Somalia
Independent since 1960, Somalia is a peninsula located in the easternmost part of the African mainland. It is bordered to the southwest by Kenya, to the west by Ethiopia and to the north by Djibouti. The entire east coast is bordered by the Indian Ocean, while to the north it faces the strategic Gulf of Aden. The population is about 12.3 million and the official languages are Somali and Arabic.
The country is the result of a merger between the TrustTerritory of Somaliland under Italian Administration and the British Somaliland protectorate. Up to today, Somaliland is run totally autonomously from Mogadishu and it claims to be an independent state. The civil war that broke out in 1991, as yet unresolved, has plunged the country into political and social instability, which has favoured the rise of terrorist groups, in particular al-Shabaab, in the south.
Although still characterized by chronic highly negative balances and small volumes, Somalia’s trade with Italy and the rest of the world has been growing fast in the past decade. In addition to economic relations, Italy and Somalia cooperate in the defence and security field, through the Italian participation in UN international missions on Somali territory (UNITAF, UNOSOM II), as well as in anti-piracy operations. Somalia is at the top of the list of priority countries for the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation. Major initiatives have included humanitarian assistance and emergency management, and the implementation of strategic infrastructure to facilitate the reconstruction of the country and foster economic development and institution building. Further initiatives have been undertaken in the agriculture, fisheries and livestock sectors.
The Med-Or Foundation, in collaboration with UNITAR and with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI), organized a three-week intensive training course for Somali diplomats in view of Somalia’s entry into the United Nations Security Council in 2025-2026.
From Iran’s assertiveness to tensions between actors in the Horn of Africa, via piracy and terrorism: the role of the strategic straits in the new instability of the Gulf-Red Sea quadrant.
Here the full video of the interview with H.E. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, President of the Federal Republic of Somalia, which took place on Tuesday 30 January in Rome at Med-Or Foundation.
| Head of state | Hassan Sheikh Mohamud |
| Head of Government | Hamza Abdi Barre |
| Institutional Form | Parliamentary Federal Republic |
| Capital | Mogadishu |
| Legislative Power | High House, bicameral (54 Members of Parliament), House of Commons (278 Members) |
| Judicial Power | Constitutional Court |
| Total Area kmq | 637.657 Km² |
| Land | 627.337 Km² |
| Weather | Tropical, desert-arid |
| Natural resources | Uranium and untapped reserves of gold, gypsum, bauxite, copper, natural gas. Probably there are oil deposits |
| Economic summary | There aren’t a lot of country’s economic situation data. Despite the lack of an effective national governance, Somalia has an informal economy based on export of livestock, mainly to Saudi Arabia, Yemen and the UAE. Somalian government received a lot of humanitarian aids and remittances for migrants’ people |
| GDP | $7.29 billion (Dec. 2021) |
| Pro-capite GDP (Purchasing power parity) | $1186 (Dec. 2021) |
| Exports | $ 276 million (2020) |
| Export partner | United Arab Emirates 47%, Saudi Arabia 19%, India 5%, Japan 5% (2019) |
| Imports | $4.2 billion (2020) |
| Import partner | United Arab Emirates 32%, China 20%, India 17%, Turkey 7% (2019) |
| Trade With Italy | $38.8 million (2021) |
| Population | 12.386.248 (2022 est.) |
| Population Growth | +2,42% (2022) |
| Ethnicities | Somalian 85%, Bantu and other non-Somalian groups 15% (30.000 Arabs) |
| Languages | Somali, Arabic |
| Religions | Muslims 99.9%, other religions 0.1% |
| Urbanization | 47,3% (2022 est.) |
| Literacy | 37,8% |
Independent since 1960, Somalia is a peninsula located in the easternmost part of the African mainland. It is bordered to the southwest by Kenya, to the west by Ethiopia and to the north by Djibouti. The entire east coast is bordered by the Indian Ocean, while to the north it faces the strategic Gulf of Aden. The population is about 12.3 million and the official languages are Somali and Arabic.
The country is the result of a merger between the TrustTerritory of Somaliland under Italian Administration and the British Somaliland protectorate. Up to today, Somaliland is run totally autonomously from Mogadishu and it claims to be an independent state. The civil war that broke out in 1991, as yet unresolved, has plunged the country into political and social instability, which has favoured the rise of terrorist groups, in particular al-Shabaab, in the south.
Although still characterized by chronic highly negative balances and small volumes, Somalia’s trade with Italy and the rest of the world has been growing fast in the past decade. In addition to economic relations, Italy and Somalia cooperate in the defence and security field, through the Italian participation in UN international missions on Somali territory (UNITAF, UNOSOM II), as well as in anti-piracy operations. Somalia is at the top of the list of priority countries for the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation. Major initiatives have included humanitarian assistance and emergency management, and the implementation of strategic infrastructure to facilitate the reconstruction of the country and foster economic development and institution building. Further initiatives have been undertaken in the agriculture, fisheries and livestock sectors.
