History of Somalia History of Somalia Somalia (; ), officially the Federal Republic of Somalia (, ) and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Somalia was an important centre for commerce with the rest of the ancient world, and according to most scholars, it is among the most probable locations of the fabled ancient Land of Punt. During the Middle Ages, several powerful Somali empires dominated the regional trade, including the Ajuran Sultanate, the Adal Sultanate, the Warsangali Sultanate, the Sultanate of the Geledi and the Majeerteen Sultanate. In the late 19th century,
South West State of Somalia South West State of Somalia The South West State of Somalia (), also known as the Interim South West Administration, is an autonomous region in southwestern Somalia. It was founded by Hasan Muhammad Nur Shatigadud, leader of the Rahanweyn Resistance Army (RRA) on 1 April 2002. After its dissolution in 2005, the territory was re-established in November 2009 as an official Federal Member State of Somalia. The territory was known as the Southwestern State of Somalia (SWS) (Somali: "Dowlad Goboleedka Koonfur-Galbeed ee Soomaaliya"), and intended to consist of six Somali administrative regions ("gobolka"): Bay, Bakool, Middle Juba ("Jubada Dhexe"), Lower