First off, Somalia is
not a
good tourist destination.
A desert country at the horn of Africa, Somalia has a long, rich history. All you need to know about said history is that the country has been in a civil war since 1991, and it has all but destroyed the state's infrastructure. Fighting continues between various factions, and in January 2009 the Transitional Federal Government was sent into exile following the end of a war against Ethiopia, giving
de facto control to the Islamist factions. Currently, the UN-backed government does not itself govern beyond the capital, Mogadishu. In other words, there are no traffic lights, no road maintenance, no postal service, and no police, unless you count the various local and foreign military groups assigned there to keep the peace. On the bright side, this means no taxes, so international businesses can import and export more cheaply. Not usually by boat, though, since there are
pirates all around the busier ports. It's the textbook example of a "failed state".
There are five ( But REALLY 7) main regions in Somalia. From North to South:
- Somaliland: The safest region, and a de facto independent country. Currently vying for international recognition as such.
- Disputed region: Maakhir and Northland compose the region disputed between Somaliland and Puntland.
- Puntland: Not vying for independence, and not as safe. Most pirates come from here.
- Galmudug: Formerly ruled by pirates until they were driven out in 2007, the Galmudug government is trying to rebuild within its own country.
- Islamist Region: Formerly occupied by the Islamic Courts Union, the group has fallen from power since 2006, though their remnants in the form of Al Shabaab continue to control the area.
- Somali Galbeed(Western Somalia)/Ogadeen is the "Somali Province" Of Ethiopia. (It is not included in most "Somalia" maps, hence why Somalia looks like a 7)It is an historic and ethnic Somali region. It was handed over to the Ethiopians by the British. To say they are being treated well by their new country is an understatement. Somalis from that region want to reunite with their brother and sisters to the east, and create a Greater Somalia.
The other secret (or ignored) 2 are:
- Djibouti: Djibouti used to be a french colony but got independence from France, they had a vote in which they could vote to join other somalis in Somalia in which they were a part of before, or be their own country and have a french base, french meddling took place, and now look what happened.
- NFD (Northern Kenya): Bet'chah didn't know that too huh? Northern Kenya is a Somali region, taken over by Kenya (given to by the British, nice people huh?), they want to reunite with all Somalis, but Kenya is not letting them, so the Somalis there have taken over Kenya from the inside, their government, their money, their business etc. Yeah payback's a....
The capital, Mogadishu, is a
bad place. The
Wikitravel page
reads like an over-the-top parody, with no fewer than seven statements emphasizing the likelihood of travelers to die there, but it's all true. The rest of the country isn't much better, but Somaliland is probably the safest area. Noteworthy for both playing the trope
We Are Struggling Together straight and subverting it at the same time, as the country has been wracked with civil war for decades but the rival factions have temporarily united to drive out foreign groups sent to restore order (such as the American-led United Nations mission in the 1990s and the Ethiopian intervention in 2006-2008) before resuming fighting among themselves. At the moment (2011), the African Union is trying to stabilize the situation, but as with previous occupations, can barely manage to keep the capital intact and watch as the chaos continues everywhere else.
Somalia in Real Life provides examples of:
In media
The Somali flag
What? You thought it was the Jolly Roger, didn't you?
