Somali Democratic Republic
National name: Jamhuuriyadda Soomaaliya
Government: Between Jan. 1991 and Aug. 2000, Somalia had no working government. A fragile parliamentary government was formed Aug. 22, 2000.
Geography: Somalia, situated in the Horn of Africa, lies along the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. It is bounded by Djibouti in the northwest, Ethiopia in the west, and Kenya in the southwest. Generally arid and barren, Somalia has two chief rivers, the Shebelle and the Juba.
Area: 246,199 sq mi (637,657 sq km)
Population (2003 est.): 8,025,190 (growth rate: 2.9%); birth rate: 46.4/1000; infant mortality rate: 120.3/1000; density per sq mi: 33
Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Mogadishu, 1,208,800
Monetary unit: Somali shilling
Languages: Somali (official), Arabic, English, Italian
Ethnicity/race: Somali 85%, Bantu, Arabs
Religion: Islam (Sunni)
Agriculture: cattle, sheep, goats; bananas, sorghum, corn, coconuts, rice, sugarcane, mangoes, sesame seeds, beans; fish.
Industries: a few light industries, including sugar refining, textiles, petroleum refining (mostly shut down), wireless communication.
Natural resources: uranium and largely unexploited reserves of iron ore, tin, gypsum, bauxite, copper, salt, natural gas, likely oil reserves.
LINKS >>
Somaliland-Canadian Society of Metro Toronto >
The Canadian Airborne Regiment A Soldier's Journals Somalia '93
Somalia - peace and reconciliation
Blackhawk Down - An American War Story