Terrain

Somaliland has a coastline of 740 km. Its main topographic features include the low altitude coastal plains known as Guban, which stretch 70 kilometres inland; a mountainous region stretching from east to west (where Shimbiris, the country's highest peak (2,450 m) is a located); the Ogo plateau, with an average height of 1,200 metres extending from the southern part of the mountain range to Ethiopia; and, to the south of Ogo, inland, is the Haud, a region of red sand plains with an altitude of approximately 500 meters.

Climate

Somaliland has a tropical monsoon climate. It often rains in spring, which lasts from April to June, while the summer, on the contrary, is dry, with temperatures ranging from 26° C to 32° C. Autumns are relatively short (from October to November) and rainy, and winters are long (from December to march) and dry, with temperatures ranging from 15° C to 26° C.

Fauna/Flora

Since it only rains in the mountains, the coast is semi-desert and has isolated oases with palm trees and bushes. Towards the south there is a savannah with thorny bushes (acacias, myrrh, plants used for incense), followed by another drier savannah with bushes and grass used for grazing. In the mountains there are dry forests of juniper. Animals typical of the region are elephants, giraffes, zebras, antelopes and leopards.

History/Politics

Hamitic peoples originally inhabited the area of present-day Somaliland, areas of which became part of the Ethiopian Kingdom of Aksum from the 2nd to 7th century AD, when the Arabs settled in the coastal regions and established the Sultanate of Adal. The Portuguese caused the sultanate to split up in the 16th century into small independent states, which later became part of the Ottoman Empire. Although the Portuguese did not actually occupy the area, they remained there until they were driven out in 1698. During the 19th century the British established a protectorate in Arabia. The French then settled in the region, as did the Italians, following the opening of the Suez Canal.

In 1882, British troops occupied the area of present-day Somalia (ruled by Egypt until then) and established a protectorate to secure trading routes along the Suez Canal. After overcoming local resistance, the British and Italians consolidated their position. Italy united its colonies of Somaliland, Eritrea and Ethiopia in 1936 under the name of Italian East Africa. After the Second World War, Italy had to give up its African colonies. They were put under UN administration in 1950 and named Somalia. In 1960 the former British and Italian colonies were united; independence was declared and Aden Abdullah Osman Daar was elected Somalia's first president. The government was ousted in a coup d'état in 1969, and the new president, General Siad Barre, proclaimed Somalia a Socialist republic.

War broke out with neighbouring Ethiopia in 1976 because of a dispute over the region of Ogaden. The war killed thousands and 1.5 million people became refugees. A peace treaty was finally signed in 1988. However, the opposition movements continued to fight the government of General Barre, who was forced to flee the country in 1991. Civil war erupted between the various political parties and the Republic of Somalia collapsed. As a result, the independent clans of Somaliland demanded independence at a traditional assembly (Shir) and proclaimed themselves to be an independent republic in 1993, formed by what were once the borders of British colonies and Mohamed Ibrahim Egal was named the first president.

Until his death in 2002, Egal strived to gain international recognition for the country and to set up a multi-party democracy. He was succeeded by Dahir Riyale Kahin, who won the elections a year later and continued with the democratisation and pacification of the country. This process has however been set back by armed conflict with Puntland, which has meant that it still has not been possible to draw up definitive borders. Parliamentary elections were held in 2005 and in the first session president Kahin again expressed hope that the process would be a definite step towards gaining international recognition for Somaliland.

Economy

Livestock farming sustains Somaliland's economy and accounts for most of its exports. Although farming and fishing are less important to the economy, they have great potential, such as horticultural and cereal production. Even though there are just a few mines at present, deposits of petroleum, natural gas, lime and quartz have been discovered. Given that Somaliland is not recognised internationally, it does not receive foreign economic aid, which means that it is the only country in Africa that does not have foreign debt.

Culture

Clans form Somaliland's basic social structure, and important decisions concerning the country are taken in traditional assemblies called "shir". Education is considered important and in addition to public education institutions there are various other primary and secondary schools, professional training centres, and universities.