Mogadishu Travel Guide, Somalia

Mogadishu, Somalia – Overview: The duty free city

The national capital and the largest city of Somalia, Mogadishu, is situated on the coast of Benadir and has acted as a very important port for years. It was in early 1991, when the government of the country collapsed. Since then, the city has been busy fighting the rival militias, which has transformed the picture of the city to a lawless one. It was way back on the July 1, 1960 when Somalia gain independence and Mogadishu was made the capital.

Location

Running along Mogadishu is the Shebelle River, which provides water for cultivating cotton and sugarcane in the dry months of February to April. Summers are very hot, whereas winters are cold. Precipitation touches 86 in the peak time.

Government

For almost two decades, the city is running without a proper government. It is run by heavily armed militias. However, very recently the Transitional Federal Government has taken immense steps to amass the military and re-establish law and order in the city.

Education

Despite the civil war and the political unrest prevailing in the country, the city has managed to run several institutions to provide higher learning. The Mogadishu University was set up during the civil war is run by the Islamic Development Bank. It has also partnered with several international universities. However, the Somalia National University has been closed due to excessive damage, which it faced during the war.

Economy

Being the capital city of Somalia, Mogadishu acts as the financial and commercial hub of the country. The civil unrest and the Somalia Civil War have completely shattered the economic scenario of the country. In spite of this, the economy has managed to gain a recovery from the graveyard. As there is no existence of any government, trades, both inter- and intra- national, are tax-free. The primary industries include beverage processing, food and cotton. The city homes the headquarters of Telcom, the telecom network of the country.

Transportation

Mogadishu is well connected to the nearby cities by all modes of transport viz. road, sea and air. By roads, you can get access to the adjacent places and the countries of Kenya and Ethiopia. The continuation of the civil war has demolished the Mogadishu International Airport, but private airlines still operate to and from this place. The ports serve as a major source of revenue for the country, as merchants enjoy duty free status. Railways exist between Jowhar and Mogadishu, which was built by the Italians way back in the early 20th century.

In spite of being under immense of war, Mogadishu is an excellent location for traders, who wish for generating more profit from their investments.

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