ABSTRACT

The Republic of Somalia was established in 1960 as an amalgamation of two separately administered colonies, British Somaliland in the north and Italian Somaliland in the south. Somalis could also be found in Djibouti or French Somaliland, in northern Kenya and the Ogaden district of Ethiopia. In the north, Somalia is mountainous, with ranges above 2,000 metres; in the south, the level drops to 500 metres above sea level. The country has a dry climate and sparse natural vegetation. Most of the land is used for cattle herding, with less than 2 per cent suitable for the growing of crops. This agricultural land is situated between the Shabeelle and Jubba rivers in the south. The annual rainfall is below 50 centimetres; however, the annual rainy season, from April to June, can make large parts of the country inaccessible. Somalia has 2,600 kilometres of paved roads, most linking the coastal cities Mogadishu (Muqdisho), the capital, Merca (Marka), Kismayo (Kismaayo) and Bardera (Baardheere) in the interior.1 The Somali coastline is the longest on the African continent; with the exception of parts of the north, it is made up of sand dunes.