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,
2009 timeline of the War in Somalia of at least 17 civilians. In Galgadud region a water shortage hampered by fighting in the region has killed at least two children as reported by village elders. In North-western Somalia in the town of Hudor Al Shabaab took over the community from TFG-led forces resulting in the deaths of 10 TFG soldiers, six Al Shabaab insurgents and at least four civilians. This is in addition to the heavy fighting in Mogadishu. A boat with Somali refugees sank in the coastal waters of Yemen leaving 45 people dead. The Somali transitional government has signed a cease-fire and a truce with