Berbera
| |
|---|---|
City | |
     | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Interactive map outlining Berbera | |
| Coordinates: 10°26′08″N 045°00′59″E / 10.43556°N 45.01639°E | |
| Country |  Somaliland |
| Region | Sahil |
| District | Berbera District |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Abdishakur Iddin |
| Elevation | 3 m (10 ft) |
| Population (2019)[1] | |
• City | 242,344 |
| • Rank | 4th |
| • Urban | 478,000 |
| Demonym(s) | Barbaraawi بربراوي |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (EAT) |
Berbera (burr-burr-AH; Somali: Barbara, Arabic: بربرة) is the capital of the Sahil region of Somaliland and is the main sea port of the country, located approximately 160 km from the national capital, Hargeisa.[2] Berbera is a coastal city and was the former capital of the British Somaliland protectorate before Hargeisa. It also served as a major port of the Ifat, Adal and Isaaq sultanates from the 13th to 19th centuries.[3][4]
In antiquity, Berbera was part of a chain of commercial port cities along the Somali seaboard. During the early modern period, Berbera was the most important place of trade in the Somali Peninsula.[5] It later served as the capital of the British Somaliland protectorate from 1884 to 1941, when it was replaced by Hargeisa. In 1960, the British Somaliland protectorate gained independence as the State of Somaliland and united five days later with the Trust Territory of Somalia (the former Italian Somalia) to form the Somali Republic.[6][7] Located strategically on the oil route, the city has a deep seaport, which serves as the region's main commercial harbour.
- ^ PopulationStat[permanent dead link] Population of Berbera, city and urban area
- ^ "Ethiopia's gambit for a port is unsettling a volatile region". The Economist. 2024-01-02. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2024-01-03.
- ^ "Issue 270". Archived from the original on 21 March 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
- ^ Ylönen, Aleksi Ylönen. The Horn Engaging the Gulf Economic Diplomacy and Statecraft in Regional Relations. p. 113. ISBN 9780755635191.
- ^ Prichard, J. C. (1837). Researches Into the Physical History of Mankind: Ethnography of the African races. Sherwood, Gilbert & Piper. pp. 160.
- ^ Cahoon, Ben. "Somalia". www.worldstatesmen.org.
- ^ Encyclopædia Britannica, The New Encyclopædia Britannica, (Encyclopædia Britannica: 2002), p.835