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. Beginning in 1993 a two-year UN humanitarian effort (primarily in the south) was able to alleviate famine conditions but when the UN withdrew in 1995 having suffered significant casualties order still had not been restored.

Geographic coordinates: 10 00 N, 49 00 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 637,660 km²
Land: 627,340 km²
Water: 10,320 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Texas

Land boundaries
Total: 2,366 km
Border countries: (3) Djibouti 58 km; , Ethiopia 1,626 km; , Kenya 682 km

Coastline: 3,025 km

Maritime claims: territorial sea:200 nm

Climate: principally desert; December to February_northeast monsoon, moderate temperatures in north and very hot in south; May to October_southwest monsoon, 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

Land use
Arable land: 2%
Permanent crops: 0%
Permanent pastures: 69%
Forests and woodland: 26%
Other: 3% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 1,800 km² (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: recurring droughts; frequent dust storms over eastern plains in summer

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

Population: 7,140,643 (July 1999 est.)
Note: this estimate was derived from an official census taken in 1987 by the Somali Government with the cooperation of the UN and the US Bureau of the Census; population estimates are updated between censuses by factoring in growth rates and by taking account of refugee movements and losses due to famine; lower estimates of Somalia's population in mid-1996 (on the order of 6.0 million to 6.5 million) have been made by aid and relief agencies, based on the number of persons being fed; population counting in Somalia is complicated by the large numbers of nomads and by refugee movements in response to famine and clan warfare
Growth rate: 4.13% (1999 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Somali(s)
Adjective: Somali

Ethnic groups: Somali 85%, Bantu, Arabs 30,000

Languages: Somali (official), Arabic, Italian, English

Religions: Sunni Muslim

Age structure
0-14 years: 44% (male 1,588,025; female 1,584,770)
15-64 years: 53% (male 1,898,794; female 1,865,487)
65 years and over: 3% (male 92,419; female 111,148) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 4.13% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 47.98 births/1000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 18.62 deaths/1000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: 11.9 migrant(s)/1000 population (1999 est.)

Environment
Current issues: famine; use of contaminated water contributes to human health problems; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
International agreements party to: Endangered Species, Law of the Sea
International agreements signed but not ratified: Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 125.77 deaths/1000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 46.23 years
Male: 44.66 years
Female: 47.85 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 7.25 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 24%
Male: 36%
Female: 14% (1990 est.)

Country name
Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Somalia
Former: Somali Republic, Somali Democratic Republic

Government type: none

Capital: Mogadishu

Administrative divisions: 18 regions (plural_NA, singular_gobolka; Awdal, Bakool, Banaadir, Bari, Bay, Galguduud, Gedo, Hiiraan, Jubbada Dhexe, Jubbada Hoose, Mudug, Nugaal, Sanaag, Shabeellaha Dhexe, Shabeellaha Hoose, Sool, Togdheer, Woqooyi Galbeed

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: NA

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: Somalia has no functioning government; the United Somali Congress (USC) ousted the regime of Major General Mohamed SIAD Barre on 27 January 1991; the present political situation is one of anarchy, marked by interclan fighting and random banditry

Legislative branch: unicameral People's Assembly or Golaha Shacbiga
Note: not functioning

Judicial branch: (not functioning; note_following the breakdown of national government, most regions have reverted to Islamic law with a provision for appeal of all sentences

International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer)

Diplomatic representation
In the us: Somalia does not have an embassy in the US (ceased operations on 8 May 1991)
From the us: the US does not have an embassy in Somalia; US interests are represented by the US Embassy in Nairobi at Moi Avenue and Haile Selassie Avenue; mail address:P. O. Box 30,137, Unit 64,100, Nairobi; APO AE 9,831; telephone:[254] (2) 334,141; FAX [254] (2) 340,838

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)

Economy overview: One of the world's poorest and least developed countries, Somalia has few resources. Moreover, much of the economy has been devastated by the civil war. Agriculture is the most important sector, with livestock accounting for about 40% of GDP and about 65% of export earnings. Nomads and semi-nomads, who are dependent upon livestock for their livelihood, make up a large portion of the population. After livestock, bananas are the principal export; sugar, sorghum, corn, and fish are products for the domestic market. The small industrial sector, based on the processing of agricultural products, accounts for 10% of GDP; most facilities have been shut down because of the civil strife. Moreover, as of early 1999, ongoing civil disturbances in Mogadishu and outlying areas are interfering with any substantial economic advance.

Real gdp growth rate: NA%

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity: $600 (1998 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 59%
Industry: 10%
Services: 31% (1995 est.)

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

Industries: a few small industries, including sugar refining, textiles, petroleum refining (mostly shut down)

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force: 3.7 million (very few are skilled laborers)(1993 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 71% (mostly pastoral nomadism)
By occupation industry and services: 29%

Unemployment rate: NA%

Population below poverty line: NA%

Budget
Revenues: $N/A
Expenditures: $N/A, including capital expenditures of $N/A

Fiscal year: NA

Exports: $123 million (f.o.b., 1995 est.)
Commodities: livestock, bananas, hides, fish (1997)
Partners: Saudi Arabia 55%, Yemen 19%, Italy 11%, UAE, US (1996 est.)

Imports: $60 million (f.o.b., 1995 est.)
Commodities: manufactures, petroleum products, foodstuffs, construction materials (1995)
Partners: Kenya 28%, Djibouti 21%, Brazil 6%, Pakistan (1996 est.)

Debt external: $2.6 billion (1996 est.)

Exchange rates: Somali shillings (So. Sh.) per US$1_2,620 (January 1999), 7,500 (November 1997 est.), 7,000 (January 1996 est.), 5,000 (1 January 1995), 2,616 (1 July 1993), 4,200 (December 1992)
Note: the Republic of Somaliland, a self-declared independent country not recognized by any government, issues its own currency, the Somaliland shilling (So. Sh.)

Electricity
Production: 258 million kWh (1996)
Production by source fossil fuel: 100%
Production by source hydro: 0%
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Production by source other: 0% (1996)
Consumption: 258 million kWh (1996)
Exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Imports: 0 kWh (1996)

Telephones: 9,000 (1991 est.)

Telephone system: the public telecommunications system was completely destroyed or dismantled by the civil war factions; all relief organizations depend on their own private systems
Domestic: recently, local cellular telephone systems have been established in Mogadishu and in several other population centers
International: international connections are available from Mogadishu by satellite

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $NA
Percent of gdp: NA%

Airports: 61 (1998 est.)
With paved runways total: 7
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 paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1 (1998 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 54
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 3
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 13
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 28
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 10 (1998 est.)

Pipelines: crude oil 15 km

Railways: 0 km

Merchant marine: none

Disputes international: most of the southern half of the boundary with Ethiopia is a Provisional Administrative Line; territorial dispute with Ethiopia over the Ogaden