Africa

Somalia

Somalia is situated on the horn of East Africa and is bordered by the Gulf of Aden and Djibouti to the north, the Indian Ocean to the east and south, to the north and northwest by Ethiopia and Kenya to the southwest.

The northern region is mountainous with plateaus ranging 3,000 and 7,000 ft. To the northeast there is an extremely dry dissected plateau that reaches a maximum height of 8,250 ft. South and west of this region, extending to the Shebeli River, lies a plateau whose maximum elevation is 2,250 ft. The region between the Juba and Shebeli rivers is low agricultural land, and the area that extends southwest of the Juba River to the Kenyan border is low pasture land....
More Information on Somalia.

Full country name: Somali Democratic Republic
National name: Soomaaliya
Area: 637,700 sq.km
Population: 10 million
Capital City: Mogadishu, 1,208,800
Language: Somali (official), Arabic, English, Italian
Religion: Sunni Muslim
Ethnicity/race: Somali 85%, Bantu and others 15% (including Arabs 30,000)
Currency: Somali shilling
Government: Interim Government
Head of State: Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed
Head of Government: Ali Muhammad Ghedi

Also Read: A Short Background of Somalia

History of Somalia

Early history traces the development of the Somali state to an Arab sultanate, which was founded in the seventh century A.D. by Koreishite immigrants from Yemen. During the 15th and 16th centuries, Portuguese traders landed in present Somali territory and ruled several coastal towns. The sultan of Oman and Zanzibar subsequently took control of these towns and their surrounding territory.
Somalia’s modern history began in the late l9th century, when various European powers began to trade and establish themselves in the area. The British East India Company’s desire for unrestricted harbor facilities led to the conclusion of treaties with the sultan of Tajura as early as 1840... More on Somalia's History.

Overview of Somalia's Economy

GDP: $4.597 billion
GDP per capita: $600
Annual Growth: 2.8%
Natural resources: uranium and largely unexploited reserves of iron ore, tin, gypsum, bauxite, copper, salt, natural gas, likely oil reserves.
Major Industries: a few light industries, including sugar refining, textiles, wireless communication.
Major Trading Partners: UAE, Yemen, India, Oman, China, Nigeria, Djibouti, Kenya, Brazil (2003).
Member of EU: No

Also Read: A short note on Economy of Somalia

Political System of Somalia

- Government of Somalia
- Foreign relations of Somalia
- Defence Of Somalia

Climate, Vegetation and Fauna

The native flora of Somalia is made up of the stuff of myths and fables – aromatic trees belonging to the myrrh, frankincense, eucalyptus and prized hardwoods like mahogany and euphorbia grow on the hills and mountain slopes. The pastureland is mostly made up of coarse grass, thorny shrubs and bushes and sturdy acacia trees.

Wildlife is found in abundance in Somalia’s diverse habitat. Crocodiles, elephants, hippos, lions, zebras, rhinos, leopards, giraffes, cheetah and buffalo, monkeys, baboons, Oryx, wild asses and a host of poisonous snakes are native to the country. Birds like bee-eaters, kingfishers, eagles, kites, shrikes, waterfowl, yellow-necked geese and partridges can be seen in the wetter areas.


Languages: Except for a few communities along the southern Somali coast where Swahili...more.

Education: Literacy rates are very poor in Somalia, with only 24% of the population being literate. In the years before the political system broke down, primary and secondary education and enrolment at all levels was pretty high but the aftermath of the war has seen literacy rates fall.

Religion of Somalia: Almost 95% of the population of Somalia belongs to the Sunni Muslim sect of Islam.

Culture: Somali warmly greet each other with handshakes, but shaking hands with the opposite sex is avoided...more.

People of Somalia: The Cushitic populations of the Somali Coast in the Horn of Africa have an ancient history...more.


Facts for the Traveler


Health & Safety: Travellers to Somalia need to be very, very careful about their health. HIV, malaria, rabies, bilharzias, cholera, meningitis and the entire family of Hepatitis are the infective diseases common in Somalia. A major outbreak of Cholera was reported in 2000 and travellers are advised to take necessary prophylactic treatment before leaving for Somalia. Yellow Fever, small pox and sleeping sickness are other diseases to guard against. Take medical advise on preventive treatment and vaccinations. (A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers arriving from infected areas).
As a consequence of the civil war, medical facilities are almost nonexistent and in the few places that still have some sort of infrastructure, treatment for foreigners is only offered on the basis of advance payment. Health insurance is essential and should be as comprehensive as possible
Customs & Duties: Somalia’s Customs Authorities will permit 400 cigarettes/ 40 cigars/ 400g of tobacco; 1 bottle of wine or spirits; a reasonable amount of perfume for personal use to be brought in free of customs duty.

Also Read:Transportation in Somalia

When to Go

The best time for a visit to Somalia is in the cooler months between June and August and in January- February.

Also Read: Getting Around in Somalia

What to See in Somalia

Other Tourist Attractions in Somalia

more...

What to do in Somalia

Fishing, hunting and safaris are some of the pursuits for active travellers to Somalia. At the present time, safari companies have suspended their operations but political stability and resolution of the ongoing conflict may change that.

The earliest inhabitants of the area were Khoisan hunter-gatherers. They were largely replaced by Bantu tribes during a series of migrations. The southern part of the country was named Matabeleland after the Ndebele tribe who occupied the area in the early 1800’s under a loose confederation of Ndebele-speaking tribes headed by the Khumalo tribe under [...]
Countries in Africa Algeria Angola Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Cote d’Ivoire Democratic Republic of the Congo Djibouti Egypt Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Ethiopia Gabon The Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Kenya Lesotho Liberia Libya Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Mauritius Morocco Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria Republic of the Congo Rwanda Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone Somalia South Africa Sudan Swaziland Tanzania Togo Tunisia Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe
Religion in Africa Africans profess a wide variety of religious beliefs, with Christianity and Islam being the most widespread. Approximately 40% of all Africans are Christians and another 40% Muslims. Roughly 20% of Africans primarily follow indigenous African religions. A small number of Africans also have beliefs from the Judaic tradition, such as the Beta Israel [...]
Culture of Africa Africa has a number of overlapping cultures. The most conventional distinction is that between sub-Saharan Africa and the northern countries from Egypt to Morocco, who largely associate themselves with Arabic culture. In this comparison, the nations to the south of the Sahara are considered to consist of many cultural areas, in particular [...]
Demographics of Africa Africans may be grouped according to whether they live north or south of the Sahara Desert; these groups are called North Africans and Sub-Saharan Africans, respectively. Afro-Asiatic speaking peoples predominate in North Africa, while Sub-Saharan Africa is dominated by a number of disparate populations grouped according to their diverse languages–Niger-Congo predominantly in West [...]
Economy of Africa Africa is the world’s poorest inhabited continent: the United Nations’ Human Development Report 2003 (of 175 countries) found that positions 151 (Gambia) to 175 (Sierra Leone) were taken up entirely by African nations. It has had (and in some ways is still having) a shaky and uncertain transition from colonialism, with increases in corruption [...]
Politics in Africa Colonial Africa Colonialism had a destabilizing effect on what had been a number of ethnic groups that is still being felt in African politics. Prior to European influence, national borders were not much of a concern, with Africans generally following the practice of other areas of the world, such as the Arabian peninsula, where [...]
History of Africa Africa is home to the oldest inhabited territory on earth, with the human race originating from this continent. During the mid 20th century, anthropologists discovered many fossils and evidence of human occupation perhaps as early as 7 million years ago. The famous Leakey family, with ties to both Britain and Africa, discovered fossil [...]
Geography of Africa Africa is the largest of the three great southward projections from the main mass of the Earth’s surface. It includes within its remarkably regular outline an area, of c. 30,360,288 km² (11,722,173 mi²), including the islands. Separated from Europe by the Mediterranean Sea, it is joined to Asia at its northeast extremity by the [...]
Etymology of Africa The name Africa came into Western use through the Romans, who used the name Africa terra - “land of the Afri” (plural, or “Afer” singular) - for the northern part of the continent, as the province of Africa with its capital Carthage, corresponding to modern-day Tunisia. The Afri were a tribe - possibly Berber [...]

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Africa Travel Guide