Located on the so-called 鈥淗orn of Africa鈥�, Somalia shares its borders with Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Kenya. The country used to be a magnet for travellers with its fascinating culture, pristine mountain treks, and sandy beaches. However, today, Somalia is off limits for foreign travellers due to a turbulent internal situation, which makes individual travel in the country impossible.
Somalia covers 637,657 square kilometres and has over 11.4 million people. Over 85% of the country's residents are ethnic Somalis ' the rest are ethnic minorities (Bravanese, Bantus, Bajuni, Ethiopians, Indians, Persians, Italians, and Britons) residing in the south of the country. The country's official language is Somali and Arabic, but English and Italian are also widely spoken. The capital city of Somalia is Mogadishu ' currently considered one of the most dangerous cities in the world. Hargeisa is the capital of the country's autonomous region of Somaliland, and when compared to the rest of the country, it is considered a safe city. Kismayo, Bosaso, and Berbera are port cities, and Garowe is the capital of Puntland, another autonomous region.
Somalia's informal economy is primarily based on agriculture and, specifically, livestock. Lack of political stability has rendered the collection of domestic revenue impossible and has led to the country's accumulation of a large amount of foreign debt. However, economic activity in the region is increasing through the telecommunications sector and money transfer services.
The country is home to the beautiful Laas Geel cave formations with some of the earliest cave paintings in Africa; Lag Badana National Park on Somalia's southern coast, and Mount Shimbiris (the highest peak of Somaliland).
Citizens of all countries require a visa to Somalia. However, as mentioned earlier, travel to the region is currently strongly discouraged for all foreign nationals.
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