Somalia flag

Basic facts of Somalia
Official name: Somali Republic
Capital: Mogadishu
Area: 637,700 sq km, 246,200 sq mi
Population: 9,379,907 (2008 estimate)
Population growth rate: 2.81 percent (2008 estimate)
Population density: 15 persons per sq km, 39 persons per sq mi (2008 estimate)
Urban/rural distribution:
Share urban 35 percent (2003 estimate)
Share rural 65 percent (2003 estimate)
Largest cities: Mogadishu, Hargeysa
Languages: Somali (official), Arabic, Italian, English, Bantu
Religious affiliations:
Muslim (Islam is the official religion; almost all Sunni Muslim) 99 percent
Christian 1 percent
Life expectancy:
Total 49.2 years (2008 estimate)
Female 51.1 years (2008 estimate)
Male 47.4 years (2008 estimate)
Literacy rate:
Total 24.1 percent (1995)
Female 14 percent (1995)
Male 36.1 percent (1995)
Total number of military personnel 225,000 (1996)

Introduction:
Somalia, republic in East Africa, occupying the tip of the Horn of Africa. The dry, sparsely populated country has been in a state of civil war and anarchy since 1991, when the central government was overthrown. Somalia is bounded on the north by the Gulf of Aden, on the east and south by the Indian Ocean, on the southwest by Kenya, on the west by Ethiopia, and on the northwest by Djibouti. The total area is 637,700 sq km (246,200 sq mi). Mogadishu is the capital and largest city.

Somalia has a long coastline, extending for 3,025 km (1,880 mi), but it has few natural harbors. A sandy coastal plain borders on the Gulf of Aden in the north. A series of mountain ranges, with average elevations between about 915 and 2,135 m (about 3,000 and 7,000 ft), dominates the northern part of the country. Shimbiris, the highest peak in Somalia at 2,416 m (7,927 ft) tall, is located here. To the south, the interior consists of a rugged plateau, ranging in elevation from about 500 m (about 1,640 ft) in the north to less than 180 m (600 ft) in the south. In the south, a wide coastal plain, which has many sand dunes, borders on the Indian Ocean. The country’s two major rivers are found on the southern plateau, the Jubba (Genalē) in the southern part and the Shabeelle (Shebelē) River in the south central section.

Mogadishu, Somalia

The rugged mountainous regions and arid plateaus of Somalia inhibit development and urbanization. One of the few urban centers in the country is Mogadishu, the country’s capital and largest city. Located on the Indian Ocean, Mogadishu, shown here, is Somalia’s leading seaport as well as a commercial and manufacturing center.

Beaches of Mogadishu

Once a popular Indian Ocean resort known for its lovely beaches and fine hotels, Mogadishu was heavily shelled and virtually destroyed in Somalia's civil war, which began in the late 1980s. Many popular tourist sights, hotels, and restaurants no longer exist in the city, Somalia's capital and a major port.

Burkina Faso flag

Basic Facts of Burkina Faso
Official name: Burkina Faso
Capital: Ouagadougou
Area: 274,200 sq km, 105,900 sq mi
Population: 14,761,339 (2008 estimate)
Population growth rate: 2.99 percent (2008 estimate)
Population density: 54 persons per sq km, 140 persons per sq mi (2008 estimate)
Urban/rural distribution:
Share urban 19 percent (2005 estimate)
Share rural 81 percent (2005 estimate)
Largest cities: Ouagadougou, Bobo-Dioulasso, Ethnic groups Mossi, Gourounsi, Senufo, Lobi, Bobo, Mande, Fulani.
Languages: French (official); tribal languages belonging to Sudanic family are spoken by 90 percent of the population.
Religious affiliations:
Muslim 49 percen
Indigenous beliefs 34 percent
Roman Catholic 9 percent
Protestant 7 percent
Other 1 percent
Life expectancy:
Total 49.5 years (2008 estimate)
Female 51.1 years (2008 estimate)
Male 48 years (2008 estimate)
Literacy rate:
Total 28.5 percent (2005 estimate)
Female 18.2 percent (2005 estimate)
Male 38.8 percent (2005 estimate)
Total number of military personnel: 10,800 (2004)

Introduction:
Burkina Faso, country in western Africa, formerly known as Upper Volta. It was a French colony until 1960, when it gained independence. The country took the name Burkina Faso, meaning “land of upright people” in 1985. Burkina Faso is one of the poorest countries of what was formerly French West Africa, and each year thousands of its people seek jobs in neighboring countries, chiefly seasonal farm work in Ghana or Côte d’Ivoire.
Burkina Faso is situated in drought-prone grasslands in the heart of western Africa. This landlocked country lies between the Sahara to its north and tropical rain forests to its south. Most of its people, who are known as Burkinabe, live in the southern part of the country, which is densely populated. They live chiefly by farming, despite poor soil and frequent droughts.

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Ouagadougou, once the center of a powerful kingdom in western Africa, is today the capital, largest city, and commercial center of Burkina Faso.

Mosque, Bobo-Dioulasso

Muslims gather at a mosque made of mud bricks in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso. The city is a center of Islamic study.

African Elephants

African elephants live in grassy regions south of the Sahara. Burkina Faso has large numbers of elephants. The animals have no sweat glands, so they like to cool off by rolling in ponds and streams.