Geography of Somalia#Climate

{{further|Climate change in Somalia}}

Due to Somalia's proximity to the equator, there is not much seasonal variation in its climate. However, there are some very unpredictable rainfalls that occur sometimes. Hot conditions prevail year-round along with monsoon (periodic seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation) winds and irregular rainfall. Mean daily maximum temperatures range from {{convert|30|to|40|°C|°F}}, except at higher elevations and along the eastern seaboard, where the effects of a cold offshore current can be felt. In Mogadishu, for instance, average afternoon highs range from {{convert|28|to|32|°C|°F}} in April. Some of the highest mean annual temperatures in the world have been recorded in the country; Berbera on the northwestern coast has an afternoon high that averages more than {{convert|38|°C|°F}} from June through September. Nationally, mean daily minimums usually vary from about {{convert|15|to|30|°C|°F}}.Hadden, Robert Lee. 2007. [https://web.archive.org/web/20090327102547/http://handle.dtic.mil/100.2/ADA464006 "The Geology of Somalia: A Selected Bibliography of Somalian Geology, Geography and Earth Science."] Engineer Research and Development Laboratories, Topographic Engineering Center The greatest range in climate occurs in northern Somalia, where temperatures sometimes surpass {{convert|45|°C|°F}} in July on the littoral plains and drop below the freezing point during December in the highlands. In this region, relative humidity ranges from about 40 percent in the mid-afternoon to 85 percent at night, changing somewhat according to the season.

Unlike the climates of most other countries at this latitude, conditions in Somalia range from arid desert in the northeastern and central regions to semiarid steppe in the south and northwest. In the south, in the east Africa coastal forest, there are regions in which there is a tropical savanna climate. In the Cal Madow region of Somalia, there is cold steppe climate. In the northeast, annual rainfall is less than {{convert|4|in|mm}}; in the central plateaus, it is about {{convert|8|to|12|in|mm}}. The northwestern and southwestern parts of the nation, however, receive considerably more rain, with an average of {{convert|20|to|24|in|mm}} falling per year. Although the coastal regions are hot and humid throughout the year, the hinterland is typically dry and hot. The Cal Madow and the Lag Badana national park are humid areas.

Most of the country receives less than {{convert|500|mm|in|1|sp=us}} of rain annually, and a large area encompassing the northeast and much of northern Somalia receives as little as {{convert|50|to|150|mm|in|2|sp=us}}. Certain higher areas in the north, however, record more than {{convert|500|mm|in|1|sp=us}} a year, as do some coastal sites. The southwest receives {{convert|330|to|500|mm|in|1|sp=us}}. Generally, rainfall takes the form of showers or localized torrential rains and is extremely variable. Mean daily maximum temperatures throughout the country range from {{convert|30|to|40|°C|°F}}, except at higher elevations and along the Somali Sea coast. Mean daily minimum temperatures vary from {{convert|20|°C}} to more than {{convert|30|°C}}. Northern Somalia experiences the greatest temperature extremes, with readings ranging from below freezing in the highlands in December to more than {{convert|45|°C}} in July in the coastal plain skirting the Gulf of Aden. The north's relative humidity ranges from about 40 percent in midafternoon to 85 percent at night, varying somewhat with the season. During the colder months, December to February, visibility at higher elevations is often restricted by fog. Temperatures in the south are less extreme, ranging from about {{convert|20|to|40|°C|°F}}. The hottest months are February through April. Coastal readings are usually five to ten degrees cooler than those inland. The coastal zone's relative humidity usually remains about 70 percent even during the dry seasons.

There are four main seasons around which pastoral and agricultural life revolve, and these are dictated by shifts in the wind patterns. From December to March is the Jilal, the harshest dry season of the year. The main rainy season, referred to as the Gu, lasts from April to June. This period is characterized by the southwest monsoons, which rejuvenate the pasture land, especially the central plateau, and briefly transform the desert into lush vegetation. From July to September is the second dry season, the Xagaa (pronounced "Hagaa"). The Dayr, which is the shortest rainy season, lasts from October to December. The tangambili periods that intervene between the two monsoons (October–November and March–May) are hot and humid.

{{Weather box

|width = auto

|location = Mogadishu (1961-1990 normals)

|metric first = yes

|single line = yes

| collapsed = yes

|Jan record high C = 39.5

|Feb record high C = 39.5

|Mar record high C = 37.3

|Apr record high C = 39.8

|May record high C = 34.9

|Jun record high C = 33.0

|Jul record high C = 34.3

|Aug record high C = 36.0

|Sep record high C = 36.0

|Oct record high C = 37.0

|Nov record high C = 39.0

|Dec record high C = 37.3

|year record high C = 39.8

|Jan high C = 30.2

|Feb high C = 30.2

|Mar high C = 30.9

|Apr high C = 32.2

|May high C = 31.2

|Jun high C = 29.6

|Jul high C = 28.6

|Aug high C = 28.6

|Sep high C = 29.4

|Oct high C = 30.2

|Nov high C = 30.6

|Dec high C = 30.8

|year high C = 30.2

|Jan mean C = 26.6

|Feb mean C = 26.9

|Mar mean C = 28.0

|Apr mean C = 28.9

|May mean C = 28.2

|Jun mean C = 26.7

|Jul mean C = 25.4

|Aug mean C = 25.9

|Sep mean C = 26.5

|Oct mean C = 27.3

|Nov mean C = 27.5

|Dec mean C = 26.9

|year mean C = 27.1

|Jan low C = 23.0

|Feb low C = 23.4

|Mar low C = 24.9

|Apr low C = 25.6

|May low C = 24.9

|Jun low C = 23.7

|Jul low C = 23.1

|Aug low C = 23.0

|Sep low C = 23.4

|Oct low C = 24.3

|Nov low C = 24.2

|Dec low C = 23.5

|year low C = 23.9

|Jan record low C = 19.0

|Feb record low C = 19.2

|Mar record low C = 19.4

|Apr record low C = 18.0

|May record low C = 18.4

|Jun record low C = 18.0

|Jul record low C = 16.8

|Aug record low C = 18.0

|Sep record low C = 18.0

|Oct record low C = 17.5

|Nov record low C = 16.2

|Dec record low C = 16.5

|year record low C = 16.2

|Jan precipitation mm = 0

|Feb precipitation mm = 0

|Mar precipitation mm = 8

|Apr precipitation mm = 61

|May precipitation mm = 61

|Jun precipitation mm = 82

|Jul precipitation mm = 64

|Aug precipitation mm = 44

|Sep precipitation mm = 25

|Oct precipitation mm = 32

|Nov precipitation mm = 43

|Dec precipitation mm = 9

|year precipitation mm = 428

|unit precipitation days = 0.1 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 0.3

|Feb precipitation days = 0.1

|Mar precipitation days = 0.6

|Apr precipitation days = 4.8

|May precipitation days = 6.7

|Jun precipitation days = 12.7

|Jul precipitation days = 13.3

|Aug precipitation days = 10.2

|Sep precipitation days = 4.9

|Oct precipitation days = 3.9

|Nov precipitation days = 4.1

|Dec precipitation days = 1.5

|year precipitation days = 63.0

|Jan humidity = 78

|Feb humidity = 78

|Mar humidity = 77

|Apr humidity = 77

|May humidity = 80

|Jun humidity = 80

|Jul humidity = 81

|Aug humidity = 81

|Sep humidity = 81

|Oct humidity = 80

|Nov humidity = 79

|Dec humidity = 79

|year humidity = 79

|Jan sun = 266.6

|Feb sun = 251.4

|Mar sun = 282.1

|Apr sun = 261.0

|May sun = 272.8

|Jun sun = 219.0

|Jul sun = 226.3

|Aug sun = 254.2

|Sep sun = 264.0

|Oct sun = 266.6

|Nov sun = 261.0

|Dec sun = 257.3

|year sun =

|Jand sun = 8.6

|Febd sun = 8.9

|Mard sun = 9.1

|Aprd sun = 8.7

|Mayd sun = 8.8

|Jund sun = 7.3

|Juld sun = 7.3

|Augd sun = 8.2

|Sepd sun = 8.8

|Octd sun = 8.6

|Novd sun = 8.7

|Decd sun = 8.3

|yeard sun = 8.4

| Jan percentsun = 72

| Feb percentsun = 74

| Mar percentsun = 73

| Apr percentsun = 71

| May percentsun = 72

| Jun percentsun = 59

| Jul percentsun = 59

| Aug percentsun = 67

| Sep percentsun = 72

| Oct percentsun = 72

| Nov percentsun = 72

| Dec percentsun = 70

| year percentsun = 69

|source 1 = Deutscher Wetterdienst{{cite web |url=http://www.dwd.de/DWD/klima/beratung/ak/ak_632600_kt.pdf |title=Klimatafel von Mogadischu (Mogadiscio) / Somalia |work=Baseline climate means (1961–1990) from stations all over the world |publisher=Deutscher Wetterdienst |language=de |access-date=22 October 2016 |archive-date=25 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190325172654/https://www.dwd.de/DWD/klima/beratung/ak/ak_632600_kt.pdf |url-status=live }}

|source 2 = Food and Agriculture Organization: Somalia Water and Land Management (percent sunshine){{cite web |url=http://sddr.faoswalim.org/downloads/Long%20Term%20Mean_Monthly__sunshine%20fraction.xls |title=Long term mean monthly sunshine fraction in Somalia |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization |access-date = 4 November 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161005063105/http://sddr.faoswalim.org/downloads/Long%20Term%20Mean_Monthly__sunshine%20fraction.xls |archive-date = 2016-10-05 |url-status = dead}}

}}

{{Weather box

|width = auto

|metric first = yes

|single line = yes

|location = Kismayo

|collapsed = yes

|Jan record high C = 31.8

|Feb record high C = 33.1

|Mar record high C = 34.0

|Apr record high C = 37.8

|May record high C = 34.0

|Jun record high C = 34.0

|Jul record high C = 32.3

|Aug record high C = 32.4

|Sep record high C = 30.3

|Oct record high C = 31.5

|Nov record high C = 32.2

|Dec record high C = 33.0

|year record high C = 37.8

|Jan high C = 29.6

|Feb high C = 29.9

|Mar high C = 31.0

|Apr high C = 31.8

|May high C = 30.4

|Jun high C = 28.6

|Jul high C = 28.0

|Aug high C = 28.3

|Sep high C = 28.6

|Oct high C = 29.5

|Nov high C = 30.5

|Dec high C = 30.5

|year high C = 29.7

|Jan mean C = 27.1

|Feb mean C = 27.3

|Mar mean C = 28.2

|Apr mean C = 28.6

|May mean C = 27.3

|Jun mean C = 26.1

|Jul mean C = 25.6

|Aug mean C = 25.7

|Sep mean C = 26.0

|Oct mean C = 26.8

|Nov mean C = 27.5

|Dec mean C = 27.5

|year mean C = 27.0

|Jan low C = 24.2

|Feb low C = 24.5

|Mar low C = 25.4

|Apr low C = 25.8

|May low C = 24.8

|Jun low C = 23.5

|Jul low C = 23.1

|Aug low C = 23.3

|Sep low C = 23.3

|Oct low C = 24.0

|Nov low C = 24.5

|Dec low C = 24.4

|year low C = 24.2

|Jan record low C = 21.0

|Feb record low C = 22.0

|Mar record low C = 23.0

|Apr record low C = 21.3

|May record low C = 20.0

|Jun record low C = 21.0

|Jul record low C = 19.0

|Aug record low C = 21.0

|Sep record low C = 22.0

|Oct record low C = 22.4

|Nov record low C = 22.5

|Dec record low C = 22.0

|year record low C = 19.0

|rain colour = green

|Jan rain mm = 1

|Feb rain mm = 1

|Mar rain mm = 3

|Apr rain mm = 39

|May rain mm = 111

|Jun rain mm = 89

|Jul rain mm = 52

|Aug rain mm = 21

|Sep rain mm = 21

|Oct rain mm = 15

|Nov rain mm = 17

|Dec rain mm = 3

|year rain mm = 374

|unit rain days = 0.1 mm

|Jan rain days = 0

|Feb rain days = 0

|Mar rain days = 0

|Apr rain days = 4

|May rain days = 7

|Jun rain days = 11

|Jul rain days = 9

|Aug rain days = 5

|Sep rain days = 3

|Oct rain days = 2

|Nov rain days = 2

|Dec rain days = 1

|year rain days = 43

|Jan humidity = 77

|Feb humidity = 76

|Mar humidity = 76

|Apr humidity = 77

|May humidity = 80

|Jun humidity = 80

|Jul humidity = 80

|Aug humidity = 79

|Sep humidity = 78

|Oct humidity = 78

|Nov humidity = 77

|Dec humidity = 77

|year humidity = 78

|Jan sun = 235.6

|Feb sun = 226.0

|Mar sun = 248.0

|Apr sun = 210.0

|May sun = 257.3

|Jun sun = 207.0

|Jul sun = 192.2

|Aug sun = 251.1

|Sep sun = 225.0

|Oct sun = 248.0

|Nov sun = 225.0

|Dec sun = 217.0

|year sun =

|Jand sun = 7.6

|Febd sun = 8.0

|Mard sun = 8.0

|Aprd sun = 7.0

|Mayd sun = 8.3

|Jund sun = 6.9

|Juld sun = 6.2

|Augd sun = 8.1

|Sepd sun = 7.5

|Octd sun = 8.0

|Novd sun = 7.5

|Decd sun = 7.0

|yeard sun = 7.5

| Jan percentsun = 64

| Feb percentsun = 73

| Mar percentsun = 69

| Apr percentsun = 62

| May percentsun = 59

| Jun percentsun = 57

| Jul percentsun = 56

| Aug percentsun = 62

| Sep percentsun = 64

| Oct percentsun = 66

| Nov percentsun = 66

| Dec percentsun = 66

| year percentsun = 64

|source 1 = Deutscher Wetterdienst

{{cite web

| url = http://www.dwd.de/DWD/klima/beratung/ak/ak_632700_kt.pdf

| title = Klimatafel von Chisimaio (Kismayu) / Somalia

| work = Baseline climate means (1961–1990) from stations all over the world

| publisher = Deutscher Wetterdienst

| language = de

| access-date = 24 October 2016}}

|source 2 = Food and Agriculture Organization: Somalia Water and Land Management (percent sunshine){{cite web

| url = http://sddr.faoswalim.org/downloads/Long%20Term%20Mean_Monthly__sunshine%20fraction.xls

| title = Long term mean monthly sunshine fraction in Somalia

| publisher = Food and Agriculture Organization

| access-date = 4 November 2016

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161005063105/http://sddr.faoswalim.org/downloads/Long%20Term%20Mean_Monthly__sunshine%20fraction.xls

| archive-date = 5 October 2016

| url-status = dead

}}

}}

{{MapLibrary|Somalia sat.png|Somalia}}

File:Somalia Topography en.png

Physio-graphically, Somalia is a land of limited contrast. In the north, a maritime semidesert plain parallels the Gulf of Aden coast, varying in width from roughly twelve kilometers in the west to as little as two kilometers in the east. Scrub-covered, this plain, known as the Guban (scrub land), is crossed by broad, shallow watercourses that are beds of dry sand except in the rainy seasons. When the rains arrive, the vegetation, which is a combination of low bushes and grass clumps, is quickly renewed, and for a time the guban provides some grazing for nomad livestock. This coastal strip is part of the Ethiopian xeric grasslands and shrublands ecoregion.

Inland from the gulf coast, the plain rises to the precipitous northward-facing cliffs of the dissected highlands. These form the rugged Karkaar mountain ranges that extend from the northwestern border with Ethiopia eastward to the tip of the Horn of Africa, where they end in sheer cliffs at Caseyr. The general elevation along the crest of these mountains averages about 1,800 meters above sea level south of the port town of Berbera, and eastward from that area it continues at 1,800 to 2,100 meters almost to Caseyr. The country's highest point, Shimber Berris, which rises to 2,460 meters, is located near the town of Erigavo.

Southward the mountains descend, often in scarped ledges, to an elevated plateau devoid of perennial rivers. This region of broken mountain terrain, shallow plateau valleys, and usually dry watercourses is known to the Somalis as the Ogo.

In the Ogo's especially arid eastern part, the plateau—broken by several isolated mountain ranges—gradually slopes toward the Somali Sea and in central Somalia constitutes the Mudug Plain. A major feature of this eastern section is the long and broad Nugaal Valley, with its extensive network of intermittent seasonal watercourses. The Nugaal river enters the Somali Sea at Eyl. The eastern area's population consists mainly of pastoral nomads eking a living in a zone of low and erratic rainfall.

The western part of the Ogo plateau region is crossed by numerous shallow valleys and dry watercourses. Annual rainfall is greater than in the east, and there are flat areas of arable land that provide a home for dryland cultivators. Most important, the western area has permanent wells to which the predominantly nomadic population returns during the dry seasons. The western plateau slopes gently southward and merges imperceptibly into an area known as the Haud, a broad, undulating terrain that constitutes some of the best grazing lands for Somali nomads, despite the lack of appreciable rainfall more than half the year. Enhancing the value of the Haud are the natural depressions that during periods of rain become temporary lakes and ponds.

The Haud zone continues for more than sixty kilometers into Ethiopia, and the vast Somali Plateau, which lies between the northern Somali mountains and the highlands of southeast Ethiopia, extends south and eastward through Ethiopia into central and southwest Somalia. The portion of the Haud lying within Ethiopia was the subject of an agreement made during the colonial era. In 1948, under pressure from their World War II allies and to the dismay of the Somalis,Federal Research Division, Somalia: A Country Study, (Kessinger Publishing, LLC: 2004), p.38 the British "returned" the Haud (an important Somali grazing area that was presumably 'protected' by British treaties with the Somalis in 1884 and 1886) and the Ogaden to Ethiopia, based on an 1897 treaty in which the British ceded Somali territory to the Ethiopian Emperor Menelik in exchange for his help against plundering by Somali clans.David D. Laitin, Politics, Language, and Thought: The Somali Experience, (University Of Chicago Press: 1977), p.73 Britain included the proviso that the Somali nomads would retain their autonomy, but Ethiopia immediately claimed sovereignty over them.Zolberg, Aristide R., et al., Escape from Violence: Conflict and the Refugee Crisis in the Developing World, (Oxford University Press: 1992), p.106 This prompted an unsuccessful bid by Britain in 1956 to buy back the Somali lands it had turned over. The stretch of land has since been a considerable source of regional strife.

Southwestern Somalia is dominated by the country's only two permanent rivers, the Jubba and the Shabeelle. With their sources in the Ethiopian highlands, these rivers flow in a generally southerly direction, cutting wide valleys in the Somali Plateau as it descends toward the sea; the plateau's elevation falls off rapidly in this area. The adjacent coastal zone, which includes the lower reaches of the rivers and extends from the Mudug Plain to the Kenyan border, averages 180 meters above sea level.

The Jubba River enters the Somali Sea at Kismaayo. Although the Shabeelle River at one time apparently also reached the sea near Merca, its course is thought to have changed in prehistoric times. The Shabeelle now turns southwestward near Balcad (about thirty kilometers north of Mogadishu) and parallels the coast for more than eighty-five kilometers. The river is perennial only to a point southwest of Mogadishu; thereafter it consists of swampy areas and dry reaches and is finally lost in the sand east of Jilib, not far from the Jubba River. During the flood seasons, the Shabeelle River may fill its bed to a point near Jilib and occasionally may even break through to the Jubba River farther south. Favorable rainfall and soil conditions make the entire riverine region a fertile agricultural area and the center of the country's largest sedentary population.

In most of northern, northeastern, and north-central Somalia, where rainfall is low, the vegetation consists of scattered low trees, including various acacias, and widely scattered patches of grass. This vegetation gives way to a combination of low bushes and grass clumps in the highly arid areas of the northeast and along the Gulf of Aden.

As elevations and rainfall increase in the maritime ranges of the north, the vegetation becomes denser. Aloes are common, and on the higher plateau areas of the Ogo are woodlands. At a few places above 1,500 meters, the remnants of juniper forests (protected by the state) and areas of Euphorbia candelabrum (a chandelier-type spiny plant) occur. In the more arid highlands of the northeast, Boswellia and Commiphora trees are sources, respectively, of the frankincense and myrrh for which Somalia has been known since ancient times.

Image:Naasa Hablood2.jpg and much of northwestern Somalia is desert or hilly terrain. Here, the thelarchic-shaped Naasa Hablood hills are shown.]]

A broad plateau encompassing the northern city of Hargeysa, which receives comparatively heavy rainfall, is covered naturally by woodland (much of which has been degraded by overgrazing) and in places by extensive grasslands. Parts of this area have been under cultivation since the 1930s, producing sorghum and maize; in the 1990s it constituted the only significant region of sedentary cultivation outside southwestern Somalia.

The Haud south of Hargeysa is covered mostly by a semiarid woodland of scattered trees, mainly acacias, underlain by grasses that include species especially favored by livestock as forage. There vegetation forms spatially periodic patterns reminiscent of a tiger skin when viewed from above and therefore knowns as "tiger bush".MacFadyen W.A. (1950). Vegetation patterns in the semi-desert plains of British Somaliland. Geographical Journal, 116, 199-210. As the Haud merges into the Mudug Plain in central Somalia, the aridity increases and the vegetation takes on a subdesert character. Farther southward the terrain gradually changes to semiarid woodlands and grasslands as the annual precipitation increases.

The region encompassing the Shabeelle and Jubba rivers is relatively well watered and constitutes the country's most arable zone. The lowland between the rivers supports rich pasturage. It features arid to subarid savanna, open woodland, and thickets that include frequently abundant underlying grasses. There are areas of grassland, and in the far southwest, near the Kenyan border, some dry evergreen forests are found.

Along the Somali Sea from Hobyo southwestward to near Mogadishu lies a stretch of dry coastal sand dunes, the Hobyo grasslands and shrublands ecoregion.{{Cite web |title= Hobyo Grasslands and Shrublands|url=https://www.oneearth.org/ecoregions/hobyo-grasslands-and-shrublands/}} This area is covered with scattered scrub and grass clumps where rainfall is sufficient although unpredictable. Much of this coast is thinly populated but overgrazing, particularly south of Mogadishu, has resulted in the destruction of the protective vegetation cover and the gradual movement of the once-stationary dunes inland. The original flora of this coast contains a number of endemic species and beginning in the early 1970s, efforts were made to stabilize these dunes by replanting. Endemic mammals are the silver dik-dik (Madoqua piacentinii), one of the world's smallest antelopes, and the Somali golden mole (Calcochloris tytonis). Other endemic species include two reptiles, a skink Haackgreerius miopus and a lizard Latastia cherchii and two birds, Ash's lark (Mirafra ashi) and the Obbia lark (Spizocorys obbiensis). The long-term political strife in Somalia has meant the coast is poorly studied and the state of the habitat unknown.{{WWF ecoregion|id=at1307|name=Hobyo grasslands and shrublands}}

Other vegetation includes plants and grasses found in the swamps into which the Shabeelle River empties most of the year and in other large swamps in the course of the lower Jubba River. Swamps of East African mangroves are found at points along the coast, particularly from Kismaayo to near the Kenyan border. Uncontrolled exploitation appears to have caused some damage to forests in that area. Other mangroves are located near Mogadishu and at a number of places along the northeastern and northern coasts.

File:Socotra Archipelago MODIS.jpg, between the tip of Somalia and Socotra island.]]

Location:

Horn of Africa

Geographic coordinates:

{{coord|10|00|N|49|00|E|type:country}}

Continent:

Africa

Area:

total:

{{convert|637,657|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}

land:

{{convert|627,337|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}

water:

{{convert|10,320|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than the United States state of Texas

File:Southern slope of Dulbiciid mountain in Godaalo.jpg, Xudun District, tallest Somalia mountain outside karkaar range]]

Land boundaries:

total:

{{convert|2,366|km|mi|abbr=on}}

border countries:

Djibouti {{convert|60|km|mi|abbr=on}}, Ethiopia {{convert|1,626|km|mi|abbr=on}}, and Kenya for {{convert|682|km|mi|abbr=on}}

Coastline:

{{convert|3,333|km|mi|abbr=on}}

Maritime claims:

Exclusive Economic Zone:

{{convert|825,052|km2|mi2|abbr=on}} with {{convert|200|nmi|km mi|1|abbr=on|lk=in}}

Climate:

principally desert; December to February - northeast monsoon, moderate temperatures in north and very hot in south; May to October - southwest monsoon, torrid in the north and hot in the south, irregular rainfall, hot and humid periods (tangambili) between monsoons

Terrain:

mostly flat to undulating plateau rising to hills in north

Elevation extremes:

lowest point:

Indian Ocean {{convert|0|m|ft|abbr=on}}

highest point:

Shimbiris {{convert|2,460|m|ft|abbr=on}}

Natural resources:

uranium and largely unexploited reserves of iron ore, tin, gypsum, bauxite, copper, salt, natural gas

Land use:

arable land: 1.64%

permanent crops: 0.04%

other: 98.32% (2005)

Irrigated land: {{convert|2,000|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} (2003)

Natural hazards:

recurring droughts; frequent dust storms over eastern plains in summer; floods during rainy season

Man-made hazards:

desertification; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; waste dumping; overfishing

International environment agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection

signed, but not ratified:

Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban

Geography - note:

Strategic location on Horn of Africa along southern approaches to Bab el Mandeb and route through Red Sea and Suez Canal. The Provisional Administrative Line forms the de facto southern border between Somalia and Ethiopia.

This is a list of the extreme points of Somalia, the points that are farther north, south, east or west than any other location.

• Northernmost point – Alula Lagoon, Bari region
• Easternmost point – Ras Hafun, Bari region*
• Westernmost point – the western section of the border with Kenya**
• * This is also the easternmost point of the African continent
• ** Somalia does not have a westernmost point, the western section of the border being formed by the 41° longitude

{{Portal|Somalia}}

• Somalia
• List of cities in Somalia

{{Reflist}}

• Hadden, Robert Lee. 2007. [https://web.archive.org/web/20090327102547/http://handle.dtic.mil/100.2/ADA464006 "The Geology of Somalia: A Selected Bibliography of Somalian Geology, Geography and Earth Science."] Engineer Research and Development Laboratories, Topographic Engineering Center (now known as the Army Geospatial Center), United States Army Corps of Engineers, in Alexandria, VA. Includes data and citations on the geology, geography, water and transportation in Somalia.
• {{Cite book| last1 = Eklöw| first1 = Karolina| last2 = Krampe| first2 = Dr Florian| title = Climate-related security risks and peacebuilding in Somalia (SIPRI Research Report 53) | date = October 2019 |publisher= SIPRI|place=Stockholm}}

{{Somalia topics}}

{{Geography of Africa}}

{{Africa topic|Climate of}}

Category:Afrotropical realm

Category:Deserts and xeric shrublands