Somalia
Federal Republic of Somalia
- Capital: Mogadishu
- Eastern Africa
- 3 neighbours in Travle
Somalia overview
Somalia is in Eastern Africa, Africa. Its capital is Mogadishu. The World Bank counts about 19.7 million people for 2025 on 637,657 km² of surface area.
In the Travle map, Somalia has 3 neighbours: Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya. From there, 125 countries can be reached by land.
Population, density and language
The World Bank counts 19,654,739 people in Somalia for 2025, which is 66th of 170 by population. Spread over 637,657 km² of surface area (2024), that is about 31 people per km², 122nd of 169 by density.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (SP.POP.TOTL), data updated 2026-10-08; checked 2026-10-19.Rankings compare the entries in Travle's country list that have World Bank data (170 with population, 169 with surface area). Some list entries are territories, so a rank here is not a rank among sovereign states.
| Language | Share (est.) | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Somali | 78% | official |
| Arabic | 34% | official |
| Swahili | 2% | — |
| Oromo | 0.42% | — |
CLDR shares are estimates of people who use each language, so they can add up to more than 100%.
How big is Somalia, really?
With 637,657 km² (2024, land plus inland water), Somalia is 42nd of 169 by surface area and covers 0.45% of the combined area of those entries.
In that ordering, South Sudan (646,883 km²) is just larger; Norway (624,500 km²) just smaller.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (AG.SRF.TOTL.K2), data updated 2026-10-08; checked 2026-10-19.Somalia at a glance
- Capital
- Mogadishu
- Region
- Eastern Africa, Africa
- Population
- 19,654,739 (2025)
- Surface area
- 637,657 km² (2024)
- Density
- 31 people per km²
- Official languages
- Somali and Arabic
- Currency
- Somali Shilling (SOS)
- Calling code
- +252
- Internet domain
- .so
- Land neighbours
- 3 (Natural Earth) · 3 (Travle)
Each figure is sourced in its own section below. "Not available" means no source used on this page has the figure.
Somalia within Eastern Africa
Natural Earth places Somalia in Eastern Africa (UN subregion). Of the 15 entries from Travle's country list in that subregion, Somalia is 9th by population and 6th by surface area, with 3.9% of the combined population of those entries.
| Country | Population (2025) | Area km² (2024) |
|---|---|---|
 Ethiopia | 135,472,051 | 1,129,819 |
 Tanzania | 70,545,865 | 945,500 |
 Kenya | 57,532,493 | 591,970 |
 Uganda | 51,384,894 | 241,551 |
 Mozambique | 35,631,653 | 799,380 |
 Madagascar | 32,740,678 | 591,896 |
 Malawi | 22,216,120 | 118,484 |
 Zambia | 21,913,874 | 752,612 |
| Somalia | 19,654,739 | 637,657 |
 Zimbabwe | 16,950,795 | 390,760 |
 Rwanda | 14,569,341 | 26,340 |
 Burundi | 14,390,003 | 27,834 |
 South Sudan | 12,188,788 | 646,883 |
 Eritrea | 3,607,003 | 121,630 |
 Djibouti | 1,184,076 | 23,200 |
Sources: World Bank WDI (SP.POP.TOTL, AG.SRF.TOTL.K2), data updated 2026-10-08; subregion from Natural Earth 1:110m. A dash means the World Bank has no figure.
Location, borders and position
Somalia is in Eastern Africa, Africa. Its outline in Natural Earth lies in the northern and southern hemispheres and the eastern hemisphere. Its capital, Mogadishu, is at about 2.1° N and 45.4° E.
On land, Natural Earth's boundary data gives Somalia 3 neighbours; the Travle game map gives it 3.
Sources: Natural Earth 1:110m (outline and capital) and 1:10m boundary lines (neighbours), public domain.
Where Somalia is on the map
Countries bordering Somalia
Natural Earth lists 3 land neighbours (Ethiopia, Kenya and Somaliland); the Travle map uses 3 (Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya). Only the game links Somalia with Djibouti. Natural Earth marks part of the line with Ethiopia as indefinite. Natural Earth marks part of the line with Somaliland as disputed.
| Country | Direction | Land boundary in Natural Earth | Border in Travle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Djibouti | north-west | No | Yes |
| Ethiopia | north-west | Yes (indefinite segment) | Yes |
| Kenya | south-west | Yes | Yes |
Natural Earth also draws boundary lines with Somaliland, which it maps as separate areas without an ISO country code. They are not listed as countries here.
Geographic column: Natural Earth 1:10m Admin-0 boundary lines (land) 5.1.0 (public domain), checked 2026-10-19; Natural Earth shows de facto boundaries and does not settle disputes. Travle column: the game's own border map.
Money and language in Somalia
Currency
- Somali Shilling: code SOS, numeric 706. ISO 4217 lists it for this country only.
Official languages
- Somali: official only here, according to CLDR.
- Arabic: official in 26 territories in CLDR, including Somalia.
CLDR is a technical reference, not a legal text. Laws and constitutions can describe languages differently.
Currency, domain and dialling code
- Currency
- Somali Shilling (SOS)
Source: Unicode CLDR release-48-2 currencyData (region SO); code, name and number from ISO 4217 list one (SIX), published 2026-09-17; checked 2026-10-19. - Internet domain
- .so
Source: IANA Root Zone Database; checked 2026-10-19. - International dialling code
- +252
Source: ITU, List of ITU-T Recommendation E.164 assigned country codes (position on 15 December 2016); checked 2026-10-19. - Time
- UTC+03:00 all year (2026)
IANA zones: Africa/Mogadishu
Source: IANA Time Zone Database 2026e (zone.tab); UTC offsets computed for 15 Jan and 15 Jul 2026 with Node.js ICU tz 2026a; checked 2026-10-19.
Somalia codes and abbreviations
| Standard | Code |
|---|---|
| ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 | SO |
| ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 | SOM |
| ISO 3166-1 numeric | 706 |
| ISO 4217 currency (Somali Shilling) | SOS · 706 |
| Country-code top-level domain | .so |
| ITU-T E.164 country code | +252 |
Sources: Natural Earth (ISO 3166-1), ISO 4217 list one (SIX), IANA Root Zone Database, ITU E.164 list; linked with dates in the sections above.
Fun facts about Somalia
- Arabic has official status in 26 territories in Unicode CLDR, Somalia among them.
- The longest Travle trip from Somalia takes 14 steps, to Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste.
Each fact is calculated from the sources cited on this page.
How far can you travel from Somalia in Travle?
Starting from Somalia and moving one border at a time, this is how many countries in the game's map you reach at each step. Countries that need a sea crossing never appear, because the game only follows land borders.
| Steps | Countries | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | |
| 2 | 5 | |
| 3 | 10 | |
| 4 | 14 | |
| 5 | 12 | |
| 6 | 9 | |
| 7 | 17 | |
| 8 | 13 | |
| 9 | 25 | |
| 10 | 10 | |
| 11 | 2 | |
| 12 | 1 | |
| 13 | 2 | |
| 14 | 2 |
In total 125 of the 171 other countries in the map can be reached by land. The longest trips take 14 steps and end in Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste. The other 46 cannot be reached without crossing the sea (18 in North America, 13 in South America, 6 in Oceania, 5 in Asia, 3 in Europe, 1 in Africa).
Nearby routes from Somalia
Shortest land routes in the game's map to the countries up to 3 steps away. There can be several routes of the same length; this list shows one. The section above shows how many countries are reachable in total.
- Djibouti: 1 step (Somalia → Djibouti)
- Ethiopia: 1 step (Somalia → Ethiopia)
- Kenya: 1 step (Somalia → Kenya)
- Eritrea: 2 steps (Somalia → Djibouti → Eritrea)
- South Sudan: 2 steps (Somalia → Ethiopia → South Sudan)
Sudan: 2 steps (Somalia → Ethiopia → Sudan)- Tanzania: 2 steps (Somalia → Kenya → Tanzania)
- Uganda: 2 steps (Somalia → Kenya → Uganda)
- Burundi: 3 steps (Somalia → Kenya → Tanzania → Burundi)
Central African Republic: 3 steps (Somalia → Ethiopia → Sudan → Central African Republic)
Chad: 3 steps (Somalia → Ethiopia → Sudan → Chad)
Democratic Republic of the Congo: 3 steps (Somalia → Ethiopia → South Sudan → Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Egypt: 3 steps (Somalia → Ethiopia → Sudan → Egypt)
Libya: 3 steps (Somalia → Ethiopia → Sudan → Libya)- Malawi: 3 steps (Somalia → Kenya → Tanzania → Malawi)
- Mozambique: 3 steps (Somalia → Kenya → Tanzania → Mozambique)
- Rwanda: 3 steps (Somalia → Kenya → Tanzania → Rwanda)
- Zambia: 3 steps (Somalia → Kenya → Tanzania → Zambia)
Somalia — frequently asked questions
What is the capital of Somalia?
Mogadishu.
Which countries border Somalia?
On land, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somaliland, according to Natural Earth's boundary data. The Travle map uses 3.
What currency and language does Somalia use?
The currency is the Somali Shilling (SOS). Unicode CLDR gives Somali and Arabic official status.
How far can you travel from Somalia in Travle?
Following land borders only, 125 countries are reachable. The farthest need 14 steps: Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste.
How many people live in Somalia?
The World Bank counts 19,654,739 people for 2025.
How big is Somalia?
637,657 km² of surface area (2024), according to the World Bank.
What is the dialling code and internet domain of Somalia?
The international dialling code is +252 and the country-code domain is .so.
What time zone does Somalia use?
UTC+03:00 all year (2026).
Keep exploring
- Spin the country wheel to get a random country.
- Play Travle and try to cross the map border by border.
- Browse all countries of the world, countries by population, capitals, country codes or try the flag quiz.