Puntland

This article is about the region in Somalia. For the ancient kingdom, see Land of Punt.
Not to be confused with Putland.

Puntland
  • Dowlad Goboleedka Puntland ee Soomaaliya (Somali)
  • ولاية أرض البنط الصومالية (Arabic)
  • Wilāyat Arḍ al-Bunṭ aṣ-Ṣūmāliyyah
Federal Member State
Puntland State of Somalia[1]
Flag of Puntland
Flag
Coat of arms of Puntland
Coat of arms
Coordinates: 8°24′N 48°29′E / 8.400°N 48.483°E / 8.400; 48.483
CapitalGarowe
Government
 • TypeUnitary presidential republic[a]
 • PresidentSaid Abdullahi Deni
 • Vice-PresidentIlyas Osman Lugator
 • House SpeakerAbdirizak Ahmed Said
Area
[2]
 • Total
212,510 km2 (82,050 sq mi)
 • Water21,711 km2 (8,383 sq mi)
Population
 • Estimate 
(2016)[3]
4,334,633
DemonymPuntlander
Time zoneUTC+3 (EAT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3
Calling code+25290 (Somalia)
ISO 3166 codeSO

Puntland (Somali: Puntland, Arabic: أرض البنط, Italian: Terra di Punt or Paese di Punt), officially the Puntland State of Somalia (Somali: Dowlad Goboleedka Puntland ee Soomaaliya, Arabic: ولاية أرض البنط الصومالية), is an autonomous territory formed in 1998 that became a Federal Member State. Puntland is located in the northeastern part of Somalia and its state capital is the city of Garoowe in the Nugal region.[4] The region had a population of 4,334,633 in 2016.[5] Geographically to the west, Puntland lays claim to the intra-46th meridian territories that were outside European colonial rule during parts of the Scramble for Africa period.

Puntland is bordered by Somaliland to its west, the Gulf of Aden in the north, the Guardafui Channel in the northeast, the Indian Ocean in the southeast, the central Galmudug region in the south, and Ethiopia in the southwest. There are several major geographical apexes in Puntland, including the Cape Guardafui, which forms the tip of the Horn of Africa, Ras Hafun the easternmost place on the entire African continent, and the beginning of the Karkaar mountain range. It also has the northernmost major city in Somalia, Bosaso, located at a line of latitude higher than 11° north.

The name "Puntland" is derived from the Land of Punt mentioned in ancient Egyptian sources, although the exact location of the fabled territory is still a mystery. Many studies suggest that the Land of Punt was located in present-day Somalia,[6][7] whereas others propose that it was situated elsewhere.[8]

On 31 March 2024, following changes to the Constitution of Somalia, the government of Puntland stated that it no longer recognises the authority of the Somali federal government and would no longer participate in Somali federal institutions. Furthermore, it was stated that Puntland would "operate as a state that's independent from Somalia until there is a federal government with a constitution agreed upon in a referendum in which Puntland participates".[9][10][11]

  1. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 June 2017. Retrieved 30 May 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. ^ "Rankings – Countries and Territories of the World • PopulationData.net". Archived from the original on 29 June 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  3. ^ "Puntland Facts and Figures 2012-2017" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 July 2023. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  4. ^ "Puntland State of Somalia". Archived from the original on 5 November 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  5. ^ "Puntland Facts and Figures 2012-2017" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 July 2023. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  6. ^ Dan Richardson, Egypt, (Rough Guides: 2003), p. 404 ISBN 1858281881
  7. ^ Ian McMahan, Secrets of the Pharaohs, (HarperCollins: 1998), p. 92 ISBN 0380797208
  8. ^ David B. O'Connor, Stephen Quirke, Quir O'Connor, Mysterious lands, (UCL Press: 2003), p. 64 ISBN 1598742078
  9. ^ "Somalia: Puntland refuses to recognise FG after disputed constitutional changes". TVC News. Archived from the original on 22 April 2024. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  10. ^ Ahmed, Mohamed Omar. "Puntland to Operate Independently from Somalia after Law Change". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on 1 April 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  11. ^ Ben Mariem, Salma. "Somalia state of Puntland rejects constitutional amendments and withdraws from federal government". Jurist News. Archived from the original on 8 April 2024. Retrieved 15 September 2024.


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