Somalia

American  

[soh-mah-lee-uh, -mahl-yuh] / soʊˈmɑ li ə, -ˈmɑl jə /

noun

1. an independent republic on the eastern coast of Africa, formed from the former British Somaliland and the former Italian Somaliland. 246,198 sq. mi. (637,653 sq. km). Mogadishu.

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Somalia British  

/ səʊˈmɑːlɪə /

noun

1. a republic in NE Africa, on the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden: the north became a British protectorate in 1884; the east and south were established as an Italian protectorate in 1889; gained independence and united as Somalia (or the Somali Republic) in 1960. In 1991 the former British Somaliland region in the north unilaterally declared itself independent as the Republic of Somaliland, and Puntland and other areas are also operating effectively as separate states, but this has not been recognized officially. Official languages: Arabic and Somali. Official religion: (Sunni) Muslim. Currency: Somali shilling. Capital: Mogadishu. Pop: 10 251 568 (2013 est). Area: 637 541 sq km (246 154 sq miles)

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Somalia Cultural  

1. Republic in extreme eastern Africa, directly south of the Arabian Peninsula across the Gulf of Aden, bordered by Ethiopia and Kenya to the west. Mogadishu is the capital and largest city.

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Civil war and famine have recently ravaged the country. In 1992, the United States embarked on a humanitarian intervention designed to ensure delivery of food supplies to the population. After American troops were drawn into a conflict between local warlords and suffered casualties, the United States withdrew from Somalia in 1994. The country currently lacks any central government.

Britain, France, and Italy established protectorates in the area in the late 1880s. Somalia gained independence in 1960.

Other Word Forms

• Somalian
  adjective

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Somalia

She has interviewed many of the world's leaders and newsmakers over the past decades and reported from hotspots such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Rwanda and the Balkans.

From Barron's ● Oct. 19, 2026

The U.S. government granted Omar’s family, refugees from Somalia, asylum in 1995.

From Salon ● Oct. 18, 2026

The investigation is focused at least in part on how Omar obtained her citizenship after she arrived in the U.S. from Somalia decades ago, people familiar with it have said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Omar’s family was granted asylum in the United States in 1995, having spent years in Kenyan refugee camps after emigrating from Somalia due to the country’s civil war.

From Slate ● Oct. 13, 2026

Jenna, who landed in our neighborhood from Somalia last year, is a Carver full-ride scholarship junior like me, also recruited by Grandma Rose.

From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins

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