Somalia

Somalia is the easternmost country in Africa, located on the Horn of Africa. It stretches from south of the Equator, north to the Gulf of Aden, and holds an important geopolitical position between sub-Saharan Africa and the countries of Arabia and Southwest Asia. Its capital, Mogadishu, is situated north of the equator on the Indian Ocean. The country's climate is predominantly dry and hot, the landscape is characterized by thornbush savannah and semi-desert, and Somali people have developed similarly demanding economic survival strategies. With the exception of the northern mountainous coastline and a few prominent river valleys, much of the country is very flat, with very little natural barriers to restrict the movement of nomads and their livestock. Somalis are clan-based Muslims, and roughly three-fifths of them follow a mobile lifestyle of nomadic herding or agropastoralism. Due to its geographical and climatic diversity, Somalia has a wide range of mammals. Wild animals that still occur include cheetah, lion, Reticulated Giraffe, baboon, serval, elephant, bushpig, gazelle, ibex, kudu, dik-dik, oribi, Somali Wild Ass, reedbuck, Grévy's Zebra, Elephant Shrew, Rock Hyrax, Golden Mole and antelope, and the Dromedary Camel has a large population. The country is home to some 727 species of birds. Eight of these are endemic, one is introduced by humans, one is rare or accidental, and fourteen species are globally threatened. Around 235 species of reptiles also live in Somalia, nearly half of them in the northern areas, several of which are endemic species.