There are two wet seasons from March to May and October to November, which alternate with two dry seasons, one from December to March, which is dominated by hot, dusty winds and then from June to August, which is Somalia's hottest season. Most of the country has an average rainfall of less than 20 inches per year, which is the main culprit behind the severe droughts and famines which ravage the area. .
PEOPLE.
Somalia has an estimated population of 9,656,500, of which 45% is between the ages of 0 to14 and 53% being between the ages 15 to 64; leaving only 2% aged 65 years or older. The low percentage of people aged 65 and older is due to an average life expectancy of only 47 years old. The population of Somalia consists of two groups, the Somali, a Cushitic people and a small minority of Bantu speaking people who live in the southernmost part of the country. Other small minority groups are Arabs, Indians, Italians, and Pakistanis. Over 70% of the population are nomads or semi-nomads. The remainder are either crop farmers or inhabitants of one of the few urban centers.
The Somali people are split into many clans, which can be traced back to their ancestry roots. The families that live in the southern part of the country are the Rahanwayn and the Digil clans, which collectively are known as the Sab. Other clan families are the Daarood of northeastern Somalia, who live in the Ogaden, and on the border region between Somalia and Kenya; the Hawiye, who live on both sides of Shabelle and south-central Somalia; and the Isaaq, who live in central and western parts of northern Somalia. .
HISTORY.
Somalia, formerly known as the Egyptian land of the Punt, dates as far back as the 2nd century, as was once ruled by the Ethiopian kingdom of Askum. In the 7th century Arab tribes inhabited the coast along the Gulf of Aden, which centered on the port of Zeila. The Arab tribes developed trading posts along the coast of the Gulf Aden where they lived for approximately 200 years.
