Background: Several powerful Somali states dominated the Indian Ocean trade from the 13th century onward. In the late 19th century, the area that would become Somalia was colonized by Britain in the north and Italy in the south. 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.

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
Lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
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% (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 rank: population distribution map: 11,757,124 (July 2020 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
Rank: 78
Growth rate: 2.21% (2020 est.)
Growth rate rank: 34
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: 42.38% (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.)
Rank: 210

Population growth rate: 2.21% (2020 est.)
Rank: 34

Birth rate: 38.7 births/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 11

Death rate: 12.4 deaths/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 14

Net migration rate: -3.8 migrant(s)/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 186

Population distribution
Rank: population distribution map

Urbanization
Urban population: 46.1% of total population
Note: (2015-20 est.)
Rate of urbanization: 4.23% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: 2.282 million MOGADISHU (capital), 989,000 Hargeysa (2020)

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: 1.03 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.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 89.5 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 97.8 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 81 deaths/1000 live births (2020 est.)
Rank: 2

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 54 years
Male: 51.8 years
Female: 56.2 years (2020 est.)
Rank: 224

Total fertility rate: 5.51 children born/woman (2020 est.)
Rank: 9

Drinking water source
Urban: 1.9% of population
Rural: 27.5% of population
Total: 16.2% of population (2017 est.)

Physicians density: 0.02 physicians/1000 population (2014)

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

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 13.8% of population
Rural: 72.9% of population
Total: 46.7% of population (2017 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2019 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 134
People living with hivaids: 11,000 (2019 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 99
Deaths note: <1000 (2019 est.)

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: very high (2020)
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 diseases: schistosomiasis
Animal contact diseases: rabies

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

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 23% (2009)
Rank: 16

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): 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

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, approved 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

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 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 Mohamed Hussein ROBLE (since 27 September 2020)
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]Justice Party [SAKARIYE Haji]Liberal Party of SomaliaNational Democratic Party [Abdirashid ALI]National Unity Party (Xisbiga MIdnimo-Quaran) [Abdurahman BAADIYOW]Peace and Development Party or PDPSomali 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 ParliamentariansUnited Somali Republican Party [Ali TIMA-JLIC]inactive: 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 Ali Sharif AHMED (since 16 September 2019)
In the us chancery: 1705 DeSales Street NW, Suite 300,Washington, DC 20,036
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 296-0570, [1] (202) 833-1523
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Donald YAMAMOTO (since 17 Nov 2018)
From the us telephone: [254] 20 363-6,000
From the us embassy: Mogadishu, (reopened October 2019 on the grounds of the Mogadishu Airport)
From the us mailing address:
From the us 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 (Every Nation Has its own Flag)
Lyricsmusic: lyrics/music: Abdullahi QARSHE
Note: adopted 2012; written in 1959

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

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 122

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: 87
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: 92

Current account balance:
Rank: 119

Exports:
Rank: 167
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: 49
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

Exchange rates: 23,960 (2016 est.)

Electricity
Access population without electricity: 13 million (2019)
Access electrification total population: 18% (2019)
Access electrification urban areas: 34% (2019)
Access electrification rural areas: 4% (2019)
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: 50
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 (2018 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 202
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: 74,800
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1
Fixed lines note: less than 1 (2018 est.)
Fixed lines rank: 147
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 5,612,338
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 48.8 (2019 est.)
Mobile cellular rank: 114

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: 225,181
Users percent of population: 2% (July 2018 est.)
Users rank: 173

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 92,000
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1 (2017 est.)
Rank: 123

Military and security forces: Somali National Security Forces: Somali National Army (SNA), Somali National Police (SNP, includes a maritime unit), National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) (2019)

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

Terrorist groups: al-Shabaab; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham - Somalia (2020)
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 a title='Appendix-T' href='../appendix/appendix-t.html'>Appendix-T/a>

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 (2016)

Airports: 52 (2020)
Rank: 89
With paved runways total: 8 (2020)
With paved runways over 3047 m: 5
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 2
With unpaved runways total: 44 (2020)
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

Roadways
Total: 15,000 km (2018)
Rank: 125

Merchant marine
Total: 4
By type: general cargo 1, other 3 (2019)
Rank: 168

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 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: 13,235 (Yemen) (2019)
IDPs: 2.65 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) (2019)