Portal:Somalia

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Camels on sale at Baidoa livestock market in Somalia on November 7, 2019

Flag of Somalia	Coat of arms of Somalia

Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It 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 the mainland of Africa, with a seaboard that stretches 3,025 kilometres (1,880 mi).

In antiquity, Somalia was an important centre for commerce with the rest of the ancient world, it is among the most probable locations of the fabled ancient Land of Punt. During the Middle Ages, several powerful Somali empires dominated the regional trade, including the Ajuuraan Sultanate, the Adal Sultanate and the Geledi Sultanate. In the late nineteenth century, through a succession of treaties with these kingdoms, the British and Italians gained control of parts of the coast, and established British Somaliland and Italian Somaliland. In the interior, the Dervish State wherein Muhammad Abdullah Hassan was leader successfully repulsed the British Empire four times and forced it to retreat to the coastal region. Italian occupation lasted until 1941, yielding to British military administration. British Somaliland would remain a protectorate, while Italian Somaliland in 1949 became a United Nations Trusteeship under Italian administration, the Trust Territory of Somaliland.

Though, in 1960, the two regions united to form the independent Somali Republic under a civilian government. In 1991, following the collapse of the government of Siad Barre, the Republic of Somaliland unilaterally declared its independence from Somalia, reinstating the borders of former British Somaliland, and has been governed by democratically elected leaders since. Somaliland's independence, however, has not been recognised by any foreign country or international organisation.

Somalia has a population of around 10 million. About 85% of local residents are ethnic Somalis, Somali and Arabic are the official languages of Somalia, both of which belong to the Afro-Asiatic family. Most people in the territory are Muslims, the majority being Sunni.

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The Somali Democratic Republic (Somali: Jamhuuriyadda Dimuqraadiya Soomaaliyeed; Arabic: الجمهورية الديمقراطية الصومالية, al-Jumhūrīyah ad-Dīmuqrāṭīyah aṣ-Ṣūmālīyah) was a socialist state in Somalia that existed from 1969 to 1991.

Established in October 1969, the Somali Democratic Republic emerged as a socialist one-party state following a coup d'état led by Major General Mohamed Siad Barre and the Somali military. This coup occurred just six days after the assassination of Abdirashid Shermarke, the second President of the Somali Republic, by a bodyguard. Barre's administration governed Somalia for the next 21 years until the rise of Ethiopian-backed Somali rebel groups, which ultimately led to the government's collapse and the onset of civil war in 1991. (Full article...)

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Sagar at peak intensity in the western Gulf of Aden on May 18

Cyclonic Storm Sagar (/ˈsɑː.ɡɑːr/) was the strongest tropical cyclone to make landfall in Somalia and Somaliland in recorded history until Gati in 2020, and the first named cyclone of the 2018 North Indian Ocean cyclone season. Forming on May 16 east of the Guardafui Channel, Sagar intensified into a cyclonic storm on the next day, as it gradually organized. The storm turned to the west-southwest and traversed the entirety of the Gulf of Aden, making landfall over Somaliland on May 19, farther west than any other storm on record in the North Indian Ocean. Sagar weakened into a remnant low on May 20.

The storm first affected Yemen, brushing the coast with heavy rainfall and gusty winds. One person was killed when her house caught fire. In Somalia, Sagar dropped a years' worth of rainfall, or around 200 mm (7.9 in). The rains caused deadly flash flooding that washed away bridges, homes, and thousands of farm animals. Sagar killed 53 people throughout the region – 3 in Puntland in Somalia and 50 in Somaliland. In neighboring Djibouti, heavy rainfall killed two people and damaged 1,800 houses, forcing 3,000 people to leave their houses. Damage in the country reached US$30 million. Sagar's rainfall extended into eastern Ethiopia, damaging schools and houses, and causing a landslide that killed 23 people. (Full article...)

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Mogadishu Battle of Jilib Embassy of the United States, Mogadishu Operation Eastern Exit Somalia at the 2000 Summer Olympics Somalia at the 2008 Summer Olympics Somalia at the 2012 Summer Olympics Somalia at the 2016 Summer Olympics Somalia at the 2016 Summer Paralympics

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...that the Fakr ad-Din mosque is the oldest Islamic building in the Horn of Africa?

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Image 1Hargeisa and much of northwestern Somalia is desert or hilly terrain. Here, the thelarchic-shaped Naasa Hablood hills are shown.
Image 2A view of Bosaso
Image 3The beachside at Merca, an ancient port city in the southern Lower Shebelle province of Somalia
Image 4A view in the Kismayo/Dalxiiska area in 2016
Image 5A view of the Port of Mogadishu
Image 6A view of Banderadley Somalia
Image 7A camel peering over the leafier portions of Cal Madow, a mountain range in Somalia
Image 8Lamadaya are waterfalls located in the Cal Madow mountain range in the northern Sanaag region of Somalia
Image 9A Dhulbahante garesa (dervish fort) in Taleh
Image 10Mashmash, a Somali pancake and part of Somali cuisine
Image 11The Jubba river near Jamaame
Image 12A satellite image of Somalia, 2004
Image 13A man carries a huge hammerhead shark through the streets of Mogadishu

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See Wiki Loves Africa in Somalia at Wikimedia Commons for more Somalia images.

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The following are images from various Somalia-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Somalia map of Köppen climate classification. (from Geography of Somalia)
Image 2Neolithic rock art at the Laas Geel complex depicting a camel. (from History of Somalia)
Image 3Mosque of Islamic Solidarity (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 4Model of a medieval Mogadishan ship. (from History of Somalia)
Image 5Mogadiscio cathedral (from History of Somalia)
Image 6Somali woman building a Somali house (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 7Flag of the Somali Youth League (SYL), the nation's first political party. (from History of Somalia)
Image 8Fiat building in Mogadiscio, 1940 (from History of Somalia)
Image 9Taleh was the capital of the Dervish movement. (from History of Somalia)
Image 1019th century Martello fort in Berbera constructed by Haji Sharmarke Ali Saleh (from History of Somalia)
Image 11Bimaal clan elders and the Bimal Sultan on board Marco Polo discussing matters with Italian figures (from History of Somalia)
Image 12Downtown Mogadishu in 1936. Arch of Triumph Umberto to the left, Cathedral and Arba Rucun mosque to the centre-right. (from History of Somalia)
Image 13US Army helicopter shortly before Battle of Mogadishu in 1993. (from History of Somalia)
Image 14The Guardafui Channel, between the tip of Somalia and Socotra island. (from Geography of Somalia)
Image 15Major General Mohamed Siad Barre, Chairman of the Supreme Revolutionary Council. (from History of Somalia)
Image 16Almnara Tower, Mogadishu. (from History of Somalia)
Image 17Somali Army soldiers during the operation Operation Indian Ocean, October 2014 (from History of Somalia)
Image 18Somali women basket weaving (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 19Sheikh Ali Ayanle Samatar, a prominent Somali Islamic scholar. (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 20An avenue in downtown Mogadishu in 1963. (from History of Somalia)
Image 21Exhumed skeletal remains of victims of the Isaaq genocide (from History of Somalia)
Image 22Somali woman in Hargeisa opening speech with traditional greeting. (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 23In 1698, the Portuguese in Mombasa surrendered to a joint Somali-Ottoman force. (from History of Somalia)
Image 24Somali language books on display. (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 25Foreign Minister of Somalia Mohamed Abdullahi Omaar in a meeting with UNDP Administrator Helen Clark and other diplomats at the UN headquarters in New York. (from History of Somalia)
Image 26The battle flag of Al-Shabaab, an Islamist group waging war against the federal government. (from History of Somalia)
Image 27Merca is an ancient Islamic center in Somalia. (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 28Dervish commander Haji Sudi on the left with his brother in-law Duale Idres. Aden, 1892. (from History of Somalia)
Image 29Dulbiciid in Godaalo, Xudun District, tallest Somalia mountain outside karkaar range (from Geography of Somalia)
Image 30AMISOM reinforcement convoy on the Baidoa-Mogadishu road in April 2014 (from History of Somalia)
Image 31The Osmanya writing script. (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 32The Silk Road extending from southern Europe through Arabia, Somalia, Egypt, Persia, India and Java until it reaches China. (from History of Somalia)
Image 33Mogadishan currency – The Sultanate of Mogadishu was an important monetary supporter of Adal. (from History of Somalia)
Image 34A traditional dabqaad incense burner. (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 35Italian stamp from Mogadiscio (from History of Somalia)
Image 36Former leader of the Somali Youth League Aden Abdullah Osman Daar who eventually became the first President of the Somali Republic following the union of State of Somaliland and Italian Trusteeship of Somalia. (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 37Somali women performing a traditional dance (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 38Mohammed Abdullah Hassan, leader of the Dervish movement. (from History of Somalia)
Image 39Wa'daan warriors ambushed and killed the Italian explorer Antonio Cecchi and most of his troops at Lafoole, west of Mogadishu, 1896 (from History of Somalia)
Image 40Somali men and women in front of a traditional house (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 41Cinema Italia in Mogadiscio, 1937 (from History of Somalia)
Image 42Barawa city was an important medieval centre of Somali enterprise. (from History of Somalia)
Image 43Ruins of the Sultanate of Adal in Zeila, Somalia. (from History of Somalia)
Image 44Topography of Somalia (from Geography of Somalia)
Image 45Map of Italian Somaliland in 1940, when was added the British Somaliland (after the previous addition of the Ogaden in 1936) (from History of Somalia)
Image 46Embassy of Somalia in Paris (from History of Somalia)
Image 47Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi's pioneering use of cannons figured prominently in his Conquest of Ethiopian territories. (from History of Somalia)
Image 48Somali singer Fartuun Birimo wearing henna hand and arm designs. (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 49Governor's palace in Mogadiscio (from History of Somalia)
Image 50Mosque in Borama, Somaliland (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 51Engraving of the 13th century Fakr ad-Din Mosque built by Fakr ad-Din, the first Sultan of the Sultanate of Mogadishu. (from History of Somalia)
Image 52Abdirahman Ahmed Ali Tuur Chairman of the Somali National Movement that overthrew Barre's regime in Northern Somalia (from History of Somalia)
Image 53Italian Somalia (from History of Somalia)
Image 54A Somali woman showing a decorated pottery (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 55Somali women in traditional dirac and shash (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 56Somalis performing the folk dance called Dhaanto (from Culture of Somalia)

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