Facts

Location: Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, east of Ethiopia

Area (only Total) total: 637,657 sq 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

Terrain: mostly flat to undulating plateau rising to hills in north

Population: 9,558,666

Main Language (only first): Somali

Government type: no permanent national government; transitional, parliamentary federal government

Capital (Name): Mogadishu

Capital (Time Difference): UTC+3

Independence: 1 July 1960

National holiday: Foundation of the Somali Republic, 1 July