35 Interesting Facts About Somalia

1. Somalia is the easternmost country in Africa. It is located in a strategically important area, known as the Horn of Africa.
2. Somalia has the second-longest coastline in Africa and the longest in mainland Africa. The length of this coastline is 3,025 km, which is just behind the island country of Madagascar. (Source)
3. Somalia is one of the most homogenous countries in Africa. More than 85% of its people are ethnic Somalis.
4. Around 99% of Somalis are Sunni Muslims. Most of them are adherents of Shafii madhab, one of the four schools of Islam.
5. Somalia came under the influence of Islam during the 7^th Century. It remained part of several Muslim sultanates between the 7^th and 19^th centuries.
6. Modern Somalia came under the occupation of Italy and Britain during the 19^th Century. However, both empires faced stiff resistance from the local population during their occupation. 
7. The Somali Dervish resistance movement fought against Ethiopia and Britain in northern Somalia. This movement continued from 1899 to 1920 and is known as the longest and bloodiest resistance against colonial powers in Africa. (Source)
8. The Republic of Somalia was established in 1960 after the independence and unification of areas controlled by Italy and Britain.
9. In 1969, military commander Siad Barre became Somalia's leader after a coup. His authoritarian socialist rule continued till 1991.
10. The Somali Civil War started in 1991 after overthrowing military dictator Siad Barre. This civil war has not ended yet.
11. Somalia had trade relations with ancient Egypt. The Egyptians were the main importers of luxury goods from the land of Punt (now in Somalia). (Source)
12. Somaliland is a self-declared country in northern Somalia. Since establishment in 1991, it is internationally recognized as part of Somalia.
13. Another self-proclaimed autonomous region of Somalia is Puntland. It was established in 1998 in northeast Somalia.
14. During the 1980s, the Somali regime murdered up to 200,000 people (men, women, and children) of the Isaaq tribe in Somaliland. It is known as the Isaaq genocide and resulted in the practical separation of Somaliland from Somalia. (Source)
15. Somalia is the second-most fragile state in the world, just behind Yemen. The reasons for political and economic instability are a long-standing civil war, political crisis, and crime-related problems. Somalia has been in the first or second spot on this list since 2008. (Source)
16. Saudi Arabia and UAE are the largest export destination for Somalia. These two countries receive around 70% of total exports from Somalia.
17. In the late 1980s, Swiss and Italian companies started transporting toxic waste from Europe to dumps in Somalia. This illegal activity continued for years with permission from the Somali government and various warlords. This ecological disaster resulted in the dumping of around 35 million tons of waste in Somalia during this period, among the largest in the world. (Source)
18. Somalia has the highest population of camels in the world. The population of camels in this country is more than 7 million. (Source)

    

    Somalia has the world's highest population of camels

    
    
19. Somalia invaded Ethiopia in 1977 to capture the Somali-majority area of Ogaden. It is known as Ogaden War, which continued for eight months. Ethiopia remained victorious thanks to the support it received from USSR and other socialist countries. (Source)
20. Somalia has the highest percentage of female circumcision in the world. The FGM (female genital mutilation) rate for women between 15 and 49 years of age in Somalia is 98%. It is one of few countries that practice the most severe form (Type III) of FGM. (Source)
21. Somalia has the 5^th highest fertility rate in the world. The average number of births for a woman of childbearing age in Somalia is 5.8. (Source)
22. Somalia is famous for its ancient cave paintings. Few of these paintings are thousands of years old.
23. Somalia has the 6^th lowest life expectancy in the world. The expected lifespan for both genders in Somalia is 58.3 years. (Source)
24. The civil war in 1991 gave rise to Somali pirates. The piracy off the coast of Somalia particularly flourished between 2005 and 2017. The pirates ransomed millions of dollars through these activities.
25. There are several landscapes in Somalia. These include desert, semi-desert, savannah, and a mountainous coastal area.
26. After 1991, Somalia received its first tourist in 2010. The officials became so surprised at the entry of the Canadian national that they initially refused to accept him. (Source)
27. Several famous Hollywood films are based on events in Somalia. These include “Black Hawk Down” and “Captain Phillips.”
28. The Battle of Mogadishu is the most well-known battle of the Somali Civil War. This battle resulted in the death of 18 US soldiers and hundreds of Somalis. America also lost two black hawk helicopters, and the corpses of the killed soldiers were dragged on the streets of Mogadishu. This battle forced the US to withdraw its military from Somalia within months. (Source)
29. Jawahar Roble is the first British female Muslim football referee. She left Somalia for the UK at ten years of age. (Source)
30. Madagascar was named after the Somali capital, Mogadishu. Marco Polo mistakenly applied the slightly misspelled name of Mogadishu to the island.
31. The color of the Somali flag is similar to the UN flag color. The adoption was in respect of the role that the UN played in the independence of the country. (Source)
32. Mo Farah is the most famous long-distance runner in Britain. He won gold medals in 5,000 m and 10,000 m competitions in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics. He was the second man to achieve this feat. Mo Farah’s native country is Somalia. (Source)
33. Somalia is among the 10 most dangerous countries in the world. It is due to continuous militant activities, absence of central government control in several areas, and risk of droughts and food shortages.
34. Somalia is the 4^th most dangerous place for women in the world and the most dangerous African country for females. Only India, Afghanistan, and Syria performed worse than Somalia in this aspect. (Source)
35. Somalia has the 5^th largest refugee population in the world and the 2^nd largest in Africa after South Sudan. More than 900,000 Somalis are living as refugees in other countries. (Source)