Somalia People - 1986

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Population: 7,825,000 (July 1986), average

annual growth rate 3.0%

Nationality: noun—Somali(s); adjective— Somali

Ethnic divisions: 85% Somali, rest mainly Bantu; 30,000 Arabs, 3,000 Europeans 800 Asians

Religion: almost entirely Sunni Muslim

Language: Somali (official); Arabic, Italian, English

Infant mortality rate: 150/1,000(1984)

Life expectancy: 43.9

Literacy: 60%

Labor force-about 2.2 million, very few are skilled laborers; 70% pastoral nomad, 30% agriculturists, government employees, traders, fishermen, handicraftsmen, other

Organized labor: General Federation of Somali Trade Unions, a government-controlled organization, established in 1977

NOTE: The information regarding Somalia on this page is re-published from the 1986 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Somalia 1986 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Somalia 1986 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.