Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is situated on the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, the Gulf of Aden to the north, the Indian Ocean to the east, and Kenya to the southwest. Somalia has the longest coastline on Africa's mainland. Its terrain consists mainly of plateaus, plains, and highlands. Hot conditions prevail year-round, with periodic monsoon winds and irregular rainfall. Somalia has an estimated population of around 17.1 million, of which over 2 million live in the capital and largest city Mogadishu. It has been described as Africa's most culturally homogeneous country. Around 85% of its residents are ethnic Somalis, who have historically inhabited the country's north. Ethnic minorities are largely concentrated in the south. The official languages of Somalia are Somali and Arabic, though the former of the two is the primary language spoken in the country. Most people in Somalia are Muslims, the majority of them being Sunni.
Somalia is classified by the United Nations as a least developed country, with the majority of its population being dependent on agriculture and livestock for their livelihood. The economy of Somalia is $4.918 billion by gross domestic product as of 2020. For 1994, the CIA estimated it at purchasing power parity to be approximately $3.3 billion. In 2001, it was estimated to be $4.1 billion. By 2009, the CIA estimated that it had grown to $5.731 billion, with a projected real growth rate of 2.6%. In 2014, the International Monetary Fund estimated economic activity to have expanded by 3.7% primarily. This expansion was driven by growth in the primary sector and the secondary sector. According to a 2007 British Chambers of Commerce report, the private sector has experienced growth, particularly in the service sector. Unlike the pre-civil war period, when most services and the industrial sector were government-run, there has been substantial, albeit unmeasured, private investment in commercial activities. The investment has been largely financed by the Somali diaspora, and includes trade and marketing, money transfer services, transportation, communications, fishery equipment, airlines, telecommunications, education, health, construction and hotels.
Somaliland, officially the Republic of Somaliland, is an unrecognised state in the Horn of Africa, recognised internationally as de jure part of Somalia. It is located in the southern coast of the Gulf of Aden and bordered by Djibouti to the northwest, Ethiopia to the south and west, and Somalia to the east. Its claimed territory has an area of 176,120 square kilometres (68,000 sq mi), with approximately 5.7 million residents as of 2021. The capital and largest city is Hargeisa. The Government of Somaliland regards itself as the successor state to British Somaliland, which, as the briefly independent State of Somaliland, united from 1960 to 1991 with the Trust Territory of Somaliland to form the Somali Republic.
British Somaliland, officially the Somaliland Protectorate, was a crown colony and protectorate of the United Kingdom in modern Somaliland. During its existence, the territory was bordered by Italian Somalia, French Somali Coast and Abyssinia. From 1940 to 1941, it was occupied by the Italians and was part of Italian East Africa.
Sanag is an administrative region (gobol) in north eastern Somaliland. Sanaag has a long coastline facing the Gulf of Aden to the north, and is bordered by the region of Sahil to the west, Sool to the south and Somalia to the east. The region is disputed by the self-declared Republic of Somaliland and Puntland, a Federal Member State of Somalia. Its capital city is Erigavo. Sanaag is the largest region of Somaliland, accounting for 35% of Somaliland's total land area.
Togdheer is an administrative region (gobol) in central Somaliland. Togdheer is bordered by Waqooyi Galbeed to the north, Sanaag to the northeast, Sool to the east and Ethiopia to the south. Its capital is Burao.
Erigavo, also spelled as Erigabo, is the capital and largest city of the Sanaag region of Somaliland.
Daallo Airlines is a Somali-owned airline based at Dubai Airport Free Zone in Al Garhoud, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. With its main hub at the Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport, the airline operates scheduled services in the Horn of Africa and the Middle East.
Air Somalia was a privately owned airline based in Somalia. It was the first private airline owned entirely by Somalis.
Jubba Airways is a Somali airline. It operates domestic passenger and cargo flights within Somalia, as well as to destinations in the Middle East.
The Economy of Somaliland largely relies on primary production and agriculture, where livestock is the main export of the country, which it ships to neighbouring Djibouti and Ethiopia, as well as to Gulf states, such as UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oman. Somaliland has a GDP per capita of $853 and a gross domestic product GDP of $2,533,000,000 as of 2022, most of which it receives in remittances from Somalis working abroad. The COVID-19 pandemic has restricted Somaliland's trade flows with decreased demand in the agriculture sector, a significant source of tax revenue.
Sheikh, is a city in central Somaliland. Sheikh is the capital of the Sheikh district in the region/province Sahil. It lies at an altitude of some 1430 m in the Golis Mountains, roughly halfway between the larger cities of Berbera and Burao .
The broader Sheikh District has a total population of about 33,625 residents.
Tourism in Somalia is regulated by the Federal Government of Somalia's Ministry of Tourism. The industry was traditionally noted for its numerous historical sites, beaches, waterfalls, mountain ranges and national parks. After the start of the civil war in the early 1990s, the Tourism Ministry shut down operations. It was re-established in the 2000s, and once again oversees the national tourist industry. The Mogadishu-based Somali Tourism Association (SOMTA) provides on-the-ground consulting services.
Tourism in Somaliland is regulated by the Somaliland's Ministry of Tourism.
The Ogo Mountains, also known as the Galgodon Highlands, are a mountain range in Somaliland. They cross the Sanaag and Togdheer regions. With a mean peak height of 2,450 m (8,040 ft), the ecology of this landform is semi-desert.
Hargeisa National Park (HNP) is a national park in Hargeisa, Somaliland. Located outside the city of Hargeisa in the north.
The Golis Mountains are a mountain range in Somaliland. Also known as Qar Golis, they cut through the Togdheer region, and end near the Gan Libah.
Daallo Airlines Flight 159 was a scheduled international passenger flight operated by Somali-owned Daallo Airlines. On 2 February 2016, an explosion occurred on board the aircraft 20 minutes after it took off from Mogadishu. The aircraft was able to return to the airport safely with one fatality reported. A subsequent investigation indicated that the explosion was caused by a bomb detonated in a suicide attack. The Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab later claimed responsibility for the bombing. A total of ten people were convicted in relation to the plot.
The Somali montane xeric shrublands is a desert and xeric scrubland ecoregion in Somalia. The ecoregion lies in the rugged Karkaar Mountains, which run parallel and close to Somalia's northern coast on the Gulf of Aden, and follows coast from Cape Guardafui south to Eyl on the Arabian Sea.
The Mayor of Erigavo is the chief executive of the city of Erigavo, the capital of Sanaag region in Somaliland. The current mayor is Ismail Haji Nour, who took office on 23 December 2012.
