🇸🇴 Somalia

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Geography & Borders

DjiboutiEthiopiaKenya

Introduction & Background

Somalia,a officially the Federal Republic of Somalia9 (Template:Lang-so; Template:Lang-ar), is a country in the Horn of Africa. The country is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti10 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.11 Its terrain consists mainly of plateaus, plains, and highlands.1 Hot conditions prevail year-round, with periodic monsoon winds and irregular rainfall.12 Somalia has an estimated population of around 17.1 million,1314 of which over 2 million live in the capital and largest city Mogadishu, and has been described as Africa's most culturally homogeneous country.1516 Around 85% of its residents are ethnic Somalis,1 who have historically inhabited the country's north. Ethnic minorities are largely concentrated in the south.17 The official languages of Somalia are Somali and Arabic.1 Most people in the country are Muslims,18 the majority of them Sunni.19

In antiquity, Somalia was an important commercial center.2021 It is among the most probable locations of the ancient Land of Punt.222324 During the Middle Ages, several powerful Somali empires dominated the regional trade, including the Ajuran Sultanate, the Adal Sultanate, and the Sultanate of the Geledi.