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Located in the Horn of Africa, the majority Sunni Muslim
country suffers from an ineffective government, famine, disease, piracy,
militant extremism, and frequent external intervention.
No wonder it has topped the list of the most failed
states every year since 2008.
We have to start with the famine. The UN reports that famine in Somalia, which officially lasted from 2010-2012, killed 260,000 people.
Source: United
Nations.
1/3
of all children younger than 5 are underweight.
Source: CIA
World Factbook.
For
every 1,000 children, 180 will never reach the age of 5.
Source: United
Nations Population Fund.
Famine struck in the early 90s as well, claiming 220,000 lives.
Back then, rampant tribalism and infighting led to extreme food shortages, food hoarding by armed factions, and eventually civil war.
The turmoil spurned U.S. and international intervention, culminating in the Battle of Mogadishu in 1993, when two Blackhawk helicopters were shot down and 18 U.S troops were killed.
Source: Defense Technical Information Center.
20 years later, there's little improvement to show for the foreign intervention.
Source: New York Times.
The life expectancy is just 51 years.
14.6% of women have access to contraception.
Source: CIA World Factbook.
The average woman in Somalia gives birth to 6 children.
The maternal mortality rate is through the roof. 1,000 mothers die per 100,000 live births.
Infant mortality is even worse. 101.9 children die per 1,000 live births.
There
is a high risk of infectious disease, including rabies and hepatitis.
Somalia's
key export commodities are livestock, bananas, animal hides, fish, charcoal,
and scrap metal.
Terrorism is also a key export.
The
key terrorist group is Al-Shabaab, which has been linked to Al-Qaeda
Source: Council on
Foreign Relations.
Here,
the president of Somalia's Olympic committee lies fatally injured after a
suicide bombing last year.
Source: Reuters.
The
African Union has had a peacekeeping force there since 2007.
Source: African
Union Mission in Somalia.
But
violence is rampant, with tribal factions, military elements from Somalia and
abroad, and Islamic extremists constantly doing battle.
Source: African
Union Mission in Somalia.
Somalia
is well known as the home country of the pirates who terrorize the key trade
waters near the Horn of Africa.
Source: National
Defense University.
The
international community has devoted resources in the region to combat piracy,
like these South Koran commandos raiding this ship.
Source: Time.
Meanwhile,
the Gross Domestic Product per capita is just $600.
Only
29% of the population has access to improved drinking water.
37.8%
of the population over the age of 15 can read and write.
For women, that number drops to 25.8%.
The
average child spends just 3 years in school. 49% of children contribute to the
labor force.
Yet
in spite of the hardships and seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Gallup
recently found that 94% of people in the region are optimistic about the
future. There's nowhere to go but up.
Source: Business Insider.