Population 9,118,773: Somali 85%, Bantu and other non-Somali 15% (including Arabs 30,000)
Capital City Mogadishu (1.2 million)

Languages Somali (official), Arabic, Italian, English
Official Currency Somali Shilling  

Religions Sunni Muslim



Land


Land Area 627,340 sq km (242,216 sq miles) - slightly smaller than Texas
Natural Resources: uranium and largely unexploited reserves of iron ore, tin, gypsum, bauxite, copper, salt, natural gas, likely oil reserves.
Terrain: mostly flat to undulating plateau rising to hills in north.
Geography: strategic location on Horn of Africa along southern approaches to Bab el Mandeb and route through Red Sea and Suez Canal.