Somalia - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Somalia. Strategic location on Horn of Africa along southern approaches to Bab el Mandeb and route through Red Sea and Suez Canal. Mother's mean age at first birth is (), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 621 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of Somalia
Location Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, east of Ethiopia
Geographic coordinates 10 00 N, 49 00 E
Map references Africa
Tarrain mostly flat to undulating plateau rising to hills in north
Natural Resources uranium and largely unexploited reserves of iron ore, tin, gypsum, bauxite, copper, salt, natural gas, likely oil reserves
Natural Hazards recurring droughts; frequent dust storms over eastern plains in summer; floods during rainy season
Irrigated Land 2,000 sq km (2012)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Major aquifers Ogaden-Juba Basin
Land Boundaries 2,385 km
Border Countries Djibouti 61 km; Ethiopia 1,640 km; Kenya 684 km
Coastline 3,025 km
Climate principally desert; northeast monsoon (December to February), moderate temperatures in north and hot in south; southwest monsoon (May to October), torrid in the north and hot in the south, irregular rainfall, hot and humid periods (tangambili) between monsoons
Area
Total Area
Land Area 627,337 sq km
Water Area 10,320 sq km
comparative Area almost five times the size of Alabama; slightly smaller than Texas
Maritime Claims
Territorial sea 200 nm; note: the US does not recognize this claim
Exclusive economic zone 200 nm
Elevations
Highest point Mount Shimbiris 2,460 m
Lowest point Indian Ocean 0 m
Mean elevation 410 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 70.3% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 1.8% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 68.5% (2018 est.)
Forest 10.6% (2018 est.)
Other 19.1% (2018 est.)
Population Distribution

Distribution varies greatly throughout the country; least densely populated areas are in the northeast and central regions, as well as areas along the Kenyan border; most populated areas are in and around the cities of Mogadishu, Marka, Boorama, Hargeysa, and Baidoa as shown on this population distribution map

People and Society

In Somalia, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Predominantly Somali with lesser numbers of Arabs, Bantus, and others

Population
Pop growth rate 2.55% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 37.4 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 11.2 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure NA
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density 0.9 beds/1,000 population (2017)
Total fertility rate 5.12 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 2.52 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate 6.9% (2018/19)
Est married women (ages 15-49) 62.9% (2023 est.)
Literacy
Education expenditures 0.3% of GDP (2019) NA
Net Migration rate -0.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Somali | Somali(s)
Languages
Religions Muslim 99.9% (Sunni Muslim 98.1%, Shia Muslim 1.2%, Islamic schismatic 0.6%), ethnic religionist 0.1% (2020 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years 41.4% (male 2,689,086/female 2,694,372)
15-64 years 55.8% (male 3,699,721/female 3,568,163)
65 years and over 2.8% (2024 est.) (male 157,505/female 208,426)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 99.4
Youth dependency ratio 94.2
Elderly dependency ratio 5.2
Potential support ratio 19.3 (2021 est.)
Median Age
Total 19.1 years (2024 est.)
Male 19.3 years
Female 18.9 years
Urbanization
Urban population 47.9% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 4.2% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 2.610 million MOGADISHU (capital), 1.127 million Hargeysa (2023).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.76 male(s)/female
Total population 1.01 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 83.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 93.2 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 73.7 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 56.5 years (2024 est.)
Male 54.1 years
Female 59 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: 96.4% of population
Improved: rural rural: 73.7% of population
Improved: total total: 84.2% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 3.6% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 26.3% of population
Unimproved: total total: 15.8% of population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: 82.4% of population
Improved: rural rural: 33.8% of population
Improved: total total: 56.2% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 17.6% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 66.2% of population
Unimproved: total total: 43.8% of population (2020 est.)
Major Infectious diseases
Degree of risk very high (2023)
Food or waterborne diseases bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases dengue fever, malaria, Rift Valley fever, and sexually transmitted diseases: hepatitis B (2024)
Water contact diseases schistosomiasis
Animal contact diseases rabies
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Child marriage
Women married by age 15 16.8%
Women married by age 18 35.5%
Men married by age 18 5.6% (2020 est.)
Demographic profile

Somalia scores very low for most humanitarian indicators, suffering from poor governance, protracted internal conflict, underdevelopment, economic decline, poverty, social and gender inequality, and environmental degradation. Despite civil war and famine raising its mortality rate, Somalia’s high fertility rate and large proportion of people of reproductive age maintain rapid population growth, with each generation being larger than the prior one. More than 60% of Somalia’s population is younger than 25 as of 2020, and the fertility rate is among the world’s highest at almost 5.5 children per woman – a rate that has decreased little since the 1970s.

A lack of educational and job opportunities is a major source of tension for Somalia’s large youth cohort, making them vulnerable to recruitment by extremist and pirate groups. Somalia has one of the world’s lowest primary school enrollment rates – just over 40% of children are in school – and one of the world’s highest youth unemployment rates. Life expectancy is low as a result of high infant and maternal mortality rates, the spread of preventable diseases, poor sanitation, chronic malnutrition, and inadequate health services.

During the two decades of conflict that followed the fall of the SIAD regime in 1991, hundreds of thousands of Somalis fled their homes. Today Somalia is the world’s fourth highest source country for refugees, after Ukraine, Syria and Afghanistan. Insecurity, drought, floods, food shortages, and a lack of economic opportunities are the driving factors.

As of 2022, more than 660,000 Somali refugees were hosted in the region, mainly in Kenya, Yemen, Egypt, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Uganda, while nearly 3 million Somalis were internally displaced. Since the implementation of a tripartite voluntary repatriation agreement among Kenya, Somalia, and the UNHCR in 2013, many Somali refugees have returned home, some 80,000 between 2014 and 2022.  The Kenyan Government in March 2021 ordered the closure of its two largest refugee camps, Dadaab and Kakuma, which then hosted more than 410,000 mainly Somali refugees.  However, the UN refugee agency presented a road map, including voluntary repatriation, relocation to third countries, and alternative stay options that persuaded the Kenyan Government to delay the closures.  The plan was supposed to lead to both camps being closed by 30 June 2022. Yet, as of May 2022, few Somali refugees had decided to return home because of security concerns and the lack of job prospects, instead waiting in the camps unsure of what the future held for them. Other Somali asylum seekers brave the dangers of crossing the Gulf of Aden to reach Yemen – despite its internal conflict – with aspirations to move onward to Saudi Arabia and other locations.

All Important Facts about Somalia

Want to know more about Somalia? Check all different factbooks for Somalia below.

Somalia is found in Eastern Africa