Statistical information Somalia 1992

Somalia in the World

Somalia - Introduction 1992

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Background: Intermittent civil war has been a fact of life in Somalia since 1977. In 1991 the northern portion of the country declared its independence as Somaliland; although de facto independent and relatively stable compared to the tumultuous south it has not been recognized by any foreign government.

Somalia - Geography 1992

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Location

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area
Total: 637,660 km²
Land: 627,340 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Texas

Land boundaries:

2,340 km total; Djibouti 58 km, Ethiopia 1,600 km,
Kenya 682 km

Coastline: 3,025 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 200 nm
Disputes:

southern half of boundary with Ethiopia is a Provisional
Administrative Line; territorial dispute with Ethiopia over the Ogaden; possible claims to Djibouti and parts of Ethiopia and Kenya based on unification of ethnic Somalis

Climate: desert; northeast monsoon (December to February), cooler southwest monsoon (May to October; irregular rainfall; hot, humid periods (tangambili) between monsoons

Terrain: mostly flat to undulating plateau rising to hills in north

Elevation

Natural resources: uranium and largely unexploited reserves of iron ore, tin, gypsum, bauxite, copper, salt

Land use

Land use: arable land: 2%; permanent crops: NEGL%; meadows and pastures 46%; forest and woodland 14%; other 38%; includes irrigated 3%

Irrigated land

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography

Somalia - People 1992

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Population: 7,235,226 (July 1992), growth rate 2.1% (1992)

Nationality: noun - Somali(s; adjective - Somali

Ethnic groups: Somali 85%, rest mainly Bantu; Arabs 30,000, Europeans 3,000, Asians 800

Languages: Somali (official; Arabic, Italian, English

Religions: almost entirely Sunni Muslim

Demographic profile

Age structure

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate

Birth rate: 46 births/1000 population (1992)

Death rate: 13 deaths/1000 population (1992)

Net migration rate: -12 migrants/1000 population (1992)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: recurring droughts; frequent dust storms over eastern plains in summer; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
Current issues note:

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

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 115 deaths/1000 live births (1992)

Life expectancy at birth: 56 years male, 57 years female (1992)

Total fertility rate: 7.1 children born/woman (1992)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: 24% (male 36%, female 14%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment

Somalia - Government 1992

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Country name
Conventional long form: none

Government type: none

Capital: Mogadishu

Administrative divisions:

16 regions (plural - NA, singular - gobolka);
Bakool, Banaadir, Bari, Bay, Galguduud, Gedo, Hiiraan, Jubbada Dhexe,
Jubbada Hoose, Mudug, Nugaal, Sanaag, Shabeellaha Dhexe, Shabeellaha Hoose,
Togdheer, Woqooyi Galbeed

Dependent areas

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: NA

Constitution: 25 August 1979, presidential approval 23 September 1979

Legal system

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: universal at age 18
President:

last held 23 December 1986 (next to be held NA); results -
President SIAD was reelected without opposition

People's Assembly:

last held 31 December 1984 (next to be held NA); results - SRSP was the only party; seats - (177 total, 171 elected) SRSP 171; note - the United Somali Congress (USC) ousted the regime of Maj. Gen.
Mohamed SIAD Barre on 27 January 1991; the provisional government has promised that a democratically elected government will be established

Executive branch:

president, two vice presidents, prime minister,
Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Legislative branch: unicameral People's Assembly (Golaha Shacbiga)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation:

ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO,
IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IGADD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,
UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

Diplomatic representation: Ambassador (vacant); Chancery at Suite 710, 600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,037; telephone (202) 342-1575; there is a Somali Consulate General in New York; note - Somalian Embassy ceased operations on 8 May 1991
US:

Ambassador (vacant); Embassy at K-7, AFGOI Road, Mogadishu (mailing address is P. O. Box 574, Mogadishu); telephone 252 (01) 39,971; note - US
Embassy evacuated and closed indefinitely in January 1991

Diplomatic representation

Flag description

: light blue with a large white five-pointed star in the center; design based on the flag of the UN (Italian Somaliland was a UN trust territory)

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage

Somalia - Economy 1992

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Economy overview:

One of the world's poorest and least developed countries,
Somalia has few resources. Agriculture is the most important sector of the economy, with the livestock sector accounting for about 40% of GDP and about 65% of export earnings. Nomads and seminomads who are dependent upon livestock for their livelihoods make up more than half of the population.
Crop production generates only 10% of GDP and employs about 20% of the work force. The main export crop is bananas; sugar, sorghum, and corn are grown for the domestic market. The small industrial sector is based on the processing of agricultural products and accounts for less than 10% of GDP.
Greatly increased political turmoil in 1991-92 has resulted in a substantial drop in output, with widespread famine a grim fact of life.

GDP: exchange rate conversion - $1.7 billion, per capita $210; real growth rate -1.4% (1988)

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate

Real gdp per capita

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: dominant sector, led by livestock raising (cattle, sheep, goats; crops - bananas, sorghum, corn, mangoes, sugarcane; not self-sufficient in food; fishing potential largely unexploited

Industries: a few small industries, including sugar refining, textiles, petroleum refining

Industrial production growth rate: growth rate -5.0% (1988; accounts for 5% of GDP

Labor force: 2,200,000; very few are skilled laborers; pastoral nomad 70%, agriculture, government, trading, fishing, handicrafts, and other 30%; 53% of population of working age (1985)
Organized labor: General Federation of Somali Trade Unions was controlled by the government prior to January 1991; the fall of SIAD regime may have led to collapse of Trade Union organization

Labor force