Somaliland

Somaliland (Somali: Soomaaliland, Arabic: أرض الصومال‎ Arḍ aṣ-Ṣūmāl) is a territory located in the Horn of Africa. It is regarded internationally by all states as being an autonomous region of Somalia. Since 1991, however, it has been governed by a secessionist administration as the Republic of Somaliland, which is considered a de facto independent state.

The material that follows is taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somaliland

The Republic, which declared its independence in May 1991,remains unrecognised by any state or international organisation. Though many governments maintain informal ties with the state, with an increasing number of foreign delegations and embassies having been established in the capital Hargeisa, it is still far from full diplomatic recognition.

Somaliland is bordered by Ethiopia in the south and west, Djibouti in the northwest, the Gulf of Aden in the north, and by the Somalian region of Puntland in the east, covering most of the territory of the former British Somaliland protectorate.

The population is 3.5 million - which is a lot of people to be living in limbo. (Even if Taiwan has 23 million in such a situation.)

The capital is Hargeisa.

Somaliland's economy is in its developing stages, as is the region itself. The Somaliland shilling, while stable, is not an internationally recognized currency and currently has no official exchange rate. It is regulated by the Bank of Somaliland, the central bank, which was established constitutionally in 1994.

Remittances from the large Somali diaspora contribute immensely to Somaliland's economy. Remittances come to Somaliland through money transfer companies. The World Bank estimates that remittances worth around $1 billion a year reach Somalia from emigres in the US, Europe and the Gulf states.

In 2009, the Banque pour le Commerce et l'Industrie - Mer Rouge, based in Djibouti, opened a branch in Hargeisa, to become the first bank in the country since the collapse in 1990 of the Commercial and Savings Bank of Somalia.

The bulk of Somaliland's exports are livestock, which has been estimated at 24 million. In 1996, 3 million heads of livestock were exported to the Middle East. In February 1998, this export was badly affected by a Saudi Arabian ban on imports of beef. The ban was eventually lifted in December 2006, allowing the industry to recover. Other exports include hides, skins, myrrh, and frankincense. Agriculture is generally considered to be a potentially successful industry, especially in the production of cereals and horticulture. Mining also has potential, though simple quarrying represents the extent of current operations despite the presence of hugely diverse quantities of mineral deposits.[31]

The region is claimed to have large offshore and onshore oil and natural gas reserves. There are several wells that have been excavated over the past few years, but due to the region's unrecognised status, foreign oil companies and coal companies have not been able to benefit from this.

Recently, Somaliland has grown as a major export port for Ethiopia. Ethiopia signed an agreement with the region specifying that the port city of Berbera will export and import goods for Ethiopia, while the latter will pay for it

Somaliland has a budding tourist industry and is home to what is often considered to be one of the most interesting attractions in the Horn of Africa, the Laas Gaal cave paintings. Currently, a small number of tourists travel to the region to see this sight.

Most people in Somaliland speak the region's two official languages: Somali and Arabic. Article 6 of the Constitution of 2001 designates the official language of Somaliland to be Somali, though Arabic is a mandatory subject in school and is used in mosques around the region. English is also spoken and taught in schools.

With few exceptions, the Somalis are entirely Muslims,the majority belonging to the Sunni branch.