Somalia Political Geography

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Mogadishu

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2008 | Copyright

Mogadishu or Mogadisho , Ital. Mogadiscio, city (1990 est. pop. 1,200,000), capital of Somalia, on the Indian Ocean. It is the country's largest city, a port, and a commercial and financial center. Mogadishu has little industry except for food and beverage processing and cotton ginning. Uranium ore has been discovered nearby. The city is linked by road with Kenya and Ethiopia and has an international airport. Among its historic buildings are the Mosque of Fakr ad-Din (1269) and Garesa Palace, built in the late 19th cent. for the local administrator of the sultan of Zanzibar and now housing a museum and library. Mogadishu is the seat of the Somalia National Univ.

Mogadishu was settled by Arab colonists c.900, and by the early 12th cent. it had become an important trade center for the east coast of Africa. During the 16th cent. it was controlled by Portugal. In 1871 the city was occupied by the sultan of Zanzibar, who leased it to the Italians in 1892. In 1905 Italy purchased the city and made it the capital of its colony of Italian Somaliland. Mogadishu was captured and occupied during World War II by British forces operating from Kenya.

Rebel forces entered the city in 1990 during Somalia's long civil war. Intense battling between clan-based rebel factions damaged many parts of Mogadishu in 1991 and 1992, and the city continued to be the scene of outbreaks of fighting after 1995, when peacekeeping forces, which arrived in 1992, left. In 2006, however, the militia associated with the Islamic courts seized control of the city from the warlords. Following the courts' ouster in 2007 by Somali government and Ethiopian troops, parts of the city were again devastated by fighting, which continued in subsequent months, becoming increasing violent during 2008. More than half the population was believed to have fled the city by late 2008.

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"Mogadishu." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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Mogadishu

World Encyclopedia | 2005 | Copyright

Mogadishu Capital and chief port of Somalia, on the Indian Ocean. Mogadishu was founded by Arabs in the 10th century. In the 16th century, the Portuguese captured the city and it became a cornerstone of their trade with Africa. In 1871, control passed to the Sultan of Zanzibar, who first leased (1892) and then sold (1905) the port to the Italians. Mogadishu became the capital of Italian Somaliland. During World War II, the British the British the city from 1941. In 1960, Mogadishu became the capital of independent Somalia. During the 1980s and early 1990s, civil war devastated the city, its population swelled by refugees escaping famine and drought in the outlying regions. In 1992, UN troops flew into Mogadishu to control aid distribution but withdrew in 1995 after little success. Pop. (2002) 1,183,100.

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Mogadishu

Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names | 2005 | | Copyright

Mogadishu (Muqdisho), Somalia Hammawein, Xamar Weyne, Mogadiscio Founded by Arabs and Persians in the 10th century, it came under control, first, of the Sultan of Oman by the end of the 17th century and then of the Sultan of Zanzibar in 1871. He leased the port‐city to the Italians in 1892 for 25 years, but sold it to them in 1905, hence the Italian name Mogadiscio. From 1892 to 1960 it was the capital of Italian Somaliland and in 1960 it became the capital of independent Somalia. The name comes from the Arabic root qds ‘holy’.

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JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Mogadishu." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Mogadishu." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 12, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-Mogadishu.html

JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Mogadishu." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Retrieved February 12, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-Mogadishu.html

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Mogadishu

The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military | 2001 | Copyright

Mogadishu ˌmôgəˈdiʃōō; ˌmägə-; -ˈdēʃōō the capital of Somalia, a port on the Indian Ocean also called Muqdisho; Italian name Mogadiscio.

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"Mogadishu." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Mogadishu." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (February 12, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-Mogadishu.html

"Mogadishu." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Retrieved February 12, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-Mogadishu.html

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Mogadishu

Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes | 2007 | Copyright

Mogadishu •cachou, cashew •sandshoe • fichu •issue, Mogadishu, tissue •Honshu • horseshoe • snowshoe •Kyushu • gumshoe • overshoe

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

	Painting the Decline of Mogadishu Transcript from: Morning Edition; 1/5/2007
	Familiar Scenes of Violence Arise in Mogadishu Transcript from: Morning Edition; 11/20/2007
	Mogadishu was a blast.(THE ORIGINAL FAILED STATE)(Somalia) Magazine article from: Foreign Policy; 7/1/2010