637,657 sq km (246,201 sq miles).

9,491,000 (1995).

14.9 per sq km.

Mogadishu.

900,000 (1990).

Somalia gained independence from the UK and Italy in 1960. Somalia does not currently have a recognised government. An unofficial President (Ali Madhi Muhammad) and Prime Minister (Hussein Muhammad Aidid) were agreed at a conference in 1998. The northern part of the country declared itself independent as the Republic of Somaliland.

Somalia is bounded to the north by the Gulf of Aden, to the south and west by Kenya, to the west by Ethiopia and to the northwest by Djibouti. To the east lies the Indian Ocean. Somalia is an arid country and the scenery includes mountains in the north, the flat semi-desert plains in the interior and the subtropical region in the south. Separated from the sea by a narrow coastal plain, the mountains slope south and west to the central, almost waterless plateau which makes up most of the country. The beaches are protected by a coral reef that runs from Mogadishu to the Kenyan border in the south. They are among the longest in the world. There are only two rivers, the Jubba and the Shabeelle, and both rise in the Ogaden region of Ethiopia. Along their banks is most of the country's agricultural land. The Somali population is concentrated in the coastal towns, in the wetter, northern areas and in the south near the two rivers. A large nomadic population is scattered over the interior, although drought in recent years has led to many settling as farmers or fishermen in newly-formed communities.

Somali and Arabic are the official languages. Swahili is spoken, particularly in the south. English and Italian are also widely spoken.

The state religion is Islam and the majority of Somalis are Sunni Muslims.

GMT + 3.

220 volts AC, 50Hz.