FACT SHEETS
SOMALIA - COUNTRY BRIEF: October 2002
SOMALIA - GENERAL FACT SHEET:
Climate
Hot and dry, average temperature countrywide: 27C
Seasons:There are four main seasons: Gu rains (April - June), Hagaa dry season (July - September), Deyr rains (October - November) and Jilaal dry season (December - March)
Rainfall: Most of the country receives less than 500 mm annually. Much of north and northeast Somalia receives just 50-150 mm, while some northern highlands and coastal areas receive 500 mm. The southwest receives an average of 330 - 500 mm.
Temperature: Maximum: 30C - 40C. Minimum: 20C - 30C. Colder months: December - February. Hottest months: February - April. Coastal readings are usually 5 - 10 degrees cooler than those inland.
Geography
Land Area: 637,657 sq. km
Coastline: 3,025km
Highest Peak: Shimber Berris 2,407m near the town of Erigavo
Main Towns: Mogadishu, Hargeisa, Bossaso, Kismayo, Berbera, Baidoa and Galkaio
Physiographically, Somalia is a land of limited contrast. In the north, a maritime plain parallels the Gulf of Aden coast, which is scrub-covered, semiarid, and is known locally as the Guban (scrubland). Inland from the gulf coast the plain rises to the Karkaar mountain ranges reaching eastward to the tip of the Horn of Africa. Southward the land descend to broken mountain terrain, shallow plateau valleys and usually dry watercourses known as the Ogo. The western plateau merges southward into the Haud, broad undulating terrain that provides some of the best grazing lands for Somali nomads. Southwestern Somalia is dominated by the only two permanent rivers the Jubba and the Shabelle making it a fertile agricultural region and center of the countrys largest sedentary population.
Language
Spoken language: Somali, af-maay (Digil and Mirifle), Arabic, English, Italian.
Written language: In 1972 Somalia adopted an official orthography for the Somali language based on the Latin alphabet. Until then, Somali had been an unwritten language.
Religion
Islam is almost universally practiced in Somalia.
Population
Overall: Estimates range from 5.4m to 6.6m
Population under the age of five: Approximately 0.92m
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs): 350,000
Refugees: 451,600
Ethnicity
The Somali people, of Cushitic descent, are a culturally, linguistically, and religiously homogenous group divided along clan lines. The five principle clans are Dir, Isaaq, Hawiye, Darod and Rahanweyn/Digil. There are minorities of Swahili/Bantu descent mostly in farming villages in the south, and heirs of Arab and other non-African migrants called Gibilad meaning white skin mostly in coastal cities like Brava, Merka, and Mogadishu.
Government
Somalia has been without a central government since the overthrow of former president Siad Barre on 27 January 1991. Self-declared administrations have been set up in both the northwest (Somaliland) and northeast (Puntland). In August 2000, after months of negotiations between various Somali civil society groups in neighboring Arta, Djibouti, a Somali Transitional National Government was selected for an interim 3-year period, with a President, Prime Minister, and Transitional National Assembly which began work in Somalias capital Mogadishu in October 2000.
Livelihoods
Nomadic pastoralists or semi-nomadic herders: 60 percent
Farmers, mostly in southern Somalia near the Jubba and Shabelle rivers: 20-25 percent
Town dwellers: 15-20 percent
Children 5 - 14 years of age currently working: 41.9 percent
Economy
Gross National Product per capita: US $176
Gross Domestic Product: US $4.3b
External Debt: US $2.6b
Remittances: private business estimates at approximately US $500 million per annum
Donor aid: US $115m for year 2000
Principle export: Livestock: camel, sheep, goats, and cattle. Peak livestock export season: two months prior to the Islamic holy month of Ramadhan and ending with the Hajj - approximately 5 months. Somali livestock exports currently curtailed by Gulf states livestock import ban, due to fears of Rift Valley Fever in the Horn of Africa.
Poverty
Somalia is one of the poorest countries in the world. In 1996 Somalia ranked 172 out of 174 countries on the UN Development Programmes Human Development Index (HDI), thus falling into the category of Least Developed Country. Since then, Somalia has been excluded from ranking on the HDI due to lack of data.
Health
Average life expectancy: 48 years
Doctors per 100,000 people: 0.4
Nurses per 100,000 people: 2.0
Children 1-2 years old vaccinated against ALL childhood diseases: 1.5 percent
Infant Mortality Rate: 132/1000 (UNICEF est. 1999)
Under 5 Mortality Rate: 224/1000 (UNICEF est. 1999)
1. Immediate causes: diarrhoea, acute respiratory infections including pneumonia, measles, malaria and neonatal tetanus.
2. Underlying causes: Malnutrition, anemia, unattended births, female circumcision and infibulation
3. Basic cause: Low status of women
Maternal Mortality Rate: 1600/100,000
Female Genital Mutilation: Approximately 98 percent
HIV/AIDS Awareness: Survey of women aged 15 - 49
Has heard of AIDS: 36.6 percent
Knows 3 ways to prevent HIV transmission: 2.0 percent
Correctly identified 3 misconceptions about HIV transmission: 0.0 percent
HIV/AIDS infection rates in Somalia are currently not well documented
Health Access:
Preliminary results of the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) carried out by UNICEF in the Northeast Zone in November 1997 indicated that only one fifth of households reported taking their ill child to a public facility/person, while more than three quarters resorted to a private facility/person for help. About one seventh of households consulted both a public and a private source.
Malnutrition
Preliminary results of the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) by UNICEF in 1999, surveying malnutrition in children under the age of 5
Overall
Moderately undernourished: 17.2 percent
Severely undernourished: 3.5 percent
Central/South
Moderately undernourished: 21.2 percent
Severely undernourished: 4.6 percent
North/East
Moderately undernourished: 14.8 percent
Severely undernourished: 2.4 percent
North/West
Moderately undernourished: 10.1 percent
Severely undernourished: 2.0 percent
Water and Sanitation
Population with access to safe drinking water: 28 percent
Population with access to safe excreta disposal: 48.5 percent
Education
Adult literacy: 49.7 percent for men, 25.8 percent for women
Primary School Enrollment:
Overall: 13.8 percent
Males: 14.9 percent
Females: 12.1 percent
Regional Comparisons
Out of the six countries in the Horn of Africa (Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan) Somalia ranks:
-Lowest GNP per capita
-Lowest adult literacy rates
-Second lowest life expectancy rate (Ethiopia has lowest rate)
-Highest infant mortality rates
Aid agencies working in Somalia
There are over 100 international and local aid agencies currently working in Somalia. In the year 2000, more than US $115 million from donors was given to aid projects in Somalia. The Somali Aid Coordination Body (SACB) is the umbrella group for assistance to Somalia, and is comprised of UN agencies, non-governmental organizations, and donors.
Infrastructure
Road networks - No official statistics available, but most roads have fallen into disrepair
Airports - Aerodome flight information service stations in Hargeisa, Berbera, Bossaso. Reporting stations in Boroma, Kalabeyed, Burao. Approximately 100 other airstrips, many of them little more than dirt runways. Air traffic services provided by the International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO) through its unique Civil Aviation Caretaker Authority for Somalia (CACAS) program.
Telecommunications
Telephone lines: 58,000
Public telephones: 68
Cellular mobile subscribers: 11,000
People connected to the internet: 4,500
Born on the 3rd of December, 1926, Tony Bennett is a world famous singer, songwriter and painter. Since starting his career in 1948, Bennett has gone on to make an illustrious career in his form of pop/jazz music with over 50 million albums sold throughout his career. Bennett has achieved legendary status with his music being recognized with multiple awards including several Grammy and Emmy awards and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. To get a chance to catch Bennett in concert soon and listen to some of his everlasting hits like ‘Because of You’ live, get your Tony Bennett Concert Tickets today.
One of the novel acts of country is better known as Brad Paisley. He is not only a country music singer, but also a virtuoso guitarist, and a songwriter, who has today become Nashville’s staple country musician who is known for his catchy tunes and outrageous and hilarious song lyrics. He has also won many Grammy Awards and is loved by millions worldwide! Now, as he comes to perform a live concert near you, make sure to book your Brad Paisley Concert Tickets! His performances are not to be missed, so you better not miss your chance to catch him live too!
Starting at a remarkably young age of 12, Marco Antonio Solis started singing in the group Los Hermanitos with his cousin Joel Solis. Gaining confidence with time, he then formed Los Bukis as lead vocalist and lyricist working for many top-notch singers. He easily swept the audience’s feet in Mexico, Central and South America as well as Hispanic audience in USA. In 1996, he ventured into a solo career after twenty years of group participation. With his solo performances he is a hit in his country Mexico not to mention Latin America and Spain. Marco Antonio Solis Tickets expertise in record production has made him win clients who have been prominent performers. Do not miss the tickets for his shows next time you are around!
Toby Keith is a huge phenomenon in country music and his melodies contain a certain timeless appeal that can rarely be found in today%92s music. He is someone who got his first guitar at the age of eight and formed a band at the age of twenty. Thus, when he made his musical debut in 1990%92s; he appeared as a seasonal singer-songwriter who excels in his craft and has unique stuff to offer. This resulted in the stupendous fame in and outside United States; with albums declaring gold, platinum and multi-platinum, compilations becoming collectors%92 item, holiday and Christmas albums selling like hot cakes and concerts tagged as sold-out. Keith also dares to make charged up political statements through his music as evident from his post 9/11 hit Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American). A winner of multiple Academy of Country Music Awards and American Music Awards, Toby Keith is truly a country music star one should listen to LIVE. If you are interested in his stuff, then reserve your Toby Keith Tickets and enjoy his refreshing tunes!
