The document summarizes the history, geography, climate, economy, culture and politics of Somalia. It traces Somalia's early history to Arab settlements in the 7th century and discusses the influence of European colonial powers starting in the 15th century. It also provides details on Somalia's climate, population, traditional attire, cuisine, sports, arts and notable historical figures.

2.  Early history traces the development of the
Somali state to an Arab sultanate.
 Founded in the seventh century A.D. by
Koreishite immigrants from Yemen.
 15th and 16th centuries the Portuguese
traders landed in present Somali territory
and ruled several coastal towns
 Zanzibar subsequently took control of these
towns and their surrounding territory.

3.  Modern history began in the late 19th century,
when various European powers began to trade
and establish themselves in the area.
 1840- British East India Company’s desire for
unrestricted harbor facilities led to the
conclusion of treaties with the sultan of Tajura .
 1886-The British gained control over northern
Somalia through treaties with various Somali
chiefs who were guaranteed British protection.
British objectives centered on safeguarding
trade links to the east and securing local
sources of food and provisions for its coaling
station in Aden.

4.  1897- The boundary between Ethiopia and British
Somaliland was established through treaty
negotiations between British negotiators and King
Menelik.
 During the first two decades of the 1900s, British rule
was challenged through persistent attacks by a
dervish rebellion led by Mohamed Abdullah.
 1920- A long series of intermittent engagements and
truces ended when British warplanes bombed
Abdullah’s stronghold at Taleex.
 Abdullah was defeated by rival Somali factions and
by British forces, he was lauded as a popular hero
and still stands as a major figure of national identity to
many Somalis.

5.  Somalia is located on the east coast of
Africa and north of the Equator and, with
Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, and Kenya.
 Often referred to as the Horn of Africa.
 Comprises Italy’s former Trust Territory of
Somalia and the former British
Protectorate of Somaliland.
 The coastline extends 2,720 kilometers
(1,700 mi.).

7.  Northern part of the country is hilly and many
places the altitude ranges between 900 and
2,100 meters (3,000-7,000 ft.)above sea level.
 The central and southern areas are flat with an
average altitude of less than 180 meters (600
ft.).
 The Juba and the Shabelle Rivers rise in
Ethiopia and flow south across the country
toward the Indian Ocean.
 The Shabelle does not reach the sea but
instead ends in a series of marshes in southern
Somalia.

8.  Major climatic factors are a year-round hot climate, seasonal
monsoon winds, and irregular rainfall with recurring droughts.
 Average daily maximum temperatures range from 30oC to
40oC (85o F-105oF), except at higher elevations and along the
east coast and average daily minimums usually vary from
about 15oC to 30oC (60oF-85oF).
 The southwest monsoon, a sea breeze, makes the period
from about May to October the mildest season in Somalia.
 The December-February period of the northeast monsoon
also is relatively mild, although prevailing climatic conditions
in Somalia are rarely pleasant.
 The “tangambili” periods that intervene between the two
rainy seasons (October-November and March-May) are hot
and humid.

9.  Uranium and largely unexploited
reserves of iron ore, tin, gypsum, bauxite,
copper, salt, natural gas, likely oil
reserves.
bauxite uranium
copper gypsum Iiron ore

10.  Somali meals are meat driven and
vegetarianism is relatively rare.
 Goat, beef, lamb and
sometimes chicken is fried in
ghee, or grilled or broiled.
 Food is spiced with turmeric, coriander,
cumin and curry and eaten with basmati
rice for lunch, dinner and sometimes
breakfast.

11.  Vegetables appear to largely
be side dishes, and often are
woven into a meat dish, such as
combining potatoes, carrots and
peas with meat and making a stew.
 Green peppers, spinach and garlic were also noted
as the types of vegetables most commonly eaten.
 Bananas, dates, apples, oranges, pears and grapes
are among some of the more popular fruits.
 Somalis had a much larger selection of fruits - like
mango and guava

12.  Other common foods include a type of
homemade bread called anjara, black tea
sweetened with milk and sugar, and sambusas,
which are deep-fried triangular-shaped
dumplings usually filled with meat or
vegetables.
 Somalis fast from eating or drinking from dawn
to dusk during the ninth month of the Muslim
calendar known as Ramadan. Anyone in good
health over the age of 15 is required to fast.

13.  With few exceptions, Somalis are entirely
Muslims, the majority belonging to the Sunni
branch of Islam and the Shafi`I school of
Islamic jurisprudence, although some are also
adherents of the Shia Muslim denomination.
 Sufism, the mystical dimension of Islam, is also
well-established, with many local jama'a
(zawiya) or congregations of the various tariiqa
or Sufi orders.
 The constitution of Somalia likewise defines
Islam as the religion of the Somali Republic,
and Islamic sharia as the basic source for
national legislation.

14.  Islam entered the region very early
on, as a group of persecuted
Muslims had, at Prophet
Muhummad's urging, sought refuge
across the Red Sea in the Horn of Africa.
 Islam may thus have been introduced
into Somalia well before the faith even Mosque of
Borama,
took root in its place of origin. Somaiia
 Although Somalian women were initially excluded
from the many male-dominated religious orders, the
all-female institution Abay Siti was formed in the late
19th century, incorporating Somali tradition and Islam

16.  The clan groupings of the Somali people
are important social units, and clan
membership plays a central part in
Somali culture and politics.
 Clans are patrilineal and are divided into
sub-clans and sub-sub-clans, resulting in
extended families.

17.  Somali society is traditionally ethnically
endogamous.
 To extend ties of alliance, marriage is often
to another ethnic Somali from a different
clan.
 Major Clans in Somalia
Darod
Dir
Hawiye
Isaaq
Rahanweyn(Digil and Mirifle)

18.  When they are not dressed in
Westernized clothing such as jeans
and t-shirts Somalians wear traditional
clothing.
 Attire is different for men and women.
 Somali men typically wear the macawis
(ma'awiis), which is a sarong-like garment
worn around the waist.
 On their heads, they often wrap a colorful
turban or wear the koofiyad, an embroidered
taqiyah.
 Due to Somalia's proximity to and close ties with the Arabian
Peninsula, many Somali men also wear the jellabiya (jellabiyad in
Somali), a long white garment common in the Arab world.

19.  Women’s Attire
 During regular, day-to-day activities,
women usually wear the guntiino, a
long stretch of cloth tied over the
shoulder and draped around the waist.
 Formal settings such as weddings or
religious celebrations like Eid, women wear
the dirac, which is a long, light, diaphanous
voile dress made of cotton or polyester that
is worn over a full-length half-slip and a brassiere.
 Married women tend to sport head-scarves referred
to as shash, and also often cover their upper body
with a shawl known as garbasaar.
 Unmarried or young women, however, do not always cover their
heads. Traditional Arabian garb such as the jilbab is also
commonly worn.

20.  Football is the most popular
sport in Somalia.
 The Somalia national football
team is currently ranked 187th
in the world.
Football Team
 There are hundreds of football
clubs that compete at the
local level.
 Basketball is growing in
popularity. Somalia also has
a national basketball team. Basketball Team

21.  In early 2002, Kenya organized a reconciliation effort under
IGAD auspices known as the Somalia National Reconciliation
Conference, which concluded in October 2004.
 A transitional government, the components of which are
known as the Transitional Federal Institutions (TFIs), was
formed in accordance with the Transitional Federal Charter.
 The TFIs include a transitional parliament, known as the
Transitional Federal Parliament (TFP), as well as a Transitional
Federal Government (TFG) that includes a transitional
president, prime minister, and a cabinet known as the
“Council of Ministers.”
 For administrative purposes, Somalia is divided into 18
regions; the nature, authority, and structure of regional
governments vary, where they exist.

22.  The TFG was established with a 5-year
mandate leading to the establishment of a
permanent government following national
elections in 2009.
 In January 2009, the TFP extended this
mandate an additional 2 years to 2011 and
expanded to include 200 members of
Parliament (MPs) from the opposition
Alliance for the Reliberation of Somalia and
75 MPs from civil society and other groups,
doubling the size of the TFP to 550 MPs.

23.  Somalia lacks natural resources and faces major
development challenges.
 Recent economic reverses have left its people
increasingly dependent on remittances from abroad.
 Economy is pastoral and agricultural, with livestock--
principally camels, cattle, sheep, and goats--
representing the main form of wealth.
 Livestock exports in recent years have been severely
reduced by periodic bans, ostensibly for concerns of
animal health, by Arabian Peninsula states. Saudi
Arabia lifted its ban on Somali livestock in 2009.

24.  Drought has also impaired agricultural and
livestock production because rainfall is
scanty and irregular.
 Farming generally is limited to certain
coastal districts, areas near Hargeisa, and
the Juba and Shabelle River valleys.
 The agricultural sector of the economy
consists mainly of banana plantations
located in the south, which use modern
irrigation systems and up-to-date farm
machinery.

25.  A small fishing industry exists in the north where tuna, shark, and other
warm-water fish are caught, yet fishing production is seriously affected
by poaching.
 Aromatic woods--frankincense and myrrh--from a small and diminishing
forest also contribute to the country’s exports. Minerals, including
uranium and likely deposits of petroleum and natural gas, are found
throughout the country, but have not been exploited commercially.
 Petroleum exploration efforts have ceased due to insecurity and
instability. Illegal production in the south of charcoal for export has led
to widespread deforestation.
 Foreign aid has helped small industries such as textiles, handicrafts, meat
processing, and printing to be established.
 The absence of central government authority, as well as profiteering
from counterfeiting, has rapidly debased Somalia’s currency.
 self-declared “Republic of Somaliland” issues its own currency, the
Somaliland shilling, which is not accepted outside of the self-declared
republic.

26.  Somalis are famous for being a nation of poets
and Oral poetry is central to Somali life.
 Somali poetry uses alliteration and metaphors.
 The Somalis use poetry for communication, for
preserving history and commenting on current
events.
 Clans use poetry to help ease tensions with
other clans.
 Government hires poets to praise its
achievements, while the opposition uses
poems to criticize the government.

27.  Traditionally, men and
women have had separate
poetic traditions, and only
men gained prestige and
political power through their
skill in poetry.
 Women have recently begun
to compete with men in these
contests.
 Most famous literary figures in
Somalia is Mohammed ’Abdille Hasan
who was also a warrior and political figure.

28.  Nurudin Farah, an acclaimed
English-language novelist, writes
about Somalia and connects the
mythical with the local in his work.
He was named the 1998 Neustadt
Laureate. He was the first African to
receive this award, a literary prize which
is considered to be secondary in prestige
to the Nobel Prize for literature.
 Poet and playwright Mohamed Warsame
Ibrahim was jailed during the Barré regime
for his politically critical writings.
 Maryam Mursal is one of Somalia’s most
famous musicians. Her first CD, Waaberi, is a
collection of traditional Somali songs sung with
the oud (the Arabic lute) and percussion as backup.

29.  Abdullahi 'Issa Mohamud:
He was the prime minister
of Somalia between 1956
and 1960. Prior of becoming
the prime minister, Abdullahi
attained the post of the first foreign minister in Somalia. He
attained the post of Prime Minister during the Italian
trusteeship administration.
 Abdirashid 'Ali Shermarke:
The second President of Somalia,
Ali Shermarke fought for Somalia’s
welfare and independence. He
became the first prime minister of
the republic after Somalia’s independence. His
assassination in 1969 by one of his bodyguards was deeply
mourned by the country.

30.  Maj. Gen. Jalle Mohamed
Siad Barre:
He is known for his bloodless
coup which took over the government.
He established the SRC and consequently
became the president of the Democratic
Republic of Somalia.
 Muhammad 'Abdallah bin Hasan Cant:
He was the first daring Somali to call for
unity against their colonizers. His declaration
of the Holy War to oppose the Ethiopian, British
and Italian rule created a huge following in
1899. He fought for his country’s freedom and
resisted the British until the time of his death in 1920.

31.  Aden 'Abdullah Osman Daar:
The first President of Somalia,
Aden changed the territory
of Somalia from slavery to
independence.
 All these famous men made a
substantial mark and sacrificed their lives
for the country to ensure that the
coming generations will enjoy the fruit of
independence

32.  http://lajhsslab.com/asos/somalia/arts.ht
m
 http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2863.
htm#econ
 http://www.somaliculture.net/index.html
 http://www.indexmundi.com/somalia/n
atural_resources.html