Somalia

//**__SOMALIA__**//


Somalia is an arid country in East Africa. Almost all of their people speak the same language. Which is called Somali. Its bordering countries are Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Kenya. There is really only one religion in Somalia. Which is Muslim. With an area of 630,000 sq. km. it is not a very big country. Also has a population of 9.8 million and growing rate of 3.89. Somalia is mostly flat to undulating plateau rising to hills in the north. The climate is mostly deserts, moderate temperatures in the north. While extremely hot in the south with irregular rainfall. The capital of this country is Mogadishu. Somalia's society is clan based. Clan leaders often have more authority than the national government. There is a government in northern Somalia called a Transitional Government. Somalia has a lot of history. Formerly, British and Italian colony. Somalia gained its independence in 1960. The people of Somalia were strongly affected by a civil war in 1991. Livestock and livestock products have always been their major exports. Followed by crops such as bananas. As far as education goes in this country there is not very much. The total population that can read or write is 37.8%. Somalias GDP per capita is $600. The two ethnic groups in Somalia are the Samaal and Sab which have smaller branches linking off of them. Somalia has a lot of agriculture products. Some of them are bananas, sorghum, corn, coconuts, rice, sugarcane, mangoes, sesame seeds, beans, cattle, sheeps, goats, and fish. Some of there imports and commodities are manufactures, petroleum products, foodstuffs, construction materials, and qat. Their natural resources include uranium and largely unexploited reserves of iron ore, tin, gypsum, bauxite, copper, salt, natural gas, and likely oil reserves. As of 2005 Somalias land was used for a lot. Arable land was 1.64% and permanent crops were 0.04%. 98.32% contained others. Somalia has some serious natural disasters that not every country has. Such as recurring droughts, frequent dust storms over eastern plains in the summer, and floods during rainy season. Their environmental issues are also different than other countries. This includes famine, use of contaminated water contributes to human health issus, deforestation, overgrazing, soil erosion, and desertification. Somalia's president Mogadishu has been trying hard to help control all these issues. In 2005 Somaia had military expenditures of 22,340,000. Somalia has a few light industries, including sugar refining, textiles, and wireless communication. Their official exchange rate is $2.509 billion. They are ranked 82 in the world in net migration rate which is 0 migrants/ 1000 population. That was estimated in 2008. The infant mortality rate is 110.97 deaths per 1000 live births. For some reason if the baby is a male it is mores expected to die than a female. Life expectancy is not high at all in Somalia. Males are expected to make it to 47.78 and females 51.53. As of literacy if your over 15 you can learn t read and write. There is not a accurate percent of the unemployment rate in Somalia but it is certain that very few are employed. Somalia is known for drug smuggling. But as of drug use marijuana is a major part of their lives. Smoking a blunt in Somalia is as commons as smoking a cigarette in the United States. Internet use and even telephone use has been shut down and banned in Somalia.

Somalia is not a country most people would want to visit. This is because it is considered a war zone. So take my advice and don't plan on visiting.



Somalia adopted a light blue flag in honour of the United Nations Organisation that had controlled the country until the independence. The star has 5 points - one for each branch of the Somalis: Issas of Djibouti, Somalis of Ethiopia, Issaks of Somaliland, Somalis of old Italian Somaliaa and the Somalis of North Kenya.

1991: Siad Barre, who ruled the Somali Democratic Republic since 1969, is forced to flee when the capital of Mogadishu is captured by rival clan militias. 1992: An estimated 350,000 Somalis die of disease, starvation, or civil war. 1993:Somali rebels shoot down two U.S. helicopters, resulting in the death of 18 U.S. Army Rangers and one Malaysian man. A heated battle ensues and hundreds of Somali civilians are killed. 1994:The U.S. formally ends the mission to Somalia, which has cost $1.7 billion dollars and left 43 U.S. soldiers dead and another 153 wounded. 1996:Somalis suffer heavily under Mohamed Farah Aideed’s reign and from subsequent fighting among warlords. Hussein Farah Aideed takes over after his father’s assassination. 1999:Ethiopian forces invade and capture the regional capital of Garba Harre, which lies 250 miles northwest of Mogadishu, in order to try to suppress fighting among rebel groups. 2000:A cholera outbreak due to unsanitary water kills hundreds of Somalis. 2001:The United Nations declares that it will be pulling its international staff and aide workers from Somalia because of the dangerous fighting conditions and attempts at kidnapping. 2002:The U.S. government suspects that Al-Qaeda fighters may be seeking refuge in Somalia, and announces increased military operations in region. 2003:An interim government is inaugurated in Kenya, in hopes of putting together a central government. This is the 14th attempt since the 1991 coup. Col. Abdullahi Yusuf is elected interim president by the new governing body. The government functions in exile in neighboring Kenya. 2004:Tsunami waves from Indonesia’s earthquake kill 300 and displace tens of thousands along the Somali coast. 2005:The transitional government begins to return to Somalia, but there are still bitter divisions among members. Violence ensues upon their return. An assassination attempt is made on interim Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Ghedi. Food shipments begin being hijacked off the coast of Somalia by rebel forces. Food aide programs, including the UN’s World Food Program (WFP), are suspended. 2006:The transitional government meets for the first time since 2004 in the town of Baidoa. Deadly fighting breaks out in Mogadishu between warring militias, killing and wounding hundreds of civilians. 2007:The transitional government regains control. President Abdullahi enters Mogadishu for the first time since 2004. 2008:The UN Security Council approves the sending of other countries' warships to Somalia’s territorial waters in order to combat the threat of Somali pirates, who have begun hijacking ships regularly.

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