Somalia developed from a string of Arab sultanates along the northeast coast of Africa, which in turn had grown up from trading posts established from the 17th century onwards. As Arab influence waned, the British, French and Italians established protectorates on the Somali coast during the late-19th century. These were the subjects of various treaties, forged amid frequent border clashes between the colonial powers and the neighboring Ethiopians, and between the European powers themselves.

Modern Somalia was created on 1 July 1960 from British and Italian Somalilands. Inherited tribal rivalries and territorial disputes have dominated the country's subsequent history.

Years of fighting between rival warlords and an inability to deal with famine and disease have led to the deaths of up to one million people.

The country has been without an effective central government since President Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991. In the main part of the country, a Transitional National Government was elected in July 2000 by representatives of the country's major clans, political and religious movements. The government is led by Abdul-Qasim Salad Hassan and Ali Khalifa Galaid, who hold the titles of President and Prime Minister respectively. It has UN recognition but, if the 2004 accord holds, will be replaced under a new constitution.

The northern territory of Somaliland has seceded from the rest of the country and now functions as an independent state, although it has achieved little international recognition.

Due to heightened tension in the region, travel to Somalia is not currently recommended (except Hargeisa).

Somalia is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Aden, to the south and west by Kenya, to the west by Ethiopia and to the northwest by Djibouti. To the east lies the Indian Ocean. Somalia is an arid country and the scenery includes mountains in the north, the flat semi-desert plains in the interior and the subtropical region in the south. Separated from the sea by a narrow coastal plain, the mountains slope south and west to the central, almost waterless plateau which makes up most of the country. The beaches are protected by a coral reef that runs from Mogadishu to the Kenyan border in the south. They are among the longest in the world. There are only two rivers, the Jubba and the Shabeelle, and both rise in the Ogaden region of Ethiopia. Along their banks is most of the country's agricultural land. The Somali population is concentrated in the coastal towns, in the wetter, northern areas and in the south near the two rivers. A large nomadic population is scattered over the interior, although drought in recent years has led to many settling as farmers or fishermen in newly formed communities.