Somaliland
Somaliland, officially the Republic of Somaliland, is an unrecognised state in the Horn of Africa, recognised internationally as de jure part of Somalia. It is located in the southern coast of the Gulf of Aden and bordered by Djibouti to the northwest, Ethiopia to the south and west, and Somalia to the east. Its claimed territory has an area of 176,120 square kilometres (68,000 sq mi), with approximately 5.7 million residents as of 2021. The capital and largest city is Hargeisa. The Government of Somaliland regards itself as the successor state to British Somaliland, which, as the briefly independent State of Somaliland, united from 1960 to 1991 with the Trust Territory of Somaliland (the former Italian Somaliland) to form the Somali Republic.
Republic of Somaliland | |
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Motto: لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول الله Lā ilāhā illā-llāhu; muḥammadun rasūlu-llāh "There is no God but Allah; Muhammad is the Messenger of God" | |
Anthem: Samo ku waar حياة طويلة مع السلام "Live in Eternal Peace" | |
Territory controlled Territory claimed but not controlled | |
Status | Unrecognised state; recognised by the United Nations as de jure part of Somalia |
Capital and largest city | Hargeisa 9°33′N 44°03′E |
Official languages | Somali |
Second language | Arabic, English |
Religion | Islam (official) |
Demonym(s) | |
Government | Unitary presidential republic |
Muse Bihi Abdi | |
Abdirahman Saylici | |
Yasin Haji Mohamoud | |
Adan Haji Ali | |
Legislature | Parliament |
House of Elders | |
House of Representatives | |
Formation | |
c. 2500 BCE | |
1185 | |
1750–1884 | |
• Establishment of British protectorate | 1884 |
26 June 1960 | |
1 July 1960 | |
18 May 1991 | |
13 June 2001 | |
Area | |
• Total | 177,000 km2 (68,000 sq mi) |
Population | |
• 2021 estimate | 5,700,000 (114th) |
• Density | 28.27/km2 (73.2/sq mi) |
GDP (nominal) | 2022 estimate |
• Total | $3.782 billion |
• Per capita | $852 |
Currency | Somaliland shilling |
Time zone | UTC+3 (EAT) |
Date format | d/m/yy (AD) |
Driving side | right |
Calling code | +252 (Somalia) |
Since 1991, the territory has been governed by democratically elected governments that seek international recognition as the government of the Republic of Somaliland. The central government maintains informal ties with some foreign governments, who have sent delegations to Hargeisa. Somaliland hosts representative offices from some countries, including Ethiopia and Taiwan. However, Somaliland's self-proclaimed independence has not been officially recognised by any UN member state or international organisation. It is the largest unrecognised state in the world by de facto controlled land area. It is a member of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization, an advocacy group whose members consist of indigenous peoples, minorities and unrecognised or occupied territories.