Anna+-+Somalia+4A

Somalia I was surprised when Mr. Cook assigned me Somalia, for he said he was going to choose which country we would be studying based on our personality. Somalia is a very violent country, which leads me to believe Mr. Cook thought I was a very violent person. I later found out that he chose our country by alphabetical order, and with my W and Somalia’s S, we were mean to be placed together. So, continue to read to learn more about Somalia. Somalia is a country located in North East Africa. It is most recognized for its piracy, which made world news. Somalia is a relatively odd, sad country, with a low GDP and life expectancy, but a high violence and infant mortality rate.

Somalia Political Somalia Physical F lag of Somalia  o The blue on the flag was originally influenced from the UN, but is now considered to represent the sky and the Indian Ocean.  o The star represents the five regions in the horn of Africa that are inhabited by Somali people; the former British Somaliland and Italian Somali land, which together make up Somalia, Djibouti, Ogden (Ethiopia), and the Northern Frontier District (Kenya) History Here is a brief history on some major events that happened in Somalia in the last 200 years.  o In the early 1800’s Great Britain, Italy, and France were competing for Somalia. Britain got the Southern part of Somalia, Italy got the North, and France got the North West part right next to Djibouti.  o Before any countries had claimed Somalia, it was mostly made up of nomads.  o Italian and French Somaliland did not like the idea of colonialism, so they launched a rebellion agents Britain that lasted 20 years. Of course, the rebellion failed, but it intensified Somali nationalism.  o In 1960 Britain and Italian Somaliland united to form the Somalia Republic. Britain divided some of its territory and gave it to Kenya and Ethiopia. Now that the Somalia republic was formed, it could be ruled under one flag and by one government. Because of this, tensions raised between Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya.  o This was happening during the Cold War. The Soviet Union supported Somalia and the U.S.A. supported Ethiopia And Kenya. The Soviet Union and the U.S.A. supported their allies by supplying them with weapons. This caused Somalia to focus its resources on building an army and a parliamentary government, which neglected education and info structure.  o In 1969 General Mohammed Siyad Barre took over Somalia and declared it a socialist state.  o In 1977, a war over territory broke out between Somalia and Etheopia. Barre decided to side with the U.S.A., so the Soviet Union sided with Etheopia. In Somalia.  o Most people did not know how to live with an economy that was entirely controlled by the government, so many lived in poverty. Because of this, those who were educated left the country.  o By around 1985, Somalia was over run by oppositon movments from clans and militias. The country ended up slipping into anarchy.  o In 1991 a Civil War broke out, and Somalia has not had a central government since then.  o In 1993, Kenya allowed refuges from Somalia trying to get away from the war.  o Now days, the government system in most of Somalia is marked by clan fighting and banditry. But, some areas remain stable and peaceful.  o Ever since the war, thousands of Somalis have let their homes for refugee camps in Asia and Africa. In 2003 alone, over 21,000 had applied for asylum in other countries. It is estimated that over 20,000 refugees live in Minneapolis alone, and these numbers are rapidly growing all over the world.  o Living in a refugee camp would be safer than in Somalia during the Civil War, but it would be very harsh. About 80% would be women and children and 50% of them were sexually asulted. <span style="margin-left: 8.0pt; mso-list: l9 level2 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -8.0pt;"> o Many people in these camps only ate maze and beans without any medicine what so ever. Many people died from sickness, fighting, and malnutrition. General Information Now that you’ve learned a little bit about Somalia’s history, here is some general, current information on Somalia. <span style="margin-left: 26.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l13 level1 lfo8; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"> o The Capitol of Somalia is Mogadishu. <span style="margin-left: 26.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l13 level1 lfo8; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"> o Somalia, in my opinion, looks like a giraffe. <span style="margin-left: 26.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l13 level1 lfo8; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"> o The main languages spoken in Somalia are Somali, Arabic, Italian, and English. <span style="margin-left: 26.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l13 level1 lfo8; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"> o The only religion practiced in Somalia is Muslim Sunni. Size <span style="line-height: normal; margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l7 level1 lfo11; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"> o Somalia’s size is 246,200 square miles and is the 43rd largest country in the world. <span style="line-height: normal; margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l7 level1 lfo11; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"> o The United States of America’s size is 9,826,675 square miles and is the 3rd largest country in the world Population <span style="line-height: normal; margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l12 level1 lfo14; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"> o Somalia has the 82nd largest population in the entire world. The U.S.A. has the 3rd largest population in the world. This is probably so because there are many inhabitable parts of Somalia. <span style="line-height: normal; margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l12 level2 lfo14; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"> o Population Density of Somalia: 5 people per square mile <span style="line-height: normal; margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l12 level2 lfo14; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"> o Population Density of the U.S.A: 76 people per square mile Statistics Life Expectancy <span style="line-height: normal; margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l9 level2 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"> o Somalia has the 214th largest life expectancy in the world. The United States of America has the 49th largest life expectancy in the world. <span style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l21 level1 lfo15; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"> o Somalia Women: 52 years <span style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l21 level1 lfo15; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"> o U.S.A. Woman: 81 years <span style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l21 level1 lfo15; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"> o Somalia Men: 48 years <span style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l21 level1 lfo15; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"> o U.S.A. Men: 76 years Birth Rate <span style="line-height: normal; margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l9 level2 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"> o Somalia has the 8th largest birth rate in the world. The United States of America has the 151st largest birth rate in the world. <span style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l5 level2 lfo16; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"> o Somalia : 43 births/1,000 population <span style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l5 level2 lfo16; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"> o U.S.A. : 14 births/1,000 population Infant Mortality Rate <span style="line-height: normal; margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l9 level2 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"> o Somalia has the 5th largest infant mortality rate in the world. The United States of America has the 178th largest infant mortality rate in the world. <span style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level2 lfo17; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"> o Somalia : 107 deaths/1,000 live births <span style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level2 lfo17; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"> o U.S.A. : 6 deaths/1,000 live births Literate Rate <span style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-list: l9 level2 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"> o Generally, only people over the age of 15 can read and write. <span style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-list: l9 level2 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"> o Somalia : 37% of people are literate <span style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-list: l9 level2 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"> o U.S.A. : 99% of people are literate Monetary Unit <span style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l20 level1 lfo19; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"> o <span style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l20 level1 lfo19; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"> The Somali Shilling is the current currency of Somalia and has been this way since 1962. Both dollars and coins are called Somali Shillings. Dollars consist of the values 500 and <span style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l20 level1 lfo19; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"> 1000 Somali Shillings. Coins consist of the values 5, 10, 50, and 100. Government Ok, so we’ve both learned a lot about Somalia. Now it is time to learn about the “fun” stuff. The government. Type of Government <span style="margin-left: .25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo21; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"> o Surprisingly, Somalia has no actual form of permanent government. This is called Transitional Federal Government. <span style="margin-left: .25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo21; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"> o This is technically not a democracy because it does not operate from a constitution, but from its authority. <span style="margin-left: .25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo21; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"> o Somalia has many government zones, each with their own political leaders. Somalia does however have a president and prime minister, even though there isn’t really a central government. Political Leaders <span style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo22; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"> o Prime Minister : Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmajo <span style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo22; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"> o President : Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed GDP <span style="line-height: normal; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l9 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"> o GDP or Gross Domestic Product per capita means: a measure of the economic production of a particular territory in financial capital terms over a specific time period. <span style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l10 level2 lfo23; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"> o The GDP for Somalia is $5.896 billion dollars <span style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l10 level2 lfo23; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"> o The GDP for the U.S.A. is $14.72 trillion dollars Economic Summery <span style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l9 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"> o Despite the fact that Somalia does not have a permanent government, it has been able to maintain a healthy economy. Most of its economy comes from livestock, money Transfer Company’s, and telecommunications. But over all, Somalia’s economy comes from agriculture. In fact, livestock accounts for 40% of the GDP and over 50% of its export earnings. As you may have assumed, most of the population consists of people who depend on livestock for their livelihood. <span style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l9 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"> o Some of Somalia’s main exports are livestock, hides, fish, charcoal, and banana’s <span style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l9 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"> o Some of Somalia’s main imports are sugar, sorghum, corn, qat, and machined goods. Major Places in Somalia Truthfully, Somalia is a very boring, barren country in its physical features and places. But the two most important areas in Somalia are the Webi Jubba River and Mogadishu. I have created a google earth fly over of these two places, but be forwarned, they are not very interesting. Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed my report on Somalia, and I hope you learned something to! Resources: CIA: The World Fact Book Culture Grams Wikipedia Maps.com Google Earth