Difference between revisions of "Horn of Africa" - New World Encyclopedia

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[[Image:Nasa Horn.JPG|thumb|The Horn of Africa. NASA image]]
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[[Image:Africa-countries-horn.png|thumb|300px|Nations of the Horn of Africa.]]
 
  
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The '''Horn of Africa'''  (alternatively '''Northeast Africa''', and sometimes '''Somali Peninsula''') is a [[peninsula]] of [[East Africa]] that juts for hundreds of kilometers into the [[Arabian Sea]], and lies along the southern side of the [[Gulf of Aden]]. It is the easternmost projection of the African [[continent]].  The term also refers to the greater region containing the countries of [[Djibouti]], [[Ethiopia]], [[Eritrea]] and [[Somalia]]. As such, it covers approximately 2,000,000 [[square kilometre|km²]] (772,200 [[square mile|mi²]]) and is inhabited by about 90.2 million people (Ethiopia: 75m, Somalia: 10m, Eritrea: 4.5m, and Djibouti: 0.7m).
  
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==Geography and climate==
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[[Image:horn_of_africa.jpg|thumb|200px|The Horn of Africa as seen from the [[NASA]] [[Space Shuttle]] in May 1993. The orange and tan colors in this image indicate a largely arid to semiarid climate.]]
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The Horn of Africa is almost [[:wikt:equidistant|equidistant]] from the [[Equator]] and the [[Tropic of Cancer]]. It consists chiefly of mountains uplifted through the formation of the [[Great Rift Valley]], a fissure in the Earth's [[crust (geology)|crust]] extending from [[Turkey]] to [[Mozambique]] and marking the separation of the African and Arabian [[plate tectonics|tectonic plate]]s. Most of the region is mountainous due to faults resulting from the Rift Valley, with the highest peaks in the [[Simien Mountains]] of northwestern Ethiopia. Extensive [[glacier]]s once covered the Simien and [[Bale Mountains]], but melted at the beginning of the [[Holocene]]. The mountains descend in a huge escarpment to the [[Red Sea]] and more steadily to the Indian Ocean. [[Socotra]] is a small island  in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Somalia that is considered a part of Africa. Its size is 3,600 km² (1,390 mi²) and it is a territory of [[Yemen]], the southernmost country on the [[Arabian peninsula]].
  
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The '''Horn of Africa''' (or, '''Somali Peninsula''') is a peninsula of [[East Africa]] that juts into the [[Arabian Sea]] and lies along the southern side of the [[Gulf of Aden]]. It is the easternmost projection of the African continent, and so-called because of its resemblance to a rhinoceros's horn.
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The lowlands of the Horn are generally arid in spite of their proximity to the equator. This is because the winds of the tropical [[monsoon]]s that give seasonal rains to the [[Sahel]] and the [[Sudan (region)|Sudan]] blow from the west. Consequently, they lose their moisture upon reaching Djibouti and Somalia, with the result that most of the Horn receives little rainfall during the monsoon season. On the windward side in the west and center of Ethiopia, and the extreme south of Eritrea, monsoonal rainfall is heavy. In the mountains of Ethiopia, many areas receive over 2,000 [[millimetre|mm]] (78 [[inch|in]]) per year, and even [[Asmara]] receives an average of 570 mm (23 in). This rainfall is the sole source of water for many areas far from Ethiopia, most famously for [[Egypt]], which — in terms of rainfall — is the driest nation on Earth.
  
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The term also refers to the greater region containing the republics of [[Djibouti]], [[Ethiopia]], [[Eritrea]], and [[Somalia]]. As such, it covers approximately 2,000,000 km² and is inhabited by about 80 million people. [[Sudan]] and [[Kenya]] are sometimes included as well.
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In the winter, the northeasterly [[trade winds]] do not provide any moisture except in mountainous areas of northern Somalia, where rainfall in late autumn can produce annual totals as high as 500 mm (20 in). On the eastern coast, a strong [[upwelling]] and the fact that the winds blow ''parallel'' to the coast means annual rainfall can be as low as 51 mm (2 in).
  
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[[Greater Somalia]] is a [[nationalism|nationalist]] goal to create a unified [[Somali (ethnicity)|Somali]] state in the Horn of Africa, in the former and present states referred to by the five points of the star in the national flag of Somalia since that country's independence: the former British and Italian colonies of present Somalia, the former French Somaliland (now Djibouti), the [[Ogaden]] in Ethiopia, and a portion of Kenya.
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Temperatures on the Red Sea coast are some of the hottest in the world, typically around 41°C (106°F) in July and 32°C (90°F) in January. On the east coast, owing to the upwelling, they are somewhat, cooler but still hot. As elevation increases, temperatures decrease, so that at [[Asmara]], maxima are around 20°C (68°F), though [[frost]]s are frequent on cloudless nights. On the highest peaks of the Simien Mountains, however, temperatures rarely reach 14°C (57°F) and can be as low as –10°C (14°F) on cloudless nights.
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==Geography and climate==
 
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The Horn of Africa, almost equidistant from the [[Equator]] and the [[Tropic of Cancer]], is an arid region.
 
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[[Socotra]] is a small island off the coast of Somalia, in the Indian Ocean, that is considered to be part of Africa.  Its size is 3,600 square km. It is a territory of [[Yemen]], the southernmost country on the [[Arabian Peninsula]].
 
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[[Image:horn_of_africa.jpg|thumb|300px|The Horn of Africa as seen from the NASA Space Shuttle, in May 1993. The orange and tan colors in this image indicate a largely arid to semiarid climate.]]
 
  
 
==History==
 
==History==
 
===Ancient history===
 
===Ancient history===
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The [[Kingdom of Aksum]] was an African state located in Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Yemen that thrived between the 3rd and 11th centuries. Due to the Horn's strategic location, it has been used to restrict access to the [[Red Sea]] in the past.  
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The [[Kingdom of Aksum]] (also known as "Axum") was a [[Sabean]] influenced state located in Ethiopia, Eritrea, northern Somalia and Yemen that thrived between the [[1st century|1st]] and [[7th century|7th]] centuries. Due to the Horn's strategic location, it has been used to restrict access to the [[Red Sea]] in the past. [[Image:Inhambane-dhow.JPG|thumb|right|Dhow - modern version of traditional trading ship]]
  
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The region was also a source of biological resources during the [[Classical antiquity|Antiquity]]: The [[Ancient Egypt|ancient Egyptians]], [[Ancient Greece|Greeks]] and [[Roman Empire|Roman]]s sent expeditions to the region for frankincense, myrrh, [[dragon's blood]] or [[cinnabar]] and took these commodities back along the [[Incense Route]]. Therefore the Romans called this region ''Regio Aromatica''.
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The region was also a source of biological resources during the [[Classical antiquity|Antiquity]]: The [[Ancient Egypt|ancient Egyptians]], [[Ancient Greece|Greeks]] and [[Roman Empire|Roman]]s sent expeditions to the region for [[frankincense]], [[myrrh]], [[dragon's blood]] or [[cinnabar]] and took these commodities back along the [[Incense Route]]. Therefore the Romans called this region '''Regio Aromatica'''.  It is believed to also contain the fabled Egyptian [[Land of Punt]].
 +
 
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The Horn was also part of a network of ports that extended down the coast of Africa, from the Persian Gulf as part of a larger and ancient commerce route along the greater Indian Ocean rim.
  
 
===Modern history===
 
===Modern history===
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The Horn of Africa is a region continuously in crisis. Ethiopia occupies a predominant position in the Horn because of its [[demographic]] importance: about 60% of the area's population live in this country. Yet Ethiopia's history is largely marked by conflicts between [[Muslim]]s and [[Christian]]s for resources and living space, as well as between nationalism and [[Marxism-Leninism]] in the modern times. The rest of the region also faces continuous wars: a [[civil war]] erupted in [[Somalia]] in 1977, resulting in the country having had no functioning national government since 1991. [[Sudan]], with the [[Sudanese Civil War]], represents another important source of instability for the whole region. Conflicts have also occurred in Djibouti and Eritrea.  
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In recent decades, the Horn of Africa has been a region continuously in crisis. Ethiopia occupies a predominant position in the Horn because of its [[demographic]] importance: about 85% of the area's population live in this country. Large part of the Horn of Africa was colonialized by [[Italy]]: [[Eritrea]] (1880-1941), [[Italian Somaliland]] (1890-1960) and [[Ethiopia]] (1936-1941). [[Britain]] established in North Somalia ([[British Somaliland]]) and France in [[Djibouti]] ([[French Somaliland]]). Yet Ethiopia's history is largely marked by conflicts between [[Muslim]]s and [[Christian]]s for resources and living space, as well as between [[nationalism]] and [[Marxism-Leninism]] in the modern times. The rest of the region also faces continuous wars: a [[civil war]] erupted in [[Somalia]] in [[1977]], resulting in the country having had no functioning national government since [[1991]]. [[Sudan]], with the [[Sudanese Civil War]], represents another important source of instability for the whole region. Conflicts have also occurred in Djibouti and Eritrea.  
  
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Moreover, the region is regularly stricken by [[natural disaster|natural catastrophe]]s, such as droughts (in Ethiopia) or flood (Somalia) that hit rural areas particularly hard. As a result, the region has some of the world's highest levels of [[malnutrition]] and is continuously loomed by a major [[humanitarian crisis]]. Between 1982 and 1992, about two million people died in the Horn of Africa due to a combination of war and famine.
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Moreover, the region is regularly stricken by [[natural disaster|natural catastrophe]]s, such as [[drought]]s or [[flood]] that hit [[rural]] areas particularly hard. As a result, the region has some of the world's highest levels of [[malnutrition]] and is continuously threatened with a major [[humanitarian crisis]]. Between [[1982]] and [[1992]], about two million people died in the Horn of Africa due to this combination of war and [[famine]].
  
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The Horn of Africa, since 2002, has been a major focus of attention by the [[United States]], [[France]], [[Germany]], and 11 African nations regarding the [[War on Terrorism]].
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The Horn of Africa, since 2002, has been a major focus of attention by the [[United States]], [[France]], [[Germany]], and eleven African nations regarding the [[War on Terrorism]].
  
 
==Culture and ethnicity==
 
==Culture and ethnicity==
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The countries of the Horn of Africa are culturally linked together and they are closer to Arabia than to the rest of Africa. Local people have been using the plow for cultivation and kept the Arabian dromedary as domestic animals for a long time.
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[[Image:Africa-countries-horn.png|thumb|200px|Nations of the Horn of Africa.]]
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The countries of the Horn of Africa are culturally linked together. Local people have been using the [[plow]] for cultivation and kept the Arabian [[dromedary]] as domestic animals for a long time.
 
Some important ethno-linguistic groups in the Horn of Africa are:
 
Some important ethno-linguistic groups in the Horn of Africa are:
  
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*In Djibouti: the [[Afar (ethnicity)|Afar]] (Danakil) and the [[Somali]] (Issa)
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*In Djibouti: the [[Afar (ethnicity)|Afar]] (Danakil) and the [[Somali people|Somali]] (Issa)
  
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*In Eritrea: the Afar, the [[Beni-Amer]] ([[Beja people|Beja]]), the [[Hidarb]], the [[Jeberti]], the [[Kunama]] (Baza), the [[Nara]] (Nialetic), the [[Saho]] (Irob), the [[Rashaida]], the [[Tigre language|Tigre]], and the [[Tigrinya]].
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*In Eritrea: the [[Bilen people|Bilen]], the [[Afar people|Afar]], the [[Hedareb people|Hedareb]] ([[Beni-Amer]]/[[Beja people|Beja]]), the [[Kunama people|Kunama]] (Baza), the [[Nara people|Nara]] (Nialetic), the [[Saho people|Saho]] (Irob), the [[Rashaida people|Rashaida]], the [[Tigre people|Tigre]], and the [[Tigray-Tigrinya people|Tigrinya]]. The [[Jeberti]]s are [[Muslim]] Tigrinyas who consider themselves as a separate ethnicity, but are not recognized by other sources.
  
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*In Ethiopia: the [[Amhara]] (Amara), the Afar (Danakil, Adali), the [[Agaw]]/Awingi and Agaw/Kamyr, the [[Bale]], the [[Borana]], the [[Daasenech]] (Reshiat), the [[Gawwada]] (Gauwada), the [[Gurage]]/Siltie, the [[Hammer (tribe)|Hammer]], the [[Harar|Harari]] (Adere), the [[Komuz languages|Komuz]], the [[Libido (ethnicity)|Libido]] (Maraqo), the [[Mesengo]] (Majang), the [[Mursi]], the [[Oromo]] (Azebul and Galla), the [[Qemant]], the Saho, the [[Sidama]], the Somali, the [[Sun (ethnicity)|Sun]], the [[Tigrinya]] and the [[Zayse]].
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*In Ethiopia: [[Amhara people|Amhara]]s, Afars, [[Agaw]] groups, [[Gurage]]s, [[Hammer people|Hamer]]s, [[Harar|Harari]]s (also Hadere or Adere), the Irob (Catholic Sahos) [[Oromo]]s, Saho, [[Sidama]]s, [[Somali people|Somali]], [[Tigray-Tigrinya people|Tigrayans]], as well as many other small groups (see also ethnicities listed at [[Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region]]) .
  
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*In Somalia: the [[Dabarre]], the [[Digil-Rahawlin]], the [[Garre]], the [[Jiiddu]], the [[Shambaara]] (Gosha), the Somali, the [[Swahili]] (Baraawe) and the [[Tunni]].
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*In Somalia: the [[Somali people|Somali]]
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*In Sudan: the [[Anuak]], the [[Atwot]], the Bale, the [[Beni-Amer]] (Beja), the [[Bisharin]] (Beja), the [[Burun]] (Barun, Borun), the [[Dar Fur Daju]], the [[Dar Sila Daju]], the [[Didinga]] (Xaroxa, Toil), the [[Fedicca-Mahas]], the [[Nubian]], the [[Fulani]] (Sudanese Fula), the [[Fur]] (Furawi), the [[Chulfan]] (Gulfan), the [[Gule]] (Fung, Hameg), the [[Hadendoa]] (Beja), the [[Hamar]], the [[Hausa Fulani]], the [[Ingessana]] (Tabi), the [[Kanga]] (Abu Sinun), the [[Yerwa Kanuri]], the [[Katla]] (Akalak), the [[Kenuzi-Dongolese]], the Nubi, the [[Central Koma]] (Komo), the [[Krongo Nuba]], the [[Maba]] (Borgu, Mabang), the [[Maban-Jumjum]] (Maben), the [[Mararit]] (Ablyl, Ebiri, Masalit), the [[Masalit]], the [[Mesakin]] (Masakin), the [[Midob]] (Miedob, Tidi), the [[Nyimang]] (Nyima, Ama), the [[Par]] (Lokoro), the [[Rufaa]] (Rufalyin), the [[Shatt]] (Daju), the [[Shatt]] (Mandul), the [[Sungor]] (Assagori), the [[Tagale]] (Taqalawin), the [[Temein]], the [[Tigre]], the [[Tira]] (Thiro), the [[Tulishi]] and the [[Zaghawa]].
 
  
 
==Economy==
 
==Economy==
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States of the region depend largely on a few key exports:
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States of the region depend largely on a few key [[export]]s:
  
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*Sudan: cotton — 50% of total exports
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*Ethiopia: [[Coffee]] 80% of total exports.
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*Ethiopia: coffee — 80% of total exports
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*Somalia: [[Banana]]s and [[livestock]] over 50% of total exports.
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*Somalia: bananas and livestock — over 50% of total exports
 
  
 
==Ecology==
 
==Ecology==
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[[Image:Grevys zebra.jpg|250px|left|thumb|The [[Grevy's zebra]] (''Equus grevyi'')]]
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[[Image:Grevys zebra.jpg|250px|left|thumb|[[Grevy's zebra]] (''Equus grevyi'')]]
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The Horn of Africa is a [[UNESCO]]'s [[Biodiversity Hotspot]] and one of the two entirely arid ones. However, the Horn of Africa suffers largely from overgrazing and only 5% of its original habitat still remains. On Socotra, another great threat is the development of infrastructure.
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The Horn of Africa is a [[UNESCO]] [[Biodiversity Hotspot]] and one of the two entirely arid ones. However the Horn of Africa suffers largely from [[overgrazing]] and only 5% of its original [[Habitat (ecology)|habitat]] still remains. On Socotra, another great threat is the development of [[infrastructure]].
  
 
===Fauna===
 
===Fauna===
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About 220 mammals are found in the Horn of Africa. Among threatened species of the region, we find several antelopes such as the [[beira]], the [[dibatag]], the [[silver dikdik]] and the [[Speke’s gazelle]]. Other remarkable species include the [[Somali wild ass]], the [[desert warthog]], the [[hamadryas]], the [[Somali pygmy gerbil]], the [[ammodile]] and the [[Speke’s pectinator]]. The [[Grevy's zebra]] is the unique wild [[equid]] of the region.
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About 220 [[mammal]]s are found in the Horn of Africa. Among threatened [[species]] of the region, we find several [[antelope]]s such as the [[Beira (antelope)|beira]], the [[dibatag]], the [[silver dikdik]] and the [[Speke’s gazelle]]. Other remarkable species include the [[Somali wild ass]], the [[desert warthog]], the [[Hamadryas Baboon]], the [[Somalia Gerbil|Somali pygmy gerbil]], the ammodile and the [[Gundi|Speke’s pectinator]]. The [[Grevy's zebra]] is the unique wild [[Equidae|equid]] of the region.
  
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Some important bird species of the Horn are the [[Bulo Burti boubou]], the [[golden-winged grosbeak]], the [[Warsangli linnet]] or the [[Djibouti francolin]].
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Some important [[bird]] species of the Horn are the [[Bulo Burti boubou]], the [[Golden-winged Grosbeak|golden-winged grosbeak]], the Warsangli [[linnet]], or the Djibouti [[francolin]].
  
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The Horn of Africa holds more [[endemic]] reptiles than anywhere else in Africa, with about 90 species over about 285 found exclusively here. Among endemic reptile genera, there are ''[[Haackgreerius]]'', ''[[Haemodracon]]'', ''[[Ditypophis]]'', ''[[Pachycalamus]]'' or ''[[Aeluroglena]]''. Half of these genera are uniquely found on Socotra. Unlike reptiles, [[amphibian]]s are poorly represented in the region.
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The Horn of Africa holds more [[endemic (ecology)|endemic]] [[reptile]]s than any other region in Africa, with over 285 species total (and about 90 species found exclusively in the region). Among endemic reptile genera, there are ''[[Haackgreerius]]'', ''[[Haemodracon]]'', ''Ditypophis'', ''Pachycalamus'' and ''Aeluroglena''. Half of these genera are uniquely found on Socotra. Unlike reptiles, [[amphibian]]s are poorly represented in the region.
  
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There are about 100 species of freshwater fish in the Horn of Africa, about 10 of which are endemic. Among the endemic, we find the cave-dwelling [[Somalian blind barb]] and the [[Somalian cavefish]].
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There are about 100 species of [[freshwater]] [[fish]] in the Horn of Africa, about 10 of which are endemic. Among the endemic, we find the cave-dwelling Somali blind barb and the Somali [[cavefish]].
  
 
===Flora===
 
===Flora===
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It is estimated that about 5,000 species of [[vascular plant]]s are found in the Horn, about the half of which is [[endemic]]. [[Endemism]] is most developed in [[Socotra]] and Northern Somalia. The region has two endemic plant families: the [[Barbeyaceae]] and the [[Dirachmaceae]]. Among the other remarkable species, there are the [[cucumber tree]] found only on Socotra, the [[Bankoualé palm]], the [[Yeheb nut]] or the [[Somali cyclamen]].
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It is estimated that about 5,000 species of [[vascular plant]]s are found in the Horn, about half of which are endemic. Endemism is most developed in [[Socotra]] and Northern Somalia. The region has two endemic plant [[family (biology)|families]]: the [[Barbeyaceae]] and the [[Dirachmaceae]]. Among the other remarkable species, there are the cucumber tree found only on Socotra (''Dendrosicyos socotrana''), the Bankoualé palm, the [[Cordeauxia edulis|yeheb nut]], and the Somali [[cyclamen]].
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==See also==
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*[[Conflicts in the Horn of Africa]]
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*[[Geography of Africa]]
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*[[History of Djibouti]]
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*[[History of Eritrea]]
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*[[History of Ethiopia]]
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*[[History of Somalia]]
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*[[Land of Punt]]
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*''Compare:'' [[Cape Horn]], the southernmost point of [[South America]]
  
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
Line 74: Line 79:
 
*[http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/at/at0715_full.html WWF- Somali Acacia-Commiphora bushlands and thickets]
 
*[http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/at/at0715_full.html WWF- Somali Acacia-Commiphora bushlands and thickets]
 
*[http://www.biodiversityhotspots.org/xp/Hotspots/horn_africa/ Horn of Africa Biodiversity Hotspot]
 
*[http://www.biodiversityhotspots.org/xp/Hotspots/horn_africa/ Horn of Africa Biodiversity Hotspot]
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*[http://www.awdconservancy.org/ African Wild Dog Conservancy's Biodiversity Hotspots Page]
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*[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/dj.html CIA World Factbook: Djibouti]
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*[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/er.html CIA World Factbook: Eritrea]
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*[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/et.html CIA World Factbook: Ethiopia]
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*[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/so.html CIA World Factbook: Somalia]
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*[http://www.unicef.org/childalert/hornofafrica/ A 'Child Alert' issued by UNICEF for the Horn of Africa]
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*[http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/8-4-2005-74197.asp Yemen Horn of Africa Link]
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*[http://www.hoa.centcom.mil Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa Official Website]
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{{Regions of the world}}
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[[Category:Nations and places]]
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[[Category:Africa]]
  
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Revision as of 20:53, 19 July 2007

File:Nasa Horn.JPG
The Horn of Africa. NASA image

The Horn of Africa (alternatively Northeast Africa, and sometimes Somali Peninsula) is a peninsula of East Africa that juts for hundreds of kilometers into the Arabian Sea, and lies along the southern side of the Gulf of Aden. It is the easternmost projection of the African continent. The term also refers to the greater region containing the countries of Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia. As such, it covers approximately 2,000,000 km² (772,200 mi²) and is inhabited by about 90.2 million people (Ethiopia: 75m, Somalia: 10m, Eritrea: 4.5m, and Djibouti: 0.7m).

Geography and climate

The Horn of Africa as seen from the NASA Space Shuttle in May 1993. The orange and tan colors in this image indicate a largely arid to semiarid climate.

The Horn of Africa is almost equidistant from the Equator and the Tropic of Cancer. It consists chiefly of mountains uplifted through the formation of the Great Rift Valley, a fissure in the Earth's crust extending from Turkey to Mozambique and marking the separation of the African and Arabian tectonic plates. Most of the region is mountainous due to faults resulting from the Rift Valley, with the highest peaks in the Simien Mountains of northwestern Ethiopia. Extensive glaciers once covered the Simien and Bale Mountains, but melted at the beginning of the Holocene. The mountains descend in a huge escarpment to the Red Sea and more steadily to the Indian Ocean. Socotra is a small island in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Somalia that is considered a part of Africa. Its size is 3,600 km² (1,390 mi²) and it is a territory of Yemen, the southernmost country on the Arabian peninsula.

The lowlands of the Horn are generally arid in spite of their proximity to the equator. This is because the winds of the tropical monsoons that give seasonal rains to the Sahel and the Sudan blow from the west. Consequently, they lose their moisture upon reaching Djibouti and Somalia, with the result that most of the Horn receives little rainfall during the monsoon season. On the windward side in the west and center of Ethiopia, and the extreme south of Eritrea, monsoonal rainfall is heavy. In the mountains of Ethiopia, many areas receive over 2,000 mm (78 in) per year, and even Asmara receives an average of 570 mm (23 in). This rainfall is the sole source of water for many areas far from Ethiopia, most famously for Egypt, which — in terms of rainfall — is the driest nation on Earth.

In the winter, the northeasterly trade winds do not provide any moisture except in mountainous areas of northern Somalia, where rainfall in late autumn can produce annual totals as high as 500 mm (20 in). On the eastern coast, a strong upwelling and the fact that the winds blow parallel to the coast means annual rainfall can be as low as 51 mm (2 in).

Temperatures on the Red Sea coast are some of the hottest in the world, typically around 41°C (106°F) in July and 32°C (90°F) in January. On the east coast, owing to the upwelling, they are somewhat, cooler but still hot. As elevation increases, temperatures decrease, so that at Asmara, maxima are around 20°C (68°F), though frosts are frequent on cloudless nights. On the highest peaks of the Simien Mountains, however, temperatures rarely reach 14°C (57°F) and can be as low as –10°C (14°F) on cloudless nights.

History

Ancient history

The Kingdom of Aksum (also known as "Axum") was a Sabean influenced state located in Ethiopia, Eritrea, northern Somalia and Yemen that thrived between the 1st and 7th centuries. Due to the Horn's strategic location, it has been used to restrict access to the Red Sea in the past.

Dhow - modern version of traditional trading ship

The region was also a source of biological resources during the Antiquity: The ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans sent expeditions to the region for frankincense, myrrh, dragon's blood or cinnabar and took these commodities back along the Incense Route. Therefore the Romans called this region Regio Aromatica. It is believed to also contain the fabled Egyptian Land of Punt.

The Horn was also part of a network of ports that extended down the coast of Africa, from the Persian Gulf as part of a larger and ancient commerce route along the greater Indian Ocean rim.

Modern history

In recent decades, the Horn of Africa has been a region continuously in crisis. Ethiopia occupies a predominant position in the Horn because of its demographic importance: about 85% of the area's population live in this country. Large part of the Horn of Africa was colonialized by Italy: Eritrea (1880-1941), Italian Somaliland (1890-1960) and Ethiopia (1936-1941). Britain established in North Somalia (British Somaliland) and France in Djibouti (French Somaliland). Yet Ethiopia's history is largely marked by conflicts between Muslims and Christians for resources and living space, as well as between nationalism and Marxism-Leninism in the modern times. The rest of the region also faces continuous wars: a civil war erupted in Somalia in 1977, resulting in the country having had no functioning national government since 1991. Sudan, with the Sudanese Civil War, represents another important source of instability for the whole region. Conflicts have also occurred in Djibouti and Eritrea.

Moreover, the region is regularly stricken by natural catastrophes, such as droughts or flood that hit rural areas particularly hard. As a result, the region has some of the world's highest levels of malnutrition and is continuously threatened with a major humanitarian crisis. Between 1982 and 1992, about two million people died in the Horn of Africa due to this combination of war and famine.

The Horn of Africa, since 2002, has been a major focus of attention by the United States, France, Germany, and eleven African nations regarding the War on Terrorism.

Culture and ethnicity

Nations of the Horn of Africa.

The countries of the Horn of Africa are culturally linked together. Local people have been using the plow for cultivation and kept the Arabian dromedary as domestic animals for a long time. Some important ethno-linguistic groups in the Horn of Africa are:

  • In Djibouti: the Afar (Danakil) and the Somali (Issa)
  • In Eritrea: the Bilen, the Afar, the Hedareb (Beni-Amer/Beja), the Kunama (Baza), the Nara (Nialetic), the Saho (Irob), the Rashaida, the Tigre, and the Tigrinya. The Jebertis are Muslim Tigrinyas who consider themselves as a separate ethnicity, but are not recognized by other sources.
  • In Ethiopia: Amharas, Afars, Agaw groups, Gurages, Hamers, Hararis (also Hadere or Adere), the Irob (Catholic Sahos) Oromos, Saho, Sidamas, Somali, Tigrayans, as well as many other small groups (see also ethnicities listed at Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region) .
  • In Somalia: the Somali

Economy

States of the region depend largely on a few key exports:

Ecology

Grevy's zebra (Equus grevyi)

The Horn of Africa is a UNESCO Biodiversity Hotspot and one of the two entirely arid ones. However the Horn of Africa suffers largely from overgrazing and only 5% of its original habitat still remains. On Socotra, another great threat is the development of infrastructure.

Fauna

About 220 mammals are found in the Horn of Africa. Among threatened species of the region, we find several antelopes such as the beira, the dibatag, the silver dikdik and the Speke’s gazelle. Other remarkable species include the Somali wild ass, the desert warthog, the Hamadryas Baboon, the Somali pygmy gerbil, the ammodile and the Speke’s pectinator. The Grevy's zebra is the unique wild equid of the region.

Some important bird species of the Horn are the Bulo Burti boubou, the golden-winged grosbeak, the Warsangli linnet, or the Djibouti francolin.

The Horn of Africa holds more endemic reptiles than any other region in Africa, with over 285 species total (and about 90 species found exclusively in the region). Among endemic reptile genera, there are Haackgreerius, Haemodracon, Ditypophis, Pachycalamus and Aeluroglena. Half of these genera are uniquely found on Socotra. Unlike reptiles, amphibians are poorly represented in the region.

There are about 100 species of freshwater fish in the Horn of Africa, about 10 of which are endemic. Among the endemic, we find the cave-dwelling Somali blind barb and the Somali cavefish.

Flora

It is estimated that about 5,000 species of vascular plants are found in the Horn, about half of which are endemic. Endemism is most developed in Socotra and Northern Somalia. The region has two endemic plant families: the Barbeyaceae and the Dirachmaceae. Among the other remarkable species, there are the cucumber tree found only on Socotra (Dendrosicyos socotrana), the Bankoualé palm, the yeheb nut, and the Somali cyclamen.

See also

  • Conflicts in the Horn of Africa
  • Geography of Africa
  • History of Djibouti
  • History of Eritrea
  • History of Ethiopia
  • History of Somalia
  • Land of Punt
  • Compare: Cape Horn, the southernmost point of South America

External links

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