The nation of Somalia as its formed today came about in 1960 when Britain withdrew and allowed British and Italian Somaliland to join together. Authoritarian rule was the norm until its collapse in 1991. Somalia saw a period of chaos following this collapse, until 2004 when a parliamentary governmental system was established. Agriculture remains the main source of GDP for the country.

• Country Profile
  • Land Mass/Major Cities – Somalia’s capital city is Mogadishu, and it borders Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Kenya, as well as the Indian Ocean.
  • Languages – Somali (official), Arabic (official), Italian, English
• Business Activity
  • Agriculture – Bananas, beans, cattle, coconut, corn, goats, fish, mangoes, rice, sesame seeds, sheep, sorghum, and sugarcane
  • Industries – Sugar refining, textiles, and wireless communication
  • Natural Resources – Bauxite, copper, gypsum, iron ore, natural gas, salt, tin, and uranium
  • Exports – Bananas, charcoal, fish, hides, livestock, and scrap metal
  • Imports – Construction materials, foodstuffs, manufactures, petroleum products, and qat
  • Major Trading Partners – China, Djibouti, India, Kenya, Oman, Pakistan, the UAE, and Yemen

Source: CIA. (2017). The World Factbook: Somalia. CIA. Retrieved from: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mz.html