Somonlia

Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, east of Ethiopia famine; use of contaminated water contributes to human health problems; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification Population: [pic] 9,832,017 country comparison to the world: 83 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 (July 2009 est.) Life expectancy at birth: [pic] total population: 49.63 years country comparison to the world: 211 male: 47.78 years female: 51.53 years (2009 est.) Major infectious diseases: [pic] degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and Rift Valley fever water contact disease: schistosomiasis animal contact disease: rabies (2009) Religions: [pic] Sunni Muslim Languages: [pic] Somali (official), Arabic, Italian, English Government type: [pic] no permanent national government; transitional, parliamentary federal government Legal system: [pic] no national system; a mixture of English common law, Italian law, Islamic sharia, and Somali customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations economy Despite the lack of effective national governance, Somalia has maintained a healthy informal economy, largely based on livestock, remittance/money transfer companies, and telecommunications. Agriculture is the most important sector, with livestock normally accounting for about 40% of GDP and more than 50% of export earnings. Nomads and semi-pastoralists, who are dependent upon livestock for their livelihood, make up a large portion of the population. Livestock, hides, fish, charcoal, and bananas are Somalia's principal exports, while sugar, sorghum, corn, 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. Somalia's service sector also has grown. 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 transfer/remittance services have sprouted throughout the country, handling up to $1.6 billion in remittances annually. Mogadishu's main market offers a variety of goods from food to the newest electronic gadgets. Hotels continue to operate and are supported with private-security militias. Due to armed attacks on and threats to humanitarian aid workers, the World Food Programme partially suspended its operations in southern Somalia in early January 2010 pending improvement in the security situation. Somalia's arrears to the IMF have continued to grow. Disputes - international: [pic] Ethiopian forces invaded southern Somalia and routed Islamist Courts from Mogadishu in January 2007; "Somaliland" secessionists provide port facilities in Berbera to landlocked Ethiopia and have established commercial ties with other regional states; "Puntland" and "Somaliland" "governments" seek international support in their secessionist aspirations and overlapping border claims; the undemarcated former British administrative line has little meaning as a political separation to rival clans within Ethiopia's Ogaden and southern Somalia's Oromo region; Kenya works hard to prevent the clan and militia fighting in Somalia from spreading south across the border, which has long been open to nomadic pastoralists https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/so.html Next source Since its independence in 1960, Somalia has encountered political, economic, and cultural instability. Somalia, like many other African nations, was controlled by a dictator under an authoritarian regime. Siyad Barre, who assumed control of Somali in a coup in 1969, declared Somalia as a socialist state and nationalized the economy. President Barre was ousted out of power in 1991, which left Somalia in a virtual state of anarchy. Mogadishu, the capital city of Somalia, is an extremely dangerous city where different clans constantly battle for control. People Suffering from Drought and Famine. The delivery of food is often restricted by fighting among competing clans Somalia is a country that has experienced excessive amounts of political instability during the past decade. As of September 1991, Somalia is effectively under the control of as many as 12 rival clans and sub clans. Somalia currently has no stable government and many of the areas of the country continue to be under self-rule with control held by local leaders. Somalia is a country comprised of roughly 7.5 million people, many of who are nomads or refugees. The establishment of a government has proved to be extremely difficult and currently Somalia remains a lawless nation. Somalia is a very divided nation that lacks any sense of cohesive government and therefore there is no real overall ideology of the country. Somalia is attempting to stabilize many of the internal conflicts that continue to prevail in the country along with attempting to create a political ideology and a foreign policy. Somali culture is male centered, at least in public, although women play important economic roles in both farming and herding families and in business in the cities. Female labor is valued for productive tasks as well as for household chores, as long as the male is still seen as being in charge. In recent years, war, drought, and male migration have dramatically increased the number of female-headed households. As the result of efforts by the socialist regime to improve opportunities for women, Somali women have more freedom to become educated, to work, and to travel than do most other Muslim women. Currently Somalia's government is in a transitional phase and therefore is in the process of establishing an electoral process. In Somalia there are many different factions that are attempting to gain power and this is making the process of creating a governmental structure very difficult. Neighboring nations, such as Ethiopia and Kenya, have attempted to help Somalia reestablish a functioning government. In 2000, the Transitional National Government (TNG) was formed. The TNG is the first attempt to establish a government since the ousting of President Barre in 1991. Countries, such as Ethiopia and Kenya, have displayed interest in stabilizing the political situation in Somalia because they face internal problems that are directly related to the instability in Somalia. Economic and social problems have arisen throughout the area due to the collapse of the Somali government. The problems that Somalia has faced over the last decade have not only affected their internal situation but have also influenced the political, social, and economic structures within numerous other African nations. Somalia is culturally and ethnically different from the majority of African nations. Prior to the civil war that erupted a decade ago, Somalia appeared to be one of the most homogeneous countries in Africa. Although Somalia has a significant number of ethnic and economic minority groups, the people primarily speak the same language and practice the same religion. Somalia's political turmoil is an excellent example of the effect that the involvement of outside countries can have upon a developing nation. Somalia is a nation that has been shaped by numerous events that range from its early colonization to the external events of the Cold War. Similar to the majority of African nations, Somalia is entrenched in the political developmental process and has a long way to go before it can be deemed democratically successful by Western nations. http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~jmroth/index.htm Next source Somalia The Transitional National Government of Somalia reconfirms its full commitment to BPOA and the implementation of the seven areas of commitments. However, no significant progress in the actual implementation could be reported as a result of instability since 1990 following the collapse of the Central Government. It was however indicated that various attempts were underway to accelerate the process of reconciliation and rehabilitation in Somalia. The Government is hopeful that some progress would be reported in the near future. http://www.un.org/special-rep/ohrlls/ldc/african-LDC-somalia.htm Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, east of Ethiopia famine; use of contaminated water contributes to human health problems; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification economy Despite the lack of effective national governance, Somalia has maintained a healthy informal economy, largely based on livestock, remittance/money transfer companies, and telecommunications. Agriculture is the most important sector, with livestock normally accounting for about 40% of GDP and more than 50% of export earnings. Nomads and semi-pastoralists, who are dependent upon livestock for their livelihood, make up a large portion of the population. Livestock, hides, fish, charcoal, and bananas are Somalia's principal exports, while sugar, sorghum, corn, 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. Somalia's service sector also has grown. 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 transfer/remittance services have sprouted throughout the country, handling up to $1.6 billion in remittances annually. Mogadishu's main market offers a variety of goods from food to the newest electronic gadgets. Hotels continue to operate and are supported with private-security militias. Due to armed attacks on and threats to humanitarian aid workers, the World Food Programme partially suspended its operations in southern Somalia in early January 2010 pending improvement in the security situation. Somalia's arrears to the IMF have continued to grow. Disputes - international: [pic] Ethiopian forces invaded southern Somalia and routed Islamist Courts from Mogadishu in January 2007; "Somaliland" secessionists provide port facilities in Berbera to landlocked Ethiopia and have established commercial ties with other regional states; "Puntland" and "Somaliland" "governments" seek international support in their secessionist aspirations and overlapping border claims; the undemarcated former British administrative line has little meaning as a political separation to rival clans within Ethiopia's Ogaden and southern Somalia's Oromo region; Kenya works hard to prevent the clan and militia fighting in Somalia from spreading south across the border, which has long been open to nomadic pastoralists https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/so.html Next source Since its independence in 1960, Somalia has encountered political, economic, and cultural instability. Somalia, like many other African nations, was controlled by a dictator under an authoritarian regime. Siyad Barre, who assumed control of Somali in a coup in 1969, declared Somalia as a socialist state and nationalized the economy. President Barre was ousted out of power in 1991, which left Somalia in a virtual state of anarchy. Mogadishu, the capital city of Somalia, is an extremely dangerous city where different clans constantly battle for control. People Suffering from Drought and Famine. The delivery of food is often restricted by fighting among competing clans Somalia is a country that has experienced excessive amounts of political instability during the past decade. As of September 1991, Somalia is effectively under the control of as many as 12 rival clans and sub clans. Somalia currently has no stable government and many of the areas of the country continue to be under self-rule with control held by local leaders. Somalia is a country comprised of roughly 7.5 million people, many of who are nomads or refugees. The establishment of a government has proved to be extremely difficult and currently Somalia remains a lawless nation. Somalia is a very divided nation that lacks any sense of cohesive government and therefore there is no real overall ideology of the country. Somalia is attempting to stabilize many of the internal conflicts that continue to prevail in the country along with attempting to create a political ideology and a foreign policy. Somali culture is male centered, at least in public, although women play important economic roles in both farming and herding families and in business in the cities. Female labor is valued for productive tasks as well as for household chores, as long as the male is still seen as being in charge. In recent years, war, drought, and male migration have dramatically increased the number of female-headed households. As the result of efforts by the socialist regime to improve opportunities for women, Somali women have more freedom to become educated, to work, and to travel than do most other Muslim women. Currently Somalia's government is in a transitional phase and therefore is in the process of establishing an electoral process. In Somalia there are many different factions that are attempting to gain power and this is making the process of creating a governmental structure very difficult. Neighboring nations, such as Ethiopia and Kenya, have attempted to help Somalia reestablish a functioning government. In 2000, the Transitional National Government (TNG) was formed. The TNG is the first attempt to establish a government since the ousting of President Barre in 1991. Countries, such as Ethiopia and Kenya, have displayed interest in stabilizing the political situation in Somalia because they face internal problems that are directly related to the instability in Somalia. Economic and social problems have arisen throughout the area due to the collapse of the Somali government. The problems that Somalia has faced over the last decade have not only affected their internal situation but have also influenced the political, social, and economic structures within numerous other African nations. Somalia is culturally and ethnically different from the majority of African nations. Prior to the civil war that erupted a decade ago, Somalia appeared to be one of the most homogeneous countries in Africa. Although Somalia has a significant number of ethnic and economic minority groups, the people primarily speak the same language and practice the same religion. Somalia's political turmoil is an excellent example of the effect that the involvement of outside countries can have upon a developing nation. Somalia is a nation that has been shaped by numerous events that range from its early colonization to the external events of the Cold War. Similar to the majority of African nations, Somalia is entrenched in the political developmental process and has a long way to go before it can be deemed democratically successful by Western nations. http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~jmroth/index.htm http://www.un.org/special-rep/ohrlls/ldc/african-LDC-somalia.htm Next source In nations such as Somalia and Sierra Leone—warlords have divided control over their country and have so deeply undermined their national governments that political scientists label them “countries without a state.”page(11)> Social scientists disagree even more intensely over the underlying causesof underdevelopment and the most desirable pathways to change. How, for example, do we account for constant military intervention in Pakistani politics, political turmoil in Somalia, government repression in Syria, or a financial crisis in Argentina' Do these problems originate from internal factors such as authoritarian cultural values, weak political parties, or misguided economic planning' Or, did foreign domination—stretching from the colonial era to today’s age of multinational corporations (MNCs) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF)—cause many of these difficulties' (The Challenge of Third World Development, 5th Edition. Longman/CourseSmart, 05/07/2008. 13). The dispatch of 25,000 American troops into nearby, strife-torn Somalia (“Operation Restore Hope”), trying to establish order and begin famine relief (1992–1993) (The Challenge of Third World Development, 5th Edition. Longman/CourseSmart, 05/07/2008. 71). A relatively small number of American soldiers (18) brutally killed in 1993 during a mission to restore order and distribute food in war-torn Somalia shocked U.S. public opinion and caused President Clinton to withdraw the remaining American troops. page(122)> Pin eEj2ENB