Portal:Somalia

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Camels on sale at Baidoa livestock market in Somalia on November 7, 2019

Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, the Gulf of Aden to the north, the Indian Ocean to the east, and Kenya to the southwest. Somalia has the longest coastline on the mainland of Africa, with a seaboard that stretches 3,025 kilometres (1,880 mi).

In antiquity, Somalia was an important centre for commerce with the rest of the ancient world, it is among the most probable locations of the fabled ancient Land of Punt. During the Middle Ages, several powerful Somali empires dominated the regional trade, including the Ajuuraan Sultanate, the Adal Sultanate and the Geledi Sultanate. In the late nineteenth century, through a succession of treaties with these kingdoms, the British and Italians gained control of parts of the coast, and established British Somaliland and Italian Somaliland. In the interior, the Dervish State wherein Muhammad Abdullah Hassan was leader successfully repulsed the British Empire four times and forced it to retreat to the coastal region. Italian occupation lasted until 1941, yielding to British military administration. British Somaliland would remain a protectorate, while Italian Somaliland in 1949 became a United Nations Trusteeship under Italian administration, the Trust Territory of Somaliland.

Though, in 1960, the two regions united to form the independent Somali Republic under a civilian government. In 1991, following the collapse of the government of Siad Barre, the Republic of Somaliland unilaterally declared its independence from Somalia, reinstating the borders of former British Somaliland, and has been governed by democratically elected leaders since. Somaliland's independence, however, has not been recognised by any foreign country or international organisation.

Somalia has a population of around 10 million. About 85% of local residents are ethnic Somalis, Somali and Arabic are the official languages of Somalia, both of which belong to the Afro-Asiatic family. Most people in the territory are Muslims, the majority being Sunni.

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The Dervish Movement (Somali: Dhaqdhaqaaqa Daraawiish) also known as the Dervish State was an armed resistance movement and polity in the Horn of Africa between 1899 and 1920, which was led by the Salihiyya Sufi Muslim poet and militant leader Mohammed Abdullah Hassan, also known as Sayyid Mohamed, who called for independence from the British and Italian colonisers and for the defeat of Ethiopian forces. The Dervish movement aimed to remove the British and Italian influence from the region and restore an "Islamic system of governance with a Sufi doctrine as its foundation", according to Mohamed-Rahis Hasan and Salada Robleh.

Hassan established a ruling council called the Khususi consisting of Sufi tribal elders and spokesmen, added an adviser from the Ottoman Empire named Muhammad Ali, and thus created a multi-clan Islamic movement in what led to the eventual creation of the state of Somalia. (Full article...)

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Somalia participated at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom, which took place from 27 July to 12 August 2012. The country's participation in London marked its ninth appearance in the Summer Olympics since its debut at the 1972 Summer Olympics. The delegation included one short-distance sprinter and one long-distance runner: Mohamed Hassan Mohamed and Zamzam Mohamed Farah. Both qualified for the games through wildcard places from the International Association of Athletics Federations. Farah was selected as the flag bearer for both the opening and closing ceremonies. Mohamed and Farah failed to advance beyond the heat stage of their respective events. (Full article...)

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Did you know -

...that Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi, a Somali Imam and General of the Adal Sultanate, invaded Ethiopia and defeated several Ethiopian emperors, wreaking much damage on that kingdom?

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Image 1A view in the Kismayo/Dalxiiska area in 2016
Image 2Mashmash, a Somali pancake and part of Somali cuisine
Image 3A satellite image of Somalia, 2004
Image 4A man carries a huge hammerhead shark through the streets of Mogadishu
Image 5A Dhulbahante garesa (dervish fort) in Taleh
Image 6Lamadaya are waterfalls located in the Cal Madow mountain range in the northern Sanaag region of Somalia
Image 7The beachside at Merca, an ancient port city in the southern Lower Shebelle province of Somalia
Image 8A camel peering over the leafier portions of Cal Madow, a mountain range in Somalia
Image 9The Jubba river near Jamaame
Image 10A view of Banderadley Somalia
Image 11Hargeisa and much of northwestern Somalia is desert or hilly terrain. Here, the thelarchic-shaped Naasa Hablood hills are shown.
Image 12A view of Bosaso
Image 13A view of the Port of Mogadishu

Wiki Loves Africa in Somalia images

See Wiki Loves Africa in Somalia at Wikimedia Commons for more Somalia images.

General images -

The following are images from various Somalia-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Merca is an ancient Islamic center in Somalia. (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 2Ruins of the Sultanate of Adal in Zeila, Somalia. (from History of Somalia)
Image 3Somali women in traditional dirac and shash (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 4Taleh was the capital of the Dervish movement. (from History of Somalia)
Image 5Cinema Italia in Mogadiscio, 1937 (from History of Somalia)
Image 6US Army helicopter shortly before Battle of Mogadishu in 1993. (from History of Somalia)
Image 7Governor's palace in Mogadiscio (from History of Somalia)
Image 8The Osmanya writing script. (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 9Map of Italian Somaliland in 1940, when was added the British Somaliland (after the previous addition of the Ogaden in 1936) (from History of Somalia)
Image 10Major General Mohamed Siad Barre, Chairman of the Supreme Revolutionary Council. (from History of Somalia)
Image 11The Silk Road extending from southern Europe through Arabia, Somalia, Egypt, Persia, India and Java until it reaches China. (from History of Somalia)
Image 12Mosque in Borama, Somaliland (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 13Foreign Minister of Somalia Mohamed Abdullahi Omaar in a meeting with UNDP Administrator Helen Clark and other diplomats at the UN headquarters in New York. (from History of Somalia)
Image 14Former leader of the Somali Youth League Aden Abdullah Osman Daar who eventually became the first President of the Somali Republic following the union of State of Somaliland and Italian Trusteeship of Somalia. (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 15Barawa city was an important medieval centre of Somali enterprise. (from History of Somalia)
Image 16Somali wearing the traditional Jubbad over a Khamiis (Thawb) and a Emama(Turban) (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 17Mogadiscio cathedral (from History of Somalia)
Image 18Somali women basket weaving (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 19Wa'daan warriors ambushed and killed the Italian explorer Antonio Cecchi and most of his troops at Lafoole, west of Mogadishu, 1896 (from History of Somalia)
Image 20The Guardafui Channel, between the tip of Somalia and Socotra island. (from Geography of Somalia)
Image 21Neolithic rock art at the Laas Geel complex depicting a camel. (from History of Somalia)
Image 22Mosque of Islamic Solidarity (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 23Model of a medieval Mogadishan ship. (from History of Somalia)
Image 24Somalis performing the folk dance called Dhaanto (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 25Abdirahman Ahmed Ali Tuur Chairman of the Somali National Movement that overthrew Barre's regime in Northern Somalia (from History of Somalia)
Image 26AMISOM reinforcement convoy on the Baidoa-Mogadishu road in April 2014 (from History of Somalia)
Image 27Mogadishan currency – The Sultanate of Mogadishu was an important monetary supporter of Adal. (from History of Somalia)
Image 28Somali language books on display. (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 29The battle flag of Al-Shabaab, an Islamist group waging war against the federal government. (from History of Somalia)
Image 30Somali Army soldiers during the operation Operation Indian Ocean, October 2014 (from History of Somalia)
Image 31A Somali woman showing a decorated pottery (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 32A traditional dabqaad incense burner. (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 33Dervish commander Haji Sudi on the left with his brother in-law Duale Idres. Aden, 1892. (from History of Somalia)
Image 34Sheikh Ali Ayanle Samatar, a prominent Somali Islamic scholar. (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 35Almnara Tower, Mogadishu. (from History of Somalia)
Image 36Downtown Mogadishu in 1936. Arch of Triumph Umberto to the left, Cathedral and Arba Rucun mosque to the centre-right. (from History of Somalia)
Image 37Somali singer Fartuun Birimo wearing henna hand and arm designs. (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 38Fiat building in Mogadiscio, 1940 (from History of Somalia)
Image 39Engraving of the 13th century Fakr ad-Din Mosque built by Fakr ad-Din, the first Sultan of the Sultanate of Mogadishu. (from History of Somalia)
Image 40Dulbiciid in Godaalo, Xudun District, tallest Somalia mountain outside karkaar range (from Geography of Somalia)
Image 41Somali woman in Hargeisa opening speech with traditional greeting. (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 4219th century Martello fort in Berbera constructed by Haji Sharmarke Ali Saleh (from History of Somalia)
Image 43Flag of the Somali Youth League (SYL), the nation's first political party. (from History of Somalia)
Image 44Italian stamp from Mogadiscio (from History of Somalia)
Image 45Somali women performing a traditional dance (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 46Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi's pioneering use of cannons figured prominently in his Conquest of Ethiopian territories. (from History of Somalia)
Image 47Embassy of Somalia in Paris (from History of Somalia)
Image 48Bimaal clan elders and the Bimal Sultan on board Marco Polo discussing matters with Italian figures (from History of Somalia)
Image 49Exhumed skeletal remains of victims of the Isaaq genocide (from History of Somalia)
Image 50Somali woman building a Somali house (from Culture of Somalia)
Image 51Mohammed Abdullah Hassan, leader of the Dervish movement. (from History of Somalia)
Image 52Italian Somalia (from History of Somalia)
Image 53Topography of Somalia (from Geography of Somalia)
Image 54An avenue in downtown Mogadishu in 1963. (from History of Somalia)
Image 55In 1698, the Portuguese in Mombasa surrendered to a joint Somali-Ottoman force. (from History of Somalia)
Image 56Somalia map of Köppen climate classification. (from Geography of Somalia)

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