Somalia

Somalia is the easternmost country of mainland Africa, on the Horn of Africa between the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. Mogadishu is the capital, Somali is the official and national language, and Arabic is recognized as a second language. Its 3,333 km (2,071 mi) of coastline is the longest on the African mainland, and the land covers 637,657 km² (246,201 sq mi).

Rock paintings of cattle and wild animals at Laas Geel near Hargeisa are about 5,000 years old, and many scholars place the ancient Land of Punt, which traded myrrh and frankincense with Egypt in the time of Queen Hatshepsut, in or near Somalia. Islam reached the northern coast early, and the mosque of the two qiblas in Zeila is among the oldest in Africa. In the Middle Ages the Adal Sultanate ruled the north from Zeila and later Harar, and the Ajuran Sultanate made Mogadishu, Merca and Barawa rich ports trading with Arabia, India and China.

In the late 19th century Italy and Britain divided the Somali lands into Italian Somaliland and British Somaliland. The two territories joined on 1 July 1960 to form the independent Somali Republic. A provisional constitution of 2012 made Somalia a federal republic of member states under a federal government in Mogadishu.

Livestock is the backbone of the economy: Somalia has more camels than any other country, and most people keep goats, sheep, camels or cattle. Fish, bananas and charcoal are other exports, and Somalia is a leading supplier of frankincense and myrrh. Money sent by Somalis abroad and mobile phone companies such as Hormuud Telecom support daily life. Shimbiris in the northern mountains is the highest peak at about 2,416 m (7,927 ft), and the Jubba and Shabele, its only permanent rivers, flow south from the Ethiopian Highlands.