Tourism in Somalia Tourism in Somalia Tourism in Somalia is regulated by the Federal Government of Somalia's Ministry of Tourism. The industry was traditionally noted for its numerous historical sites, beaches, waterfalls, mountain ranges and national parks. After the start of the civil war in the early 1990s, the Tourism Ministry shut down operations. It was re-established in the 2000s, and once again oversees the national tourist industry. The Mogadishu-based Somali Tourism Association (SOMTA) provides on-the-ground consulting services. In the pre-independence period, European explorers would occasionally travel to Somalia and other parts of the Horn of Africa to visit the region's numerous historical
Demographics of Somalia about 15% of the nation's population. They include [[Bantus (Somalia)|Bantus]], [[Bajuni people|Bajunis]], [[Eyle people|Eyle]], [[Ethiopia]]ns, [[India]]ns, [[Pakistan]]is, [[Persian people|Persians]], [[Arabs]], [[Italy|Italians]] and [[British people|Britons]]. Somalia has been described as the most ethnically homogenous nation in Sub-Saharan Africa, ahead of [[Botswana]], which is four-fifths [[Tswana people|Tswana]]. [[File:Shaxmednuradc1.ogg|thumb|right|180x180px|Speech sample in [[Somali language|Standard Somali]].]] [[Somali language|Somali]] and [[Arabic language|Arabic]] are the official languages of Somalia. The Somali language is the [[first language|mother tongue]] of the Somalis, the nation's most populous ethnic group. It is a member of the [[Cushitic languages|Cushitic]] branch of the [[Afroasiatic languages|Afroasiatic]] family. In addition to Somali, Arabic, which is