| Somalia officially the Republic of Somalia and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under communist rule, is a country
located in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, the Gulf of Aden with Yemen to the north, the
Indian Ocean to the east, and Ethiopia to the west. With the longest coastline on the continent, its terrain consists mainly of plateaus, plains and highlands.
In antiquity, Somalia was an important center for commerce with the
rest of the ancient world. Its sailors and merchants were the main
suppliers of frankincense, myrrh and spices, items which were
considered valuable |
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luxuries by the Ancient Egyptians, Phoenicians, Mycenaeans and Babylonians
with whom the Somali people traded. According to most scholars, Somalia is also where the ancient Kingdom of Punt was situated. The ancient Puntites
were a nation of people that had close relations with Pharaonic Egypt during the times of Pharaoh Sahure and Queen Hatshepsut. The pyramidal
structures, temples and ancient houses of dressed stone littered around
the country are said to date from this period. During the Middle Ages,
several powerful Somali empires dominated the regional trade, including
the Ajuuraan State, the Sultanate of Adal, the Warsangali Sultanate and
the Gobroon Dynasty.
Somalia was never formally colonized. Muhammad Abdullah Hassan's Dervish
State successfully repulsed the British Empire four times and forced it to
retreat to the coastal region.Due to these successful expeditions, the
Dervish State was recognized as an ally by the Ottoman and German Empires.
The Turks also named Hassan Emir of the Somali nation, and the Germans
promised to officially recognize any territories the Dervishes were to
acquire. After a quarter of a century of holding the British at bay, the
Dervishes were finally defeated in 1920 as a direct consequence of
Britain's new policy of aerial bombardment. As a result of this
bombardment, former Dervish territories were turned into a protectorate of
Britain. Italy faced similar opposition from Somali Sultans and armies,
and did not acquire full control of parts of modern Somalia until the
Fascist era in late 1927. This occupation lasted until 1941, and was
replaced by a British military administration. Northern Somalia would
remain a protectorate, while southern Somalia became a trusteeship. The
Union of the two regions in 1960 formed the Somali Republic. A civilian
government was formed, and on July 20, 1961, through a popular referendum,
a new constitution that had first been drafted the year before was
ratified.
Due to its longstanding ties with the Arab world, Somalia was accepted in
1974 as a member of the Arab League. During the same year, the nation's
former socialist administration also chaired the Organization of African
Unity, the predecessor of the African Union. In 1991, the Somali Civil War
broke out, which saw the collapse of the federal government. Somalia's
inhabitants subsequently reverted to local forms of conflict resolution,
either secular, Islamic or customary law, with a provision for appeal of
all sentences. As with other previously nationalized sectors, informal
providers stepped in to fill the void and replaced the former government
monopoly over healthcare, with access to facilities witnessing a
significant increase and general living conditions improving. Through
similar grass-roots initiatives, many educational institutions were
restored and newer ones were developed; several are now ranked among the
100 best universities in Africa. Additionally, a Transitional Federal
Government was created in 2004, which saw the restoration of numerous
national institutions, including the Military of Somalia. While it still
has room for improvement, the interim government continues to reach out to
both Somali and international stakeholders to help grow the administrative
capacity of the Transitional Federal Institutions and to work toward
eventual national elections in 2011. According to the CIA and the recently
re-established Central Bank of Somalia, despite experiencing civil unrest,
Somalia has also maintained a healthy informal economy, based mainly on
livestock, remittance/money transfer companies, and telecommunications.
Libertarian economist Peter T. Leeson attributes this increased economic
activity to the Somali traditional law (referred to as Xeer), which
provides a stable environment to conduct business in. |
