The document provides an overview of Somalia's geography, society, economy, and challenges since the civil war in the late 1980s. Key points include its vast land area, diverse population predominantly consisting of ethnic Somalis, and a history of economic disruption due to political instability. The document also highlights social aspects such as language, religion, education, and healthcare, along with the country's reliance on agriculture and livestock for its economy.

1. My name : Omar Yarani
Hassan
Cairo university
Somalia
Somalia geography , Society and
economy
Somalia geography , Society and
economy

2. Geography
• Size: Land area 637,540 square kilometers; coastline 3,025
kilometers;
• sovereignty claimed over territorial waters up to 200 nautical miles.
• Topography: Flat plateau surfaces and plains predominate; principal
• exception rugged east-west ranges in far north that include
• Shimbir Berris, highest point at 2,407 meters.
• Climate and Hydrology: Continuously hot except at higher elevations
• in north; two wet seasons bring erratic rainfall, largely April
• to June and October and November, averaging under 500
millimeters
• in much of the country; droughts frequent; only Jubba River
• in somewhat wetter southwest has permanent water flow. Shabeelle
• River, also in southwest, flows about seven months of year.

3. Society
• Population: Estimates vary; United Nations 1991 estimate shows
• population of 7.7 million not including Ethiopian refugees, but other
• estimates place at 8.4 million in mid- 1990. Until early 1990s,
• predominantly nomadic pastoralists and seminomadic herders made
• up about three-fifths of total; cultivators, about one-fifth; town
• dwellers (vast majority in Mogadishu), about one-fifth. Pattern of
• residency dramatically altered by civil war in late 1980s onward,
• raising urban population of Mogadishu to 2 million.
• Languages: Somali (script officially introduced January 1973)
• predominates. Several dialects; Common Somali most widely used;
• Coastal Somali spoken on the Banaadir coast; Central Somali
• spoken in the interriverine area. English and Italian used by relatively
• small proportion (less than 10 percent) of urban population.
• Arabic used in religious contexts.

4. • Ethnic Groups: Most nationals ethnic Somalis; traditionally divided
• into Samaal descent groups, consisting of four pastoral nomadic
• clan-families (Dir, Daarood, Isaaq, and Hawiye) and two
• agricultural clan-families (Digil and Rahanwayn living mainly in
• south on or between Jubba and Shabeelle rivers.) In 1991 centralized
• state disintegrated into its constituent lineages and clans.
• Religion: Former Somali state officially Islamic; overwhelming
• majority of nationals Sunni Muslims (less than 1 percent Christian).
• Activist Islamism increasing in some areas.
• Education and Literacy: Until 1991 modern public education
• offered free at all levels; nationally owned educational facilities closed
• after collapse of Somali state; school attendance grew rapidly in
• xiv

5. • settled areas in 1970s; primary education
extended to nomadic children
• in early 1980s. Literacy campaigns
resulted in substantial increases
• in 1970s but less than government's
estimate of 60 percent,
• with relapse among nomads by 1977;
United Nations estimate
• showed 24 percent literacy rate in 1990.

6. • Health: Improvement in numbers of health care personnel and
• facilities during 1970s offset by civil war, refugee burden, and failure
• to expand services beyond urban areas; weak modern medical
• infrastructure deteriorated dramatically after 1991 collapse of central
• government. High incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis, malaria,
• tetanus, parasitic and venereal infections, leprosy, and a variety
• of skin and eye ailments; relatively low incidence of human
immunodeficiency

7. Economy
• Salient Features: Formerly socialist-oriented economy
undergoing
• market-oriented structural adjustment until 1991.
Stabilization
• and macroeconomic adjustment programs implemented
during
• 1980s under auspices of international credit and aid
agencies.
• Privatization of wholesale trade and financial sectors
largely complete

8. by 1991; economic growth sporadic and uneven across sectors.
Most economic activity disrupted by breakdown of Somali
state in 1991.

9. • Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry, and
Fisheries: Crop and
• livestock production, forestry, and fisheries
accounted for bulk of
• gross domestic product (GDP) in 1991;
livestock predominant
• and myrrh. Fisheries production
• showed modest growth during 1980s but
remained minor economic

10. Economy cont..
• agricultural export, also important source of animal products (mostly
• milk) for internal markets and subsistence. Crop cultivation
dominated
• by rural subsistence sector, which generated sufficient
• surpluses to sustain domestic informal markets and barter economy
• until 1990. Main crops: sorghum, corn; incipient production
• of mild narcotic qat suppressed by central government during
• mid-1980s. Small plantation sector dedicated primarily to export
• of bananas and sugarcane. Domestic grain supply supplemented
• by international food aid. Small forestry sector dominated by
• production for export of frankincense

11. • Small forestry sector dominated by
• production for export of frankincense and myrrh.
Fisheries production
• showed modest growth during 1980s but remained minor
economic
• activity. Agricultural activity severely curtailed as result of
• drought and breakdown of Somali state in 1991.
part one ended …
wait part two next week…
Economy Cont….