Somalia Regions

Somalia occupies the Horn of Africa, with the Gulf of Aden along its north coast and the Indian Ocean down the whole of its east, and it has the longest coastline on the African mainland. Its 18 regions are the tier the census, the aid agencies and most maps use, and they are very unevenly sized: Banadir, which is the city of Mogadishu, is a speck beside Bari or Mudug, each of which reaches across the country.

The quiz: Name to place, on the map
Grouped by: The federal member states, with Somaliland as a group of its own
In the game: 18 regions

Start

What you are looking at

The 18 regions, drawn as Somalia is internationally recognised: Somaliland, which has governed itself since 1991 without international recognition, is shown as five of the 18 regions rather than as a country. The map draws no opinion beyond that, and the groups below are a way to learn it a piece at a time.

The groups are the federal member states plus Somaliland. Mudug is split between Puntland and Galmudug in practice, and here it sits in Galmudug, where most of it lies. The capital region, Banadir, is a group of its own.

How to place one

Start at the horn. Bari is the broad region that forms the tip of the Horn, with Nugaal to its south and Sanaag and Sool to its west.
Take the north coast. Awdal sits against the Djibouti border, then Woqooyi Galbeed, Togdheer and Sanaag run east along the Gulf of Aden.
Go down the middle. Mudug and Galgaduud are the long regions that reach from the Ethiopian border to the Indian Ocean, with Hiiraan inland of them.
Finish in the south. Banadir is the tiny region on the coast, Middle and Lower Shebelle follow the river inland, and Bay, Bakool, Gedo and the two Jubas fill the south-west corner against Kenya.

Every region, by group

Somaliland5 regions: Awdal, Sanaag, Sool, Togdheer, Woqooyi Galbeed
Puntland2 regions: Bari, Nugaal
Galmudug2 regions: Galgaduud, Mudug
Hirshabelle2 regions: Hiiraan, Middle Shebelle
South West3 regions: Bakool, Bay, Lower Shebelle
Jubaland3 regions: Gedo, Lower Juba, Middle Juba
Banadir1 region: Banadir

Worked examples

Banadir

The capital

Banadir is the smallest region by a wide margin, a coastal enclave around Mogadishu with Lower Shebelle to the south-west and Middle Shebelle to the north-east.

Bari

The horn

Bari is the largest region and forms the tip of the Horn of Africa, between the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, with Nugaal below it and Sanaag to its west.

Awdal

The north-west corner

Awdal is a compact region on the Djibouti border, where the coast of the Gulf of Aden begins, with Woqooyi Galbeed to its east.

Frequently asked questions

How many regions does Somalia have?

Eighteen, and all of them are on the map. Districts divide them further, and this game does not.

Why is Somaliland shown as part of Somalia?

The game follows the boundary data, which draws Somalia as it is internationally recognised. Somaliland governs its own five regions without recognition, so they are a group of their own here rather than a country.

Are the groups official?

They follow the federal member states, with Mudug placed in Galmudug although Puntland also holds part of it, so they will not match every list you find.