Somalia m of proven natural gas reserves. Due to its proximity and geological similarity to the oil-rich Gulf Arab states such as Yemen, energy industry representatives believe that the nation contains substantial unexploited reserves of oil. However, the presence or extent of proven oil reserves in Somalia is uncertain. The CIA asserts that there are no proven reserves of oil in the country, while UNCTAD suggests that most proven oil reserves in Somalia lie off its northwestern coast, in the Somaliland region. A survey of the horn of Africa Africa by the World Bank and UN ranked Somalia second only to
Geography of Somalia the northeast, "Boswellia" and "Commiphora" trees are sources, respectively, of the frankincense and myrrh for which Somalia has been known since ancient times. A broad plateau encompassing the northern city of Hargeysa, which receives comparatively heavy rainfall, is covered naturally by woodland (much of which has been degraded by overgrazing) and in places by extensive grasslands. Parts of this area have been under cultivation since the 1930s, producing sorghum and maize; in the 1990s it constituted the only significant region of sedentary cultivation outside southwestern Somalia. The Haud south of Hargeysa is covered mostly by a semiarid woodland of scattered