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 Guardafui Channel and Somali Sea to the east, and Kenya to the southwest. With a land area of 637,657 square kilometers, Somalia’s terrain consists mainly of plateaus, plains and highlands. Its coastline is more than 3,333 kilometers in length, the longest of mainland Africa and the Middle East. It has been described as being roughly shaped “like a tilted number seven”.
Key Cities
Key cities in Somalia include Mogadishu, Hargeysa, Merca, Berbera, Kismaayo.
Historical, Cultural facts & Religion
The Republic of Somalia was formed in 1960 by the federation of a former Italian colony and a British protectorate. Mohamed Siad Barre (Maxamed Siyaad Barre) held dictatorial rule over the country from October 1969 until January 1991, when he was overthrown in a bloody civil war waged by clan-based guerrillas. The culture of Somalia is an amalgamation of traditions in that were developed independently since the proto-Somali era through interaction with neighboring and far away civilizations, including other parts of Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and Indian subcontinent.
Brief Country History
Somalia has dark spots in its own history. Prior to its current civil war, it was hit by the worst drought of the region in 1992, plunging the country into a severe famine that killed 300,000 residents. In 1977, it suffered an ignominious defeat at the hands of the Ethiopians during an 8-month war between the two countries and lost its 32,000-strong army and many of its warplanes and tanks.
The country continues to experience the worst conflict in history, pitting its own people against each other in clan warfare. Lawlessness resulted from the collapse of the military government and the ouster of Somalia’s last recognized President Mohammed Said Barre in 1991. This lawlessness did not spare even the Operation Restore Hope, a United States-led relief mission of the United Nations, when it was engaged in a firefight by Islamist forces, resulting in the death of thousands of Somalis.
In 2000, the Transitional Federal Government was set up to establish national control. This was followed by the creation of the Transitional Parliament in 2004 to select the president of the country. In 2006, however, the Islamic militias under the Union of Islamic Courts brought down the warlords in Mogadishu to rule the entire south of the country. Before the year ended, the forces of the interim government, now backed by Ethiopian troops, seized control from the Islamists and began consolidating under the TFG, which is now recognized by the international community as the country’s legitimate government. In 2009, interim President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed declared a state of emergency as peace continued to elude the country.
Language (s) Written & Spoken
Somali is the official language of Somalia. It is spoken by the Somali people, the largest ethnic group living in the country. The Somali language is an Afro-Asiatic language that belongs to the Cushitic branch of languages. The Saho and the Afar languages are its closest relatives.
Important Types of Commerce in Somalia
Somalia is an African nation situated on the continent’s eastern edge. The Somali economy is considered to be one of the least developed on the continent which is mainly attributed to the violence in the country. The violence in Somalia has made it difficult for international financial organizations to get accurate economic statistics from the country. However, the World Bank estimated that in 2018, the Somali gross domestic product was approximately $6.2 billion which was a 3.1% increase from the 2017 gross domestic product. The Somali economy is reliant on several industries such as agriculture, construction, mining, and telecommunication.
Language Services US and others will provide working with Somalia
The majority of the population speaks Somali as their first language. Somalia has a huge potential and value globally, that is why Somali translation, Somali interpreting services is required for all multi-national workforce. With the great amount of tourism and international business pursuits and opportunities in Libya, accurate translation of your documents ensures that you are reaching those individuals directly and professionally in a language they can relate to. A professional document translation, perfectly done, will not only attract residents of the area you want to insinuate yourself into but also impacts visitors or people wanting to relocate.
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