Somalia officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under communist rule, is a country located in the Horn Of Africa, bordered by Djibouti to the Northwest Kenya to the Southwest, the Gulf Of Aden with Yemen to the North, the Indian Ocean to the East, and Ethiopia to the West.
Since 1991( In 1991, Mohammad Siad Barre's government collapsed as the Somali Civil War broke out.) no central government has controlled the entirety of the country, despite several attempts to establish a unified central government.
The North Western part of the country has been relatively stable under the Self declared but Unrecognized, Sovereign State of Somaliland
The Self-Governing Region of Puntland covers the Northeast of the country. It declares itself to be autonomous, but not independent from Somalia.
The Islamist Al-Shabaab controls a large part of the South of the country.
Without a central government, Somalia's inhabitants subsequently reverted to local forms of conflict resolution, either Civil; Islamic or Customary law .
The internationally recognized Transitional Federal Government (TFG) controls only parts of the capital and some territory in the centre of the nation, but has re-established national institutions such as the Military of Somalia and is working towards eventual national elections in 2011 when the interim government's mandate expires.
Somali Civil War
In January 1991 forces of the Hawiye-based United Somali Congress (USC) led a popular uprising that overthrew Siad and drove him to seek asylum among his own clansmen.
1991 was a time of great change for Somalia. President Barre was ousted by combined northern and southern clan-based forces, all of whom were backed and armed by Ethiopia .
Following the outbreak of the Civil War, many of Somalia's residents left the country in search of asylum. At the end of 2009, about 678,000 were under the responsibility of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees(UNHCR )constituting the 3rd largest refugee group after war-afflicted Iraq and Afganistan.
Somali Piracy
A consequence of the collapse of governmental authority that accompanied the civil war has been the emergence of a significant problem with Piracy in the Waters off of the coast of Somalia.
Piracy arose as a response by local fishermen to illegal fishing by foreign trawlers.
An upsurge in piracy in the Gulf Of Aden and the Indian Ocean has also been attributed to the effects of the 26.12.2004 Tsunami that devastated local fishing fleets and washed ashore containers filled with toxic waste that had been dumped by European fishing vessels
Languages
Somali and Arabic are the official languages of Somalia, while English and Italian are designated "second languages
Population
Somalia has a population of around 10 million inhabitants, about 85% of whom are ethnic somalis. Non-Somali ethnic minority groups are largely concentrated in the southern regions.
Religion
Most Somalis are Muslims,the majority belonging to the Sunni branch of Islam.
HistorySince 1991( In 1991, Mohammad Siad Barre's government collapsed as the Somali Civil War broke out.) no central government has controlled the entirety of the country, despite several attempts to establish a unified central government.
The North Western part of the country has been relatively stable under the Self declared but Unrecognized, Sovereign State of Somaliland
The Self-Governing Region of Puntland covers the Northeast of the country. It declares itself to be autonomous, but not independent from Somalia.
The Islamist Al-Shabaab controls a large part of the South of the country.
Without a central government, Somalia's inhabitants subsequently reverted to local forms of conflict resolution, either Civil; Islamic or Customary law .
The internationally recognized Transitional Federal Government (TFG) controls only parts of the capital and some territory in the centre of the nation, but has re-established national institutions such as the Military of Somalia and is working towards eventual national elections in 2011 when the interim government's mandate expires.
Somali Civil War
In January 1991 forces of the Hawiye-based United Somali Congress (USC) led a popular uprising that overthrew Siad and drove him to seek asylum among his own clansmen.
1991 was a time of great change for Somalia. President Barre was ousted by combined northern and southern clan-based forces, all of whom were backed and armed by Ethiopia .
Following the outbreak of the Civil War, many of Somalia's residents left the country in search of asylum. At the end of 2009, about 678,000 were under the responsibility of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees(UNHCR )constituting the 3rd largest refugee group after war-afflicted Iraq and Afganistan.
Somali Piracy
A consequence of the collapse of governmental authority that accompanied the civil war has been the emergence of a significant problem with Piracy in the Waters off of the coast of Somalia.
Piracy arose as a response by local fishermen to illegal fishing by foreign trawlers.
An upsurge in piracy in the Gulf Of Aden and the Indian Ocean has also been attributed to the effects of the 26.12.2004 Tsunami that devastated local fishing fleets and washed ashore containers filled with toxic waste that had been dumped by European fishing vessels
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