SOMALIA

Religion & Population
The main religion in Somalia is Islam. The estimated population of Somalia is 11,021,000. Almost 100% of the people in Somalia are Muslim.

TYPE OF GOVERNMENT IN SOMALIA

• In January 1991 till August 2000, Somalia didn't have any working government. A fragile democracy was made in 2000, but it ended in 2003 without having control of the country. In 2004, a new transitional democracy was made and a president was elected.

GEOGRAPHY

• Somalia is in the Horn of Africa, lies along the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. It is bordered by Djibouti in the northwest, Ethiopia in the west, and Kenya in the southwest. Somalia is slightly smaller than Texas. Mostly dry and barren, Somalia has two chief rivers, the names of the rivers are Shebelle and Juba.

RESOURCES IN SOMALIA

• Here are some of Somalia's Natural resources. Largely unexploited reserves of iron ore, tin, gypsum, bauxite, copper, and salt. These are some of the natural resources in Somalia. They have also found oil, natural gas and other things in Somalia.

NATIVE SOMALI FOODS

• Some Native Somali foods are Shushumow (Somali Crystallised Pastry Shells), Hilib Ari Isku Duug (Braised Goat in Spices and Tomato), Ful Sahan (Fava beans in a berbere spiced tomato sauce). These are only three native Somali dishes.

SOMALIA'S CLIMATE

• The Jilal starts around January and is the hardest time, hot and very dry. The first rain season of the year is called Gu starting in March and ending in June. During August, is a time of dry monsoon winds and dust clouds this time is called Hagaa. Dayr is the second rainy season of the year beginning in September and ending in December.

SOMALI FLAG

• The light blue color stands for the sky above Somalia and the United Nations (UN). The UN assisted the country of Somalia to recognize its dream of freedom. The white star represents African liberty. Each of the star's points regards one of the five historic realms populated by the Somali people.

CULTURAL CLOTHING IN SOMALIA

• Clothing for me
• Men in Somalia usually wear sarong-like clothing (a sarong is a long piece of cloth which is wrapped around the waist of a man). Usually it is a white cloth, but it is sometimes colorful as well. It is called a macawis. There is similar clothing worn by men in Asia, large parts of Africa, etc.

CULTURAL CLOTHING IN SOMALIA

• Clothing for men.
• Men use another white cloth to cover the top part of their bodies, they use the cloth like a shawls. Some Somali men wear kameez as well (a long ankle length shirt made of natural materials). It looks like a long shirt with long sleeves. This clothing helps people survive the very hot weather. Somali men also sometimes wear colorful turbans and hats with embroidery called koofiyad and taqiyah.

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• Clothing for women.
• Somali women wear clothing that covers their entire bodies. Also there are a lot of Muslims in Somalia so their clothing is even more modest. You will often see women in Somalia in depraved clothing at the streets. Usually women use full-length dresses of many different styles. The colors of these dresses are rather conservative.

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• Clothing for women.
• In everyday life women wear guntiino. It is a long piece of cloth which is draped over the shoulder and around the waist. Guntiino can be in various styles, colors and fabrics. Traditionally it is white with embroidery, but today women use this piece of clothing in any other colors. There is special cloths for formal events such as weddings or religious celebrations in Somalia.

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• Clothing for women
• On such important days women wear a garment called dirac. It is a long light dress. It is worn over a slip and a brassiere. An underskirt called gorgorad is worn with dirac. The married women always cover their heads. They use a special scarf called shash. They can also cover the top of their bodies with a shawl called garbasaar. Some married women wear, not only scarves but veils as well to cover the face. Young unmarried girls sometimes also cover their heads with scarves but not often.

FAMOUS MONUMENTS IN SOLAMIA

• Prehistoric and ancient cave paintings. Somalian cave art is one of the world's best prehistoric art. There are several here hundred of sites with beautiful and often - mysterious paintings and undeciphered signs. Ancient port cities. Today Somalia has some of most feared pirates in the world but about a millennia ago it was known for its welcoming, rich port cities. Many of these ancient cities have been preserved up to this day.

CAPITAL AND MAJOR CITIES

• The capital of Somalia is Mogadishu and some major cities in Somalia are Hargeysa, Berbera, and Kismayo. These are only three major cities in Somalia not counting the capital Mogadishu. The capital has the biggest population.

MAJOR AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS IN SOMALIA

• Livestock is the main source of food and export. The major crops are some beans, rice and sesame. The main things that Somalia exports are livestock, bananas, and fish.

IMPORTANT NATIONAL DAYS

• One of the important days in Somalia is Independance Day which is on June 26th, in 2012 the violence in the country stopped long enough for the Somalis to celebrate their short freedom. Some Somalis don't like this day because true freedom has not yet happened.
• Two other holidays that are celebrated in Somalia are Eid-Ul-Adha and Eid-Ul-Fitr.

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• Eid-Ul-Fitr is celebrated at the end of Ramadan. Ramadan is the month in which most Muslims fast. This day celebrates the sacrifices that everyone has made. On this day families and friends gather together to enjoy big feasts of food. One of the special activities for some people is the buying of new clothes for them to wear for the special occasion.

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• Eid-Ul-Adha usually lasts for two or three days and happens in the memory of Prophet Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his firstborn son to Allah (SWT). The locals slaughter sheep following through with the same act Prophet Ibrahim because in the end Allah (SWT) put a sheep in the place of Prophet Ibrahim's sons place to be slaughtered. The sheep cooked used for a feast with their family and friends. These ar ethereal of the main National Dates in Somalia.

SITES

• http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/somalia-population/ - For the population
• http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Rwanda-to-Syria/Somalis.html - For the religion
• http://www.iexplore.com/articles/travel-guides/africa/somalia/festivals-and... - For the Important National Dates
• http://www.mapsofworld.com/flags/somalia-flag.html - For the flag

SITES PAGE #2

• http://nationalclothing.org/29-nationalclothing/africa/somalia/33-tradition... - For the National Clothes
• http://www.wondermondo.com/Somalia.htm - For Famous Monuments
• http://www.geonames.org/SO/largest-cities-in-somalia.html - For Capital and Major Cities
• http://www.somalikitchen.com/ - For Native Foods

SITES PAGE #3

• http://www.somalikitchen.com/ - For Native Foods
• http://www.infoplease.com/country/somalia.html - For Geography and Type of Government
• http://www.indexmundi.com/somalia/natural_resources.html - For Resources
• http://www.ruralpovertyportal.org/ar/country/geography/tags/somalia - Fo the Major Agricultural Products
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