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The Probert Encyclopaedia of Places of the World

SOMALIA

The Somalia Democratic Republic is a country in north east Africa. It has a total area of 637,660 km2. The climate is desert with a north-east monsoon lasting from December to February, and a cooler south-west monsoon from May to October; irregular rainfall; and hot, humid periods (known as tangambili) between the monsoons. The terrain is mostly flat to undulating plateau rising to hills in north. Natural resources are uranium, and largely unexploited reserves of iron ore, tin, gypsum, bauxite, copper, salt. The religion is almost entirely Sunni Muslim. The official language is Somali with Arabic, Italian and English also spoken. Somalia developed around Arab trading posts and became split into a British protectorate in the north in1884 and an Italian protectorate in the south in 1889. The Italian protectorate became a colony in 1927 and part of Italian East Africa in 1936, before being taken by Britain in 1941. In 1950 the southern region was designated a United Nations Trust administration, before both colonies were merged into an independent country in 1960.
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