the people follow a nomadic, or wandering,
lifestyle. The capital is Mogadishu.
Geography
Somalia sits on the Horn of Africa, the
most eastern part of the continent. The
Gulf of Aden lies to the north, and the
Indian Ocean lies to the east. On land,
Somalia borders Djibouti, Ethiopia, and
Kenya.
Plains and high, flat areas called plateaus
make up most of the land. Mountains
rise in the northeast. Sand dunes stretch
along the east coast. The Jubba and Shabeelle
rivers flow through the south.
Between those rivers is the richest farmland
in the country.
Somalia is one of the world’s hottest
countries. The southwest and the northwest
receive more rain than the northeast,
which is very dry.
Plants and Animals
Grasses and scattered trees cover much
of the land. About two thirds of the land
is used as pasture, or feeding areas for
livestock. Few plants grow in the dry
northeast.
Somalia’s wildlife includes lions, leopards,
hyenas, foxes, warthogs, ostriches,
and antelope. Hunting has greatly
reduced the numbers of giraffes, zebras,
antelope, hippopotamuses, rhinoceroses,
and elephants.
People
More than half of Somalia’s people are
nomads, or people who move from place
to place while raising livestock. Settled
farmers live mainly in the south. Almost
all the people are Somalis. The Somalis
are divided into many clans, or groups
of related families. Small groups of Ban-
Girls at a school in northeastern Somalia
wear green veils to class.
130 Somalia BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
tus and Arabs also live in the country.
Nearly everyone is Muslim.
Somali and Arabic are the national languages.
Some people also speak English
or Italian. The Somali language did not
have a written form until 1973.
Economy
Somalia is one of the poorest countries
in the world. Its economy is based on
livestock raising and farming. Sheep,
goats, camels, and cattle are the main
livestock. Farming is possible on only a
tiny percentage of the land. The main
crops include bananas, sugarcane, sorghum,
corn, cassava, cotton, and sesame
seeds. Somalia sells live animals,
bananas, fish, animal hides, charcoal,
and scrap metal to other countries.
History
The coasts of Somalia were probably
part of an ancient land called Punt.
Between the 600s and 900s Arabs and
Persians set up trading posts along the
coasts. By the 900s Somali nomads had
entered the area.
European Rule
Europeans explored the region in the
1800s. In 1884 the British took over a
section in the north, which they called
British Somaliland. Italy soon took over
several regions in the northeast and
along the southern coast. The land
claimed by Italy was known as Italian
Somaliland. In 1960 Italian Somaliland
and British Somaliland gained independence.
Together they formed the new
country of Somalia.
CivilWar
In 1969 the military took over Somalia’s
government. In January 1991 rebels
overthrew the military government. The
country then split into a number of
regions, each controlled by a clan or a
group of clans. In May 1991 the region
that used to be British Somaliland
declared independence as the Republic
of Somaliland. Civil war broke out as
the clans fought for territory. In 1998
the northeastern part of Somalia, known
as Puntland, also set up a government of
its own.
A new Somali government formed outside
the country in 2004. However,
fighting continued inside Somalia.
..More to explore
Mogadishu • Nomad
Somalia is a very poor country.
Most of the land is not good for
growing crops. Many of the
people live in small villages and
raise livestock.
Facts About
SOMALIA
Population
(2008 estimate)
8,956,000
Area
246,000 sq mi
(637,000 sq km)
Capital
Mogadishu
Form of
government
Transitional
government
Major cities
Mogadishu,
Hargeysa, Kismaayo,
Berbera,
Marka
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Somalia 131
Songbird
Almost half the species, or types, of bird
in the world are songbirds. The 4,000
species of songbird all belong to one
huge scientific group. Many types sing
beautiful and complex songs. However,
not all songbirds sing much or have
pleasant-sounding voices. What they
have in common are highly developed
vocal organs. Some well-known songbirds
include canaries, cardinals, robins,
blackbirds, bluebirds, nightingales, sparrows,
finches, larks, swallows, and
thrushes.
Birds of this large, varied group can be
found nearly all over the world. They
live on many different types of land.
Physical Features
Songbirds are typically about 5 to 8
inches (12.5 to 20 centimeters) in
length, though some are larger or
smaller. The structure of their feet allows
them to perch on branches. On each
foot, three toes point forward, and one
toe points backward.
The syrinx, or song box, is the organ in
a bird’s chest that produces sound. A
bird sings by sending air through its
song box. Songbirds have very complex
song boxes and several sets of tiny
muscles to control them. Some songbirds
make mostly short, simple calls,
such as the “caw” of some crows. Other
types also produce long songs that are
musical and varied. Some songbirds,
such as mockingbirds, even imitate the
songs of other birds.
Behavior
Songbirds sing for a variety of reasons,
