Somalia

Somalia Democratic Republic

GEOGRAPHY:
Location:----------------- Eastern Africa
Area:
Total area:--- 637,660 sq. km
Land area:--- 627,340 sq. km
Capital city:------------- Mogadishu
Natural Resources:---------------- Uranium and largely unexploited reserves
of iron ore, tin, gypsum, bauxite, copper, salt.

PEOPLE:
Population:---------------- 6,841,695
Literacy rate:-------------- 24% of total population, (Males:36%,
Females:14%).
Languages:------------------ Somali (official), Arabic, Italian, English.
Religious:----------------- Sunni Muslim.

VITAL STATISTICS:
Birth rate:------------- 45.49 (per 1,000 population)
Death rate:------------- 18.34 (per 1,000 population)
Infant Mortality rate:------------ 125.8 (deaths per 1,000 live births)
Fertility rate:--------------- 6.76 (per woman)
Life Expectancy at birth:
Total population:--- 46.23 (Males:44.66, Females:47.85)

GOVERNMENT:
Type of Government:-------------- None
Independence:-------------- July 1, 1960 (from British)
President:-------------- None.

ECONOMY:
GDP:--------------- purchasing power parity - $3.6 billion (1995)
GDP real growth rate:--- 2%
GDP per capita:--- $500
Inflation rate (consumer prices):------------- NA%
National budget:
Revenues:--- $NA
Expenditures:--- $NA
External Debt:-------------- $2.6 billion
Currency:--------------- 1 Somali shilling = 100 cent
Labor force:--------------- 3.7 million (very few skilled laborers)(1993)
Unemployment rate:---------------- NA%
Agriculture:---------------- Bananas, sorghum, corn, mangoes, sugarcane;
cattle, sheep, goats; fishing potential largely unexploited.
Industries:--------------- A few small industries, including sugar refining,
textiles, petroleum refining (mostly shutdown).
Exports:---------------- $130 million
Commodities:--- Bananas, live animals, fish, hides.
Imports:---------------- $269 million
Commodities:--- Petroleum products, foodstuffs, construction materials.

DEFENCE:
Defence Expenditures:--------------- $NA, NA% of GDP

Geography:Somalia is located in the Horn of Africa, with the Indian Ocean on the east
and Kenya and Ethiopia on the west.