Somali is the eastern-most of the nine ethnic divisions (kililoch) of Ethiopia. It is often called Somalia, though it is not to be confused with the independent country of that same name. Formerly known as Region 5, the capital of Somali is Jijiga. Other major towns and cities include K'ebri Dehar , Geladi , Werder , Bircot , Erer Gota , Denan and K'elafo . The region borders Kenya to the south-west, the Ethopian regions of Oromia, Afar and Dire Dawa to the west, Djibouti to the north and Somalia/Somaliland to the north, east and south. It covers 279,252 km² in the east of the country and its population (as of 1999) is 3,602,000.

The region has a very high Somali population, and it has been claimed by Somalia in the past as part of the idea of a Greater Somalia. In the 1970s, Somalia invaded Ethiopia to support Somali rebels in the area, particularly in the Ogaden War, but was defeated.

External link

• Map of Somali Region at UN-OCHA