Somaliland
Republic of Somaliland | |
|---|---|
 National emblem
| |
Motto: لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول الله (Arabic) Lā ilāhā illā-llāhu; muhammadun rasūlu-llāhi "There is no god but God; Muhammad is the Messenger of God" | |
.svg) Controlled territory (dark green) and territory claimed but not controlled (light green) | |
| Capital and largest city | Hargeisa 9°33′N 44°03′E / 9.550°N 44.050°E |
| Official languages | Somali |
| Second language | Arabic,[2] English |
| Demonym(s) | Somali;[3]
Somalilander |
| Government | Unitary presidential republic |
| Muse Bihi Abdi | |
| Abdirahman Saylici | |
| Bashe Mohamed Farah | |
| Adan Haji Ali | |
| Legislature | Parliament |
| House of Elders | |
| House of Representatives | |
| Unrecognised independence from Somalia | |
• Establishment of British Somaliland | 1884 |
• Independence of the State of Somaliland | 26 June 1960 |
• Union with the Trust Territory of Somaliland | 1 July 1960 |
| 18 May 1991 | |
| Area | |
• Total | 176,120[4] km2 (68,000 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• 2013 estimate | 4.5 million[5] |
• Density | 25/km2 (64.7/sq mi) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2019 estimate |
• Total | $2.5 billion[6] |
• Per capita | $950[7] |
| Currency | Somaliland shilling |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (EAT) |
| Date format | d/m/yy (AD) |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | +252 (Somalia) |
Somaliland (Somali: Somaliland; Arabic: صوماليلاند Ṣūmālīlānd, أرض الصومال Arḍ aṣ-Ṣūmāl), officially the Republic of Somaliland (Somali: Jamhuuriyadda Somaliland, Arabic: جمهورية صوماليلاند Jumhūrīyat Ṣūmālīlānd), is an unrecognized state, which the international community considers part of Somalia. The territory covers the former protectorate British Somaliland. De facto, the territory is independent from the rest of Somalia. It borders Djibouti to the west, the Federal Republic of Ethiopia to the south and Somalia to the east.[8]
The area used to be the Somali area which was part of the British empire along with Jubaland, which was called Trans-juba. It was called the British Somali Coast Protectorate before 26 June 1960. That year it united with Somalia called the "Somali Republic".[10] In May of 1991, after a war, Somaliland regained independence.
Currently, Somaliland is an unrecognized state. This means that no country with membership in the United Nations or international organization views Somaliland as an independent country.[11] Instead, they see Somaliland as a part of Somalia.
Somaliland has a republican government with free elections. The capital is Hargeisa. Berbera is a beautiful city on the coast. About 55% of the people of Somalilands are nomads.[12] Most Somalis are Sunni Muslims. Some people are part of Sufi orders.
A territory in the west, called Khatumo State has been disputed between Somaliland and Puntland.
Demographics[change | change source]
Language[change | change source]
Most people in Somaliland speak Somali and Arabic. Article 6 of the Constitution of 2001 says the official language of Somaliland is Somali,[10] but Arabic is a mandatory subject in school. English is also spoken and taught in schools.
The main Somali dialect is Standard Somali. Standard Somali is spoken in most of Somalia and in countries that border it. Standard Somali is used by almost all of the media in the Somaliland region.
Religion[change | change source]
Almost all Somalilanders are Muslims.[13] This is because Islam is the state religion, and practicing a religion other than Islam is against the law.[10] Small amounts of non-Islamic traditions exist in Somaliland, but Islam is very important to the Somali sense of national identity.
References[change | change source]
- ↑ Name used in The Constitution of the Republic of Somaliland and in Somaliland Official Gazette Archived 20 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ website, Somallilandlaw.com – an independent non-for-profit. "Somaliland Constitution". www.somalilandlaw.com. Retrieved 2017-07-02.
- ↑ Paul Dickson, Labels for locals: what to call people from Abilene to Zimbabwe, (Merriam-Webster: 1997), p.175.
- ↑ Lansford, Tom (2015-03-24). Political Handbook of the World 2015. CQ Press. ISBN 9781483371559.
- ↑ "UNPO: Somaliland". unpo.org. Retrieved 2021-01-11.
- ↑ "The Somaliland Health and Demographic Survey 2020". Central Statistics Department, Ministry of Planning and National Development, Somaliland Government: 35.
- ↑ "Somaliland economic growth on the rise". East African Business Week. 2020-02-20. Retrieved 2021-01-11.
- ↑ "Somaliland Official Website". somalilandgov.com. Archived from the original on 14 February 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
- ↑ Hoehne, Markus Virgil. "The rupture of territoriality and the diminishing relevance of cross‐cutting ties in Somalia after 1990." Development and Change 47.6 (2016): 1379-1411.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 "THE CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOMALILAND" (PDF). International relations and security network. 31 May 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 February 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
- ↑ Lacey, Marc (5 June 2006). "The Signs Say Somaliland, but the World Says Somalia". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 December 2010.
- ↑ "Our Country – Somaliland Official Government Website". Retrieved 2020-12-30.
- ↑ "Background Note: Somalia". U.S Department of State. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
Other websites[change | change source]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Somaliland. |
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