COI-Report-Somalia

14 — EASO Country of Origin Information report — South and Central Somalia — Country overview
1. General country information
1.1 Geography ( 4 )
1.1.1 Landscape
Somalia is located in eastern Africa (Horn of Africa), bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. Bordering
Somalia are Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya. The country’s total area is 637 657 km 2 , with a coastline of 3 025 km. It is
flat in the south, with mountains in the north reaching more than 2 000 meters. South‐western Somalia is dominated
by the country’s two main rivers, the Jubba and the Shabelle. The inter‐riverine area is fertile, and is called ‘the
bread‐basket of Somalia’ ( 5 ). Rainfall being sparse, most of Somalia has a semiarid to arid environment.
1.1.2 Climate ( 6 )
The weather is hot throughout the year, except at the higher elevations in the north and along the Indian Ocean coast
(average maximum temperatures from 30° to 40° C and average lowest temperatures from 20° C to more than 30° C).
Two wet seasons (April to June and October to November) bring erratic rainfall. Somalis recognise four seasons,
two rainy (gu and day) and two dry (jiilaal and hagaa). The gu rains begin in April and last until June, The gu season
is followed by the hagaa drought (July to September) and hagaa is followed by day rains (October to November).
Next comes jiilaal (December to March).
1.1.3 Administrative divisions
The territory of Somalia is de facto divided into three distinct administrative areas: Somaliland (a self‐declared
independent state, not recognised by the international community), Puntland (a self‐declared autonomous state of
Somalia) and the area south of Puntland, from Mudug region to the south, referred to as South/Central Somalia ( 7 ).
Somalia is officially divided into 18 administrative divisions or regions, each known as gobol. The following regions
are situated in South/Central Somalia: Bakool, Benadir, Bay, Galgaduud, Gedo, Hiiraan, Middle Jubba (Jubba Dhexe),
Lower Jubba (Jubba Hoose), Mudug, Middle Shabelle (Shabelle Dhexe), Lower Shabelle (Shabelle Hoose) ( 8 ). The
regions Awdal, Bari, Nugaal, Togdheer, Woqooyi Galbeed and the disputed regions Sanaag and Sool are situated in
Somaliland and Puntland.
Regions are divided into districts, subdivided into zones ( 9 ).
1.1.4 Cities
1.1.4.1 General
Dwellings in the Somali cities range from simple shacks and huts made from twigs and waste plastic to substantial
brick and concrete structures. There are few public buildings outside Mogadishu, but modern commercial office
buildings of several storeys high have emerged here and there. The plan is often a disorganised agglomeration,
( 4 ) National Geographic, National Geographic Atlas of the World, Eighth Edition, Somalia Facts, (http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/
somalia‐facts/) accessed 2 June 2014; CIA, The World Factbook, Somalia, last updated 16 April 2014, (http://www.refworld.org/type,COUNTRYREP,,SOM,
51ffa6ed4,0.html) accessed 2 June 2014; Library of Congress, A Country Study:Somalia, last updated May 1992, (http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/sotoc.html)
accessed 2 June 2014.
( 5 ) Mukhta, M. H., Historical Dictionary of Somalia, Scarecrow Press, Lanham, 2003, p. 116.
( 6 ) Library of Congress, A Country Study: Somalia, last updated May 1992, (http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/sotoc.html) accessed 2 June 2014.
( 7 ) UNHCR, Eligibility Guidelines for Assessing the International Protection needs of Asylum Seekers from Somalia, 5 May 2010, (http://www.unhcr‐northerneurope.
org/resources/legal‐documents/guidelines‐and‐positions/eligibility‐guidelines.html) accessed 2 June 2014.
( 8 ) CIA, The World Factbook, Administrative divisions, (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the‐world‐factbook/fields/2051.html) accessed 2 June 2014.
( 9 ) For more information and maps on the various administrative divisions in Somalia, you can consult: (http://www.fsnau.org/products/maps/administrative‐maps).