Administrative divisions 18 regions (plural - NA, singular - gobolka); Awdal, Bakool, Banaadir, Bari, Bay, Galguduud, Gedo, Hiiraan, Jubbada Dhexe, Jubbada Hoose, Mudug, Nugaal, Sanaag, Shabeellaha Dhexe, Shabeellaha Hoose, Sool, Togdheer, Woqooyi Galbeed |
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Capital city
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Mogadishu |
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Capital city > Geographic coordinates
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2 04 N, 45 22 E |
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Constitution 25 August 1979, presidential approval 23 September 1979; note: the formation of transitional governing institutions, known as the Transitional Federal Government, is currently ongoing |
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Corruption
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2.1 |
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[149th of 160]
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Executive branch > Cabinet Cabinet appointed by the prime minister and approved by the Transitional Federal Assembly |
Executive branch > Chief of state Transitional Federal President Abdullahi YUSUF Ahmed (since 14 October 2004); note - a transitional governing entity with a five-year mandate, known as the Transitional Federal Institutions (TFIs), was established in October 2004; the TFIs relocated to Somalia in June 2004 |
Flag description light blue with a large white five-pointed star in the center; blue field influenced by the flag of the UN |
Government type no permanent national government; transitional, parliamentary federal government |
Independence 1 July 1960 (from a merger of British Somaliland, which became independent from the UK on 26 June 1960, and Italian Somaliland, which became independent from the Italian-administered UN trusteeship on 1 July 1960, to form the Somali Republic) |
Judicial branch following the breakdown of the central government, most regions have reverted to local forms of conflict resolution, either secular, traditional Somali customary law, or Sharia (Islamic) law with a provision for appeal of all sentences |
Legal system no national system; a mixture of English common law, Italian law, Islamic Sharia, and Somali customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations |
Legislative branch unicameral National Assembly; note: unicameral Transitional Federal Assembly (TFA) (275 seats; 244 members appointed by the four major clans (61 for each clan), 31 seats allocated to smaller clans and subclans) |
National holiday Foundation of the Somali Republic, 1 July (1960); note - 26 June (1960) in Somaliland |
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Political parties and leaders
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none |
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Political pressure groups and leaders numerous clan and sub-clan factions exist both in support and in opposition to the transitional government |
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Status
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transition/anarchy |
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Suffrage 18 years of age; universal |
Transnational Issues > Disputes > International Ethiopian forces invaded southern Somalia and routed Islamist Courts from Mogadishu in January 2007; "Somaliland" secessionists provide port facilities in Berbera to landlocked Ethiopia and have established commercial ties with other regional states; "Puntland" and "Somaliland" "governments" seek international support in their secessionist aspirations and overlapping border claims; the undemarcated former British administrative line has little meaning as a political separation to rival clans within Ethiopia's Ogaden and southern Somalia's Oromo region; Kenya works hard to prevent the clan and militia fighting in Somalia from spreading south across the border, which has long been open to nomadic pastoralists |
United Nations mission http://www.traveldocs.com/so/foreign.htm http://www.dfat.gov.au/geo/somalia/index.html http://www.1upinfo.com/country-guide-study/somalia/ See Kenya for details |