• COUNTRY IN FOCUS
Shangani Old City in Mogadishu , Somalia .
Pexels | Yahye Somali
THE MYSTERIOUS HORN OF AFRICA : SOMALIA , SOMALILAND AND PUNTLAND
The Horn of Africa , with its mix of pirates and civil wars , has not seen much interest in the exploration and development of mining , writes Dr Nicolaas C Steenkamp .
The Horn of Africa is considered one of the more dangerous areas on the continent . The region has suffered destabilisation through civil wars and in offering safe harbour to pirates operating off the coast . The formal boundaries on the maps do not reflect the boundaries on the ground . A map of Africa indicates the Horn of Africa to consist of Somalia , but in reality , Somalia lies only along the southern part of the region , with Puntland on the tip of the Horn and Somaliland forming the northernmost region . Somaliland and Puntland are however not recognised internationally as independent countries . The collapse of the central government and the Somali Republic in 1991 has led to ambiguity over mineral rights and legislation has not been updated since 1984 .
The territory has a very long history of habitation and has seen various changes in its demography , dominant religion and various periods of rule by foreign entities up until its current fragmented independent status . The region is mainly desert , which also limits its potential of developing agriculture independent of imports .
12 • African Mining • May 2023
The turmoil in the region has also resulted in the exodus of large numbers of its citizens to other parts of the world . The region , however , holds a very strategic position when it comes to maritime movement along the Middle East and Africa .
Geologically the region can be subdivided into two areas – the northern part of Somaliland and Puntland and the main Somalia region , respectively . The former comprises mostly of crystalline basement rocks and minor parts of a sedimentary succession , while the latter in the southern part , consists of two Phanerozoic basins , sandwiching an elliptical area also of crystalline basement rocks .
Somaliland Somaliland is bordered by Djibouti to the west , Ethiopia to the south , and Somalia to the east and has an 850-kilometre coastline with the majority of the coast lying along the Gulf of Aden . The northern part of the Somaliland is hilly , the Sahil and Maroodi Jeex regions are fertile and mountainous , while Togdheer is mostly semi-desert . The Awdal region is also known for its offshore islands , coral reefs and mangroves . The main export is livestock , with sheep ,
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