Somalia

• 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

• distribution varies greatly throughout the country;
• least densely populated areas are in the northeast and central regions, as well as areas along the Kenyan border;
• most populated areas are in and around the cities of Mogadishu, Marka, Boorama, Hargeysa, and Baidoa as shown on this population distribution map

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

noun:

Somali(s)

adjective:

Somali

total:

19.1 years (2024 est.)

male:

19.3 years

female:

18.9 years

• distribution varies greatly throughout the country;
• least densely populated areas are in the northeast and central regions, as well as areas along the Kenyan border;
• most populated areas are in and around the cities of Mogadishu, Marka, Boorama, Hargeysa, and Baidoa as shown on this population distribution map

at birth:

1.03 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.76 male(s)/female

total population:

1.01 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

total:

83.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)

male:

93.2 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

73.7 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

56.5 years (2024 est.)

male:

54.1 years

female:

59 years

total:

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer:

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine:

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits:

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols:

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

women married by age 15:

16.8%

women married by age 18:

35.5%

men married by age 18:

5.6% (2020 est.)

total population:

NA

male:

NA

female:

NA

• water scarcity;
• contaminated water contributes to human health problems;
• improper waste disposal;
• deforestation;
• land degradation;
• overgrazing;
• soil erosion;
• desertification

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection

signed, but not ratified:

Nuclear Test Ban

• 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

urban population:

47.9% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

4.2% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

• exceptional shortfall in aggregate food production/supplies: due to drought conditions and internal conflict - the food security situation remains dire and, at national level, about 6.5 million people (almost 40 percent of the total population) are projected to have faced severe acute food insecurity between April and June 2023;
• the high prevalence and severity of food insecurity are due to prolonged drought, which began in late 2020 and caused severe crop and livestock losses;
• the impact of the drought on households’ food security has been compounded by prolonged conflicts and hikes in international prices of wheat and fuel caused by the war in Ukraine (2023)

particulate matter emissions:

14.28 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions:

0.65 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions:

20.13 megatons (2020 est.)

municipal:

20 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

industrial:

2 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

agricultural:

3.28 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

conventional long form:

Federal Republic of Somalia

conventional short form:

Somalia

local long form:

Jamhuuriyadda Federaalka Soomaaliya (Somali)/ Jumhuriyat as Sumal al Fidiraliyah (Arabic)

local short form:

Soomaaliya (Somali)/ As Sumal (Arabic)

former:

British Somaliland, Italian Somaliland, Somali Republic, Somali Democratic Republic

etymology:

"Land of the Somali" (ethnic group)

name:

Mogadishu

geographic coordinates:

2 04 N, 45 20 E

time difference:

UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology:

• several theories attempt to explain the city's name;
• one of the more plausible is that it derives from "maq'ad-i-shah" meaning "the seat of the shah," reflecting the city's links with Persia

• 18 regions (plural - gobollo, singular - gobol);
• 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

history:

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

amendments:

• proposed by the federal government, by members of the state governments, the Federal Parliament, or by public petition;
• proposals require review by a joint committee of Parliament with inclusion of public comments and state legislatures’ comments;
• passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote in both houses of Parliament and approval by a majority of votes cast in a referendum;
• constitutional clauses on Islamic principles, the federal system, human rights and freedoms, powers and authorities of the government branches, and inclusion of women in national institutions cannot be amended;
• amended 2024

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

the father must be a citizen of Somalia

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

7 years

chief of state:

President HASSAN SHEIKH Mohamud (since 23 May 2022)

head of government:

Prime Minister Hamza Abdi BARRE (since 25 June 2022)

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed by the prime minister, approved by the House of the People

elections/appointments:

• president indirectly elected by the Federal Parliament by two-thirds majority vote in 2 rounds if needed for a single 4-year term;
• election last held on 15 May 2022 (next to be held in 2026);
• prime minister appointed by the president, approved by the House of the People

election results:

• 2022: HASSAN SHEIKH Mohamud elected president in third round - Federal Parliament percent of vote in first round - Said ABDULLAHI DENI (Kaah) 20.2%, Mohamed ABDULLAHI Mohamed "Farmaajo" (TPP) 18.3%, HASSAN SHEIKH Mohamud (PDP) 16.2%, Hassan Ali KHAYRE (independent) 14.6%, other 30.7%;
• Federal Parliament percent of vote in second round - HASSAN SHEIKH Mohamud 34.1%, Mohamed ABDULLAHI Mohamed "Farmaajo" 25.7%, Said ABDULLAHI DENI 21%, Hassan Ali KHAYRE 19.2%;
• Federal Parliament percent of vote in third round - HASSAN SHEIKH Mohamud 66%, Mohamed ABDULLAHI Mohamed "Farmaajo" 34%

;

• 2017: Mohamed ABDULLAHI Mohamed "Farmaajo" elected president in second round;
• Federal Parliament number of votes in first round - HASSAN SHEIKH Mohamud (PDP) 88, Mohamed ABDULLAHI Mohamed "Farmaajo" (TPP) 72, Sheikh SHARIF Sheikh Ahmed (ARS) 49, other 37;
• Federal Parliament number of votes in second round - Mohamed ABDULLAHI Mohamed "Farmaajo" 184, HASSAN SHEIKH Mohamud 97, Sheikh SHARIF Sheikh Ahmed 45

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, a Supreme Court based in Mogadishu and the Appeal Court were established;
• yet most regions have reverted to local forms of conflict resolution, either secular, traditional Somali customary law, or 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 courts;
• federal member state-level courts;
• military courts;
• sharia courts

• Cosmopolitan Democratic Party
• Green Party
• Himilo Qaran Party
• Ilays Party
• Justice and Reconciliation Party
• National Progressive Party
• Peace and Unity Party
• Qaransoor Party
• Qiimo Qaran Party
• Security and Justice Party
• Social Justice Party
• Somali Labour Party
• Somali Republic Party
• Somali Social Unity Party or SSUP
• Union for Peace and Development Party or PDP
• Wadajir Party

note: in 2017 an independent electoral commission (the NIEC) was inaugurated with a mandate to oversee the process of registration of political parties in the country; as of 2021,

the NIEC had registered a total of 110 parties

chief of mission:

Ambassador DAHIR Hassan Abdi (since 18 September 2024)

chancery:

1609 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 853-9164

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://somaliembassydc.net/

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires Shane L. DIXON (since 25 July 2023)

embassy:

Mogadishu, (reopened October 2019 on the grounds of the Mogadishu Airport)

mailing address:

P.O. Box 606 Village Market; 00621 Nairobi, Kenya

telephone:

[254] 20 363-6451

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://so.usembassy.gov/

• 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)

name:

"Qolobaa Calankeed" (Every Nation Has its own Flag)

lyrics/music:

lyrics/music: Abdullahi QARSHE

note: adopted 2012; written in 1959

• low-income African Horn economy;
• 30 years of war and instability crippled economic potential;
• high remittances for basic survival;
• new fiscal federalism approach;
• cleared some unsustainable debt;
• environmentally fragile;
• digitally driven urbanization efforts

total:

34.3% (2023 est.)

male:

32.4% (2023 est.)

female:

37.4% (2023 est.)

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

total subscriptions:

91,000 (2022 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants:

(2022 est.) less than 1

general assessment:

• Somalia’s economic difficulties in recent years have made it difficult for telcos and the government to sustain investment in infrastructure;
• the government has also had to contend with militant groups which continue on occasion to force the closure of internet services in many areas of the country;
• in recent years, though, the government has addressed the lack of guidance which had prevailed since 1991, when a dictatorial regime was overthrown;
• the National Communications Law was passed in October 2017, aimed at setting a legal and regulatory framework for the telecoms sector, while provision was made in the following year to set up a regulatory authority to oversee the telecom sector;
• more recently, three types of licenses were mandated to provide clarity to operators, and to bring the market closer into line with international standards;
• all operators were given until August 2020 to secure one of the three license types;
• given the poor condition of fixed-line infrastructure, operators have concentrated on mobile connectivity;
• their investment plans have involved the development of LTE services to provide mobile data and broadband services;
• the telecom market has flourished;
• tariffs are among the lowest in Africa, and new cable systems coming on stream in the next few years, as well as planned investments from local operators to bolster the country’s national fiber backbone, will lead to downward pressure on retail pricing;
• on the consumer side, spending on telecoms services and devices are under pressure from the financial effect of large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes as the remnants of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic remain and as global events, such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine, continue to play out;
• the market is continuing a positive growth trajectory, supported by a slow economic rebound in the country (2022)

domestic:

fixed-line is 1 per 100 and mobile-cellular is 50 per 100 (2022)

international:

country code - 252; landing points for the G2A, DARE1, PEACE, and EASSy fiber-optic submarine cable system linking East Africa, Indian Ocean Islands, the Middle East, North Africa and Europe (2019)

• 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 (2019)

number of registered air carriers:

6 (2020); inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 7

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

4,486 (2018)

total ports:

6 (2024)

large:

1

medium:

0

small:

2

very small:

3

ports with oil terminals:

2

key ports:

Baraawe, Berbera, Boosaaso, Kismaayo, Marka, Muqdisho

• the SNA's inventory includes a variety of mostly older, secondhand equipment largely from Italy, Russia, South Africa, and the UK;
• in recent years, it has received limited quantities of more modern equipment as aid/donations from a variety of countries, including the US (2024)

• 18 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service for men and women;
• conscription of men aged 18-40 and women aged 18-30 is authorized, but not currently utilized (2023)

refugees (country of origin):

23,364 (Ethiopia), 9,969 (Yemen) (2023)

IDPs:

3.864 million (civil war since 1988, clan-based competition for resources; famine; insecurity because of fighting between al-Shabaab and the Transitional Federal Government's allied forces) (2022)