Somali is the eastern-most of the nine ethnic divisions (kililoch) of Ethiopia. It is often called Somalia, though it is not to be confused with the independent country of that same name. The capital of Somali is Jijiga. Other major towns and cities include K'ebri Dehar, Geladi, Werder, Bircot, Erer Gota, Denan and K'elafo. The region borders Kenya to the south-west, the Ethopian regions of Oromia,Afar and Dire Dawa to the west, Djibouti to the north and Somalia/Somaliland to the north, east and south. It covers 279,252 km2 in the east of the country and its population (as of 1999) is 3,602,000.da
The region has a very high Somali population, and it has been claimed by Somalia in the past as part of the idea of a Greater Somalia. In the 1970s, Somalia invaded Ethiopia to support Somali rebels in the area, but was defeated.
Bordering Ethiopia is Sudan to the west, Djibouti and Eritrea to the north, Somalia to the east, and Kenya to the south.
After the 1974 revolution, the economy of Ethiopia was run as a socialist economy: strong state controls were implemented, and a large part of the economy was transferred to the public sector, including most modern industry and large-scale commercial agriculture, all agricultural land and urban rental property, and all financial institutions.
Islam in Ethiopia dates back almost to the founding of the religion; in 615, when a band of Muslims were counseled by the Prophet Muhammad to escape persecution in Mecca and travel to Ethiopia, which was ruled by, in the Prophet Muhammad's estimation, a pious Christian king.
In July 1977, mechanized units of the SNA army invaded Ethiopia in a preemptive thrust at Harer--the Ogaden region's military command center--that was intended to decide the Ogaden issue before promised Soviet military equipment arrived in Ethiopia (see fig.
The Somali forces then focused their efforts on the strategic Marda (also known as Karamarda) Pass, carrying the attack into the unfamiliar highlands to block Ethiopian reinforcements coming into Harerge.
However, the Somali forces were unable to dislodge the Ethiopians from Balumbale and Galdogob.
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