Somalia
Country Facts
| Population |
9.8 million
|
| Language |
Somali (official), Arabic, Italian, English |
| Nationality |
Somali
|
| Major religions |
Muslim (Sunni) |
| Size |
637,657 sq km
|
| Bordering Countries |
Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya |
| Minorities |
Bantu, Arabs |
Somalia is located in the Horn of Africa and is one of the oldest civilisations on the continent. During the colonial era, Somalis rallied together, fending off four British attempts at colonisation before succumbing to an air raid in 1920. Somalia was split during colonialism, controlled by both the British and the Italians. In 1960, both areas of the country gained independence and joined together to create the Republic of Somalia. A series of governments and dictatorships ruled the country until 1990, when the Somali Civil War erupted. The conflict was started by the oppressive rule of the military dictatorship and resulted in the previously British territory of Somalia declaring independence. The civil war lasted until 2004, when a temporary government was set up.
In 2006 Islamists ousted warlords from most of the south and took control of the capital Mogadishu. But Ethiopian troops, siding with the transitional government, moved in to oust them. An African peacekeeping force arrived in 2007 amid what the Red Cross called the worst fighting in 15 years, between insurgents and government forces backed by the Ethiopians. It is reported that more than a million Somalis, many from Mogadishu, fled their homes in 2007.
As of 2009, a second temporary government has been instituted in the country, and a new constitution and general elections are set for 2011.
Somalia has the fifth highest fertility rate in the world, at an average of six children per woman, as well as the sixth highest infant mortality rate, both of which are indicators of poor health care and education within the country. Supporting such large families is difficult considering the average income in the country, which, due to the civil war in Somalia, is only $600 per year or $1.64 per day.
