Map of Somalia | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background:


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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
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; note: the US does not recognize this claim
Exclusive economic zone: 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
Highest point: Mount Shimbiris 2,460 m
Lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
Mean elevation: 410 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% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 1.8% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 68.5% (2018 est.)
Forest: 10.6% (2018 est.)
Other: 19.1% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 2,000 km² (2012)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 15 million cubic meters (2017 est.)
Industrial: 2 million cubic meters (2017 est.)
Agricultural: 3.281 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 14.7 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

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
Distribution: distribution varies greatly throughout the country; least densely populated areas are in the northeast and central regions, as well as areas along the Kenyan border; most populated areas are in and around the cities of Mogadishu, Marka, Boorama, Hargeysa, and Baidoa : 12,094,640 (July 2021 est.)
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
Growth rate: 2.35% (2021 est.)
Below poverty line: NA

Nationality
Noun: Somali(s)
Adjective: Somali

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

Languages: Somali (official, according to the 2012 Transitional Federal Charter), Arabic (official, according to the 2012 Transitional Federal Charter), Italian, English
Major language samples:

Religions: Sunni Muslim (Islam) (official, according to the 2012 Transitional Federal Charter)

Demographic profile: Somalia scores very low for most humanitarian indicators, suffering from poor governance, protracted internal conflict, underdevelopment, economic decline, poverty, social and gender inequality, and environmental degradation. Despite civil war and famine raising its mortality rate, Somalia’s high fertility rate and large proportion of people of reproductive age maintain rapid population growth, with each generation being larger than the prior one. More than 60% of Somalia’s population is younger than 25, and the fertility rate is among the world’s highest at almost 6 children per woman - a rate that has decreased little since the 1970s.

Age structure
0-14 years: 42.38% (male 2,488,604/female 2,493,527)
15-24 years: 19.81% (male 1,167,807/female 1,161,040)
25-54 years: 30.93% (male 1,881,094/female 1,755,166)
55-64 years: 4.61% (male 278,132/female 264,325)
65 years and over: 2.27% (male 106,187/female 161,242) (2020 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 96.3
Youth dependency ratio: 90.6
Elderly dependency ratio: 5.7
Potential support ratio: 17.6 (2020 est.)

Median age
Total: 18.5 years
Male: 18.7 years
Female: 18.3 years (2020 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.35% (2021 est.)

Birth rate: 38.25 births/1000 population (2021 est.)

Death rate: 11.82 deaths/1000 population (2021 est.)

Net migration rate: -2.98 migrant(s)/1000 population (2021 est.)

Population distribution: distribution varies greatly throughout the country; least densely populated areas are in the northeast and central regions, as well as areas along the Kenyan border; most populated areas are in and around the cities of Mogadishu, Marka, Boorama, Hargeysa, and Baidoa

Urbanization
Urban population: 46.7% of total population (2021)
Rate of urbanization: 4.2% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 2.388 million MOGADISHU (capital), 1.033 million Hargeysa (2021)

Environment
Current issues: water scarcity; contaminated water contributes to human health problems; improper waste disposal; deforestation; land degradation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
International agreements signed but not ratified: Nuclear Test Ban

Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 29.51 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 0.65 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 20.13 megatons (2020 est.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio: 829 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 88.03 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 97.71 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 78.05 deaths/1000 live births (2021 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 55.32 years
Male: 53.02 years
Female: 57.7 years (2021 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.41 children born/woman (2021 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 6.9% (2018/19)

Drinking water source
Improved urban: 98.1% of population
Improved rural: 72.5% of population
Improved total: 83.8% of population
Unimproved urban: 1.9% of population
Unimproved rural: 27.5% of population
Unimproved total: 16.2% of population (2017 est.)

Current health expenditure: NA

Physicians density: 0.02 physicians/1000 population (2014)

Hospital bed density: 0.9 beds/1000 population (2017)

Sanitation facility access
Improved urban: 86.2% of population
Improved rural: 27.1% of population
Improved total: 53.3% of population
Unimproved urban: 13.8% of population
Unimproved rural: 72.9% of population
Unimproved total: 46.7% of population (2017 est.)

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: <.1% (2020 est.)
People living with hivaids: 8,700 (2020 est.)
Deaths: <500 (2020 est.)

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: very high (2020)
Food or water borne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever
Vector borne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and Rift Valley fever
Watercontactdiseases: schistosomiasis
Animalcontactdiseases: rabies

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 8.3% (2016)

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 23% (2009)

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
Etymology: 'Land of the Somali' (ethnic group)

Government type: federal parliamentary republic

Capital
Name: Mogadishu
Geographic coordinates: 2 04 N, 45 20 E
Time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Etymology: several theories attempt to explain the city's name; one of the more plausible is that it derives from 'maq'ad-i-shah' meaning 'the seat of the shah,' reflecting the city's links with Persia

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, 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: Foundation of the Somali Republic, 1 July (1960); note - 26 June (1960) in Somaliland

Constitution
History: previous 1961, 1979; latest drafted 12 June 2012, adopted 1 August 2012 (provisional)
Amendments: proposed by the federal government, by members of the state governments, the Federal Parliament, or by public petition; proposals require review by a joint committee of Parliament with inclusion of public comments and state legislatures’ comments; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote in both houses of Parliament and approval by a majority of votes cast in a referendum; constitutional clauses on Islamic principles, the federal system, human rights and freedoms, powers and authorities of the government branches, and inclusion of women in national institutions cannot be amended; note - in late December 2020, the president signed a decree blocking the approval of amendments (2021)

Legal system: mixed legal system of civil law, Islamic (sharia) 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 descentonly: 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 Mohamed ABDULLAHI Mohamed 'Farmaajo' (since 8 February 2017)
Head of government: Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein ROBLE (since 27 September 2020)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister, approved by the House of the People
Elections and appointments: 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 8 February 2017; prime minister appointed by the president, approved by the House of the People; note - elections were scheduled for 10 October 2021 but did not take place; clan elders are scheduled to pick members of a lower house of parliament in November 2021; the parliament will then select a new president at an undetermined future date
Election results: Mohamed ABDULLAHI Mohamed 'Farmaajo' elected president in second round; Federal Parliament second round vote - Mohamed ABDULLAHI Mohamed 'Farmaajo' (TPP) 184, HASSAN SHEIKH Mohamud (PDP) 97, Sheikh SHARIF Sheikh Ahmed (ARS) 46

Legislative branch
Description: bicameral Federal Parliament to consist of:
Upper House (54 seats; senators indirectly elected by state assemblies to serve 4-year terms)
House of the People (275 seats; members indirectly elected by electoral colleges, each consisting of 51 delegates selected by the 136 Traditional Elders in consultation with sub-clan elders; members serve 4-year terms)
Elections: Upper House - first held on 10 October 2016 (next to be held in November 2020)
House of the People - first held 23 October - 10 November 2016 (next to be held in November 2020)
Election results: Upper House - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; composition - men 41, women 13, percent of women 24.1%
House of the People - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; composition - men 208, women 67, percent of women 24.4%; note - total Parliament percent of women 24.3%
Note: the inaugural House of the People was appointed in September 2012 by clan elders; in 2016 and 2017, the Federal Parliament became bicameral with elections scheduled for 10 October 2016 for the Upper House and 23 October to 10 November 2016 for the House of the People; while the elections were delayed, they were eventually held in most regions despite voting irregularities; on 27 December 2016, 41 Upper House senators and 242 House of the People members were sworn in

Judicial branch
Highest courts: the provisional constitution stipulates the establishment of the Constitutional Court (consists of 5 judges, including the chief judge and deputy chief judge); note - under the terms of the 2004 Transitional National Charter, a Supreme Court based in Mogadishu and the Appeal Court were established; yet most regions have reverted to local forms of conflict resolution, either secular, traditional Somali customary law, or 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 courts; federal member state-level courts; military courts; sharia courts

Political parties and leaders: Cosmopolitan Democratic Party [Yarow Sharef ADEN]
Daljir Party or DP [Hassan MOALIM]
Democratic Green Party of Somalia or DGPS [Abdullahi Y. MAHAMOUD]
Democratic Party of Somalia or DPS [Maslah Mohamed SIAD]
Green Leaf for Democracy or GLED
Hiil Qaran
Justice and Communist Party [Mohamed NUR]
Justice and Development of Democracy and Self-Respectfulness Party or CAHDI [Abdirahman Abdigani IBRAHIM Bile]
Justice Party [SAKARIYE Haji]
Liberal Party of Somalia
National Democratic Party [Abdirashid ALI]
National Unity Party (Xisbiga MIdnimo-Quaran) [Abdurahman BAADIYOW]
Peace and Development Party or PDP
Somali Green Party (local chapter of Federation of Green Parties of Africa)
Somali National Party or SNP [Mohammed Ameen Saeed AHMED]
Somali People's Party [Salad JEELE]
Somali Society Unity Party [Yasin MAALIM]
Tayo or TPP [Mohamed Abdullahi MOHAMED]
Tiir Party [Fadhil Sheik MOHAMUD]
Union for Peace and Development or UPD [HASSAN SHEIKH Mohamud]
United and Democratic Party [FAUZIA Haji]
United Somali Parliamentarians
United Somali Republican Party [Ali TIMA-JLIC]


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 Ali Sharif AHMED (since 16 September 2019)
In the us chancery: 1609 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 853-9,164
In the us email address and website:
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Colleen CRENWELGE (since July 2021)
From the us embassy: Mogadishu, (reopened October 2019 on the grounds of the Mogadishu Airport)
From the us mailing address: P.O. Box 606 Village Market
00621 Nairobi, Kenya
From the us telephone: [254] 20 363-6,451
From the us email address and website:

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' (Every Nation Has its own Flag)
Lyrics and music: lyrics/music: Abdullahi QARSHE
Note: adopted 2012; written in 1959

National heritage


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Economy overview

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2016 US dollars

Real gdp growth rate: 2.3% (2017 est.)

4.4% (2016 est.)

3.9% (2015 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $800 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2020 est.)

$900 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2019 est.)

$900 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2018 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 72.6% (2015 est.)
Government consumption: 8.7% (2015 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 20% (2015 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0.8% (2016 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 0.3% (2015 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -1.6% (2015 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 60.2% (2013 est.)
Industry: 7.4% (2013 est.)
Services: 32.5% (2013 est.)

Agriculture products: camel milk, milk, sheep milk, goat milk, sugar cane, fruit, sorghum, cassava, vegetables, maize

Industries: light industries, including sugar refining, textiles, wireless communication

Industrial production growth rate: 3.5% (2014 est.)

Labor force: 4.154 million (2016 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 71%
By occupation industry: 29%
By occupation industry and services: 29% (1975)

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: $145.3 million (2014 est.)
Expenditures: $151.1 million (2014 est.)
Surplus or deficit: $-0.1% (of GDP) (2014 est.)

Taxes and other revenues: 2.1% (of GDP) (2014 est.)

Public debt: 76.7% of GDP (2017 est.)

93% of GDP (2014 est.)

Revenue

Fiscal year: NA

Inflation rate consumer prices: 1.5% (2017 est.)

-71.1% (2016 est.)

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance: -$464 million (2017 est.)

-$427 million (2016 est.)

Exports: $819 million (2014 est.)

$779 million (2013 est.)
Partners: United Arab Emirates 47%, Saudi Arabia 19%, India 5%, Japan 5% (2019)
Commodities: gold, sheep, goats, sesame seeds, insect resins, cattle (2019)

Imports: $94.43 billion (2018 est.)

$80.07 billion (2017 est.)
Partners: United Arab Emirates 32%, China 20%, India 17%, Turkey 7% (2019)
Commodities: cigarettes, raw sugar, rice, broadcasting equipment, textiles (2019)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $30.45 million (2014 est.)

Debt external: $5.3 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access electrification total population: 18% (2019)
Access electrification urban areas: 34% (2019)
Access electrification rural areas: 4% (2019)
Production: 339 million kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption: 315.3 million kWh (2016 est.)
Exports: 0 kWh (2016 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity: 85,000 kW (2016 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 93% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources: 7% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2018 est.)

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products consumption: 5,600 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports: 5,590 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Consumption: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Exports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Imports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Proven reserves: 5.663 billion m³ (1 January 2018 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 74,800 (2018)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 0 (2018 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 7,653,040 (2018)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 50.99 (2018 est.)

Telephone system

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 (2019)

Internet
Country code: .so
Users total: 1.95 million (2021 est.)
Users percent of population: 2% (2019 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 98,000 (2017 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: less than 1 (2019 est.)


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Military expenditures: 1.3% of GDP (2017 est.)

1.3% of GDP (2016 est.)

1.3% of GDP (2015 est.)

1.2% of GDP (2014 est.)

1.1% of GDP (2013 est.)

no figures available after 2017

Military and security forces: Ministry of Defense: Somali National Army (SNA); Ministry of Internal Security: Somali National Police (SNP, includes a maritime unit and a Turkish-trained commando unit known as Harmacad, or Cheetah) (2021)

note - Somalia has numerous militia and regional forces operating throughout the country; these forces include ones that are clan- and warlord-based, semi-official paramilitary and special police forces (aka darwish), and externally-sponsored militias; the SNA is attempting to incorporate some of these militia units

Military service age and obligation: 18 is the legal minimum age for compulsory and voluntary military service (2021)

Space program

Terrorist groups: al-Shabaab; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham – Somalia
Note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in Appendix T


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National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 6 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 7
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 4,486 (2018)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: 6O

Airports
Total: 52 (2020)
With paved runways total: 8
With paved runways over 3047 m: 5
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 2 (2020)
With unpaved runways total: 44
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 5
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 16
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 22
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 1 (2020)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Total: 15,000 km (2018)

Waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 4
By type: general cargo 1, other 3 (2021)

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 country of origin: 6,371 (Yemen) (2020)
IDPs: 2.968 million (civil war since 1988, clan-based competition for resources; 2011 famine; insecurity because of fighting between al-Shabaab and the Transitional Federal Government's allied forces) (2020)

Illicit drugs