SOMALIA- HORN OF AFRICA
Somalia, not yet a favoured tourist destination is ideal for travellers with a charmed life and bullet proof vest. This country situated in the horn of East Africa is bordered by the Gulf of Eden and Djibouti to the north, Kenya to the southwest, Indian Ocean to the east and Ethiopia to the west. The two famous rivers Juba and Shebeli originate here and flow toward the Indian Ocean. Their water is used for irrigation though the rivers are not negotiable by commercial vehicles. There are no natural harbours in Somalia due to the presence of inshore coral reefs. These coral reefs protect the beaches running from Mogadishu to the Kenyan border in the south.
Due to its proximity to the Red Sea, Somalia has ancient brotherly ties with the Arab world and has become a member of the Arab League in 1974. It is also a member of the African Union and has managed to sustain a free market economy for strengthening its relationship with the rest of the Arab world. Somalia has also joined the United Nations and NAM contributing a lot to the world. The country also has the longest coastline of Africa consisting mainly of plains, highlands and plateaus. The climate here is tropical being humid from March to June and September to December and dry in rest of the year. It is advisable to carry light wear cotton clothes because of the hot weather all year round.
HISTORY
In the ancient times, Somalia was an important centre of commerce with its sailors and merchants being the main suppliers of frankincense, myrrh and spices with the rest of the world. It has many traces showing close relations with the ancient civilization of Egypt along with its pyramidal structures, temples and ancient houses scattered all over the country. Somalia became a main Islamic country with the migration of massive Muslim families from Middle East across the Red Sea to Somalia in the early centuries of Islam leading to peaceful conversion of the Somali population to Islam. Unlike other African countries, Somalia was never formally colonized. It was controlled by Italy and Britain during World War II and remained a protectorate of Britain until 1960. Somalia experienced lot of civil wars and a constant war with Ethiopia. The Ethiopian troops have been withdrawn and a new President Sheikh Ahmed has been elected on January 31, 2009.
ECONOMY
Somalia’s economy is mainly based on agriculture, livestock being an important sector contributing 40 of GDP and 65% of export revenue. Fish, charcoal and bananas form other major exports. The service industry of the country is also thriving and many private sectors are coming up including trade, commerce, transport, remittance and telecommunications. The money transfer services have become a large industry here and the largest of these informal value transfer system or hawala dealers is a renowned Somali owned firm having more than 1000 employees working in 40 different countries. The recent discovery of oil in Puntland province have attracted many American and Chinese oil companies to exploit the potential of oil and other natural resources in Somalia. Somaliland shilling is the main currency and there are no ATMs in the country.
PEOPLE AND CULTURE
Majority of the population of Somalia consists of ethnic Somalis consisting of 85% of the population. The other 15% of the population is of the other minority groups such as Brevanese, Bantus, Indians, Persians, Italians and Britons. However, most of the educated Somalis have left for Europe, Middle East and North America leading to large Somali diaspora. Although most of the people still live in rural areas, there is a steady increase in the urbanization of the country with the percentage of people living in cities rapidly increasing. The main and official language of the nation is the Somali language used for all administrative and education purpose. This is the ancient languages having different dialects spoken in different regions of the country. The writing system has also undergone some changes and the Somali alphabets are most widely used for writing. Arabic is the other official national language due to its centuries old ties with the Arab world. English and Italian are widely used and spoken among the younger generation. Majority of the Somalis are Muslims mainly belonging to the Sunni branch of Islam. The Somalia constitution defines Islam as the main religion and national legislation is based on the Islamic sharia law. The other religion in minority is Christianity and some non ethnic Somalis practising some indigenous beliefs.
Somalia has a mixed culture mainly influenced by the Arab, British and the Italian. The traditional Somali music has most of the songs pentatonic having a particular scale and pitch. Somali folk songs are recognized by their own unique style and tunes being a product of collaboration between lyricists, songwriters and singers. Somali literature is also known by its famous authors Nuruddin Farah and Farah Mohammad Jama Awl. Dance, music and folk songs are very common during traditional feasts.
MOGADISHU
The capital of the country is highly attractive to some tourists who want to explore the scenic spots of the Shanghai Old City which was once the playground of the wealthy. There is also a national park located outside Mogadishu providing spectacular wildlife and ten game reserves in total.
ATTRACTIONS
• Kismayu National Park
is a popular destination for its rare East African species not found anywhere else.• Hargeisa
is one of the safest cities to travel having energising city life with good vibes. It has a normal city life having many restaurants where the local bands play African and European music and serve multi cuisine food. There is also another national park having rare species for tourists to enjoy wildlife.• Las Geel
is sadly one of the neglected world heritage site and thus is the must visit for the tourists. It contains hundreds of well preserved Neolithic paintings adorning the walls of this interconnected series caves and shelters in Somaliland. Tourists can know Somalia’s mysterious past at this extraordinary archaeological site.• Shopping
Shopping lovers can collect traditional woodcarvings and crafts including gold, silver jewellery, woven cloth and baskets.• Beaches
Somali beaches protected by coral reefs line the Indian Ocean and are among the longest in the world.• Berbera
once an active port town, today consists of mud thatched houses and crumbling buildings. Tourists can enjoy some majestic sea cliffs along the coast and relax near the blissful beaches including popular Baathela Beach. There is also a huge runway which is an emergency landing strip for the NASA space shuttle.• Somaliland, Burao
This is the second largest city of Somalia and though it has nothing of particular interest, just being here and getting the attention of the local people is a novelty here. Tourist can roam through the big livestock market and soak up the atmosphere there.
TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATION
Somalia has an international airport in Hargeisa and Mogadishu serving regular flights to London, Paris and other parts of Africa. The national carrier Daallo Airlines has flights from Europe and from Djibouti to other smaller Somali destinations. Travellers can also enter Somaliland through the border between Djibouti and Somaliland which is open. There are reasonable bus services to travel within the country between all major cities in Somalia, however very few cars and taxis can be found only in larger towns. Car hire is available in Mogadishu though the roads are in a bad condition. Water transport is also possible for social and economic reasons along the broad strip of Somalia.
Somalia has one of the best telecommunications systems in Africa with the help of many companies like Somafone, Nationlink, Netco, Telecom and Somali Telecom Group proving good service locally and in international long distance calls. Landline installations are very quick and dial up internet services are rapidly growing. There is not much of freedom of press in Somalia though there are some private run TV and radio channels. There is regular circulation of English language newspaper and the post to Europe takes about two weeks.
FOOD AND ACCOMMODATION
Somalia being an Islamic country has all halal food being served here with the conspicuous absence of pork and alcohol. Tourists can enjoy seafood along the coastal areas consisting of lobster, prawn crabs and fresh tuna. Camel is very popular for both meat and milk as Somalis believe that camel milk is more nutritious than cow or goat milk. Rice is the main dish spiced with different spices and curries and eaten along with roast kid.
There are many hotels of various standards in the capital and other major cities of Somalia providing all basic facilities and suiting the budget for all. There are government run rest houses with large dormitories suitable for visitors travelling in groups. Nature loving tourists can stay in tourist and hunting lodges in national parks at Lac Badana and Bush-Bush along with many other places.
Somalia is the best destination for travellers living on the edge and want to experience thrill and adventure. Some caution should be taken prior to visiting this potentially delightful country.
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