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248 lines
20 KiB
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248 lines
20 KiB
Plaintext
SOMALIA
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 637,660 km2; land area: 627,340 km2
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Comparative area: slightly smaller than Texas
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Land boundaries: 2,340 km total; Djibouti 58 km, Ethiopia
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1,600 km, Kenya 682 km
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Coastline: 3,025 km
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Maritime claims:
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Territorial sea: 200 nm
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Disputes: southern half of boundary with Ethiopia is a Provisional
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Administrative Line; territorial dispute with Ethiopia over the Ogaden;
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possible claims to Djibouti and parts of Ethiopia and Kenya based on
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unification of ethnic Somalis
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Climate: desert; northeast monsoon (December to February),
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cooler southwest monsoon (May to October); irregular rainfall; hot, humid
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periods (tangambili) between monsoons
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Terrain: mostly flat to undulating plateau rising to hills in north
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Natural resources: uranium, and largely unexploited reserves
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of iron ore, tin, gypsum, bauxite, copper, salt
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Land use: arable land 2%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and
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pastures 46%; forest and woodland 14%; other 38%; includes irrigated 3%
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Environment: recurring droughts; frequent dust storms over eastern
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plains in summer; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion;
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desertification
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Note: strategic location on Horn of Africa along southern
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approaches to Bab el Mandeb and route through Red Sea and Suez Canal
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PEOPLE
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Population: 6,709,161 (July 1991), growth rate 3.3% (1991)
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Birth rate: 46 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 13 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 116 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 56 years male, 56 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 7.2 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--Somali(s); adjective--Somali
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Ethnic divisions: Somali 85%, rest mainly Bantu; Arabs 30,000,
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Europeans 3,000, Asians 800
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Religion: almost entirely Sunni Muslim
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Language: Somali (official); Arabic, Italian, English
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Literacy: 24% (male 36%, female 14%) age 15 and over can
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read and write (1990 est.)
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Labor force: 2,200,000; very few are skilled laborers; pastoral
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nomad 70%, agriculture, government, trading, fishing, handicrafts, and
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other 30%; 53% of population of working age (1985)
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Organized labor: General Federation of Somali Trade Unions is
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controlled by the government
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: Somali Democratic Republic
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Type: republic
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Capital: Mogadishu
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Administrative divisions: 16 regions (plural--NA,
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singular--gobolka); Bakool, Banaadir, Bari, Bay, Galguduud, Gedo,
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Hiiraan, Jubbada Dhexe, Jubbada Hoose, Mudug, Nugaal, Sanaag, Shabeellaha
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Dhexe, Shabeellaha Hoose, Togdheer, Woqooyi Galbeed
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Independence: 1 July 1960 (from a merger of British Somaliland,
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which became independent from the UK on 26 June 1960, and Italian
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Somaliland, which became independent from the Italian-administered UN
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trusteeship on 1 July 1960, to form the Somali Republic)
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Constitution: 25 August 1979, presidential approval 23 September
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1979
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National holiday: Anniversary of the Revolution, 21 October (1969)
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Executive branch: president, two vice presidents, prime minister,
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Council of Ministers (cabinet)
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Legislative branch: unicameral People's Assembly (Golaha Shacbiga)
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Judicial branch: Supreme Court
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Leaders:
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Chief of State--Interim President ALI Mahdi Mohamed (since 27
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January 1991);
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Head of Government--Prime Minister OMAR Arteh Ghalib
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(since 27 January 1991); Deputy Prime Minister MOHAMED Abshir Mussa
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(since 27 January 1991)
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Political parties and leaders: the United Somali Congress (USC)
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ousted the former regime on 27 January 1991; note--formerly the only
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party was the Somali Revolutionary Socialist Party (SRSP), headed by
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former President and Commander in Chief of the Army Maj. Gen. Mohamed
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Siad BARRE
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Suffrage: universal at age 18
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Elections:
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President--last held 23 December 1986 (next to be held
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NA);
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results--President Siad was reelected without opposition;
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People's Assembly--last held 31 December 1984 (next to be held NA);
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results--SRSP was the only party;
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seats--(177 total, 171 elected) SRSP 171;
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note--the United Somali Congress (USC) ousted the regime of Maj. Gen.
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Mohamed SIAD Barre on 27 January 1991; the provisional government
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has promised that a democratically elected government will be
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established
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Communists: probably some Communist sympathizers in the government
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hierarchy
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Member of: ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD,
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ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IGADD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC,
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IOM (observer), ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
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UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
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Diplomatic representation: Ambassador ABDIKARIM Ali Omar; Chancery
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at Suite 710, 600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington DC 20037;
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telephone (202) 342-1575; there is a Somali Consulate General in
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New York;
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US--Ambassador James K. BISHOP; Embassy at K-7, AFGOI Road,
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Mogadishu (mailing address is P. O. Box 574, Mogadishu); telephone
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252 (01) 39971; note--US Embassy evacuated and closed indefinitely in
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January 1991
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Flag: light blue with a large white five-pointed star in the
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center; design based on the flag of the UN (Italian Somaliland was a UN
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trust territory)
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ECONOMY
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Overview: One of the world's poorest and least developed countries,
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Somalia has few resources. Agriculture is the most important sector of
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the economy, with the livestock sector accounting for about 40% of GDP
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and about 65% of export earnings. Nomads and seminomads who are
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dependent upon livestock for their livelihoods make up more than half
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of the population. Crop production generates only 10% of GDP and employs
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about 20% of the work force. The main export crop is bananas; sugar,
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sorghum, and corn are grown for the domestic market. The small industrial
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sector is based on the processing of agricultural products and accounts
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for less than 10% of GDP. Serious economic problems facing the nation are
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the external debt of $1.9 billion and double-digit inflation.
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GDP: $1.7 billion, per capita $210; real growth rate - 1.4% (1988)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 210% (1989)
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Unemployment rate: NA%
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Budget: revenues $190 million; expenditures $195 million, including
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capital expenditures of $111 million (1989 est.)
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Exports: $58.0 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.);
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commodities--bananas, livestock, fish, hides, skins;
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partners--US 0.5%, Saudi Arabia, Italy, FRG (1986)
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Imports: $249 million (c.i.f., 1990 est.);
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commodities--petroleum products, foodstuffs, construction
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materials;
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partners--US 13%, Italy, FRG, Kenya, UK, Saudi Arabia (1986)
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External debt: $1.9 billion (1989)
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Industrial production: growth rate - 5.0% (1988); accounts for 5%
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of GDP
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Electricity: 72,000 kW capacity; 60 million kWh produced,
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7 kWh per capita (1990)
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Industries: a few small industries, including sugar refining,
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textiles, petroleum refining
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Agriculture: dominant sector, led by livestock raising (cattle,
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sheep, goats); crops--bananas, sorghum, corn, mangoes, sugarcane; not
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self-sufficient in food; fishing potential largely unexploited
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Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $639
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million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
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(1970-87), $3.2 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $1.1 billion;
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Communist countries (1970-89), $336 million
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Currency: Somali shilling (plural--shillings);
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1 Somali shilling (So.Sh.) = 100 centesimi
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Exchange rates: Somali shillings (So. Sh.) per US$1--3,800.00
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(December 1990), 490.7 (1989), 170.45 (1988), 105.18 (1987), 72.00
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(1986), 39.49 (1985)
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Fiscal year: calendar year
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Highways: 15,215 km total; including 2,335 km bituminous surface,
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2,880 km gravel, and 10,000 km improved earth or stabilized soil (1983)
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Pipelines: 15 km crude oil
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Ports: Mogadishu, Berbera, Chisimayu
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Merchant marine: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,913
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GRT/9,457 DWT; includes 2 cargo, 1 refrigerated cargo
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Civil air: 2 major transport aircraft
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Airports: 61 total, 46 usable; 8 with permanent-surface runways;
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2 with runways over 3,659 m; 5 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 22 with
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runways 1,220-2,439 m
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Telecommunications: minimal telephone and telegraph service; radio
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relay and troposcatter system centered on Mogadishu connects a few towns;
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6,000 telephones; stations--2 AM, no FM, 1 TV; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT
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earth station; scheduled to receive an ARABSAT station
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: Somali National Army (including Navy, Air Force, and
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Air Defense Force), National Police Force, National Security Service
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Manpower availability: males 15-49, 1,601,690; 902,732 fit for
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military service
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Defense expenditures: $NA, NA% of GDP
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