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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
Capital city	Mogadishu
Capital city > Geographic coordinates	2 04 N, 45 22 E
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
Corruption	2.1		[149th of 160]
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
Political parties and leaders	none
Political pressure groups and leaders numerous clan and sub-clan factions exist both in support and in opposition to the transitional government
Status	transition/anarchy
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

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