Somalia facts

Islam. 99.8% of Somalia's population are Muslim and Islamic sharia is the basic source for the national legislation. Islam entered the region very early on, as a group of persecuted Muslims had, at Prophet Muhammad's urging, sought refuge across the Red Sea in the Horn of Africa. Islam may thus have been introduced into Somalia well before the fight even took root in its place of origin.

Horn of Africa. The break-up of Pangaea continues today in the Red Sea Rift and East African Rift. The latter will eventually become a sea separating Horn of Africa from the rest of the continent.

In Mogadishu. Black Hawk Down is a 2001 American war film based on the 1999 non-fiction book of the same name by Mark Bowden, which in turn is based on the 29-part series of articles published in The Philadelphia Inquirer, chronicling the events of a 1993 raid in Mogadishu by the U.S. military aimed at capturing faction leader Mohamed Farrah Aidid, and the ensuing firefight, known as the Battle of Mogadishu.

Mogadishu is the capital and largest city of Somalia. The population of Mogadishu is 1.1 million - about 10% of the total country population.

Ethiopia. Ogaden is the unofficial name of the Somali Region, the territory comprising the eastern portion of Ethiopia. The inhabitants are predominantly ethnic Somalis. The region, which is around 200,000 square kilometres, borders Djibouti, Somalia and Kenya.