About Somalia/Somaliland

FOR SECURITY REASONS INFORMATION ON THESE COUNTRIES IS LIMITED.

The nation of Somalia was formed in 1969 when the British Protectorate of Somaliland and Italian Somaliland joined up. The ruling regime collapsed in 1991 and part of the north broke away to form Somaliland, as yet still not officially recognised as a country. Nevertheless, the area known as Somaliland has been reasonably stable for the last 25 years.

After years of internal strife Somalia has its own government, which, since 2012, has maintained some form of stability. However, the presence of ‘Al Shabaab’ in the south is a constant threat to peace.

Somalia/Somaliland borders Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti. Between them they have over 3,000 km of coastline.

CAPITALS  Mogadishu (Somalia) and Hargeisa (Somaliland)

TEL COUNTRY CODE +252

CURRENCY  Somalia - Somali Shilling. See today’s exchange rate.

CURRENCY  Somaliland - Somaliland shilling.  Exchanging currency is fairly easy on the streets of Hargeisa.

CULTURE

Languages spoken are Somali, Arabic and English. The religion is Islam.

Foreign women should not travel alone. It is culturally sensitive for women to cover their hair and legs and most internationals adopt or adapt some sort of local wear. A headscarf is pretty much obligatory.

 

CLIMATE

Mostly desert with two rainy seasons (December to February and May to October). Irregular rainfall, high temperatures and humidity in between.

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS

• 1 Jan                          New Year’s Day
• 1 May                         Labour Day
• 18 May                       Somaliland Reassertion of Independence (Somaliland only)
• 26 June                     Independence Day  (Somaliland only)
• 1 July                         Republic Day (Somalia only)
• Varies                         Id el Fitr
• Varies                         Id el Adha
• Varies                         Maulid
• Varies                        Muslim New Year (Somaliland only)
• Varies                        Lailatul Isra Wal Mi'raj (Somaliland only)

VISAS

For more information and online application see https://somalia.visahq.com (Somalia) and http://www.somaliland-mission.com/index.php/visa (Somaliland).

AIRPORTS

Mogadishu: Aden Adde International Airport is located on Somalia’s coast, not far from the centre of Mogadishu and is the entry for all international flights. The airport has separate departure and arrival lounges. If possible, for security reasons, try to arrange to be met inside the terminal, rather than outside. Note that an airport pass is required for non-passengers inside the terminal. For more information about Mogadishu Airport, please see  http://mogadishuairport.com/     There are up to 9 other smaller airstrips within Somalia used for local flights.

Hargeisa: Hargeisa Egal Airport is about 8 km from the town of Hargeisa and is the international air gateway to Somaliland. Outside meeting points are available. There are 4 other local airports within Somaliland.

TRAVEL TIPS

Somaliland

There is very little diplomatic representation in Hargeisa, so one should have onward travel plans arranged (and visas in hand) before travelling to Hargeisa. All international organisations operate under strict security guidelines and are accompanied by Special Police Unit (SPU) armed guards in and between towns. A sensible rule for foreigners is not to walk around in daytime without a guard/translator. The same is true at night.

Travel in the east of the country is not recommended and permission from the Interior ministry and other agencies may be required. There is a long-running border dispute between Somaliland and Puntland, another self-styled autonomous state and armed clashes between forces from both sides are not infrequent.