Country Profile

The Federal Republic of Somalia is one of the world’s most homogeneous nations, with a population exceeding 14 million. Located in the Horn of Africa, it borders 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. The official languages are Somali and Arabic.

Somalia’s main economic sectors are agriculture, with key exports including dry lemon, sesame, and banana, along with livestock and fisheries. The country also offers numerous attractions such as historical sites, pristine beaches, magnificent waterfalls, mountain ranges, ridges, and national parks.

Known as the “bride of the Indian Ocean,” Somalia’s coastline is the longest in mainland Africa and the second longest in all of Africa, stretching over 3,333 km. It features a highly productive upwelling zone crucial to the region.

Somalia is strategically important, leveraging vast opportunities from its extensive coastline and serving as a historic sea route for traders like Arabs, Romans, and Greeks. The nation has abundant untapped resources, including marine assets, offshore oil and gas, and various minerals. It is the second African country, after South Africa, to have a power generation plant incorporating fuel, solar, and wind energy. Somalia is also a member of the Regional Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (RCREEE).

Somalia has a tradition of peaceful power transitions, with successive heads of state handing over power since the first elections in 1967. As a founding member of the African Union (originally the Organization of African Unity), Somalia hosted the 11th OAU summit in Mogadishu in June 1974. The country adopted its constitution in 1961, and Somali became a written language in 1972. Somalia has been a member of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) since 1969 and joined the Arab League in 1974.

With resilience and courage, Somalia is rapidly regaining its status as an influential leader both regionally and globally, transforming into a fast-rising, stable, and sovereign federal republic.