About Somalia

Somalia is an eastern African country located on the Horn of Africa. In the late 19th century, Islamic sultanates began to develop in the area until the region was colonized by Italy and Great Britain. Following World War II, it became part of Italian Somaliland and experienced intensive development until gaining independence in 1960 before becoming a unified republic four years later. Although it is relatively small in size, Somalia has held an important role in mercantilism due to its location along busy trading routes from the Arabian Peninsula throughout East Africa. It is also home to Africa’s longest coastline, stretching across over two thousand kilometers. Somalia has a long history of political instability due to internal armed conflict, with much of its infrastructure and land devastated over the past three decades. The civil war in Somalia began after a successful military coup in the 1980s, when various warring factions from different clans and regional territories began to fight one another for control of the country. Conflict has occurred primarily around land ownership, resources and clan-based divisions leaving Somalis among one of the most forcibly displaced people on earth.  Though progress towards stability is being made everyday, peace remains fragile and full normality is still a distant aspiration for many Somalis.