Map of Somalia | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
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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 characterized by the persecution jailing and torture of political opponents and dissidents. 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 semi-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 the regions of Sool and Sanaag and portions of Togdheer. Beginning in 1993 a two-year UN humanitarian effort (primarily in south-central Somalia) was able to alleviate famine conditions but when the UN withdrew in 1995 having suffered significant casualties order still had not been restored. In 2000 the Somalia National Peace Conference (SNPC) held in Djibouti resulted in the formation of an interim government known as the Transitional National Government (TNG). When the TNG failed to establish adequate security or governing institutions the Government of Kenya under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) led a subsequent peace process that concluded in October 2004 with the election of Abdullahi YUSUF Ahmed as President of a second interim government known as the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of the Somali Republic. The TFG included a 275-member parliamentary body known as the Transitional Federal Parliament (TFP). President YUSUF resigned late in 2008 while United Nations-sponsored talks between the TFG and the opposition Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS) were underway in Djibouti. In January 2009 following the creation of a TFG-ARS unity government Ethiopian military forces which had entered Somalia in December 2006 to support the TFG in the face of advances by the opposition Islamic Courts Union (ICU) withdrew from the country. The TFP was doubled in size to 550 seats with the addition of 200 ARS and 75 civil society members of parliament. The expanded parliament elected Sheikh SHARIF Sheikh Ahmed the former ICU and ARS chairman as president in January 2009. The creation of the TFG was based on the Transitional Federal Charter (TFC) which outlined a five-year mandate leading to the establishment of a new Somali constitution and a transition to a representative government following national elections. In 2009 the TFP amended the TFC to extend TFG's mandate until 2011 and in 2011 Somali principals agreed to institute political transition by August 2012. The transition process ended in September 2012 when clan elders replaced the TFP by appointing 275 members to a new parliament who subsequently elected a new president.


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

Geographic coordinates: 10 00 N 49 00 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 637,657 km²
Land: 627,337 km²
Water: 10,320 km²
Rank: 44
Comparative: almost five times the size of Alabama; slightly smaller than Texas

Land boundaries
Total: 2,385 km
Border countries: (3) Djibouti 61 km; Ethiopia 1640 km; Kenya 684 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
Extremes 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
Agricultural land: 70.3%
Forest: 10.6%
Other: 19.1%

Irrigated land: 2000 km² (2003)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 14.7 km³ (2011)

Natural hazards: recurring droughts; frequent dust storms over eastern plains in summer; floods during rainy season

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


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Population: 10,616,380
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
Rank: 86
Growth rate: 1.83% (2015 est.)
Growth rate rank: 62
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Somali
Adjective: Somali

Ethnic groups: Somali 85% Bantu and other non-Somali 15% (including 30,000 Arabs)

Languages: Somali (official) Arabic (official according to the Transitional Federal Charter) Italian English

Religions: Sunni Muslim (Islam) (official according to the Transitional Federal Charter)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 43.72%
15-24 years: 18.85%
25-54 years: 31.36%
55-64 years: 3.83%
65 years and over: 2.24% (2015 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 98.1%
Youth dependency ratio: 92.5%
Elderly dependency ratio: 5.6%
Potential support ratio: 17.9%

Median age
Total: 17.8 years
Male: 18 years
Female: 17.7 years

Population growth rate: 1.83% (2015 est.)
Rank: 62

Birth rate: 40.45 births/1000 population (2015 est.)
Rank: 8

Death rate: 13.62 deaths/1000 population (2015 est.)
Rank: 13

Net migration rate: -8.49 migrant(s)/1000 population (2015 est.)
Rank: 211

Population distribution

Urbanization
Urban population: 39.6% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 4.06% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: MOGADISHU (capital) 2.138 million; Hargeysa 760,000 (2015)

Environment
Current issues: famine; use of contaminated water contributes to human health problems; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
International agreements party to: Biodiversity Desertification Endangered Species Law of the Sea Ozone Layer Protection
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
0-14 years: 1 male/female
15-24 years: 1.02 male/female
25-54 years: 1.07 male/female
55-64 years: 0.94 male/female
65 years and over: 0.64 male/female
Total population: 1.01 male/female

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 98.39 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 107.07 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 89.45 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 3

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 51.96 years
Male: 49.93 years
Female: 54.06 years
Rank: 218

Total fertility rate: 5.99 children born/woman (2015 est.)
Rank: 4

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 14.6% (2006)

Drinking water source:

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 0.04 physicians/1000 population (2006)

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.55% (2014 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 63
People living with hivaids: 34,900 (2014 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 65
Deaths: 2,400 (2014 est.)
Deaths rank: 54

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: very 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

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 3.9% (2014)
Rank: 162

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 32.8% (2006)
Rank: 9

Education expenditures: NA

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Federal Republic of Somalia
Conventional short form: Somalia
Local long form: Jamhuuriyadda Federaalkaa Soomaaliya
Local short form: Soomaaliya
Former: Somali Republic Somali Democratic Republic

Government type: in the process of building a federal parliamentary republic

Capital
Name: Mogadishu
Geographic coordinates: 2 04 N 45 20 E
Time difference: UTC+3

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 Shabeelle) Shabeellaha Hoose (Lower Shabeelle) Sool Togdheer Woqooyi Galbeed

Dependent areas

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: previous 1961 1979; latest drafted 12 June 2012 approved 1 August 2012 (provisional) (2015)

Legal system: mixed legal system of civil law Islamic law and customary law (referred to as Xeer)

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; non-party state to the ICCt

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: the father must be a citizen of Somalia
Dual citizenship recognized: no
Residency requirement for naturalization: 7 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President HASSAN SHEIKH Mohamud
Head of government: Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali SHARMARKE ; Deputy Prime Minister Mohamad Omar ARTEH (since 6 February 2015)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister approved by the National Parliament
Electionsappointments: president indirectly elected by the Federal Parliament by two-thirds majority vote in 2 rounds if needed for a single 4-year term; election last held on 10 September 2012 ; prime minister appointed by the president approved by the Federal Parliament
Election results: HASSAN SHEIKH Mohamud elected president; Federal Parliament second round vote - HASSAN SHEIKH Mohamud 190 Sheikh SHARIF Sheikh Ahmed (ARS) 79; Omar Abdirashid Ali SHARMARKE approved as prime minister; Federal Parliament vote - 218 for approval none against (6 members not present for vote)

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral National Parliament or Golaha Shacabka Soomaaliya consists of the House of the People
Note: the inaugural House of the People was appointed in September 2012 by clan elders; slated for 2016 the National Parliament will become bicameral with the formation of an upper house that will consist of 54 seats with members indirectly elected by regional governing councils to serve 4-year terms

Judicial branch
Highest court: the provisional constitution stipulates the establishment of the Constitutional Court ; note - under the terms of the 2004 Transitional National Charter a Supreme Court based in Mogadishu and an Appeal Court were established; yet most regions have reverted to local forms of conflict resolution either secular traditional Somali customary law or sharia Islamic law
Judge selection and term of office: judges appointed by the president upon proposal of the Judicial Service Commission a 9-member judicial and administrative body; judge tenure NA
Subordinate courts: federal- and federal member state-level courts; military courts; sharia courts

Political parties and leaders: United Somali Parliamentarians

International organization participation: ACP AfDB AFESD AMF AU CAEU (candidate) FAO G-77 IBRD ICAO ICRM IDA IDB IFAD IFC IFRCS IGAD ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ITSO ITU LAS NAM OIC OPCW OPCW (signatory) UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UPU WFTU (NGOs) WHO WIPO WMO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Ahmed Issa AWAD
In the us chancery: 425 East 61st Street Suite 702 New York City NY 10,021
In the us telephone: [1] 688-9,410 688-5,046
In the us FAX: [1] 759-0651
From the us: the US does not have an embassy in Somalia; US interests are represented by the US Special Representative for Somalia Ambassador James P. MCANULTY (since August 2013) operating out of the US Embassy in Nairobi Kenya at United Nations Avenue Nairobi; mailing address: Unit 64,100 Nairobi; APO AE 9,831; telephone: [254] (20) 363-6,000; FAX [254] (20) 363-6,157

Flag description: light blue with a large white five-pointed star in the center; the blue field was originally influenced by the flag of the UN but today is said to denote the sky and the neighboring Indian Ocean; the five points of the star represent the five regions in the horn of Africa that are inhabited by Somali people: the former British Somaliland and Italian Somaliland (which together make up Somalia) Djibouti Ogaden (Ethiopia) and the North East Province (Kenya)

National symbols: leopard; national colors: blue white

National anthem
Name: 'Qolobaa Calankeed'
Lyrics and music: lyrics/music: Abdullahi QARSHE
Note: adopted 2012; written in 1959

National heritage


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Economy overview: Despite the lack of effective national governance Somalia maintains an 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 more than 50% 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 the machinery sold as scrap metal. Telecommunication firms provide wireless services in most major cities and offer the lowest international call rates on the continent. Mogadishu's main market offers a variety of goods from food to electronic gadgets. Hotels continue to operate and are supported with private-security militias. Somalia's government lacks the ability to collect domestic revenue and arrears to the IMF have continued to grow. Somalia's capital city - Mogadishu - has witnessed the development of the city's first gas stations supermarkets and flights between Europe (Istanbul-Mogadishu) since the collapse of central authority in 1991. This economic growth has yet to expand outside of Mogadishu and within the city security concerns dominate business. In the absence of a formal banking sector money transfer/remittance services have sprouted throughout the country handling up to $1.6 billion in remittances annually although international concerns over the money transfers into Somalia currently threatens these services.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2010 US dollars
Rank: 169

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 126

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 229

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 72.7%
Government consumption: 8.7%
Investment in fixed capital: 19.9%
Investment in inventories: 0.4%
Exports of goods and services: 0.3%
Imports of goods and services: -1.7%: (2013 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 60.2%
Industry: 7.4%
Services: 32.5%

Agriculture products: bananas sorghum corn coconuts rice sugarcane mangoes sesame seeds beans; cattle sheep goats; fish

Industries: light industries including sugar refining textiles wireless communication

Industrial production growth rate: 2.5% (2013 est.)
Rank: 97

Labor force: 3.109 million (2013 est.)
Rank: 103
By occupation agriculture: 71%
By occupation industry and services: 29%

Unemployment rate: NA%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $N/A
Expenditures: $N/A

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: NA

Inflation rate consumer prices: NA%
Note: businesses print their own money so inflation rates cannot be easily determined

Central bank discount rate: NA%

Commercial bank prime lending rate: NA%

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports:
Rank: 172
Commodities: livestock bananas hides fish charcoal scrap metal
Partners: UAE 44.4% Yemen 19.1% Oman 15.4% India 5.6% (2014)

Imports:
Rank: 175
Commodities: manufactures petroleum products foodstuffs construction materials qat
Partners: Djibouti 19.8% India 14.7% Oman 9.1% China 9% Kenya 8.9% Pakistan 4.7% (2014)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external:
Rank: 142

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Production: 315 million kWh (2012 est.)
Production rank: 173
Consumption: 293 million kWh (2012 est.)
Consumption rank: 178
Exports: 0 kWh (2013 est.)
Exports rank: 197
Imports: 0 kWh (2013 est.)
Imports rank: 203
Installed generating capacity: 80,000 kW (2012 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 181
Generation sources fossil fuels: 100% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 28
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 182
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 203
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 128

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 192
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 190
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 126
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2015 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 191

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Products production rank: 132
Products consumption: 5,600 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products consumption rank: 166
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Products exports rank: 132
Products imports: 5,556 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Products imports rank: 157

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Production rank: 129
Consumption: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Consumption rank: 194
Exports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Exports rank: 181
Imports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Imports rank: 134
Proven reserves: 5.663 billion m³ (1 January 2014 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 93

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 855,800 Mt (2012 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 169

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 57,200
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1
Fixed lines rank: 157
Mobile cellular total: 5.5 million
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 53
Mobile cellular rank: 113

Telephone system
General assessment: the public telecommunications system was almost completely destroyed or dismantled during the civil war; private companies offer limited local fixed-line service and private wireless companies offer service in most major cities while charging the lowest international rates on the continent
Domestic: local cellular telephone systems have been established in Mogadishu and in several other population centers with one company beginning to provide 3G services in late 2012
International: country code - 252; Mogadishu is a landing point for the EASSy fiber-optic submarine cable system linking East Africa with Europe and North America

Broadcast media: 2 private TV stations rebroadcast Al-Jazeera and CNN; Somaliland has 1 government-operated TV station and Puntland has 1 private TV station; the transitional government operates Radio Mogadishu; 1 SW and roughly 10 private FM radio stations broadcast in Mogadishu; several radio stations operate in central and southern regions; Somaliland has 1 government-operated radio station; Puntland has roughly a half dozen private radio stations; transmissions of at least 2 international broadcasters are available (2007)

Internet
Country code: .so
Users total: 157,500
Users percent of population: 1.5%
Users rank: 164

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18 is the legal minimum age for compulsory and voluntary military service (2012)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 61 (2013)
Rank: 81
With paved runways total: 6
With paved runways over 3047 m: 4
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways total: 55
With unpaved runways over 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 5
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 20
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 23
With unpaved runways: 6 (2013)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Total: 22,100 km
Paved: 2,608 km
Unpaved: 19,492 km
Rank: 105

Waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 1
By type: cargo 1
Rank: 155

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Berbera Kismaayo


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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
Refugees: 3,268 (Yemen) (2015)
IDPs: 1.133 million (2015)

Illicit drugs