somalia during 2008.5 February* Bosaso bombings. 25 Ethiopian civilians killed2 March* Missile attack on Dobley. 6 Somali civilians killed19–20 April...
        
        
      • 2009 timeline of the War in Somalia
        2009 timeline of the War in Somalia
        The timeline of events in the War in Somalia during January 2009 is set out below. From the beginning of February the timeline of events in the War in Somalia is set out following the conclusion of the previous phase of the civil war.- Casualties :-January 1, 2009:*9 civilians killed, 1 TFG...
        
        
    • War in Somalia (2006–2009)
    • War in Somalia (2009–)
      War in Somalia (2009–)
      The 2009–present phase of the Somali Civil War is concentrated in southern Somalia. It began in early February 2009, with the conflict between, on the one hand, the forces of the Somali Transitional Federal Government assisted by African Union peacekeeping troops, and on the other, various militant...
      
      
• 2011 Horn of Africa famine

Culture of Somalia

• Architecture of Somalia
  Architecture of Somalia
  Somalian architecture is the engineering and designing of multiple different construction types such as stone cities, castles, citadels, fortresses, mosques, temples, aqueducts, lighthouses, towers and tombs during the ancient, medieval and early modern periods in Somalia, as well as the fusion of...
  
  
• Cuisine of Somalia
• Festivals in Somalia
• Humor in Somalia
• Languages of Somalia
  Languages of Somalia
  The languages of Somalia refers to the various spoken forms of communication in Somalia. It includes the nation's official languages, as well as its minority and foreign languages...
  
  
• Media in Somalia
  Media in Somalia
  The media of Somalia is characterized by many radio stations, including numerous community radio stations which are associated with news websites...
  
  
• National symbols of Somalia
  National symbols of Somalia
  Various national symbols of Somalia include:* Coat of arms of Somalia* Flag of Somalia* National anthem of Somalia...
  
  
  • Coat of arms of Somalia
    Coat of arms of Somalia
    The coat of arms of Somalia was adopted on October 10, 1956. The leopards which support the shield and the white star were also found on the arms used during the Italian administration. Formerly, the arms of Somalia from June 8, 1919, featured a shield divided horizontally by a wavy white line...
    
    
  • Flag of Somalia
    Flag of Somalia
    The flag of Somalia was adopted on October 12, 1954. It was designed by Mohammed Awale Liban. Upon reunification of Italian Somaliland and British Somaliland, the flag was used for the nascent Somali Republic.-History:...
    
    
  • National anthem of Somalia
    Somalia, Wake Up
    -History:Soomaaliyeey toosoo is a well-known Somali song that dates from the early 1940s. According to the Somali government, it was written by Ali Mire Awale in 1947...
    
    
• Public holidays in Somalia
• Records of Somalia
• Religion in Somalia
  • Islam in Somalia
    Islam in Somalia
    Nearly all Somalis are Sunni Muslims. Practicing Islam reinforces distinctions that further set Somalis apart from their immediate African neighbors, many of whom are either Christians or adherents of indigenous faiths....
    
    
  • Christianity in Somalia
    Christianity in Somalia
    Christianity is a minority religion in Somalia, with around 1,000 practitioners in a population of over eight million inhabitants. Most Christians in Somalia come from the Bantu minority ethnic group, and belong to the Evangelical and Wesleyan Church of the Nazarene...
    
    
    • Roman Catholicism in Somalia
      Roman Catholicism in Somalia
      Roman Catholicism in Somalia refers to the presence of the Catholic faith in the Northeast African country of Somalia. The Roman Catholic Church in Somalia is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and curia in Rome.-Overview:There are very few...
      
      
• World Heritage Sites in Somalia

Art in Somalia

• Somali art
  Somali art
  Somali art is the artistic culture of the Somali people, both historic and contemporary. These include artistic traditions in pottery, music, architecture, woodcarving and other genres. Somali art is characterized by its aniconism, partly as a result of the vestigial influence of the pre-Islamic...
  
  
• Cinema of Somalia
  Cinema of Somalia
  The cinema of Somalia refers to the film industry in Somalia. The earliest forms of public film display in the country were Italian newsreels of key events during the colonial period. Growing out of the Somali people's rich storytelling tradition, the first few feature-length Somali films and...
  
  
  • Somaliwood
    Somaliwood
    Somaliwood is an informal name for the Somali-language film industry that has developed in the diaspora community of Columbus, Ohio, centered around the Olol Films production company...
    
    
• Literature of Somalia
• Music of Somalia
  Music of Somalia
  The music of Somalia refers to the musical styles, techniques and sounds of Somalia.-Overview:Somalia has a rich musical heritage centered on traditional Somali folklore. Most Somali songs are pentatonic; that is, they only use five pitches per octave in contrast to a heptatonic scale such as the...
  
  
• Television in Somalia
• Theatre in Somalia

Sports in Somalia

• Somalia national football team
  Somalia national football team
  The Somalia national football team, nicknamed The Ocean Stars, is the national football team of Somalia. It is controlled by the Somali Football Federation, and is a member of the Confederation of African Football and the Union of Arab Football Associations . It has never qualified for the final...
  
  
• Somalia national beach soccer team
  Somalia national beach soccer team
  The Somalia national beach soccer team is a football squad, which represents Somalia in international beach soccer competitions. It is controlled by the Somalia Beach Soccer division of the Somali Football Federation, the latter of which is the governing body for professional football in...
  
  
• Somalia League
  Somalia League
  The Somalia League is the top football division in Somalia. It was created in 1961.-Clubs:As of 2011 season:-Previous winners:*1967 : Somali Police *1968 : Hoga...
  
  
• Somalia Cup
  Somalia Cup
  The Somalia Cup is the top knockout football tournament in Somalia. It was first held in 1977, and is an annual competition.-Winners:*1977 : The Somalia Cup is the top knockout [[football |football]] tournament in [[Somalia]]...
  
  
• Somali Football Federation
  Somali Football Federation
  The Somali Football Federation was founded in 1960. In that same year, the SFF became a FIFA member and has been affiliated with the organization ever since. In 1975, it joined the Confederation of African Football , an administrative body it is still likewise a member of. It is also a part of the...
  
  
• Somalia national basketball team
  Somalia national basketball team
  Somalia national basketball team is the national basketball team of Somalia. They are yet to make an appearance in the FIBA World Championship. Their best effort in the FIBA Africa Championship was winning the bronze medal in the 1981 when they hosted the event...
  
  
• Somalia at the Olympics
  Somalia at the Olympics
  Somalia first participated at the Olympic Games in 1972, and has sent athletes to compete in most Summer Olympic Games since then. Somalia has not yet participated in any winter olympics. The nation boycotted the 1976 Games along with most other African nations, and also joined the American-led...
  
  

Economy and infrastructure of Somalia

• Economic rank, by nominal GDP (2007): 153rd (one hundred and fifty third)

• Agriculture in Somalia
• Banking in Somalia
  • Central Bank of Somalia
    Central Bank of Somalia
    The Central Bank of Somalia is the monetary authority of Somalia. Among other duties, it is in charge of ensuring financial stability, maintaining the internal and external value of the local currency, and promoting credit and exchange conditions that facilitate the balanced growth of the...
    
    
• Communications in Somalia
  Communications in Somalia
  - Overview :Somalia has some of the best telecommunications in Africa: a handful of companies are ready to wire home or office and provide crystal-clear service, including international long distance, for about $10 a month." This may seem rather unexpected in a country engaged in civil war; the...
  
  
  • Internet in Somalia
• Companies of Somalia
• Currency of Somalia
  Currency
  In economics, currency refers to a generally accepted medium of exchange. These are usually the coins and banknotes of a particular government, which comprise the physical aspects of a nation's money supply...
  
  : Shilling
  Somali shilling
  The Somali shilling is the official currency of Somalia...
  
  
  • ISO 4217
    ISO 4217
    ISO 4217 is a standard published by the International Standards Organization, which delineates currency designators, country codes , and references to minor units in three tables:* Table A.1 – Current currency & funds code list...
    
    : SOS
    SOS
    SOS is the commonly used description for the international Morse code distress signal...
    
    
• Economic history of Somalia
  Economic history of Somalia
  - The colonial economy :The colonial era did not spark foreign economic investment despite the competition of three major European powers in the area of present-day Somalia. Italy controlled southern Somalia; Britain northern Somalia, especially the coastal region; and France the area that became...
  
  
• Energy in Somalia
  • Energy policy of Somalia
• Health care in Somalia
  • Oil industry in Somalia
• Mining in Somalia
• Somalia Stock Exchange
• Tourism in Somalia
  Tourism in Somalia
  Tourism in Somalia is a small industry, but the government of Somalia has committed to develop it further. Very few tourists ever visit Somalia due to the violence and unrest that has occurred there...
  
  
• Transport in Somalia
  Transport in Somalia
  Transport in Somalia includes a network of highways, and several ports. There are now no railways in Somalia, and the country possesses no merchant marine....
  
  
  • Airports in Somalia
  • Rail transport in Somalia
    Rail transport in Somalia
    The only railway in Somalia, the Mogadishu-Villabruzzi Railway, was built by Italy in the 1910s. The track gauge was , a gauge favoured by the Italians in Africa.The railway was dismantled in the 1940s by the British, and never restored.-See also:...
    
    
  • Roads in Somalia
• Water supply and sanitation in Somalia

Education in Somalia

• National Library of Somalia
  National Library of Somalia
  The National Library of Somalia is, as its name suggests, the national library of Somalia. Established in 1975, it is located in Mogadishu. It came under the responsibility of the Ministry of Culture and Higher Education until the collapse of the government in 1991.In 1983, it held approximately...
  
  
• Universities in Somalia

See also

• Index of Somalia-related articles
• List of international rankings
• List of Somalia-related topics
• Member state of the United Nations
• Outline of Africa
  Outline of Africa
  The following outline provides an overview of and topical guide to the continent Africa:Africa – world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia.-Geography of Africa:* Atlas of Africa* List of cities in Africa...
  
  
• Outline of geography
  Outline of geography
  The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to geography:Geography – science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth.- Geography is :...
  
  

External links

• Turbulent Waters in a Maritime Black Hole The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies May 2008
• Condemn US-Ethiopian aggression against Somalia Lalkar January 2007
• Somalia Operations: Lessons Learned by Kenneth Allard (CCRP, 1995)
• From Nation-State to Stateless Nation: The Somali Experience by Michael van Notten (Amsterdam, 2000)
• "Preserving American Security Ties to Somalia," by Michael Johns, Heritage Foundation
  Heritage Foundation
  The Heritage Foundation is a conservative American think tank based in Washington, D.C. Heritage's stated mission is to "formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong...
  
  , December 26, 1989.
• Changed Arab attitudes to Somalia Conflict
• http://walrusmagazine.com/articles/2008.03-field-notes-chronic-ptsd/"Separation Anxiety", article in The Walrus
  The Walrus
  The Walrus is a Canadian general interest magazine which publishes long form journalism on Canadian and international affairs, along with fiction and poetry by Canadian writers. It launched in September 2003, as an attempt to create a Canadian equivalent to American magazines such as Harper's, The...
  
   about post-traumatic stress disorder among Somali warriors]
• Between Kat and Katyushas Elaborated Article on the Contemporary History of Somalia

Government

• Official Website of the Federal Government of Somalia

Geography

• Bissig Addo

News;

• Somalia - War situation since 1991 on France 24 – Special Report about Somalia on France 24 International News Channel
• "Somalia in crisis" - collection of articles on the BBC
  BBC
  The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
  
  
• Somalia news headlines
• Somalia's Struggle for Stability, Online NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
• HRW claims US involved in secret detention of Somalis, Breaking Legal News 2007/04/01
• IRIN Somalia humanitarian news and analysis
• U.S. Special Envoy Cites Widespread ‘Lack of Confidence’ in Somali Government Council on Foreign Relations
• ITN/CNN Report "War tears Somalia apart", an up-to-date report on Mogadishu, October 10, 2007.

Economy

• Anarchy and Invention: How Does Somalia's Private Sector Cope without Government?
• Breaking Legal News 2007/04/01

General information

• CBC Digital Archives - The Somalia Affair
• News and Discussions

Religion

• Mustaqbalka Ummadda Somaaliyeed