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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Somalia

The presidents of Egypt, Somalia, Sudan and Eritrea -- all of whom have difficult relations with Ethiopia -- were set to meet in the Egyptian city of Alamein on Sunday to discuss the conflict.

From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026

Many of the people who died were Iraqi Kurds, but others came from Somalia, Ethiopia, Egypt and Afghanistan.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

Houthi trainers also travel to Somalia to coach al-Shabaab on drone operations, the U.S. military official said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

Ankara has an agreement with Somalia to strengthen its maritime security, as part of a wider defence and economic partnership.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

About the same time I was frightening my grandmother, Hugh and his family were packing their belongings for a move to Somalia.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris