Somalia
|
| Basic Facts |
| 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 |
| Gevernment 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) |
| Flag description | light blue with a large white five-pointed star in the center; blue field influenced by the flag of the UN |
| Currency | Somali shilling (SOS) |
| Internet country code | .so |
| Ports and terminals | Boosaaso, Berbera, Kismaayo, Merca, Mogadishu |
| 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 |
| Geography |
| Location | Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, east of Ethiopia |
| Coordinates | 10 00 N, 49 00 E |
| Continent | Africa |
| Area |
total: 637,657 sq km
land: 627,337 sq km water: 10,320 sq km |
| Boundaries |
total: 2,340 km
border countries: Djibouti 58 km, Ethiopia 1,600 km, Kenya 682 km |
| Coastline | 3,025 km |
| Climate | principally desert; northeast monsoon (December to February), moderate temperatures in north and very 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 |
| Natural resources | uranium and largely unexploited reserves of iron ore, tin, gypsum, bauxite, copper, salt, natural gas, likely oil reserves |
| Natural hazards | recurring droughts; frequent dust storms over eastern plains in summer; floods during rainy season |
| People |
| Population | 8,863,338
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 2006 est.) |
| Ethnic groups | Somali 85%, Bantu and other non-Somali 15% (including Arabs 30,000) |
| Religions | Sunni Muslim |
| Languages | Somali (official), Arabic, Italian, English |
