Somalia

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 (2007)

.so

186 (2012) country comparison to the world: 202

106,000 (2009) country comparison to the world: 159

general assessment: the public telecommunications system was almost completely destroyed or dismantled during the civil war; private companies offer limited local fixed-line service and private wireless companies offer service in most major cities while charging the lowest international rates on the continent domestic: local cellular telephone systems have been established in Mogadishu and in several other population centers with one company beginning to provide 3G services in late 2012 international: country code - 252; Mogadishu is a landing point for the EASSy fiber-optic submarine cable system linking East Africa with Europe and North America (2010)

100,000 (2012) country comparison to the world: 146

658,000 (2012) country comparison to the world: 162

bananas, sorghum, corn, coconuts, rice, sugarcane, mangoes, sesame seeds, beans; cattle, sheep, goats; fish

revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA

NA%

NA%

$3.05 billion (31 December 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 136 $2.942 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

Despite the lack of effective national governance, Somalia maintains an informal economy largely based on livestock, remittance/money transfer companies, and telecommunications. Agriculture is the most important sector with livestock normally accounting for about 40% of GDP and more than 50% of export earnings. Nomads and semi-pastoralists, who are dependent upon livestock for their livelihood, make up a large portion of the population. Livestock, hides, fish, charcoal, and bananas are Somalia's principal exports, while sugar, sorghum, corn, qat, and machined goods are the principal imports. Somalia's small industrial sector, based on the processing of agricultural products, has largely been looted and the machinery sold as scrap metal. Telecommunication firms provide wireless services in most major cities and offer the lowest international call rates on the continent. Mogadishu's main market offers a variety of goods from food to electronic gadgets. Hotels continue to operate and are supported with private-security militias. Somalia's government lacks the ability to collect domestic revenue, and arrears to the IMF have continued to grow. Somalia's capital city - Mogadishu - has witnessed the development of the city's first gas stations, supermarkets, and flights between Europe (Istanbul-Mogadishu) since the collapse of central authority in 1991. This economic growth has yet to expand outside of Mogadishu, and within the city, security concerns dominate business. In the absence of a formal banking sector, money transfer/remittance services have sprouted throughout the country, handling up to $1.6 billion in remittances annually, although international concerns over the money transfers into Somalia currently threatens these services.

Somali shillings (SOS) per US dollar - 1,600 (2012 est.) 31,900 (2011 est.)

$515.8 million (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 173 $594.3 million (2011 est.)

livestock, bananas, hides, fish, charcoal, scrap metal

UAE 51.7%, Yemen 18.1%, Oman 13% (2012)

NA

$2.372 billion (2010 est.)

$5.896 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 166 $5.75 billion (2009 est.) $5.607 billion (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

household consumption: 72.6% government consumption: 8.7% investment in fixed capital: 20% investment in inventories: 0.1% exports of goods and services: 0.3% imports of goods and services: -1.7% (2009 est.)

agriculture: 59.3% industry: 7.2% services: 33.5% (2012 est.)

$600 (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 226 $600 (2009 est.) $600 (2008 est.)

2.6% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 127 2.6% (2012 est.) 2.6% (2008 est.)

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

$1.263 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 176 $798 million (2006 est.)

manufactures, petroleum products, foodstuffs, construction materials, qat

Djibouti 27.3%, India 13.2%, Kenya 7.1%, China 6.7%, Pakistan 6.4%, Oman 5.1%, UAE 5%, Yemen 4.4% (2012)

NA%

a few light industries, including sugar refining, textiles, wireless communication

NA% note: businesses print their own money, so inflation rates cannot be easily determined

3.447 million (2007) country comparison to the world: 98

agriculture: 71% industry and services: 29% (1975)

NA%

NA%

753,400 Mt (2011 est.)

0 bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 183

0 bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 121

0 bbl/day (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 133

0 bbl (1 January 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 189

288.3 million kWh (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 177

0 kWh (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 196

100% of total installed capacity (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 34

0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 200

0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 179

0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 123

0 kWh (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 200

80,000 kW (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 178

310 million kWh (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 170

0 cu m (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 194

0 cu m (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 183

0 cu m (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 129

0 cu m (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 191

5.663 billion cu m (1 January 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 91

5,659 bbl/day (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 164

0 bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 131

5,399 bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 147

0 bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 195

total: 637,657 sq km country comparison to the world: 44 land: 627,337 sq km water: 10,320 sq km

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

3,025 km

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Shimbiris 2,416 m

famine; use of contaminated water contributes to human health problems; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification

party to: Biodiversity, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

total: 3.3 cu km/yr (0%/0%/99%) per capita: 377.6 cu m/yr (2003)

10 00 N, 49 00 E

strategic location on Horn of Africa along southern approaches to Bab el Mandeb and route through Red Sea and Suez Canal

2,000 sq km (2003)

total: 2,340 km border countries: Djibouti 58 km, Ethiopia 1,600 km, Kenya 682 km

arable land: 1.73% permanent crops: 0.05% other: 98.23% (2011)

Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, east of Ethiopia

Africa

territorial sea: 200 nm

recurring droughts; frequent dust storms over eastern plains in summer; floods during rainy season

uranium and largely unexploited reserves of iron ore, tin, gypsum, bauxite, copper, salt, natural gas, likely oil reserves

mostly flat to undulating plateau rising to hills in north

14.7 cu km (2011)

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

name: Mogadishu geographic coordinates: 2 04 N, 45 20 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

previous 1961, 1979; latest drafted 12 June 2012, approved 1 August 2012 (provisional) (2012)

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

the US does not have an embassy in Somalia; US interests are represented by the US Special Representative for Somalia, Ambassador James P. MCANULTY, operating out of the US Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya at United Nations Avenue, Nairobi; mailing address: Unit 64100, Nairobi; APO AE 09831; telephone: [254] (20) 363-6000; FAX [254] (20) 363-6157

Somalia does not have an embassy in the US (ceased operations on 8 May 1991); note - the Somali Government is represented in the US through its Permanent Mission to the UN

chief of state: resident HASSAN SHEIKH Mohamud (since 10 September 2012) head of government: Prime Minister ABDIWELLI Sheikh Ahmed (since 21 December 2013); Deputy Prime Minister Ridwan HIRSI Mohamed (since 17 January 2014) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister, approved by the National Parliament; note - new cabinet sworn in 22 January 2014 (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website) elections: president elected by the National Parliament; election last held 10 September 2012 (next to be held NA) election results: HASSAN SHEIKH Mahamud elected president; National Parliament vote - HASSAN SHEIKH Mahamud 190, Sheikh SHARIF Sheikh Ahmed 79; the prime minister is chosen by the president and confirmed by the National Parliament

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)

regional and local governing bodies continue to exist and control various areas of the country, including the self-declared Republic of Somaliland in northwestern Somalia and the semi-autonomous state of Puntland in northeastern Somalia

in the process of building a federal parliamentary republic

1 July 1960 (from a merger of British Somaliland that became independent from the UK on 26 June 1960 and Italian Somaliland that became independent from the Italian-administered UN trusteeship on 1 July 1960 to form the Somali Republic)

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; non-party state to the ICCt

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, ITSO, ITU, LAS, NAM, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO

highest court(s): 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 (TNC), a Supreme Court based in Mogadishu and an Appeal Court were established; yet most regions have reverted to local forms of conflict resolution, either secular, traditional Somali customary law, or sharia 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- and federal member state-level courts; military courts; sharia (Islamic) courts

mixed legal system of civil law, Islamic law, and customary law (referred to as Xeer)

bicameral National Parliament consisting of the House of the People of the Federal Parliament (275 seats, elected by Somali citizens) and the Upper House of the Federal Parliament (54 seats, elected by people of the federal member states) note: the inaugural House of the People in September 2012 was appointed by clan elders; as of December 2013, the Upper House has not been formed

name: "Qolobaa Calankeed" (Every Nation Has its own Flag) lyrics/music: lyrics/music: Abdullahi QARSHE note: adopted 2012; written in 1959

Foundation of the Somali Republic, 1 July (1960); note - 26 June (1960) in Somaliland

leopard

none

other: numerous clan and sub-clan factions exist both in support and in opposition to the transitional government

18 years of age; universal

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 portions of eastern Sool and Sanaag. Beginning in 1993, a two-year UN humanitarian effort (primarily in the south) was able to alleviate famine conditions, but when the UN withdrew in 1995, having suffered significant casualties, order still had not been restored. In 2000, the Somalia National Peace Conference (SNPC) held in Djibouti resulted in the formation of an interim government, known as the Transitional National Government (TNG). When the TNG failed to establish adequate security or governing institutions, the Government of Kenya, under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), led a subsequent peace process that concluded in October 2004 with the election of Abdullahi YUSUF Ahmed as President of a second interim government, known as the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of the Somali Republic. The TFG included a 275-member parliamentary body, known as the Transitional Federal Parliament (TFP). President YUSUF resigned late in 2008 while United Nations-sponsored talks between the TFG and the opposition Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS) were underway in Djibouti. In January 2009, following the creation of a TFG-ARS unity government, Ethiopian military forces, which had entered Somalia in December 2006 to support the TFG in the face of advances by the opposition Islamic Courts Union (ICU), withdrew from the country. The TFP was doubled in size to 550 seats with the addition of 200 ARS and 75 civil society members of parliament. The expanded parliament elected Sheikh SHARIF Sheikh Ahmed, the former ICU and ARS chairman as president in January 2009. The creation of the TFG was based on the Transitional Federal Charter (TFC), which outlined a five-year mandate leading to the establishment of a new Somali constitution and a transition to a representative government following national elections. In 2009, the TFP amended the TFC to extend TFG's mandate until 2011 and in 2011 Somali principals agreed to institute political transition by August 2012. The transition process ended in September 2012 when clan elders replaced the TFP by appointing 275 members to a new parliament who subsequently elected a new president.

males age 16-49: 2,260,175 females age 16-49: 2,159,293 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49: 1,331,894 females age 16-49: 1,357,051 (2010 est.)

male: 101,634 female: 101,072 (2010 est.)

National Security Force (NSF): Somali Army (2011)

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

0-14 years: 44% (male 2,293,746/female 2,298,442) 15-24 years: 18.9% (male 995,102/female 970,630) 25-54 years: 31.2% (male 1,681,705/female 1,571,586) 55-64 years: 3.6% (male 180,622/female 199,059) 65 years and over: 2.3% (male 92,707/female 144,444) (2014 est.)

40.87 births/1,000 population (2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 8

total number: 1,148,265 percentage: 49 % (2006 est.)

32.8% (2006) country comparison to the world: 10

14.6% (2006)

13.91 deaths/1,000 population (2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 9

total dependency ratio: 99.1 % youth dependency ratio: 93.4 % elderly dependency ratio: 5.6 % potential support ratio: 17.8 (2014 est.)

improved: urban: 69.6% of population rural: 8.8% of population total: 31.7% of population unimproved: urban: 30.4% of population rural: 91.2% of population total: 68.3% of population (2011 est.)

NA

Somali 85%, Bantu and other non-Somali 15% (including 30,000 Arabs)

0.5% (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 69

2,500 (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 55

31,200 (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 70

total: 100.14 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 3 male: 108.89 deaths/1,000 live births female: 91.12 deaths/1,000 live births (2014 est.)

Somali (official), Arabic (official, according to the Transitional Federal Charter), Italian, English

total population: 51.58 years country comparison to the world: 217 male: 49.58 years female: 53.65 years (2014 est.)

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 37.8% male: 49.7% female: 25.8% (2001 est.)

degree of risk: very high 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 disease: schistosomiasis animal contact disease: rabies (2013)

MOGADISHU (capital) 1.554 million (2011)

1,000 deaths/100,000 live births (2010) country comparison to the world: 3

total: 17.7 years male: 17.9 years female: 17.6 years (2014 est.)

noun: Somali(s) adjective: Somali

-9.51 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 212

4.8% (2008) country comparison to the world: 162

0.04 physicians/1,000 population (2006)

10,428,043 country comparison to the world: 85 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 (July 2014 est.)

1.75% (2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 70

Sunni Muslim (Islam) (official, according to the Transitional Federal Charter)

improved: urban: 52% of population rural: 6.3% of population total: 23.6% of population unimproved: urban: 48% of population rural: 93.7% of population total: 76.4% of population (2011 est.)

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-24 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 25-54 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 55-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2014 est.)

6.08 children born/woman (2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 4

urban population: 37.7% of total population (2011) rate of urbanization: 3.79% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

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

IDPs: 1.1 million (civil war since 1988, clan-based competition for resources; 2011 famine; insecurity because of fighting between al-Shabaab and TFG allied forces) (2014) (2012)

61 (2013) country comparison to the world: 80

total: 6 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2013)

total: 55 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 20 914 to 1,523 m: 23 under 914 m: 6 (2013)

total: 1 country comparison to the world: 148 by type: cargo 1 (2008)

major seaport(s): Berbera, Kismaayo

total: 22,100 km country comparison to the world: 105 paved: 2,608 km unpaved: 19,492 km (2000)

despite a dramatic drop in the number of attacks in 2012, the International Maritime Bureau continues to report the territorial and offshore waters in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean as a region of significant risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships accounting for 25% of all attacks in 2012; 75 vessels, including commercial shipping and pleasure craft, were attacked or hijacked both at anchor and while underway compared with 237 in 2011; the number of hijackings off the coast of Somalia was reduced to 14 in 2012, down from 28 in 2011; as of April 2013, 77 vessels and 7 hostages were being held for ransom by Somali pirates; the presence of several naval task forces in the Gulf of Aden and additional anti-piracy measures on the part of ship operators, including the use of on-board armed security teams, have reduced piracy incidents in that body of water; in response Somali-based pirates, using hijacked fishing trawlers as "mother ships" to extend their range, shifted operations as far south as the Mozambique Channel, eastward to the vicinity of the Maldives, and northeastward to the Strait of Hormuz