Somalia (pronounced /soʊˈmɑːliə/ soh-MAH-lee-ə; Somali: Soomaaliya; Arabic: ‫الصومال‬

aṣ-Ṣūmāl), officially the Republic of Somalia (Somali: Jamhuuriyadda Soomaaliya,

Arabic: ‫ جمهورية الصومال‬Jumhūriyyat aṣ-Ṣūmāl) and formerly known as the Somali
Democratic Republic under communist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It
is bordered by Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, the Gulf of Aden with
Yemen to the north, the Indian Ocean to the east, and Ethiopia to the west. With the
longest coastline on the continent,[4] its terrain consists mainly of plateaus, plains and
highlands.[2]

In antiquity, Somalia was an important center for commerce with the rest of the ancient
world. Its sailors and merchants were the main suppliers of frankincense, myrrh and
spices, items which were considered valuable luxuries by the Ancient Egyptians,
Phoenicians, Mycenaeans and Babylonians with whom the Somali people traded.[5][6]
According to most scholars, Somalia is most likely where the ancient Kingdom of Punt
was situated.[7][8] The ancient Puntites were a nation of people that had close relations
with Pharaonic Egypt during the times of Pharaoh Sahure and Queen Hatshepsut. The
pyramidal structures, temples and ancient houses of dressed stone littered around the
country are said to date from this period.[9] During the Middle Ages, several powerful
Somali empires dominated the regional trade, including the Ajuuraan State, the Sultanate
of Adal, the Warsangali Sultanate and the Gobroon Dynasty.

Somalia was never formally colonized.[10][11] Muhammad Abdullah Hassan's Dervish State
successfully repulsed the British Empire four times and forced it to retreat to the coastal
region.[12] Due to these successful expeditions, the Dervish State was recognized as an
ally by the Ottoman and German Empires. The Turks also named Hassan Emir of the
Somali nation,[13] and the Germans promised to officially recognize any territories the
Dervishes were to acquire.[14] After a quarter of a century of holding the British at bay,
the Dervishes were finally defeated in 1920 as a direct consequence of Britain's new
policy of aerial bombardment.[15] As a result of this bombardment, former Dervish
territories were turned into a protectorate of Britain. Italy faced similar opposition from
Somali Sultans and armies, and did not acquire full control of parts of modern Somalia
until the Fascist era in late 1927. This occupation lasted until 1941, and was replaced by a
British military administration. Northern Somalia would remain a protectorate, while
southern Somalia became a trusteeship. The Union of the two regions in 1960 formed the
Somali Republic. A civilian government was formed, and on July 20, 1961, through a
popular referendum, a new constitution that had first been drafted the year before was
ratified.[16]