Somalia

Civil war, droughts, clan feuds and militant Islamists have made the state on the Horn of Africa one of the most dangerous places on earth. Somalia, a former British protectorate and an Italian colony, was created in 1960 as an independent state, but collapsed in total anarchy in 1991 after the fall of President Siad Barre's military regime. Rival warlords, clans and groups drove the country into civil war and tore it apart completely. To date, it has barely recovered.

Some 14 million people live in Somalia. The state exists without a nationally recognized government. In the capital Mogadishu and in the south, the political leadership is trying to push back the al-Shabaab Islamists with the help of the African AMISOM troops. The relatively peaceful northern regions of Somaliland and Puntland are striving for independence.

Mainly due to the severe political and social situation in the country, Somalia has one of the fastest growing urbanisation rates. Civil war, terror and the effects of climate change are forcing people into the cities, especially into the capital Mogadishu, which is growing at a rapid pace.