Country	Somalia
Capital	Mogadishu
Continent	Africa
Currency	Somali Shilling(SOS)
Languages	Somali & Arabic

Locaion

Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, east of Ethiopia

Geographic Co ordinates

10 00 N, 49 00 E

Land Boundries

Total:2,340 km
Border countries:Djibouti 58 km, Ethiopia 1,600 km, Kenya 682 km

Geography - note

strategic location on Horn of Africa along southern approaches to Bab el Mandeb and route through Red Sea and Suez Canal

Population

10,112,453
Country comparison to the world:82
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 2010 est.)

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

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 (Middle Jubba), Jubbada Hoose (Lower Jubba), Mudug, Nugaal, Sanaag, Shabeellaha Dhexe (Middle Shabelle), Shabeellaha Hoose (Lower Shabelle), Sool, Togdheer, Woqooyi Galbeed

Independence

1 July 1960 (from a merger of British Somaliland that became independent from the UK on 26 June 1960 and Italian Somaliland that 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 sharia, and Somali customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

Chief of state:Transitional Federal President Sheikh SHARIF Sheikh Ahmed (since 31 January 2009); 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; in 2009, the TFI's were given a two-year extension to October 2011
Head of government:Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali SHARMARKE (since 13 February 2009)
Cabinet:Cabinet appointed by the prime minister and approved by the Transitional Federal Assembly
(For more information visit the World Leaders website)
Elections:Sheikh SHARIF Sheikh Ahmed elected president by the expanded Transitional Federal Assembly in Djibouti

Legislative branch

unicameral National Assembly
note:unicameral Transitional Federal Assembly (TFA) (550 seats; 475 members appointed according to the 4.5 clan formula, with the remaining 75 seats reserved for civil society and business persons)

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 sharia (Islamic) law with a provision for appeal of all sentences

Political Parties and Leaders

none

Political pressure groups and leaders

Other: 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, 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 Transitional Federal Government 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

Three light blue with a large white five-pointed star in the center; blue field influenced by the flag of the UN

Video

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Government - Government - Somalia President - Somalia Ministry Of Education
Newspapers -  Aayaha AllPuntland Banadir Garowe Online - Somalia Hiiraan Online
                              HornAfrik Inside Somalia PuntlandPost Somali Press SomaliNet
                              Somaliweyn Wardheernews Ayaamaha Balcad Goobjoog
                              Radio Banadir Shabelle
Tourism -         Ministry Of Tourism

Google News

The UN's Next Genocide in Somalia - teleSUR English teleSUR English The UN's Next Genocide in Somalia teleSUR English The ongoing war in Somalia was started by the U.N. back in 2006 when the U.N. and A.U., and ultimately the United States, sanctioned the Ethiopian army to invade Somalia and overthrow the existing government headed by the Union of Islamic Courts. Joint military efforts weaken Shabaab's control in Somalia - Daily Nation Daily Nation Joint military efforts weaken Shabaab's control in Somalia Daily Nation Ugandan soldiers patrol a backstreet in the southern town of Merka, 90kms north of Somalia's capital Mogadishu, on July 17, 2016, as part of the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom). The country's foreign minister has said that Amisom has ... Somalia: Moving Out Of The Shadows Of War And Poverty And On The Road To StabilityHuffington Post UK Somalia's parliamentary election postponed againafricanews East Africa: Museveni's Trip Exposes Somalia's Teething ProblemsAllAfrica.com Garowe Online -Reliefweb (plain) -NTV Uganda all 36 news articles » Invoking Somalia comment, Digvijaya Singh thanks PM Modi for hailing Kerala as God's country - The Indian Express The Indian Express Invoking Somalia comment, Digvijaya Singh thanks PM Modi for hailing Kerala as God's country The Indian Express Congress leader Digvijay Singh on Monday invoked Prime Minister's May speech wherein he had “compared” Kerala with “impoverished Somalia” and expressed gratefulness that Narendra Modi's perception “changed” and he has now hailed the state as ... Invoking Somalia, Digvijay Congratulates Modi For Terming Kerala God's Own CountryNews18 all 3 news articles » The Latest: Somalia Says Al-Shabab Is Defeated Militarily - ABC News UN News Centre The Latest: Somalia Says Al-Shabab Is Defeated Militarily ABC News Somalia's Foreign Minister Abdisalam Omer says that as a result of successful joint operations by the Somali military and the African Union's peacekeeping force "we have militarily defeated the evil that is al-Shabab." He said the al-Shabab extremist ... At UN leader's debate, Somalia calls for unity to address global challengesUN News Centre Somalia says al-Shabab is defeated militarilyThe Daily Star all 20 news articles » Somalia: Kenya Offers US$20000 Bounty for Terror Suspect - AllAfrica.com Somalia: Kenya Offers US$20000 Bounty for Terror Suspect AllAfrica.com The East African nation is building the security wall along its border with Somalia in a bid to keep out Al-Shabaab and boost security after a wave of attacks that have claimed scores of lives and provoked severe criticism of the government's response. Somalia: To Fight Hunger, Somali Farmers Turn to Ugandan Roots - AllAfrica.com Somalia: To Fight Hunger, Somali Farmers Turn to Ugandan Roots AllAfrica.com Selele — Could growing cassava and sweet potato help Somali families become more resilient to drought? Amina Shale, a Somali farmer, says worsening droughts and ever more unpredictable weather are making getting a crop ever harder. 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Somalia food crisis: 300000 children need help, says UNBBC News Kenya denies Somalia's claim on maritime boundary disputeDaily Nation AF--Somalia-HungerYahoo News Washington Post -ReliefWeb (www) -Business Daily (press release) (blog) all 95 news articles » Shabaab claims pro-government militias surrender in central Somalia - Long War Journal Long War Journal Shabaab claims pro-government militias surrender in central Somalia Long War Journal One of Shabaab's main radio stations in Somalia has published a report claiming “dozens” of pro-government militiamen in central Somalia hasve surrendered to the al Qaeda branch in recent days. This reportedly occurred in the Galguduud Region, where ... Somalia's Presidential Election for 14000 People - Foreign Policy (blog) Foreign Policy (blog) Somalia's Presidential Election for 14000 People Foreign Policy (blog) MOGADISHU, Somalia — The proliferation of billboards and glossy campaign fliers, plastered across windshields and storefronts here, gives the impression of a hard-fought battle for Somali votes. But the coming parliamentary and presidential elections, ... Shabaab captures town in central SomaliaLong War Journal Theresa May: UK will send more troops to Somalia to fight Al-ShabaabITV News Hundreds of UK soldiers heading to Somalia to train forces tackling al-Shabaab terror groupMirror.co.uk Fox News -PoliticsHome.com all 28 news articles »