CAPITAL: Mogadishu (Muqdisho)

FLAG: The national flag is light blue with a five-pointed white star in the center.

ANTHEM: Somalia Hanolato (Long Live Somalia).

MONETARY UNIT: The Somali shilling (SH) of 100 cents is a paper currency. There are coins of 1, 5, 10, and 50 cents and 1 shilling, and notes of 5, 10, 20, 100, 500, and 1,000 shillings. SH1 = $0.0000498 (or $1 = SH20,041) as of May 2003.

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES: The metric system is in use.

HOLIDAYS: New Year's Day, 1 January; Labor Day, 1 May; National Independence Day, 26 June; Foundation of the Republic, 1 July. Muslim religious holidays include 'Id al-Fitr, 'Id al-Adha', 'Ashura, and Milad an-Nabi.

TIME: 3 PM = noon GMT.

Location, Size, and Extent

Situated on the horn of East Africa, Somalia has an area of 637,657 sq km (246,201 sq mi), extending 1,847 km (1,148 mi) NNE–SSW and 835 km (519 mi) ESE–WNW. Comparatively, the area occupied by Somalia is slightly smaller than the state of Texas. It is bounded on the N by...