Guide Note

Somalia is a nation located on the Horn of Africa with a lengthy coast along the Indian Ocean. Somalia shares land borders with Djibouti, Kenya, and Ethiopia, and is directly across the Gulf of Aden from Yemen.

Fast Facts

Capital: Mogadishu
Population: 10,700,000
Currency: Somali Shilling
Official Language: Somali

Brief History and Background

The independent Somali Republic was formed from the union of Italian Somaliland and British Somaliliand in 1960. Until 1991, Somalia had a series of non-democratic governments and rulers, and in 1977 went to war with Ethiopia in an attempt to wrest away lands claimed to be ethnically Somali. Beginning in 1991, Somalia ceased to have an effective central government, and in 1992 a United States-led mission, Operation Restore Hope, sought to alleviate a growing famine in the area. In 2006, after Mogadishu warlords attempted to institute Sharia law in areas under their control, Ethiopian defense forces invaded and deposed the ruling warlords.

Climate and Terrain

Somalia's most distinguishing feature is its lengthy coastline on the Indian Ocean. The enormous 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake triggered a massive tsunami which hit the Somali coast seven hours after the event, killing an estimated 289 people.

Categories

Geography | Travel | Africa | Countries

View Note History

Somalia

The Mahalo Top 7

Wikipedia: Somalia
Official Site: Federal government Website for Somalia
CIA World Factbook: Somalia
Philadelphia Online: Blackhawk Down
BBC News: Country Profile: Somalia
U.S. Department of State: Somalia Travel Warning
CountryStudies.us: Somalia

Somalia Recent News

Topix.net: Somalia
Google News: Somalia Search
CNN: Missile Aimed at FBI Target in Somalia (March 4, 2008)
BBC News: Dozens die in Mogadishu reprisals (Nov. 9, 2007)
Al Jazeera English: Dozens Dead In Somalia Fighting (Nov. 9, 2007)
Reuters: Aid workers freed by kidnappers leave Somalia (May 16, 2007)
Washington Post: "U.S. Secretly Backing Warlords in Somalia" (May 16, 2006)

Somalia Facts and History

France 24: Somalia Civil War since 1991
Wikipedia: History of Somalia and Battle of Mogadishu (1993)
WorldBank.org: Somalia
Infoplease: Current Government Officials: Somalia
National Geographic: Somalia facts

Somalia Background and Articles

Mahalo's Guide to Battle of Mogadishu 1993 and Turmoil in Somalia
FoxNews.com: Transcript: Bill Clinton on Fox News Sunday
BBC News: Somalia: Who supports who?
Foreign Policy: Seven Questions: War in Somalia (2006)
Guardian Observer: US accused of covert operations in Somalia (2006)
Economist.com: A Holy War in the Horn? (2006)
BBC News: Telecoms thriving in lawless Somalia (2004)

Somalia Criticism and Crises

ReliefWeb: Somalia
Council on Foreign Relations: Terrorism Havens: Somalia
International Herald Tribune: In Somalia, a reckless U.S. proxy war (2006)
Glenn Greenwald blog: Who wanted to "cut and run" from Somalia?

Somalia Maps and Geography

Univsersity of Texas: Somalia Maps - Perry-Castañeda Map Collection
Wikipedia: Geography of Somalia
GlobalSecurity.org: Somalia - Maps

Somalia Photos and Videos

Flickr: Somalia Search
BBC News: In Pictures: Somalis Adrift
Google Image Search: Somalia
YouTube & Google Video: Somalia

Somalia Culture

Wikipedia: Culture of Somalia
Minnesota Department of Human Rights: Somali Culture and Customs
BBC Leicester: Where I Live: Somali Culture

Related Searches

Battle of Mogadishu 1993 | War on Terror | Kenya | Seychelles | Arabian Sea | Gulf of Aden | Turmoil in Somalia | Somalia Missile Strike | Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan