Somalia: landmarks, animals & facts for kids

Somalia is a country on the Horn of Africa, the easternmost point of the African mainland. It borders Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya, and it has the longest coastline of any country on mainland Africa, stretching along the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. The capital is Mogadishu.

Somalia is known for its long sandy coasts, camels, poetry and ancient trade in frankincense and myrrh. On the globe you can find Laas Geel, a group of rock shelters in the north-west decorated with colourful paintings of cattle and people that are thousands of years old and among the best-preserved in Africa.

Geography and nature

Much of Somalia is hot and dry, with semi-desert plains and scrubland. In the north, mountains rise along the Gulf of Aden, where frankincense and myrrh trees grow. In the south, the Jubba and Shabelle rivers flow from the Ethiopian highlands and allow farming of bananas, maize and sorghum. Rain falls in two short seasons. Wild animals include dik-diks, gazelles, warthogs and the Somali wild ass, and the coastal waters are rich in fish, turtles and coral.

People, languages and culture

Somali is spoken by nearly everyone and, together with Arabic, is an official language. Almost all Somalis are Sunni Muslim. Many families have traditionally been nomadic herders, and Somalia has one of the largest camel herds in the world, so camels appear in songs, stories and sayings. Somalia is often called a 'nation of poets', because poetry is recited at gatherings and used to tell history. Popular foods include canjeero, a spongy flatbread, rice with spiced meat, and sweet spiced tea.

History in a nutshell

Thousands of years ago, people painted the rock art at Laas Geel. Coastal towns such as Mogadishu and Zeila became busy trading ports linked to Arabia, Persia, India and China. In the late 1800s Britain and Italy took control of different parts of the land. The two parts became independent and joined together as Somalia on 1 July 1960. Since 1991 the country has gone through long periods of conflict and rebuilding. The north-western region of Somaliland has declared itself independent, but it is not widely recognised by other countries.