Somalia

From Wikitravel

Somalia is located on the Horn of Africa, and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the north-west, and Kenya on its south-west. This is a country with a troubled past... and the present and future does not look bright either. Civil war, military coups, border disputes and warlordism are the general course of events here. The removal of the Islamic Courts from power has created a power vacuum and the situation in Somalia is highly unstable at the moment.

[edit] Regions

• Gedo
• Somaliland - the most stable of the states (though still not "safe"), with an ongoing effort to become independent
• Puntland is not a place to be relied on for safety.
• Galmudug - in the central region

[edit] Cities

• Mogadishu - the capital, and generally considered the most lawless city in the world.
• Hargeisa - the capital of Somaliland and, by Somalian standards, a fairly safe place.
• Kismayo - a port city in the south of the country

[edit] Understand

Turmoil, factional fighting, and anarchy have followed since the overthrow of the national government in 1991. Much of the country is controlled by independent clans and warlords with no allegiance to the current "transitional" government. Northern clans declared an independent Republic of Somaliland, which is not recognized by any foreign government, but has maintained a stable existence under its ruling clan, based on the economic infrastructure left behind by foreign military assistance programs. The neighboring self-declared state of Puntland, has been self-governing since 1998, and has made strides towards reconstructing legitimate, representative government. Puntland also claims Sool and eastern Sanaag. The remainder of the country is essentially lawless. Numerous warlords and factions have finished fighting for the so called capital, Mogadishu, for the first time in 15 years the city was breifly under control of 1 faction, though now more heavy fighting has occured. Accusations of Somali links with global terrorism complicate the picture.

85% of the population is ethnic Somali. The remainder are Bantu and other non-Somali ethnicities, including 30,000 Arabs.

[edit] Climate

Somalia is principally desert. December to February is the northeast monsoon, with moderate temperatures in north and very hot in south. May to October is the southwest monsoon, torrid in the north and hot in the south. Irregular rainfall, with hot and humid periods (tangambili) between monsoons.

[edit] Get in

[edit] By plane

There are two options regarding plane travel to/from Somalia, though operations may be spotty or non-existent due to the recent bombings of the airport by Ethiopian forces.

• Daallo Airlines [1] is the only international carrier to fly to Somalia. They operate 2-3 services per week from Djibouti using an Ilyushin-18 aircraft.

• Jubba Airways [2] is a Somali airline that operates from Mogadishu to/from: Dubai, Bossaso and Jeddah. Flights also may be available to/from: Galkayo, Hargeisa and Sharjah. Their aircraft is also IL-18.

Both Daallo Airlines and Jubba Airways use Aaden Cabdulle Cismaan International Airport which re-opened in August 2006. Prior to this, both airlines used an airport many miles from the Mogadishu due to security fears over the city's main airport.

[edit] By train

[edit] By car

[edit] By bus

[edit] By boat

There are ports in Boosaaso, Berbera, Kismaayo, and Mogadishu. The waters outside of Somalia, especially the Gulf of Aden, are unsafe due to pirates.

[edit] Get around

Somalia has not had an effective government for 15 years; as one can imagine this has had a negative effect on the roads. The few stop lights that once existed are out of order, and there is no form of traffic police, aside from roadblocks looking out for bribes, or other things. Speed limits (wherever signs remain) and road markings (the few which have not quite faded from the asphalt) are widely ignored. Generally the only rule that can be agreed upon is that Somalis drive on the right side of the road. Asphalt itself on the "roads" is a rarity, with most of it worn off long ago; of approximately 22,000 km of highways, all but 2,600 km of it is unpaved. Also since there is no government, license plates from previous governments exist on some cars, but they serve no real purpose since you can't report a number, because there is no database and there is no one to report to either. Insurance is also rare. Driver licenses have not been issued for some time either, so be careful.

[edit] Talk

Somali is the official language in Somalia. However, Arabic is spoken by many and represents a secondary language. While the southern part of the country was a former protectorate and colony of Italy, it is unclear just how much Italian is still spoken.

[edit][add listing] Buy

The currency used in Somalia is the Somali Shilling (sos). Currently only the 1000 shilling note is used, and doesn't go far... a glass water will cost 1000sos. The current exchange rate of 100 US dollars to Somali shilling is 3,300,000 as of May 2008.

[edit] Costs

[edit][add listing] Eat

One of the preferred sources of food is the camel, both for calcium (its milk) and for protein (its meat). Though milk from other animals such as goat and cow is drunk, camel milk, Somalis believe, is the most nutritious of all. Southern Somalia has a large agricultural and international trading component to its economy, thus, in southern Somalia diets are richer in green vegetables, corn, and beans. Southern Somalis, especially those in the cities are more familiar with Western foods such as pasta and canned goods. Northern Somalia's nomadic lifestyle fosters a diet that is heavier in milk and meat. Diets there also have a large component of rice, which is obtained through trade.

Since many Somalis are nomads, back home they often ate a popular type of jerky called otka - preferably camel meat that is dried and then fried in butter and spices. Its preparation allowed the meat to be preserved for a long time, which made it ideal to take on long trips.

The overriding characteristic of the Somali diet is that it consists of halal foods (Arabic for "allowable" as opposed to haram: "prohibited"). Somalis are Muslims and under Islamic Law (or Shar'1ah), they are prohibited from eating pork, drinking alcohol, or smoking cigarettes (Although in practice, there is unlikely a serious aversion to tobacco smoking in Somalia).

Other common foods include a type of homemade bread called injera (like a large, spongy pancake) and sambusas (like the Indian samosas), which are deep-fried triangular-shaped pastries filled with meat or vegetables.

[edit][add listing] Drink

Black and brown teas (largely imported from China) and a coffee drink that is made from the covering of the coffee beans rather than from the beans themselves. Chai is usually spiced with cardamon, ginger, cinnamon, and clove. Locals often drink 6 to 8 cups of this daily instead of water.

Islam forbids alcohol and Somalia follows this rather strictly. If you do find some, don't show it or drink it in public, as there's a strong chance that you could offend, and possibly even cause a scene.

[edit][add listing] Sleep

Mogadishu and Hargeisa have some Western-level hotels.

[edit] Work

[edit] Stay safe

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the easiest method for staying safe in Somalia is not to go in the first place, as it is one of the most dangerous countries in the world. Kidnappings and warlordism are all common in this country. Additionally, sailing down its coast involves a risk of piracy.

Natural hazards include recurring droughts, frequent dust storms over eastern plains in the summer, and floods during the rainy season.

[edit] Stay healthy

Water is often contaminated, stick to bottled fluids.

[edit] Respect

[edit] Contact

The public telecommunications system was almost completely destroyed or dismantled by the civil war factions. Local cellular telephone systems have been established in Mogadishu and in several other population centers. International connections are available from Mogadishu by satellite. International outgoing connections also work from the cellular infrastructure. There is dialup internet access in Mogadishu, although visiting one of the internet cafes is not an option for a foreigner.

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