Largest Cities in Somalia

Facts about Somalia

Official languages: Somali, Arabic, Italian, English
Capital: Mogadishu
Area: 637,657 km²
Population: 10.1 million residents
Population density: 15.86 residents per km²
Currency: SOS
Internet TLD: .so
ISO codes: SO , SOM, 706
The dialing code for Somalia is +252

Somalia (Somali: Soomaaliya; Arabic: الصومال aṣ-Ṣūmāl) is a state in the far east of Africa, on the Horn of Africa. It borders the Indian Ocean in the east, its Gulf of Aden in the north, Djibouti and Ethiopia in the west and Kenya in the south. The country name is derived from the Somali people, who make up the large majority of the population and are also resident in neighboring countries.

Somalia emerged from the merger of the former colonies of British Somaliland and Italian Somaliland, which became independent in 1960. The national territory bordered the Indian Ocean in the east, the Gulf of Aden in the north, Djibouti and Ethiopia in the west and Kenya in the south. Since the overthrow of the authoritarian government under Siad Barre in 1991 and during the ongoing civil war, however, there has been no functioning central government.

Instead, various de facto regimes have emerged. In the northwest, Somaliland has been striving for international recognition as an independent nation since 1991. The areas of Puntland, Galmudug and Jubaland claim autonomy as self-governing parts of Somalia. Large parts of the former country are in the hands of local clans, warlords, radical Islamic groups or pirates.

Biggest Cities of Somalia by Population

Somalia: Mogadishu

The capital of Somalia is called Mogadishu. Mogadishu is located relatively far south on the Indian Ocean. It was a few years ago that this city was called the “Pearl of East Africa”. Mogadishu was a rich trading city. Mogadishu is also home to one of the oldest Islamic buildings in Africa: the Fakr-ad-Din mosque.

The civil war hit this city very hard and many people had to flee Mogadishu. While some fled the city, others also came from regions of civil war and sought refuge in the city again. It is estimated that around a million people live here. Mogadishu is also the country’s economic center.

Countries neighboring Somalia

• Djibouti
• Ethiopia
• Kenya