Colors and the Meaning of the Somalia Flag
The Somali flag is the official flag of the African country of Somalia. The flag, designed by Mohammed Awale Liban, was adopted on 12 October 1954. Following the merger of the Italian Somalian and British Somalian, the flag was introduced by the Somali Republic.
The five-pointed Union Star in the center of the flag, an ethnic flag, represents the Somalians in Djibouti, the Ogaden region in Ethiopia, the Northeastern province in Kenya, and the former Somali of Italy. The blue color in the flag was taken from the United Nations flag. The reason for this is the role of the United Nations in achieving the independence of Somalia.
History of the Somalia Flag
Since the 19th century, Somalia has been confronted with the invasion of the colonial western states. In 1884, the British succeeded in invading Somali, and in the northern part of Somalia, it formed the colonial region known as the British Somalian. In 1889, the Italians formed another colonial region, the Italian Somali, on the coasts of East Somalia. In 1941, when the British occupied the Italian Somalis, the Italians took control again in 1950.
On 12 October 1954, the first national flag of Somalia was used. This flag was designed by Mohammed Awale Liban, a member of the Somali council. Flag of Somalia is very similar to the flag of the United Nations. The reason for this similarity is that it is an expression of appreciation to the United Nations for its support for Somali independence. The flag is designed in blue and there is a white and angular star in the middle.
The flag fluctuates in all Somali lands known as the Democratic Republic of Somalia. But it is not accepted by British and Italian occupied territories.
The Independence of Somalia
In the early days of July 1960, Somali announces its independence with the withdrawal of both the Occupy countries, namely the British and the Italians, from the Somali. On 26 June 1960 Italian Somalian and British Somalian united to form the Somali Republic. Since the independence of Somalia, the newly established national government has been working to establish a unified political entity covering Somalia. The aim is to unite Somali in neighboring countries. This movement led to a bloody war between Somalia and Ethiopia in 1960.
In 1964, General Mohamed Siad Barre led a military coup. Barre declares that the regime adopts the principles of Communism and applies violence and oppression to those who oppose it.
In 1991, the Barre government was destroyed in a period when many people were killed because of the civil war in which difficult conditions and scarcity were experienced. After the end of the Barre period, the Somali State suffered a collapse and the State of Somalia had lost its presence. In 1992, when the country was struggling with famine and hunger, the American-led international power entered Somalia to protect humanitarian aid. In 1993, the United States led the administration of this US-led force. In this process, the American forces faced strong resistance by the Somali opponents.
Somalia is divided into two regions as North and South. The national Somali movement, which controlled the northern region, declared independence on 18 May 1991 in this area known as Somaliland.
No changes have been made to their flags until today due to ongoing problems and civil wars throughout the country.
Neighboring Countries of Somalia
Somalia is a country in East Africa, a geographical region called the Horn of Africa. It is surrounded by Djibouti in the Northwest, Kenya in the Southwest, Yemen in the North and Ethiopia in the West. It is surrounded by the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean in the east.
Main Characteristics of Somalia
Somalia comes from the word Somal, meaning cow and goat milk. This name is given because milk is the most famous drink of the country.
The capital is Mogadishu, located on the Indian Ocean coast. It is also the largest city in the country. There are two official languages, Somali and Arabic. Somali shilling is used as currency.
It has a dry and warm tropical climate. In the southeast region and in the vicinity of the Kenya border, the average temperature varies between 27 and 32 degrees. The temperature is lower in the higher regions and the mountainous northern areas.
They have mainly meat-based cuisines. Since the country has a dry structure, the consumption of vegetables is very low. In addition, rice is of great importance in food. Fish and seafood are also widely consumed.
| Country | Somalia |
| Code | SO (SOM) |
| Calling Code | 252 |
| Capital City | Mogadishu |
| Currency | somali shilling (SOS) |
| Emoji Symbol | 🇸🇴 |
| Highest Point | Shimbiris (2,450 m) |
| Internet TLD | .so |
| Population(2017) | 14,959,351 |
| Total Area | 637,657 km2 |