Editing Somalia (section)

== Geography ==
{{Main|Geography of Somalia}}
Somalia borders [[Djibouti]] to the northwest, [[Ethiopia]] to the west, the [[Gulf of Aden]] to the north, the Somali Sea and [[Guardafui Channel]] to the east, and [[Kenya]] to the southwest. With a land area of 637,657 square kilometers, Somalia's terrain consists mainly of [[plateau]]s, [[plain]]s and [[highland]]s.<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/so.html |title=Somalia |access-date=2009-05-31 |date=2009-05-14 |work=[[World Factbook]] |publisher=[[Central Intelligence Agency]] |archive-date=1 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160701194614/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/so.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Coastline of Somalia|Its coastline]] is more than 3,333 kilometers in length, the longest of mainland Africa.<ref name="FactbookCoastline2"/> It has been described as being roughly shaped "like a tilted number seven".<ref>Ganzglass, Martin R. "The Somali Refugees-Africa's Open Wound Refuses to Heal." ''Hum. Rts.'' 8 (1979): 28.</ref>

In the far north, the rugged east–west ranges of the [[Ogo Mountains]] lie at varying distances from the Gulf of Aden coast. Hot conditions prevail year-round, along with periodic [[monsoon]] winds and irregular rainfall.<ref name="ClimateSom">{{cite news |url=http://countrystudies.us/somalia/34.htm |publisher=countrystudies.us |title=Somalia – Climate |date=14 May 2009 |access-date=14 May 2009 |archive-date=5 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805023147/http://countrystudies.us/somalia/34.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Geology suggests the presence of valuable mineral deposits. Somalia is separated from [[Seychelles]] by the Somali Sea and is separated from [[Socotra]] by the [[Guardafui Channel]].

=== Administrative divisions ===
{{Main|Administrative divisions of Somalia|States and regions of Somalia}}
Somalia is officially divided into eighteen [[Administrative divisions of Somalia|regions]] (''gobollada'', singular ''gobol''),<ref name="factbook"/> which in turn are subdivided into districts. The regions are:
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Region
! Area (km<sup>2</sup>)
! Population<ref>{{Cite web |date=26 Dec 2023 |title=Somalia Flooding: Population Density with Baseline Population by District (26 Dec 2023) |url=https://reliefweb.int/map/somalia/somalia-flooding-population-density-baseline-population-district-26-dec-2023 |website=Reliefweb}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-05-02 |title=The population of the pre-war regions and districts of Somalia according to estimates and calculations. |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/somalia/admin/ |website=citypopulation |access-date=5 April 2024 |archive-date=4 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240404232359/https://www.citypopulation.de/en/somalia/admin/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
! Capital
|-
|[[Awdal]]
|21,374
|1,010,566
|[[Borama]]
|-
| [[Bari, Somalia|Bari]]
| 70,088
| 949,693
| [[Bosaso]]
|-
| [[Nugal, Somalia|Nugal]]
| 26,180
| 473,940
| [[Garowe]]
|-
| [[Mudug]]
| 72,933
| 864,728
| [[Galkayo]]
|-
| [[Galguduud]]
| 46,126
| 634,309
| [[Dusmareb]]
|-
| [[Hiran, Somalia|Hiran]]
| 31,510
| 566,431
| [[Beledweyne]]
|-
| [[Middle Shabelle]]
| 22,663
| 622,660
| [[Jowhar]]
|-
| [[Banaadir]]
| 370
| 2,330,708
| [[Mogadishu]]
|-
| [[Lower Shabelle]]
| 25,285
| 1,218,733
| [[Barawa]]
|-
|[[Togdheer]]
|38,663
|962,439
|[[Burao]]
|-
| [[Bakool]]
| 26,962
| 383,360
| [[Xuddur]]
|-
|[[Woqooyi Galbeed]]
|28,836
|1,744,367
|[[Hargeisa]]
|-
| [[Bay, Somalia|Bay]]
| 35,156
| 1,035,904
| [[Baidoa]]
|-
| [[Gedo]]
| 60,389
| 566,318
| [[Garbahaarreey]]
|-
| [[Middle Juba]]
| 9,836
| 432,248
| [[Bu'aale]]
|-
| [[Lower Juba]]
| 42,876
| 632,924
| [[Kismayo]]
|-
|[[Sanaag]]
|53,374
|578,092
|[[Erigavo]]
|-
|[[Sool]]
|25,036
|618,619
|[[Las Anod]]
|}
{{See also|List of cities in Somalia by population}}
[[File:Somalia States and Regions.svg|alt=|thumb|A map of Somalia's regions|350px]]
Northern Somalia is now ''de facto'' divided up among the [[States and regions of Somalia|autonomous regions]] of [[Puntland]] (which considers itself an [[autonomous state]]), [[Somaliland]] (a self-declared but [[List of states with limited recognition|unrecognized state]]) and newly established [[Khatumo State|Khatumo State of Somalia]]. In central Somalia, [[Galmudug]] is another regional entity that emerged just south of Puntland. [[Jubaland]] in the far south is a fourth autonomous region within the federation.<ref name="factbook"/> In 2014, a new [[South West State of Somalia|South West State]] was likewise established.<ref>{{cite news|title=International community welcomes newly-elected President of Somalia's Interim South West Administration|url=http://goobjoog.com/english/?p=6410|access-date=5 January 2015|newspaper=Goobjoog|date=19 November 2014|archive-date=9 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150109002414/http://goobjoog.com/english/?p=6410|url-status=dead}}</ref> In April 2015, a formation conference was also launched for a new [[Hirshabelle State]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Adado conference kicks off in central Somalia|url=http://www.garoweonline.com/page/show/post/2322/adado-conference-kicks-off-in-central-somalia|access-date=15 May 2015|agency=Garowe Online|date=16 April 2015|archive-date=11 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150811104021/http://www.garoweonline.com/page/show/post/2322/adado-conference-kicks-off-in-central-somalia|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The [[Federal Parliament of Somalia|Federal Parliament]] is tasked with selecting the ultimate number and boundaries of the autonomous regional states (officially ''[[States and regions of Somalia|Federal Member States]]'') within the Federal Republic of Somalia.<ref name="Frspc"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Guidebook to the Somali Draft Provisional Constitution|url=http://unpos.unmissions.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=v067edqd7a8%3D&tabid=9705&language=en-US|access-date=2 August 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120021547/http://unpos.unmissions.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=v067edqd7a8%3D&tabid=9705&language=en-US|archive-date=20 January 2013}}</ref>

=== Location ===
[[File:Somalia (orthographic projection)2.png|thumb|Orthographic projection of Somalia]]
Somalia is bordered by Kenya to the southwest, the [[Gulf of Aden]] to the north, the [[Guardafui Channel]] and Indian Ocean to the east, and Ethiopia to the west. The country borders [[Djibouti]]. It lies between latitudes [[2nd parallel south|2°S]] and [[12th parallel north|12°N]], and longitudes [[41st meridian east|41°]] and [[52nd meridian east|52°E]]. Strategically located at the mouth of the [[Bab el Mandeb]] gateway to the [[Red Sea]] and the [[Suez Canal]], the country occupies the tip of a region that, due to its resemblance on the map to a [[rhinoceros]]' horn, is commonly referred to as the Horn of Africa.<ref name="factbook"/><ref name="Hadden">Hadden, Robert Lee. 2007. [https://web.archive.org/web/20090327102547/http://handle.dtic.mil/100.2/ADA464006 "The Geology of Somalia: A Selected Bibliography of Somalian Geology, Geography and Earth Science"]. Engineer Research and Development Laboratories, Topographic Engineering Center</ref>

=== Waters ===
{{Main|Islands of Somalia}}
Somalia has the longest coastline on the mainland of Africa,<ref>International Traffic Network, ''The world trade in sharks: a compendium of Traffic's regional studies'', (Traffic International: 1996), p. 25.</ref> with a seaboard that stretches {{convert|3,333|km|mi}}. Its terrain consists mainly of [[plateau]]s, [[plain]]s and [[highland]]s. The nation has a total area of {{convert|637,657|km2|sqmi}} of which constitutes land, with {{convert|10,320|km2|sqmi}} of water. Somalia's land boundaries extend to about {{convert|2340|km|mi}}; {{convert|58|km|mi}} of that is shared with Djibouti, {{convert|682|km|mi}} with Kenya, and {{convert|1626|km|mi}} with Ethiopia. Its maritime claims include [[territorial waters]] of {{convert|200|nmi|km mi}}.<ref name="factbook"/>

Somalia has several islands and archipelagos on its coast, including the [[Bajuni Islands]] and the [[Saad ad-Din Islands|Saad ad-Din Archipelago]]: see [[islands of Somalia]].
[[File:Juba river downstream Jamaame.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Jubba River]]]]

=== Habitat ===
Somalia contains seven terrestrial ecoregions: [[Ethiopian montane forests]], [[Northern Zanzibar–Inhambane coastal forest mosaic]], [[Somali Acacia–Commiphora bushlands and thickets]], [[Ethiopian xeric grasslands and shrublands]], [[Hobyo grasslands and shrublands]], [[Somali montane xeric woodlands]], and [[East African mangroves]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Dinerstein |first1=Eric |last2=Olson |first2=David |last3=Joshi |first3=Anup |last4=Vynne |first4=Carly |last5=Burgess |first5=Neil D. |last6=Wikramanayake |first6=Eric |last7=Hahn |first7=Nathan |last8=Palminteri |first8=Suzanne |last9=Hedao |first9=Prashant |last10=Noss |first10=Reed |last11=Hansen |first11=Matt |last12=Locke |first12=Harvey |last13=Ellis |first13=Erle C. |last14=Jones |first14=Benjamin |last15=Barber |first15=Charles Victor |last16=Hayes |first16=Randy |last17=Kormos |first17=Cyril |last18=Martin |first18=Vance |last19=Crist |first19=Eileen |last20=Sechrest |first20=Wes |last21=Price |first21=Lori |last22=Baillie |first22=Jonathan E. M. |last23=Weeden |first23=Don |last24=Suckling |first24=Kierán |last25=Davis |first25=Crystal |last26=Sizer |first26=Nigel |last27=Moore |first27=Rebecca |last28=Thau |first28=David |last29=Birch |first29=Tanya |last30=Potapov|first30=Peter |last31=Turubanova |first31=Svetlana |last32=Tyukavina |first32=Alexandra |last33=de Souza |first33=Nadia |last34=Pintea |first34=Lilian |last35=Brito |first35=José C. |last36=Llewellyn |first36=Othman A. |last37=Miller |first37=Anthony G. |last38=Patzelt |first38=Annette |last39=Ghazanfar |first39=Shahina A. |last40=Timberlake |first40=Jonathan |last41=Klöser |first41=Heinz |last42=Shennan-Farpón |first42=Yara |last43=Kindt |first43=Roeland |last44=Lillesø |first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow |last45=van Breugel |first45=Paulo |last46=Graudal |first46=Lars |last47=Voge |first47=Maianna |last48=Al-Shammari |first48=Khalaf F. |last49=Saleem |first49=Muhammad |display-authors=1 |title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm |journal=BioScience |volume=67 |issue=6 |year=2017 |pages=534–545 |issn=0006-3568 |doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014 |pmid=28608869 |pmc=5451287 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

In the north, a scrub-covered, semi-desert plain referred as the ''[[Guban]]'' lies parallel to the Gulf of Aden [[littoral zone|littoral]]. With a width of twelve kilometres in the west to as little as two kilometres in the east, the plain is bisected by watercourses that are essentially beds of dry sand except during the rainy seasons. When the rains arrive, the Guban's low bushes and grass clumps transform into lush vegetation.<ref name="Hadden"/> This coastal strip is part of the [[Ethiopian xeric grasslands and shrublands]] [[ecoregion]].

[[Cal Madow]] is a [[mountain range]] in the northeastern part of the country. Extending from several kilometres west of the city of [[Bosaso]] to the northwest of [[Erigavo]], it features Somalia's highest [[Summit (topography)|peak]], [[Shimbiris]], which sits at an elevation of about {{convert|2,416|m|ft}}.<ref name="factbook"/> The rugged east–west ranges of the Karkaar Mountains also lie to the interior of the Gulf of Aden littoral.<ref name="Hadden"/> In the central regions, the country's northern mountain ranges give way to shallow plateaus and typically dry watercourses that are referred to locally as the ''Ogo''. The Ogo's western plateau, in turn, gradually merges into the [[Haud]], an important grazing area for livestock.<ref name="Hadden"/>

Somalia has only two permanent rivers, the [[Jubba River|Jubba]] and [[Shebelle River|Shabele]], both of which begin in the [[Ethiopian Highlands]]. These rivers mainly flow southwards, with the Jubba River entering the Indian Ocean at [[Kismayo]]. The Shabele River at one time apparently used to enter the sea near [[Merca]], but now reaches a point just southwest of Mogadishu. After that, it consists of swamps and dry reaches before finally disappearing in the desert terrain east of [[Jilib]], near the Jubba River.<ref name="Hadden"/>

=== Environment ===
[[File:Somcoralreef.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|Somalia's [[coral reef]]s, ecological parks and protected areas]]
Somalia is a [[Semi-arid climate|semi-arid]] country with about 1.6% [[arable land]].<ref name="factbook"/> The first local environmental organizations were Ecoterra Somalia and the Somali Ecological Society, both of which helped promote awareness about ecological concerns and mobilized environmental programs in all governmental sectors as well as in civil society. From 1971 onward, a massive tree-planting campaign on a nationwide scale was introduced by the Siad Barre government to halt the advance of thousands of acres of wind-driven [[sand dune]]s that threatened to engulf towns, roads and farm land.<ref>''National Geographic'', Vol. 159, National Geographic Society, 1981, p. 765.</ref> By 1988, 265 hectares of a projected 336 hectares had been treated, with 39 range reserve sites and 36 forestry plantation sites established.<ref name="Hadden"/> In 1986, the Wildlife Rescue, Research and Monitoring Centre was established by Ecoterra International, with the goal of sensitizing the public to ecological issues. This educational effort led in 1989 to the so-called "Somalia proposal" and a decision by the Somali government to adhere to the [[CITES|Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora]] (CITES), which established for the first time a worldwide ban on the trade of elephant [[ivory]].

[[File:Aerial views of Kismayo 06 (8071381265).jpg|thumb|left|The coast south of Mogadishu]]<!-- one beach file -->
Later, [[Fatima Jibrell]], a prominent Somali environmental activist, mounted a successful campaign to conserve old-growth forests of [[acacia]] trees in the northeastern part of Somalia.<ref name="Gilbert"/> These trees, which can live for 500 years, were being cut down to make charcoal which was highly in demand in the Arabian Peninsula, where the region's [[Bedouin]] tribes believe the acacia to be sacred.<ref name="Gilbert">Geoffrey Gilbert (2004) ''World poverty'', ABC-CLIO, p. 111, {{ISBN|1-85109-552-7}}.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hornrelief.org/goldman-prize-2002.htm |title=Goldman Prize |publisher=Horn Relief |date=22 April 2002 |access-date=27 June 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100712071037/http://www.hornrelief.org/goldman-prize-2002.htm |archive-date=12 July 2010  }}</ref><ref name="IWD">{{cite web |url=http://www.unep.org/women_env/w_details.asp?w_id=397 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070214204154/http://www.unep.org/women_env/w_details.asp?w_id=397 |url-status=dead |archive-date=14 February 2007 |title=International Women's Day – 8 March 2006 – Fatima Jibrell |publisher=Unep.org |date=8 March 2006 |access-date=27 June 2010 }}</ref> Being a relatively inexpensive fuel, the production of charcoal often leads to [[deforestation]] and [[desertification]].<ref name="IWD"/> As a way of addressing this problem, Jibrell and the Horn of Africa Relief and Development Organization (Horn Relief; now [[Adeso]]), an organization of which she was the founder and executive director, trained a group of teens to educate the public on the permanent damage that producing charcoal can create. In 1999, Horn Relief coordinated a peace march in the northeastern Puntland region of Somalia to put an end to the so-called "charcoal wars". As a result of Jibrell's lobbying and education efforts, the Puntland government in 2000 prohibited the exportation of charcoal. The government has also since enforced the ban, which has reportedly led to an 80% drop in exports of the product.<ref name="Goldman">{{cite web |title=Fatima Jibrell |publisher=Goldman Environmental Prize |url=http://www.goldmanprize.org/node/113 |access-date=27 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511161616/http://www.goldmanprize.org/node/113 |archive-date=11 May 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Jibrell was awarded the [[Goldman Environmental Prize]] in 2002 for her efforts against environmental degradation and desertification.<ref name="Goldman" /> In 2008, she also won the [[National Geographic Society]]/[[Buffett Foundation]] Award for Leadership in Conservation.<ref>{{cite web |title=Conservation Heroes Honored by National Geographic, Buffett Foundation |work=National Geographic |date=11 December 2008 |url=http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/news/chiefeditor/2008/12/conservation-heroes.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090912034421/http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/news/chiefeditor/2008/12/conservation-heroes.html |archive-date=12 September 2009 |access-date=27 June 2010}}</ref>

Following the massive [[2004 Indian Ocean earthquake|tsunami of December 2004]], there have also emerged allegations that after the outbreak of the [[Somali Civil War]] in the late 1980s, Somalia's long, remote shoreline was used as a dump site for the disposal of toxic waste. The huge waves that battered northern Somalia after the tsunami are believed to have stirred up tons of nuclear and toxic waste that might have been dumped illegally in the country by foreign firms.<ref name="Toxic">{{cite news |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article418665.ece |title=Somalia's secret dumps of toxic waste washed ashore by tsunami |work=The Times |date=4 March 2005 |access-date=25 February 2009 |location=London |author=Jonathan Clayton |archive-date=10 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810033244/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article418665.ece |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The [[European Green Party]] followed up these revelations by presenting before the press and the [[European Parliament]] in [[Strasbourg]] copies of contracts signed by two European companies — the Italian Swiss firm, Achair Partners, and an Italian [[waste broker]], Progresso — and representatives of the then President of Somalia, the faction leader Ali Mahdi Mohamed, to accept 10 million tonnes of toxic waste in exchange for $80 million (then about £60 million).<ref name="Toxic"/>

According to reports by the [[United Nations Environment Programme]] (UNEP), the waste has resulted in far higher than normal cases of respiratory infections, mouth ulcers and bleeding, abdominal haemorrhages and unusual skin infections among many inhabitants of the areas around the northeastern towns of [[Hobyo]] and [[Benadir]] on the Indian Ocean coast — diseases consistent with radiation sickness. UNEP adds that the situation along the Somali coastline poses a very serious environmental hazard not only in Somalia, but also in the eastern Africa sub-region.<ref name="Toxic"/>

=== Climate ===
{{See also|Climate change in Somalia}}
[[File:Koppen-Geiger Map v2 SOM 1991–2020.svg|thumb|300x300px|Köppen–Geiger climate classification map at 1-km resolution for Somalia 1991–2020]]
Owing to Somalia's proximity to the [[equator]], there is not much seasonal variation in its climate. Hot conditions prevail year-round along with periodic [[monsoon]] winds and irregular rainfall. Mean daily maximum temperatures range from {{convert|30|to|40|C|F}}, except at higher elevations along the eastern seaboard, where the effects of a cold offshore current can be felt. In Mogadishu, for instance, average afternoon highs range from {{convert|28|to|32|°C|°F|abbr=on}} in April. Some of the highest mean annual temperatures in the world have been recorded in the country; [[Berbera]] on the northwestern coast has an afternoon high that averages more than {{convert|38|°C|°F|abbr=on}} from June through September. Nationally, mean daily minimums usually vary from about {{convert|15|to|30|C|F}}.<ref name="Hadden"/> The greatest range in climate occurs in northern Somalia, where temperatures sometimes surpass {{convert|45|°C|°F|abbr=on}} in July on the littoral plains and drop below the freezing point during December in the highlands.<ref name="ClimateSom"/><ref name="Hadden"/> In this region, relative humidity ranges from about 40% in the mid-afternoon to 85% at night, changing somewhat according to the season.<ref name="Hadden"/> Unlike the climates of most other countries at this latitude, conditions in Somalia range from arid in the northeastern and central regions to [[Semi-arid climate|semiarid]] in the northwest and south. In the northeast, annual rainfall is less than {{convert|4|in|mm|order=flip|abbr=on}}; in the central plateaus, it is about {{convert|8|to|12|in|mm|order=flip|abbr=on}}. The northwestern and southwestern parts of the nation, however, receive considerably more rain, with an average of {{convert|20|to|24|in|mm|order=flip|abbr=on}} falling per year. Although the coastal regions are hot and humid throughout the year, the hinterland is typically dry and hot.<ref name="Hadden"/>

{{anchor| seasons}}
There are four main seasons around which pastoral and agricultural life revolve, and these are dictated by shifts in the wind patterns. From December to March is the ''Jilal'', the harshest dry season of the year. The main rainy season, referred to as the ''Gu'', lasts from April to June. This period is characterized by the southwest monsoons, which rejuvenate the pasture land, especially the central plateau, and briefly transform the desert into lush vegetation. From July to September is the second dry season, the ''Xagaa'' (pronounced "Hagaa"). The ''Dayr'', which is the shortest rainy season, lasts from October to December.<ref name="Hadden"/> The ''tangambili'' periods that intervene between the two monsoons (October–November and March–May) are hot and humid.<ref name="Hadden"/>

=== Wildlife ===
{{Main|Wildlife of Somalia}}
[[File:Sambalaxx.jpg|thumb|left|A camel in the northern mountains]]
Somalia contains a variety of mammals due to its geographical and climatic diversity. Wildlife still occurring includes [[cheetah]], [[lion]], [[reticulated giraffe]], [[baboon]], [[serval]], [[African bush elephant|elephant]], [[bushpig]], [[gazelle]], [[ibex]], [[kudu]], [[dik-dik]], [[oribi]], [[Somali wild ass]], [[reedbuck]] and [[Grévy's zebra]], [[elephant shrew]], [[rock hyrax]], [[golden mole]] and [[antelope]]. It also has a large population of the [[dromedary camel]].<ref name=mukasa81>{{cite book | publisher = International Livestock Centre for Africa | volume = 5 | last = Mukasa-Mugerwa | first = E. | title = The Camel (Camelus Dromedarius): A Bibliographical Review | location = Ethiopia | series = International Livestock Centre for Africa Monograph | year = 1981 |pages=1, 3, 20–21, 65, 67–68}}</ref>

Somalia is home to around 727 species of birds. Of these, eight are endemic, one has been introduced by humans, and one is rare or accidental. Fourteen species are globally threatened. Birds species found exclusively in the country include the ''[[Columba oliviae|Somali Pigeon]]'', ''[[Alaemon hamertoni]]'' (Alaudidae), Lesser Hoopoe-Lark, ''[[Heteromirafra archeri]]'' (Alaudidae), Archer's Lark, ''[[Mirafra ashi]]'', Ash's Bushlark, ''[[Mirafra somalica]]'' (Alaudidae), Somali Bushlark, ''[[Spizocorys obbiensis]]'' (Alaudidae), Obbia Lark, ''[[Carduelis johannis]]'' (Fringillidae), and Warsangli Linnet.<ref>Dickinson, E.C. (Ed.)(2003) ''The Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World''. Revised and enlarged 3rd ed., Princeton University Press, Princeton.</ref><!-- exclusive avian species -->

Somalia's territorial waters are prime fishing grounds for highly migratory marine species, such as tuna. A narrow but productive continental shelf contains several [[demersal]] fish and [[crustacean]] species.<ref>FishBase 2004: a global information system on fishes. DVD. WorldFish Center – Philippine Office, Los Banos, Philippines. Published in May 2004</ref> Fish species found exclusively in the nation include ''Cirrhitichthys randalli'' ([[Cirrhitidae]]), ''Symphurus fuscus'' ([[Cynoglossidae]]), ''Parapercis simulata'' OC ([[Pinguipedidae]]), ''Cociella somaliensis'' OC ([[Platycephalidae]]), and ''Pseudochromis melanotus'' ([[Pseudochromidae]]).

There are roughly 235 species of reptiles. Of these, almost half live in the northern areas. Reptiles endemic to Somalia include the Hughes' [[saw-scaled viper]], the Southern Somali garter snake, a racer (''Platyceps messanai''), a diadem snake (''Spalerosophis josephscorteccii''), the Somali [[sand boa]], the [[angled worm lizard]], a spiny-tailed lizard (''Uromastyx macfadyeni''), Lanza's agama, a gecko (''Hemidactylus granchii''), the Somali semaphore [[gecko]], and a sand lizard ([[Mesalina]] or [[Eremias]]). A colubrid snake (''Aprosdoketophis andreonei'') and Haacke-Greer's skink (''Haackgreerius miopus'') are endemic species.<ref>{{cite web |editor-last1=Uetz |editor-first1=P. |editor-first2=Jirí |editor-last2=Hošek |website=The Reptile Database |title=Quick Search |url=http://www.reptile-database.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151102083427/http://reptile-database.org/ |archive-date=2 November 2015 |access-date=8 December 2013}}</ref>