Somalia Statistics

Geography-Population

Capital:  Mogadishu

Area:  637,657 sq km

Climate:  principally desert; northeast monsoon (December to February), moderate temperatures in north and hot in south; southwest monsoon (May to October), torrid in the north and hot in the south, irregular rainfall, hot and humid periods (tangambili) between mo

Population:  9,925,640 (July 2011 est.)

Languages:  Somali (official), Arabic, Italian, English

Government-Economy

Government type: no permanent national government; transitional, parliamentary federal government

National Day: Foundation of the Somali Republic, 1 July (1960); note - 26 June (1960) in Somaliland

Independence Day: 1 July 1960 (from a merger of British Somaliland that became independent from the UK on 26 June 1960 and Italian Somaliland that became independent from the Italian-administered UN trusteeship on 1 July 1960 to form the Somali Republic)

Currency: Somali shillings (SOS)

GDP: $5.896 billion (2010 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP): $600 (2010 est.)

Information for Foreign Students in Somalia

Obtaining a Visa

Since visa requirements are different according to the departure country, we highly advise travelers to contact the embassy or to go on its website.

Housing

Link for hostels: http://www.southtravels.com/africa/somalia/

Health

Medical facilities are very limited and visitors are advised to take their own medicines with them. Health insurance is essential. Medical treatment at government-run hospitals and dispensaries is free for Somalians and may sometimes be free for visitors.

Money

Credit cards payments and withdraws can not be done throughout the country.

Transportation

Taxis and rental cars are available in major cities. There are minibusesandshared taxi-type services inMogadishu, but availability may be restricted outside normal working hours (Sat-Thurs 0700-1400).

Phoning

Outgoing international calls must be made via the operator. Regarding cell phones several companies exist but there are currently no roaming agreements with international companies.