NationalitySomali(s) |
Ethnic Composition
| Somali |
85% |
| Bantu |
15% |
| Arabs |
30,000 |
|
Religious Composition
|
Languages SpokenSomali (official), Arabic, Italian, English |
Education and LiteracySomalia's overall adult literacy is around 37.8 percent.
Among males it is 49.7 percent and females 25.8
percent. |
Labor ForceTotal:
3.7 million
By occupation:
| Agriculture |
71% |
| Industry and services |
29% |
|
Geography |
Land Mass Total246,200 sq mi (637,657 sq km) |
Land242,216 sq mi (627,337 sq km) |
Water3,984 sq mi (10,320 sq km) |
Land BoundariesTotal:
1,454 mi (2,340 km)
Border countries: Djibouti 36 mi (58 km), Ethiopia 994 mi
(1,600 km), Kenya 423 mi (682 km) |
Coastline1,879 mi (3,025 km) |
Maritime claimTerritorial sea:
200 nm |
Climate/WeatherPrincipally desert; December to February is
the northeast monsoon, with moderate temperatures in north
and very hot in south; May to October is the southwest monsoon,
torrid in the north and hot in the south; irregular rainfall,
hot and humid periods (tangambili
) between
monsoons |
TerrainMostly flat to undulating plateau rising to hills in north
|
Elevation extremesLowest:
Indian Ocean 0 m
Highest:
Shimbiris 2,416 m |
Natural ResourcesUranium and largely unexploited reserves of iron ore, tin,
gypsum, bauxite, copper, salt |
Land use
| Arable land |
2% |
| Permanent crops |
0% |
| Other |
98% |
(1998) |
Natural hazardsRecurring droughts; frequent dust storms over eastern plains in
summer; floods during rainy season. |
Environment - current issuesFamine; use of contaminated water contributes to human health
problems; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion;
desertification. |
Geography NoteStrategic location on Horn of Africa along southern approaches
to Bab el Mandeb and route through Red Sea and Suez Canal.
|
Demographics |
Population7,753,310 (July 2002)
Note: this estimate was derived from an official census
taken in 1975 by the Somali Government; population counting in
Somalia is complicated by the large number of nomads and by
refugee movements in response to famine and clan warfare.
|
Age structure
| 0-14 years: |
44.7% |
Male: 1,737,491 |
Female: 1,730,237 |
| 15-64 years: |
52.6% |
Male: 2,054,243 |
Female: 2,019,980 |
| 65 years and over: |
2.7% |
Male: 92,617 |
Female: 118,742) |
(2002))) |
Growth Rate3.46% (2002) |
Life Expectancy46.96 years (2002)
Female: 48.65 years
Male: 45.33 years |
GDP Per CapitaPurchasing power parity
US$550 (2001) |
Infant Mortality122.15 deaths/1,000 live births (2002) |
Sex ratio
| At birth: |
1.03 male(s)/female |
| Under 15 years: |
1 male(s)/female |
| 15-64 years: |
1.02 male(s)/female |
| 65 years and over: |
0.78 male(s)/female |
| Total population: |
1.01 male(s)/female |
(2002) |
Net migration rate5.75 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002) |
Economy & Trade |
| One of the world's poorest and least developed countries,
Somalia has few resources and is prone to drought. Moreover,
much of the economy has been devastated by civil war since
1991. Agriculture is the most important sector, with livestock
accounting for about 40 percent of GDP and about 65
percent of export earnings. Nomads and semi-nomads, who
are dependent upon livestock for their livelihood, make up a
large portion of the population. Livestock, hides, charcoal,
and bananas are Somalia's principal exports, while sugar,
sorghum, corn, fish, qat, and machined goods are the principal
imports. Somalia's small industrial sector, based on the
processing of agricultural products, has largely been looted
and sold as scrap metal. Despite the seeming anarchy, Somalia's
service sector has managed to survive and grow.
Telecommunication firms provide wireless services in most major
cities and offer the lowest international call rates on the
continent. In the absence of a formal banking sector, money
exchange services have sprouted throughout the country,
handling between US$200 million and US$500 million in
remittances annually. Mogadishu's main market offers a variety
of goods from food to the newest electronic gadgets. Hotels
continue to operate, and militias provide a very uneasy and
often vigilante-style form of security.. Ongoing civil
disturbances and clan rivalries, however, have interfered with
any broad-based economic development and international aid
arrangements. The failure of spring rains caused major food
shortages in the south in 2001 that progressed to famine
conditions by 2002. Somalia's overly fluid political scene
fetters what would otherwise be a productive economy. The lack
of a central political structure makes even the compilation of
useful economic data a hit-or-miss process. |
UnemploymentN/A |
Inflation RateOver 100% (businesses print their own money) (2000) |
IndustriesA few light industries, including sugar refining, textiles,
petroleum refining (mostly shut down), wireless communication
|
ExportsUS$186 million (f.o.b., 1999) |
ImportsUS$314 million (f.o.b., 1999) |
Total TradePurchasing power parity
GDP US$4.1 billion (2001) |
Top Export PartnersSaudi Arabia 29%, UAE 29%, Yemen 28% (calculated through
partners) (2000) |
Top Import PartnersDjibouti 27%, Kenya 12%, India 9% (2000) |
Top ExportsLivestock, bananas, hides, fish, charcoal, scrap metal (1999)
|
Top ImportsManufactures, petroleum products, foodstuffs, construction
materials, qat (1995) |
Debt - externalUS$2.6 billion (2000) |
Economic aidUS$60 million (1999) |
Fiscal Year:N/A |
Business Workweek
|
| |
Monday - Friday |
Saturday -
Sunday |
| Offices |
8a.m. to 2p.m. |
Closed |
| Retail |
8a.m. to 12:30p.m., and 4:30p.m. to 7p.m. |
Closed |
| Banks |
8a.m. to 11a.m. |
Closed |
| Government |
8a.m. to 2p.m. |
Closed |
|
Holidays |
Official Holidays
| Holidays |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
| New Year's Day |
January 1 |
January 1 |
January 1 |
Festival of Sacrifice
(Eid Al Adha)¹ |
February 12 |
February 2 |
January 21 |
| Islamic New Year² |
March 5 |
February 22 |
February 10 |
| Birthday of Prophet Mohammad (Mawlid an
Nabi)³ |
May 14 |
May 2 |
April 21 |
| Independence Day (North) |
June 26 |
June 26 |
June 26 |
| Independence Day (South) |
July 1 |
July 1 |
July 1 |
| Start of Ramadan*¹ |
October 27 |
October 15 |
October 4 |
End of Ramadan
(Eid Al Fatr)*² |
November 26 |
November 14 |
November 3 |
| ¹ |
Culmination of the Hajj or Holy
Pilgrimage. |
| ² |
The lunar Islamic Hijra calendar is made
up of 12 months, each month alternating between 29 and 30
days per month, culminating in a total of 354 days per
year. The Hijra calendar is based on the cycles of
the moon and annually moves 11 days backward through the
seasons. |
| ³ |
The Birthday of the Prophet Mohammad is
celebrated on the twelfth day in the month of Rabi'l of
the Islamic calendar. |
| *¹ |
Ramadan (the month of fasting) begins
with the first appearance of the new moon in the ninth
month of the lunar Islamic Hijra calendar, and lasts 30
days. Dates for the start of Ramadan will vary from
country to country, depending on the first appearance of
the moon. |
| *² |
Feasting that officially marks the end of
Ramadan, and commonly lasts for 3 days. |
|
