Somalia

American  

[soh-mah-lee-uh, -mahl-yuh] / soʊˈmɑ li ə, -ˈmɑl yə /

noun

1. an independent republic on the eastern coast of Africa, formed from the former British Somaliland and the former Italian Somaliland. 246,198 sq. mi. (637,653 sq. km). Mogadishu.

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Somalia British  

/ səʊˈmɑːlɪə /

noun

1. a republic in NE Africa, on the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden: the north became a British protectorate in 1884; the east and south were established as an Italian protectorate in 1889; gained independence and united as Somalia (or the Somali Republic) in 1960. In 1991 the former British Somaliland region in the north unilaterally declared itself independent as the Republic of Somaliland, and Puntland and other areas are also operating effectively as separate states, but this has not been recognized officially. Official languages: Arabic and Somali. Official religion: (Sunni) Muslim. Currency: Somali shilling. Capital: Mogadishu. Pop: 10 251 568 (2013 est). Area: 637 541 sq km (246 154 sq miles)

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Somalia Cultural  

1. Republic in extreme eastern Africa, directly south of the Arabian Peninsula across the Gulf of Aden, bordered by Ethiopia and Kenya to the west. Mogadishu is the capital and largest city.

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Civil war and famine have recently ravaged the country. In 1992, the United States embarked on a humanitarian intervention designed to ensure delivery of food supplies to the population. After American troops were drawn into a conflict between local warlords and suffered casualties, the United States withdrew from Somalia in 1994. The country currently lacks any central government.

Britain, France, and Italy established protectorates in the area in the late 1880s. Somalia gained independence in 1960.

Other Word Forms

• Somalian adjective

Example Sentences

The Pentagon has some 4,000 personnel at the camp, which supports U.S. and allied operations in Somalia and houses a quick-reaction force to respond to threats to American embassies in the region.

From The Wall Street Journal

Even people fleeing Somalia, a country mired in civil war and Islamist violence for decades, are being turned away at Ugandan border crossings, according to Mugabe.

From The Wall Street Journal

But prosecutors now believe it was a single cell linked to Somalia's al-Shabab jihadist group that was responsible.

From BBC

When asked by the BBC which countries were on the list, the agency pointed to a June proclamation by the White House that included Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Iran, Somalia and Venezuela.

From BBC

Almost 70 percent of Somalia's population is defined as "multidimensionally poor" by the United Nations -- tracking education, health, living standards, services and inclusion.

From Barron's