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 UN-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.

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: 45
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
Mean elevation: 410 m
Elevation extremes: 0 m
Note: lowest point: Indian Ocean

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% (2011 est.)
Forest: 10.6% (2011 est.)
Other: 19.1% (2011 est.)

Irrigated land: 2000 km² (2012)

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

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:
Rank: 81
Growth rate: 2.08% (2018 est.)
Growth rate rank: 45
Below poverty line note: 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

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.A lack of educational and job opportunities is a major source of tension for Somalia’s large youth cohort, making them vulnerable to recruitment by extremist and pirate groups. Somalia has one of the world’s lowest primary school enrollment rates - just over 40% of children are in school - and one of world’s highest youth unemployment rates. Life expectancy is low as a result of high infant and maternal mortality rates, the spread of preventable diseases, poor sanitation, chronic malnutrition, and inadequate health services.During the two decades of conflict that followed the fall of the SIAD regime in 1991, hundreds of thousands of Somalis fled their homes. Today Somalia is the world’s third highest source country for refugees, after Syria and Afghanistan. Insecurity, drought, floods, food shortages, and a lack of economic opportunities are the driving factors.As of 2016, more than 1.1 million Somali refugees were hosted in the region, mainly in Kenya, Yemen, Egypt, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Uganda, while more than 1.1 million Somalis were internally displaced. Since the implementation of a tripartite voluntary repatriation agreement among Kenya, Somalia, and the UNHCR in 2013, nearly 40,000 Somali refugees have returned home from Kenya’s Dadaab refugee camp - still houses to approximately 260,000 Somalis. The flow sped up rapidly after the Kenyan Government in May 2016 announced its intention to close the camp, worsening security and humanitarian conditions in receiving communities in south-central Somalia. Despite the conflict in Yemen, thousands of Somalis and other refugees and asylum seekers from the Horn of Africa risk their lives crossing the Gulf of Aden to reach Yemen and beyond (often Saudi Arabia). Bossaso in Puntland overtook Obock, Djibouti, as the primary departure point in mid-2014.

Age structure
0-14 years: 42.87% (male 2,410,215 /female 2,416,629)
15-24 years: 19.35% (male 1,097,358 /female 1,081,762)
25-54 years: 31.23% (male 1,821,823 /female 1,694,873)
55-64 years: 4.35% (male 245,744 /female 243,893)
65 years and over: 2.19% (male 95,845 /female 150,887) (2018 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 97.4 (2015 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 92.1 (2015 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 5.3 (2015 est.)
Potential support ratio: 18.8 (2015 est.)

Median age
Total: 18.2 years
Male: 18.4 years
Female: 18 years (2018 est.)
Rank: 211

Population growth rate: 2.08% (2018 est.)
Rank: 45

Birth rate: 39.3 births/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 9

Death rate: 12.8 deaths/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 13

Net migration rate: -6.5 migrant(s)/1000 population (2017 est.)
Rank: 201

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: 45% of total population
Note: (2015-20 est.)
Rate of urbanization: 4.23% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: 2.082 million MOGADISHU (capital) (2018)

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, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.02 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
0-14 years: 1 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
15-24 years: 1.02 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
25-54 years: 1.07 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
55-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
Total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 93 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Male: 101.4 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Female: 84.3 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Rank: 2

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 53.2 years (2018 est.)
Male: 51 years (2018 est.)
Female: 55.4 years (2018 est.)
Rank: 220

Total fertility rate: 5.7 children born/woman (2018 est.)
Rank: 6

Drinking water source
Urban: 30.4% of population
Rural: 91.2% of population
Total: 68.3% of population (2011 est.)

Physicians density: 0.03 physicians/1000 population (2014)

Hospital bed density: 8.7 beds/1000 population (2014)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 48% of population (2011 est.)
Rural: 93.7% of population (2011 est.)
Total: 76.4% of population (2011 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2017 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 120
People living with hivaids: 11,000 (2017 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 97
Deaths note: <1000 (2017 est.)

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: very high (2016)
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever (2016)
Vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and Rift Valley fever (2016)
Water contact diseases: schistosomiasis (2016)
Animal contact diseases: rabies (2016)

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 8.3% (2016)
Rank: 153

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

Education expenditures
Note: NA

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)

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

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
History: previous 1961, 1979; latest drafted 12 June 2012, approved 1 August 2012 (provisional) (2017)
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 (2017)

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 Mohamed ABDULLAHI Mohamed Farmaajo (since 8 February 2017)
Head of government: Prime Minister Hassan Ali KHAYRE (since 1 March 2017)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister, approved by the House of the People
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 8 February 2017 (previously scheduled for 30 September 2016 but postponed repeatedly); prime minister appointed by the president, approved by the House of the People
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:
Elections:
Election results:: 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 GLEDHiil QaranJustice and Communist Party [Mohamed NUR]Justice and Development of Democracy and Self-Respectfulness Party or CAHDI [Abdirahman Abdigani IBRAHIM Bile]Liberal Party of SomaliaNational Unity Party (Xisbiga MIdnimo-Quaran) [Abdurahman BAADIYOW]Peace and Development Party or PDPSomali National Party or SNP [Mohammed Ameen Saeed AHMED]Somali People's Party [Mahamud Hassan RAGE]Somali Green Party (local chapter of Federation of Green Parties of Africa)Tayo or TPP [Mohamed Abdullahi MOHAMED]Tiir Party [Fadhil Sheik MOHAMUD]United and Democratic Party [Salad Ali JELLE]United Somali Parliamentariansinactive: Alliance for the Reliberation of Somalia; reportedly inactive since 2009

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 (vacant); Charge dAffaires Run Said KORSHEL (since 16 February 2018)
In the us chancery: 425 East 61st Street, Suite 702, New York City, NY 10,021
In the us telephone: [1] (212) 688-9,410, 688-5,046
In the us FAX: [1] (212) 759-0651
From the us:

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)
Lyricsmusic: lyrics/music: Abdullahi QARSHE: note: adopted 2012; written in 1959

Economy overview: Despite the lack of effective national governance, Somalia maintains an informal economy largely based on livestock, remittance/money transfer companies, and telecommunications. Somalia's government lacks the ability to collect domestic revenue and external debt - mostly in arrears - was estimated at about 77% of GDP in 2017.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. Economic activity is estimated to have increased by 2.4% in 2017 because of growth in the agriculture, construction and telecommunications sector. Somalia's small industrial sector, based on the processing of agricultural products, has largely been looted and the machinery sold as scrap metal.In recent years, Somalia's capital city, Mogadishu, has witnessed the development of the city's first gas stations, supermarkets, and airline flights to Turkey since the collapse of central authority in 1991. 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. Formalized economic growth has yet to expand outside of Mogadishu and a few regional capitals, and within the city, security concerns dominate business. Telecommunication firms provide wireless services in most major cities and offer the lowest international call rates on the continent. 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 continues to threaten these services’ ability to operate in Western nations. In 2017, Somalia elected a new president and collected a record amount of foreign aid and investment, a positive sign for economic recovery.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 148

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 143

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: 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: 3.5% (2014 est.)
Rank: 90

Labor force: 4.154 million (2016 est.)
Rank: 91
By occupation agriculture: 71%
By occupation industry: 29%
By occupation industry and services: 29% (1975)

Unemployment rate: NA

Population below poverty line
Note: NA

Budget
Revenues: 145.3 million (2014 est.)
Expenditures: 151.1 million (2014 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -0.1% (of GDP) (2014 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 49

Taxes and other revenues: 2.1% (of GDP) (2014 est.)
Rank: 221

Public debt:
Rank: 39

Fiscal year: NA

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 86

Central bank discount rate: NA

Commercial bank prime lending rate: NA

Current account balance:
Rank: 116

Exports:
Rank: 168
Partners: Oman 31.7%, Saudi Arabia 18.7%, UAE 16.3%, Nigeria 5.1%, Yemen 4.8%, Pakistan 4% (2017)
Commodities: livestock, bananas, hides, fish, charcoal, scrap metal

Imports:
Rank: 38
Commodities: manufactures, petroleum products, foodstuffs, construction materials, qat
Partners: China 17.6%, India 17.2%, Ethiopia 10.5%, Oman 10.3%, Kenya 6.9%, Turkey 5.3%, Malaysia 4.1% (2017)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $30.45 million (2014 est.)
Rank: 189

Debt external: $5.3 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
Rank: 131

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: NA

Exchange rates: 23,960 (2016 est.)

Electricity
Access population without electricity: 8.9 million (2013)
Access electrification total population: 15% (2013)
Access electrification urban areas: 33% (2013)
Access electrification rural areas: 4% (2013)
Production: 339 million kWh (2016 est.)
Production rank: 176
Consumption: 315.3 million kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption rank: 183
Exports: 0 kWh (2016 est.)
Exports rank: 200
Imports: 0 kWh (2016 est.)
Imports rank: 202
Installed generating capacity: 85,000 kW (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 182
Generation sources fossil fuels: 93% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 51
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 185
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 202
Generation sources other renewable sources: 7% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 97

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 201
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 196
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 198
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2018 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 198

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products production rank: 204
Products consumption: 5,600 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Products consumption rank: 174
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports rank: 204
Products imports: 5,590 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports rank: 167

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Production rank: 198
Consumption: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Consumption rank: 199
Exports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Exports rank: 186
Imports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Imports rank: 190
Proven reserves: 5.663 billion m³ (1 January 2018 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 90

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 852,500 Mt (2017 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 173

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 48,000 (July 2016 est.)
Fixed lines date: (July 2016 est.)
Fixed lines rank: 158
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 6,653,040 (July 2016 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 60 (July 2016 est.)
Mobile cellular rank: 108

Telephone system
General assessment: the public telecom 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 some of the lowest rates on the continent (2016)
Domestic: seven networks compete for customers in the mobile sector; some of these mobile-service providers offer fixed-line and Internet services (2016)
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; this connection ended the countrys expensive satellite-dependent Internet access (2016)

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: 203,366 (July 2016 est.)
Users percent of population: 1.9% (July 2016 est.)
Users rank: 169

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 92,000 (2017 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1 (2017 est.)
Rank: 121

Military expenditures:
Rank: 155

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

National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 1 (2015)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 1 (2015)
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 251,652 (2015)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 0
Note: mt-km (2015)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: 6O (2016)

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

Roadways
Total: 22,100 km (2000)
Paved: 2,608 km (2000)
Unpaved: 19,492 km (2000)
Rank: 106

Merchant marine
Total: 5 (2017)
By type: general cargo 2, other 3 (2017)
Rank: 163

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Berbera, Kismaayo

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 claimsthe undemarcated former British administrative line has little meaning as a political separation to rival clans within Ethiopia's Ogaden and southern Somalia's Oromo regionKenya 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: 19,615 (Ethiopia) (refugees and asylum seekers), 12,125 (Yemen) (refugees and asylum seekers) (2018)
IDPs: 2.1 million (civil war since 1988, clan-based competition for resources; 2011 famine; insecurity because of fighting between al-Shabaab and the Transitional Federal Governments allied forces) (2018)