Portal:Somalia

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The Somalia Portal

Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, the Gulf of Aden to the north, the Indian Ocean to the east, and Kenya to the southwest. Somalia has the longest coastline on the mainland of Africa, with a seaboard that stretches 3,025 kilometres (1,880 mi).

In antiquity, Somalia was an important centre for commerce with the rest of the ancient world, it is among the most probable locations of the fabled ancient Land of Punt. During the Middle Ages, several powerful Somali empires dominated the regional trade, including the Ajuuraan State, the Adal Sultanate, the Warsangali Sultanate and the Geledi Sultanate. In the late nineteenth century, through a succession of treaties with these kingdoms, the British and Italians gained control of parts of the coast, and established British Somaliland and Italian Somaliland. In the interior, Muhammad Abdullah Hassan's Dervish State successfully repulsed the British Empire four times and forced it to retreat to the coastal region. Italian occupation lasted until 1941, yielding to British military administration. British Somaliland would remain a protectorate, while Italian Somaliland in 1949 became a United Nations Trusteeship under Italian administration, the Trust Territory of Somaliland. In 1960, the two regions united to form the independent Somali Republic under a civilian government.

Somalia has a population of around 10 million. About 85% of local residents are ethnic Somalis, Somali and Arabic are the official languages of Somalia, both of which belong to the Afro-Asiatic family. Most people in the territory are Muslims, the majority being Sunni.

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The Ethiopian–Somali conflict is a territorial and political dispute between the territories of present-day Ethiopia and Somalia. Lasting from the late 1940s, when the Ogaden region was handed over to Ethiopia by the British, into the present day, the tensions culminated in three wars and numerous military clashes alongside the borders. However, because of the Somali Civil War and the lack of a functioning central government in Somalia since the collapse of the Democratic Republic of Somalia in 1991, Ethiopia enjoys the upper hand militarily and economically. (Full article...)

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Somalia participated at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom, which took place from 27 July to 12 August 2012. The country's participation in London marked its ninth appearance in the Summer Olympics since its debut at the 1972 Summer Olympics. The delegation included one short-distance sprinter and one long-distance runner: Mohamed Hassan Mohamed and Zamzam Mohamed Farah. Both qualified for the games through wildcard places from the International Association of Athletics Federations. Farah was selected as the flag bearer for both the opening and closing ceremonies. Mohamed and Farah failed to advance beyond the heat stage of their respective events. (Full article...)

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Mogadishu Battle of Jilib Embassy of the United States, Mogadishu Operation Eastern Exit Cyclone Sagar Somalia at the 2000 Summer Olympics Somalia at the 2008 Summer Olympics Somalia at the 2016 Summer Olympics Somalia at the 2016 Summer Paralympics

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...that Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi, a Somali Imam and General of the Adal Sultanate, invaded Ethiopia and defeated several Ethiopian emperors, wreaking much damage on that kingdom?

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create new articles on Somali topics
improve existing articles.
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- remove any forms of vandalism, unsourced statements or POV. (articles requiring cleanup, articles with POV problems)
- upload images of Somalia. (BUT: Don't upload images which are not your own. Uploading images of others without their consent is considered copyright violation and not good for Wikipedia.)
To learn how you can contribute to Wikipedia, see Wikipedia:What Wikipedia is not, Wikipedia:Neutral point of view, Wikipedia:Verifiability, Wikipedia:Image use policy.

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A satellite image of Somalia, 2004
Mohammed Abdullah Hassan's fort in Taleh
Mashmash, a Somali pancake and part of Somali cuisine
A view of the Port of Mogadishu
A camel peering over the leafier portions of Cal Madow, a mountain range in Somalia
A view in the Kismayo/Dalxiiska area in 2016
The Jubba river near Jamaame
The beachside at Merca, an ancient port city in the southern Lower Shebelle province of Somalia
A view of Bosaso
The Hargeisa War Memorial is a monument in Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland
Hargeisa and much of northwestern Somalia is desert or hilly terrain. Here, the thelarchic-shaped Naasa Hablood hills are shown.
Lamadaya are waterfalls located in the Cal Madow mountain range in the northern Sanaag region of Somalia
A man carries a huge hammerhead shark through the streets of Mogadishu
A view of Banderadley Somalia

Wiki Loves Africa in Somalia images

See Wiki Loves Africa in Somalia at Wikimedia Commons for more Somalia images.

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The following are images from various Somalia-related articles on Wikipedia.

A traditional dabqaad incense burner.
Somali women in traditional dirac and shash
US Army helicopter shortly before Battle of Mogadishu in 1993.
Model of a medieval Mogadishan ship.
Major General Mohamed Siad Barre, Chairman of the Supreme Revolutionary Council.
An avenue in downtown Mogadishu in 1963.
Engraving of the 13th century Fakr ad-Din Mosque built by Fakr ad-Din, the first Sultan of the Sultanate of Mogadishu.
Mohammed Abdullah Hassan, leader of the Dervish movement.
Former leader of the Somali Youth League Aden Abdullah Osman Daar who eventually became the first President of the Somali Republic following the union of State of Somaliland and Italian Trusteeship of Somalia.
A Somali woman showing a decorated pottery
Foreign Minister of Somalia Mohamed Abdullahi Omaar in a meeting with UNDP Administrator Helen Clark and other diplomats at the UN headquarters in New York.
Somali woman building a somali house
Somali women basket weaving
Somali men and women in front of a tradtion house
Downtown Mogadishu in 1936. Arch of Triumph Umberto to the left, Cathedral and Arba Rucun mosque to the centre-right.
Flag of the Somali Youth League (SYL), the nation's first political party.
Exhumed skeletal remains of victims of the Isaaq genocide
The Osmanya writing script.
Taleh was the capital of the Dervish movement.
Italian stamp from Mogadiscio
Dulbiciid in Godaalo, Xudun District, tallest Somalia mountain outside karkaar range
Cinema Italia in Mogadiscio, 1937
Somali women performing tradition dance
Sheikh Ali Ayanle Samatar, a prominent Somali Islamic scholar.
Traditional Somali clans
Somalia map of Köppen climate classification.
Ruins of the Sultanate of Adal in Zeila, Somalia.
Map of Italian Somaliland.
Merca is an ancient Islamic center in Somalia.
Italian Somalia
Somali woman in Hargeisa opening speech with traditional greeting.
Mogadishan currency – The Sultanate of Mogadishu was an important monetary supporter of Adal.
In 1698, the Portuguese in Mombasa surrendered to a joint Somali-Ottoman force.
Dervish commander Haji Sudi on the left with his brother in-law Duale Idres. Aden, 1892.
Mogadiscio cathedral
Abdirahman Ahmed Ali Tuur Chairman of the Somali National Movement that overthrew Barre's regime in Northern Somalia
Almnara Tower, Mogadishu.
The Silk Road extending from southern Europe through Arabia, Somalia, Egypt, Persia, India and Java until it reaches China.
19th century Martello fort in Berbera constructed by Haji Sharmarke Ali Saleh
Topography of Somalia
Fiat building in Mogadiscio, 1940
The battle flag of Al-Shabaab, an Islamist group waging war against the federal government.
Neolithic rock art at the Laas Geel complex depicting a camel.
Mosque in Borama, Republic of Somaliland.
The Guardafui Channel, between the tip of Somalia and Socotra island.
Governor's palace in Mogadiscio
Somali singer Fartuun Birimo wearing henna hand and arm designs.
Exterior of the Saryan Museum, Hargeisa
Barawa city was an important medieval centre of Somali enterprise.
Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi's pioneering use of cannons supplied by the Ottomans figured prominently in his Conquest of Ethiopian territories.
Embassy of Somalia in Paris, France.
Somali language books on display.