# Somalia

> sovereign state in Africa

**Wikidata**: [Q1045](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1045)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somalia)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/somalia

## Summary

Somalia is a country located in Africa[1][2] that was established on January 1, 1960. Its capital is Mogadishu[1], and its official languages are Somali and Arabic. The nation observes the UTC+03:00 time zone within the Africa/Mogadishu region[3].Geographically, Somalia encompasses an area of 638k. In 2017, the country had a population of 11.0M[4].

## Summary
Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is a sovereign state and federal republic located in East Africa. Established in its modern form in 1960, it is situated on the continent of Africa with Mogadishu as its capital and largest city. The country is a member of the United Nations, the African Union, and the League of Arab States.

## Key Facts
- **Official Name:** Federal Republic of Somalia (also known as Jamhuuriyadda Federaalka Soomaaliya and جمهورية الصومال الفدرالية).
- **Classification:** Sovereign state, federal republic, country.
- **Location:** East Africa; borders Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Kenya.
- **Capital:** Mogadishu.
- **Inception:** 1960.
- **Area:** 637,657 square kilometres.
- **Population:** 11,031,386 (as of 2017).
- **Currency:** Somali shilling.
- **Official Languages:** Somali and Arabic.
- **Anthem:** "Qolobaa Calankeed" (adopted in 2012).
- **Time Zone:** UTC+03:00 (Africa/Mogadishu).
- **Government:** Federal republic with a President (Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, starting May 15, 2022) and a Prime Minister (Mohamed Hussein Roble, starting September 23, 2020).
- **UN Membership:** Joined on September 20, 1960.
- **Highest Point:** Shimbiris (2,460 meters).
- **Lowest Point:** Indian Ocean (sea level).
- **Internet Domain:** .so.
- **Dialing Code:** +252.

## FAQs
**What is the political structure of Somalia?**
Somalia functions as a federal republic. Its government consists of an executive branch led by a President and a Prime Minister, and a legislative body known as the Federal Parliament of Somalia. The central bank is the Central Bank of Somalia.

**Where is Somalia located geographically?**
Somalia is a country in East Africa, situated on the continent of Africa. It has a coastline along the Indian Ocean and shares land borders with Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Kenya. Its coordinates are approximately 6°N latitude and 47°E longitude.

**What are the demographics and languages of Somalia?**
The population was recorded as 11,031,386 in 2017. The official languages are Somali and Arabic, though other languages such as Kiswahili, Dabarre, and Tunni are also used. The life expectancy was approximately 56.3 years in 2016.

**When was modern Somalia established?**
The sovereign state of Somalia was established in 1960. It followed the State of Somaliland and replaced the Somali Democratic Republic.

**Which international organizations does Somalia belong to?**
Somalia is a member of numerous international bodies, including the United Nations (joined 1960), the African Union, the League of Arab States (joined 1974), and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (joined 1969).

## Why It Matters
Somalia holds strategic significance due to its location in the Horn of Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean and neighboring Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Kenya. Its history includes a transition from the State of Somaliland and the Somali Democratic Republic to the current Federal Republic established in 1960. As a member of the United Nations, the African Union, and the Arab League, it plays a role in regional and international diplomacy within East Africa and the Middle East. The country's political evolution is tracked by indices like the Bertelsmann Transformation Index (BTI), which noted a governance index of 2.41 in 2022. Its cultural identity is defined by its official languages, Somali and Arabic, and its national anthem, "Qolobaa Calankeed."

## Notable For
- Being a sovereign state and federal republic in East Africa.
- Having a population of over 11 million people as of 2017.
- Membership in the United Nations, African Union, and League of Arab States.
- Possessing the longest coastline on mainland Africa (implied by location on the Indian Ocean and geography, though the raw text only specifies "Indian Ocean" as the lowest point).
- Its capital, Mogadishu, serves as the political and economic hub.
- A complex history of political governance, reflected in its various historical names and the transition of heads of state.

## Body

### Geography and Location
Somalia is located in East Africa on the continent of Africa. It has a total area of 637,657 square kilometres. The country's coordinates are latitude 6 and longitude 47. Its highest point is Shimbiris, which stands at 2,460 meters, while its lowest point is the Indian Ocean at sea level. It shares borders with three countries: Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Kenya.

The country is situated in the UTC+03:00 time zone (Africa/Mogadishu). Its easternmost point is located at Hafun (latitude 10.416666666667, longitude 51.266666666667), and its northernmost point is at latitude 11.98, longitude 50.78.

### Government and Politics
Somalia is a federal republic. The office of the head of state is the President of Somalia, currently held by Hassan Sheikh Mohamud since May 15, 2022. The office of the head of government is the Prime Minister of Somalia, with Mohamed Hussein Roble holding the position starting September 23, 2020. The legislative body is the Federal Parliament of Somalia, and the executive body is the Federal Government of Somalia. The country's central bank is the Central Bank of Somalia.

Administratively, Somalia contains several regions, including Awdal, Bakool, Banaadir, Bari, Bay, Galguduud, Gedo, Hiran, Middle Juba, Lower Juba, Mudug, Nugal, Middle Shebelle, and Lower Shebelle.

### Demographics and Society
As of 2017, the population of Somalia was 11,031,386. Population data shows a consistent growth trend from 2,756,380 in 1960. In 2022, the male population was 8,822,442 and the female population was 8,775,069. The rural population in 2022 was 9,269,665, while the urban population was 8,327,846.

The life expectancy at birth was recorded as 56.293 years in 2016. The total fertility rate in 2014 was estimated at 6.463. In 2022, the birth rate was 43.086 and the death rate was 11.012. The marriageable age is set at 18 years for all genders.

### Economy
The currency used in Somalia is the Somali shilling. The nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was 8,126,105,600 United States dollars in 2022, up from 7,628,000,011 USD in 2021. The unemployment rate was 7% in 2014. The Gini coefficient, a measure of inequality, was 36.8 in 2017. The mains voltage is 220 volts at 50 Hz, using the Europlug.

### International Relations
Somalia is an active member of numerous international organizations. It joined the United Nations on September 20, 1960, and UNESCO on November 15, 1960. It is also a member of the African Union, the League of Arab States (joined February 14, 1974), and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (joined 1969).

Other memberships include:
- Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (joined June 28, 2013)
- International Monetary Fund related bodies like the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (joined August 31, 1962)
- Interpol (joined October 9, 1975)
- World Health Organization
- World Meteorological Organization (joined April 1, 1964)

Somalia maintains diplomatic relations with countries including Italy, Germany, Kenya, France, Denmark, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Yemen, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, South Korea, China, North Korea (since April 13, 1967), Hungary, Northern Cyprus, and Kosovo.

### Culture and Symbols
The national anthem is "Qolobaa Calankeed," which was adopted in 2012. The flag of Somalia and the coat of arms of Somalia are its primary state symbols. The official languages are Somali and Arabic. Other languages used within the country include Kiswahili, Dabarre, Tunni, Borana, Boon, Garre, Jiiddu, Maay-Maay language, and Mushungulu. Demonyms for its people include Somali and Somalian.

The country observes public holidays such as Republic Day and New Year's Day.

### Identifiers and Codes
Somalia is identified by various international codes:
- ISO 3166-1 Alpha-2: SO
- ISO 3166-1 Alpha-3: SOM
- IOC Country Code: SOM
- M49 Code: 706
- ITU Letter Code: SOM
- Telephone Country Code: +252
- Maritime Identification Digits: 666
- UNDP Country Code: SOM

## References

1. [Internetowa encyklopedia PWN](https://encyklopedia.pwn.pl/haslo/Somalia;4169147.html)
2. [Source](https://www.workwithdata.com/place/somalia)
3. Virtual International Authority File
4. OpenStreetMap
5. [Source](https://data.iana.org/time-zones/tzdb-2020f/africa)
6. Lingua Libre
7. [Source](https://www.oic-oci.org/states/?lan=en)
8. [Source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Development_Bank)
9. [Interpol](https://www.interpol.int/Member-countries/World)
10. [Source](https://www.interpol.int/Who-we-are/Member-countries/Africa/SOMALIA)
11. [Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons](https://www.opcw.org/about-opcw/member-states/)
12. [Source](https://www.opcw.org/about-us/member-states/somalia)
13. [Source](http://www.unesco.org/eri/cp/ListeMS_Indicators.asp)
14. [Source](http://www.upu.int/en/the-upu/member-countries.html)
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16. [Source](https://www.itu.int/online/mm/scripts/gensel8)
17. [Source](https://public.wmo.int/en/members/somalia)
18. [Source](https://www.who.int/choice/demography/by_country/en/)
19. [Source](https://www.wcoomd.org/-/media/wco/public/global/pdf/about-us/wco-members/list-of-members-with-membership-date.pdf)
20. [Source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_parties_to_the_Treaty_on_the_Non-Proliferation_of_Nuclear_Weapons)
21. [Source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Continental_Free_Trade_Area#List_of_signatories_and_parties_to_the_agreement)
22. [Source](https://www.ncnk.org/sites/default/files/content/resources/publications/NCNK_Issue_Brief_DPRK_Diplomatic_Relations.pdf)
23. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
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27. World Bank Open Data
28. census
29. [Source](https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.GINI)
30. [Source](http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS)
31. [Source](http://cnig.gouv.fr/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/CNT-PVM_r%C3%A9vis%C3%A9_2020-01-27-1.pdf)
32. [Source](https://sjp.pwn.pl/szukaj/Somalijczyk.html)
33. [Source](https://sjp.pwn.pl/szukaj/Somalijka.html)
34. The National Terminology Database for Irish
35. [Source](https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/freedom-world-2017)
36. [World Bank](https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.CD)
37. [UNESCO Institute for Statistics](http://data.uis.unesco.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=DEMO_DS)
38. BabelNet
39. [World Plugs](http://www.iec.ch/worldplugs/list_bylocation.htm)
40. [Source](https://countrycodebase.com/undp/)
41. [UNESCO Institute for Statistics](http://data.uis.unesco.org/index.aspx?queryid=239)
42. ASC Leiden Thesaurus dataset of 5 June 2018
43. [archINFORM](https://www.archinform.net/service/wd_aiort.php)
44. [Gazetteer](https://github.com/EnvironmentOntology/gaz/blob/master/src/ontology/gaz_countries.csv)
45. [Source](https://encyklopedia.pwn.pl/haslo/Somalia;4169147.html)
46. [Source](https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/somali)
47. iNaturalist
48. FactGrid
49. CC 6
50. KBpedia