Somalia is a country in the horn of Africa bordering the Gulf of Aden to the north, the Indian Ocean to the east, Ethiopia to the west, Kenya to the southwest, and Djibouti to the northwest. It covers an area of about 637660 km square, which is almost five times the size of Alabama and slightly smaller than Texas. About 11 million people live in Somalia as of 2016, of which 85% are ethnic Somalis and the remaining 15% are Bantu and other non-Somalis including 30,000 Arabs (The World Factbook: SOMALIA). In terms of the population distribution, 49.6% of Somalis are male while 50.4% are female. Moreover, 44.7% of the population are under the age of 15 years, 52.9% between 15 and 64 years while only 2.4% are above 65 years. The life expectancy …show more content…
Some of the well-known ones included the Ajuran Sultanate empire, Geledi Sultanate, Majerteen Sultanate and Dervish state (M, Bradbury, 115). Historically, Somalis are organized into different tribes of which they are very loyal. A Somali may belong to one of the six major tribes; Darood, Dir, Hawiye, Isaak, Gigil and Mirifle (Hesse, 249). These tribes further subdivide in to subtribes and the subtribes continue to separate until it reaches a family level. Interestingly, these tribes or the subtribes from what the Somalis call a diya-paying group, a contractual alliance to collectively receive or pay blood compensation. If for instance, one of their clan members wrongfully harms another one that belongs to a different tribe, then his/her Diya-paying group have to compensate the blood of the deceased to the tribe he/she belongs to. This usually happens in the form of camels and its about 100 young she-camels where by 40 of these will be given to the immediate family of the deceased and the deceased's tribe will share the remaining 60 (Gardner et al. 157). Although the different Somali tribes occupied different areas in the horn of Africa, there were no boundaries that separated them and because they were pastoralists, they used to constantly move from one area to another for the search of pasture and …show more content…
Three European powers - Italy, Britain and French divided Somalia in to different territories. Italy colonized the southern part of Somalia, Britain colonized the northern part and French colonized the present day Djibouti. In 1880, the colonialists introduced territorial boundaries with in the Somalis and gave parts of Somali inhibited areas to Ethiopia and Kenya. The European powers issued identification cards to Somalis, requiring them to apply visas if they were to move to other Somali territories that are colonized by other European countries. In fact, the colonizers identified the Somalis with their name followed by their clan in the Identification cards. This is the same strategy that the colonialists used to divide and conquer the people of Africa. Today, Clan association and lineage is an important aspect of the Somali culture (Issa-Salwe,
By 1885, little to no independent countries existed throughout the whole African continent. This was due to the imperialism done by strong European countries. Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Belgium, and Spain are to blame. There are many possible contributing factors as to why the European countries decided to completely carve up Africa, split it up, imperialize the whole of the continent. Because of the need for resources Africa could supply, the European desire for power, and the European's reaction to the White Man's burden, they took control of almost every square mile in Africa through imperialization.
The U.S. and other Western nations support the fragile Somali regime, which is battling an Islamic insurgency, as part of the counterterrorism strategy for the region.” As apparent, the United States has put a counterterrorism strategy into place, to help bring down the power that Somalia has over child soldiers. As seen from “Armed & Underage” by Jeffrey Gettleman, “.200,000 children worldwide are still being used as combatants, usually against their will. And it isn't just boys: Girls are often pressed into duty as cooks or messengers.
Ever since the civil war in 1991, when the government collapsed, Somalia has been in a state of civil war and anarchy (“Somalian Government”). Somalia is one of the countries in the world with the least diversity among the people. 98.8% of the population is made up of ethnic Somalis (Kraus). Other minority groups include Arabs, Indians, Italians, and Pakistanis. Most Somalis are nomadic or semi-nomadic herders of livestock.
Europe, in the late 1800’s, was starting for a land grab in the African continent. Around 1878, most of Africa was unexplored, but by 1914, most of Africa, with the lucky exception of Liberia and Ethiopia, was carved up between European powers. There were countless motivations that spurred the European powers to carve Africa, like economical, political, and socio–cultural, and there were countless attitudes towards this expansion into Africa, some of approval and some of condemnation.
The purpose of this document is to discuss the horrible acts one may recognize as the genocide in Somalia. One may deliberate regularly on the reasons or circumstances that lead to the mistreatment and killings of a whole country; how could this happen? Why are no other countries willing to step in and give aid to the Somali people whom are suffering on a daily basis? In reality, many concerns have been addressed, whether by discussions or actions. There may be different philosophies or viewpoints as to why the genocide was conducted and not stopped. Genocide is a cruel and inhumane event and is a world problem.
Before the Europeans began the New Imperialism in Africa, very little was known about the inner parts of the continent. However, after some explorers delved deeper into the heart of Africa, the Europeans soon realized how economically important this area was, and how much they could profit from it. At the time, Britain had only small occupations of land in Africa, but after they realized that they could make money from the rich resources from the inner regions of Africa, they wanted to invade the African countries and take over. This led to the scramble and ultimately, the partition of Africa. During the Age of Imperialism, from 1870-1914, Britain was a major country, which proved to be true in the “carving up” and division of Africa. Britain was one of the strongest of the European countries, and had the power to take over much of the most valuable lands with the most rich and abundant supplies of raw materials and other resources. There were five main reasons for their imperialism. They were political and military interests, humanitarian and religious goals, ideological, exploratory, and lastly, but most importantly, economic interests.
Africa was divided into a series of seven colonial empires. France and Britain had the...
“The sun never sets on the British Empire,” Great Britain often bragged. By 1914, about 85% of the earth’s surface was colonized by Europe. Between 1884 and 1885, The Berlin Conference took place to carve up the African continent (Background Essay). Europeans saw high potential in Africa and thought the continent was empty, even though it was not. It was roughly “untouched” and they thought they could do anything they wanted (Doc.1). Great Britain’s colonization in Kenya affected the country’s religion and culture, education, and government.
The United States can start by easing some restrictions in their counterterrorism policy. The humanitarian relief agencies are not handing over the money to the militants willingly but are forced to. They are handing the money over to reach people desperately in need of basic necessities. The ultimate goal is to reach the people who desperately need international aid. In certain cases, there should be an evaluation of what is the best course of action between the two difficult options. Giving money to the militants and getting aid to the people or not negotiating with the militants and watch the people suffer. I feel the United States has to look at the lesser of two evils. Understandably, the United States is concerned of designated funds getting into the hands of militants to fund and execute operations, however aid needs to get to the people who are suffering. The United States can take initiative and get a direct line of communication between the government of Somalia and the militants to come up with a common goal to assist the people in the war ravaged nation. I believe this can set the stage for future diplomatic meetings between Somalia and the United States. There could even be an option with direct talks with Al-Shabaab if diplomacy makes its way to the table.
Laura Smith – Spark on www.cnn.com writes, “Half of the 258,000 Somalis who died in the famine were children younger than 5.” (Smith-Spark et al. May 02, 2013) Somalia was once considered to be one of the most prosperous countries in Africa, but now is considered as one of the worse. How did this horrible transition occur to such a prosperous country? This horrendous result is due to the famine, lack of resources, and lack of trade. Oxfam International states, “Famines result from a combination “triple failure” ("Famine in Somalia: causes and solutions"). This triple failure includes production, access, and response failures. Somalia has been the victim of a two-year drought. Oxfam International states, “particularly in the expectation of the next harvest being 50% of normal.” ("Famine in Somalia: causes and solutions") Because Somalia cannot feed its people, this issue creates malnutrition and affects all ages, especially the young. This is a massive problem in their economic system. The young die too early, therefore creating a gap in the age distribution, which can affect Somalia’s work force in the future. This could also make the economic system weaker. If the only people living in Somalia are old, then there will not be any work done. One reason that they die so young is because of the lack of food. The availability of the food is minimal. Oxfam International states, “The drought has killed off the pastoralists’ prime livestock assets (up to 90% animal mortality in some areas), slashing further their purchasing power.” ("Famine in Somalia: causes and solutions") Somalia ‘s access to its food is limited because the people of Somalia cannot feed their animals. The people of Somalia also cannot trade for food, because dead...
Cultural clashes result in unnecessary conflict. Several countries (European powers) including France, Great Britain, and Belgium imperialized Africa. They did this because of their demand for raw materials, need for markets, and their attempt to implement commerce, create civilization, and to bring in Christianity to be the primary religion. The clash between the Europeans and the Africans caused the Europeans to colonize Africa and to partition the continent, this partition plan is known as the Scramble for Africa. Chinua Achebe’s thesis regarding Colonial Africa in Things Fall Apart is an accurate portrayal of imperialism and Ibo culture to a high extent due to the religious accusations serving as catalysts for conflict, the use of the Christian, European missionaries attempting to conquer Africa, take the resources of the land, and convert multiple Ibo people to Christianity, and the display of cultural aspects (customs/traditions) about the Ibo people.
Somalia, like many other African countries, has a very high child mortality rate. In fact, they have the third highest child mortality rate in the world behind Afghanistan and Mali. In Somalia, 10% of the children die before age five and there are 4 physicians per 100,000 people. This means that healthcare is poor which is a major cause for the high mortality rate. Another reason the rate is so high in Somalia is due to poor sanitation, malnutrition and indoor air pollution. Also, diseases such as diarrhea, malaria, preterm birth complications and pneumonia all contribute to the high rate. Many children and adults aren’t exposed to proper education to learn about how to prevent diseases. The major organizations that work to reduce child mortality rates include Every Women Every Child, The Millennium Goals and The Child Survival Call to Action. Some of those organizations have done a lot to help many countries such as South Africa but have not done as much for Somalia. Some money has been given to Somalia but most o...
During the 19th century, Europe found a way to use Africa for its own growth and power. Using Africa for their resources, the Europeans colonized Africa without a second thought. European imperialism in Africa had a negative impact because of social disarray, cultural loss, and death it caused. As the Europeans started to invade Africa and split up the land, they paid no attention to the already existing natural boundaries. Over time, villages with different cultures had set these boundaries.
An overwhelming majority of African nations has reclaimed their independence from their European mother countries. This did not stop the Europeans from leaving a permanent mark on the continent however. European colonialism has shaped modern-day Africa, a considerable amount for the worse, but also some for the better. Including these positive and negative effects, colonialism has also touched much of Africa’s history and culture especially in recent years.
Since the beginning of humankind, the study of geography has captured the imagination of the people. In ancient times, geography books extolled tales of distant lands and dreamed of treasures. The ancient Greeks created the word "geography" from the roots "ge" for earth and "grapho" for "to write." These people experienced many adventures and needed a way to explain and communicate the differences between various lands. Today, researchers in the field of geography still focus on people and cultures (cultural geography), and the planet earth (physical geography).