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Introduction | Somalia

Background: | Britain withdrew from British Somaliland in 1960 to allow its protectorate to join with Italian Somaliland and form the new nation of Somalia. In 1969, a coup headed by Mohamed SIAD Barre ushered in an authoritarian socialist rule that managed to impose a degree of stability in the country for a couple of decades. After the regime's collapse early in 1991, Somalia descended into turmoil, factional fighting, and anarchy. In May 1991, northern clans declared an independent Republic of Somaliland that now includes the administrative regions of Awdal, Woqooyi Galbeed, Togdheer, Sanaag, and Sool. Although not recognized by any government, this entity has maintained a stable existence and continues efforts to establish a constitutional democracy, including holding municipal, parliamentary, and presidential elections. The regions of Bari, Nugaal, and northern Mudug comprise a neighboring self-declared autonomous state of Puntland, which has been self-governing since 1998 but does not aim at independence; it has also made strides toward reconstructing a legitimate, representative government but has suffered some civil strife. Puntland disputes its border with Somaliland as it also claims portions of eastern Sool and Sanaag. Beginning in 1993, a two-year UN humanitarian effort (primarily in the south) was able to alleviate famine conditions, but when the UN withdrew in 1995, having suffered significant casualties, order still had not been restored. A two-year peace process, led by the Government of Kenya under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), concluded in October 2004 with the election of Abdullahi YUSUF Ahmed as President of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia and the formation of an interim government, known as the Somalia Transitional Federal Institutions (TFIs). The Somalia TFIs include a 275-member parliamentary body, known as the Transitional Federal Assembly (TFA), a transitional Prime Minister, Nur "Adde" Hassan HUSSEIN, and a 90-member cabinet. The TFIs are based on the Transitional Federal Charter, which outlines a five-year mandate leading to the establishment of a new Somali constitution and a transition to a representative government following national elections. While its institutions remain weak, the TFG continues to reach out to Somali stakeholders and work with international donors to help build the governance capacity of the TFIs and work towards national elections in 2009. In June 2006, a loose coalition of clerics, business leaders, and Islamic court militias known as the Council of Islamic Courts (CIC) defeated powerful Mogadishu warlords and took control of the capital. The Courts continued to expand militarily throughout much of southern Somalia and threatened to overthrow the TFG in Baidoa. Ethiopian and TFG forces, concerned over links between some CIC factions and the al-Qaida East Africa network and the al-Qaida operatives responsible for the bombings of the US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya in 1998, intervened in late December 2006, resulting in the collapse of the CIC as an organization. However, the TFG continues to face violent resistance from extremist elements, such as the al-Shabaab militia previously affiliated with the now-defunct CIC.

Geography | Somalia

Location: | Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, east of Ethiopia
Geographic coordinates: | 10 00 N, 49 00 E
Map references: | Africa
Area: | total: 637,657 sq km land: 627,337 sq km water: 10,320 sq km
Area - comparative: | slightly smaller than Texas
Land boundaries: | total: 2,340 km border countries: Djibouti 58 km, Ethiopia 1,600 km, Kenya 682 km
Coastline: | 3,025 km
Maritime claims: | territorial sea: 200 nm
Climate: | principally desert; northeast monsoon (December to February), moderate temperatures in north and hot in south; southwest monsoon (May to October), torrid in the north and hot in the south, irregular rainfall, hot and humid periods (tangambili) between monsoons
Terrain: | mostly flat to undulating plateau rising to hills in north
Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Shimbiris 2,416 m
Natural resources: | uranium and largely unexploited reserves of iron ore, tin, gypsum, bauxite, copper, salt, natural gas, likely oil reserves
Land use: | arable land: 1.64% permanent crops: 0.04% other: 98.32% (2005)
Irrigated land: | 2,000 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources: | 15.7 cu km (1997)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): | total: 3.29 cu km/yr (0%/0%/100%) per capita: 400 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards: | recurring droughts; frequent dust storms over eastern plains in summer; floods during rainy season
Environment - current issues: | famine; use of contaminated water contributes to human health problems; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
Environment - international agreements: | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
Geography - note: | strategic location on Horn of Africa along southern approaches to Bab el Mandeb and route through Red Sea and Suez Canal

People | Somalia

Population: | 9,558,666 note: this estimate was derived from an official census taken in 1975 by the Somali Government; population counting in Somalia is complicated by the large number of nomads and by refugee movements in response to famine and clan warfare (July 2008 est.)
Age structure: | 0-14 years: 44.7% (male 2,143,758/female 2,132,869) 15-64 years: 52.8% (male 2,525,562/female 2,516,879) 65 years and over: 2.5% (male 100,655/female 138,943) (2008 est.)
Median age: | total: 17.5 years male: 17.4 years female: 17.6 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate: | 2.824% (2008 est.)
Birth rate: | 44.12 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate: | 15.89 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate: | 5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate: | total: 110.97 deaths/1,000 live births male: 120.17 deaths/1,000 live births female: 101.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 49.25 years male: 47.43 years female: 51.12 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate: | 6.6 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 43,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: | NA
Major infectious diseases: | degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and Rift Valley fever water contact disease: schistosomiasis animal contact disease: rabies (2008)
Nationality: | noun: Somali(s) adjective: Somali
Ethnic groups: | Somali 85%, Bantu and other non-Somali 15% (including Arabs 30,000)
Religions: | Sunni Muslim
Languages: | Somali (official), Arabic, Italian, English
Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 37.8% male: 49.7% female: 25.8% (2001 est.)

Government | Somalia

Country name: | conventional long form: none conventional short form: Somalia local long form: Jamhuuriyada Demuqraadiga Soomaaliyeed local short form: Soomaaliya former: Somali Republic, Somali Democratic Republic
Government type: | no permanent national government; transitional, parliamentary federal government
Capital: | name: Mogadishu geographic coordinates: 2 04 N, 45 22 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions: | 18 regions (plural - NA, singular - gobolka); Awdal, Bakool, Banaadir, Bari, Bay, Galguduud, Gedo, Hiiraan, Jubbada Dhexe, Jubbada Hoose, Mudug, Nugaal, Sanaag, Shabeellaha Dhexe, Shabeellaha Hoose, Sool, Togdheer, Woqooyi Galbeed
Independence: | 1 July 1960 (from a merger of British Somaliland, which became independent from the UK on 26 June 1960, and Italian Somaliland, which became independent from the Italian-administered UN trusteeship on 1 July 1960, to form the Somali Republic)
National holiday: | Foundation of the Somali Republic, 1 July (1960); note - 26 June (1960) in Somaliland
Constitution: | 25 August 1979, presidential approval 23 September 1979 note: the formation of transitional governing institutions, known as the Transitional Federal Government, is currently ongoing
Legal system: | no national system; a mixture of English common law, Italian law, Islamic Shari'a, and Somali customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: | chief of state: Transitional Federal President Abdullahi YUSUF Ahmed (since 14 October 2004); note - a transitional governing entity with a five-year mandate, known as the Transitional Federal Institutions (TFIs), was established in October 2004; the TFIs relocated to Somalia in June 2004 head of government: Prime Minister Nur "Adde" HASSAN Hussein (since 24 November 2007) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister and approved by the Transitional Federal Assembly election results: Abdullahi YUSUF Ahmed, the former leader of the semi-autonomous Puntland region of Somalia, was elected president by the Transitional Federal Assembly
Legislative branch: | unicameral National Assembly note: unicameral Transitional Federal Assembly (TFA) (275 seats; 244 members appointed by the four major clans (61 for each clan), 31 seats allocated to smaller clans and subclans)
Judicial branch: | following the breakdown of the central government, most regions have reverted to local forms of conflict resolution, either secular, traditional Somali customary law, or Shari'a (Islamic) law with a provision for appeal of all sentences
Political parties and leaders: | none
Political pressure groups and leaders: | numerous clan and sub-clan factions exist both in support and in opposition to the transitional government
International organization participation: | ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ITSO, ITU, LAS, NAM, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in the US: | Somalia does not have an embassy in the US (ceased operations on 8 May 1991); note - the TFG is represented in the United States through its Permanent Mission to the United Nations
Diplomatic representation from the US: | the US does not have an embassy in Somalia; US interests are represented by the US Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya at United Nations Avenue, Nairobi; mailing address: Unit 64100, Nairobi; APO AE 09831; telephone: [254] (20) 363-6000; FAX [254] (20) 363-6157
Flag description: | light blue with a large white five-pointed star in the center; blue field influenced by the flag of the UN
Government - note: | although an interim government was created in 2004, other regional and local governing bodies continue to exist and control various regions of the country, including the self-declared Republic of Somaliland in northwestern Somalia and the semi-autonomous State of Puntland in northeastern Somalia

Economy | Somalia

Economy - overview: | 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. Nomads and semi-pastoralists, who are dependent upon livestock for their livelihood, make up a large portion of the population. Livestock, hides, fish, charcoal, and bananas are Somalia's principal exports, while sugar, sorghum, corn, qat, and machined goods are the principal imports. Somalia's small industrial sector, based on the processing of agricultural products, has largely been looted and sold as scrap metal. Somalia's service sector also has grown. Telecommunication firms provide wireless services in most major cities and offer the lowest international call rates on the continent. In the absence of a formal banking sector, money exchange services have sprouted throughout the country, handling between $500 million and $1 billion in remittances annually. Mogadishu's main market offers a variety of goods from food to the newest electronic gadgets. Hotels continue to operate and are supported with private-security militias. Somalia's arrears to the IMF continued to grow in 2006-07. Statistics on Somalia's GDP, growth, per capita income, and inflation should be viewed skeptically. In late December 2004, a major tsunami caused an estimated 150 deaths and resulted in destruction of property in coastal areas.
GDP (purchasing power parity): | $5.575 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): | $2.483 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: | 2.6% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP): | $600 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 65% industry: 10% services: 25% (2000 est.)
Labor force: | 3.7 million (few skilled laborers) (1975)
Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture: 71% industry and services: 29% (1975)
Unemployment rate: | NA%
Population below poverty line: | NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): | NA%; note - businesses print their own money, so inflation rates cannot be easily determined
Budget: | revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA
Agriculture - products: | bananas, sorghum, corn, coconuts, rice, sugarcane, mangoes, sesame seeds, beans; cattle, sheep, goats; fish
Industries: | a few light industries, including sugar refining, textiles, wireless communication
Industrial production growth rate: | NA%
Electricity - production: | 270 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - production by source: | fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption: | 251.1 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (2005)
Oil - production: | 0 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption: | 5,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - exports: | 0 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - imports: | 4,800 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - proved reserves: | 0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
Natural gas - production: | 0 cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - consumption: | 0 cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - exports: | 0 cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - imports: | 0 cu m (2005)
Natural gas - proved reserves: | 5.432 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Exports: | $300 million f.o.b. (2006)
Exports - commodities: | livestock, bananas, hides, fish, charcoal, scrap metal
Exports - partners: | UAE 49.7%, Yemen 21.4%, Oman 5.9% (2006)
Imports: | $798 million f.o.b. (2006)
Imports - commodities: | manufactures, petroleum products, foodstuffs, construction materials, qat
Imports - partners: | Djibouti 30.8%, Brazil 8.5%, India 8.2%, Kenya 8.1%, Oman 5.5%, UAE 5.2%, Yemen 5% (2006)
Economic aid - recipient: | $236.4 million (2005 est.)
Debt - external: | $3 billion (2001 est.)
Currency (code): | Somali shilling (SOS)
Currency code: | SOS
Exchange rates: | Somali shillings per US dollar - NA (2007), 1,438.3 (2006) official rate; the unofficial black market rate was about 23,000 shillings per dollar as of February 2007 note: the Republic of Somaliland, a self-declared independent country not recognized by any foreign government, issues its own currency, the Somaliland shilling
Fiscal year: | NA

Communications | Somalia

Telephones - main lines in use: | 100,000 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular: | 500,000 (2005)
Telephone system: | ngeneral assessment: the public telecommunications system was almost completely destroyed or dismantled during the civil war; private wireless companies offer service in most major cities and charge the lowest international rates on the continent domestic: local cellular telephone systems have been established in Mogadishu and in several other population centers international: country code - 252; international connections are available from Mogadishu by satellite (2001)
Radio broadcast stations: | AM 0, FM 11 (also 1 station each in Puntland and Somaliland), shortwave 1 (in Mogadishu) (2001)
Radios: | 470,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: | 4 (2 in Mogadishu and 2 in Hargeisa) (2001)
Televisions: | 135,000 (1997)
Internet country code: | .so
Internet hosts: | 0 (2007)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 3 (one each in Boosaaso, Hargeisa, and Mogadishu) (2000)
Internet users: | 94,000 (2006)

Transportation | Somalia

Airports: | 67 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways: | total: 7 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 60 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 20 914 to 1,523 m: 29 under 914 m: 7 (2007)
Roadways: | total: 22,100 km paved: 2,608 km unpaved: 19,492 km (1999)
Merchant marine: | total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 2,659 GRT/2,540 DWT by type: cargo 1 foreign-owned: 1 (UAE 1) (2007)
Ports and terminals: | Berbera, Kismaayo

Military | Somalia

Military branches: | no national-level armed forces (2008)
Manpower available for military service: | males age 16-49: 2,181,050 females age 16-49: 2,125,558 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service: | males age 16-49: 1,274,783 females age 16-49: 1,317,991 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 0.9% (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues | Somalia

Disputes - international: | Ethiopian forces invaded southern Somalia and routed Islamist Courts from Mogadishu in January 2007; "Somaliland" secessionists provide port facilities in Berbera to landlocked Ethiopia and have established commercial ties with other regional states; "Puntland" and "Somaliland" "governments" seek international support in their secessionist aspirations and overlapping border claims; the undemarcated former British administrative line has little meaning as a political separation to rival clans within Ethiopia's Ogaden and southern Somalia's Oromo region; Kenya works hard to prevent the clan and militia fighting in Somalia from spreading south across the border, which has long been open to nomadic pastoralists
Refugees and internally displaced persons: | IDPs: 1.1 million (civil war since 1988, clan-based competition for resources) (2007)

This page was last updated on 19 June, 2008