Middle Shabelle ( so, Shabeellaha Dhexe, ar, شبيلي الوسطى, it, Medio Scebeli) is an administrative region (''
gobol'') in southern
Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constitut ...
.
Overview
It is bordered by the Somali regions of
Galguduud
Galguduud ( so, Galgaduud, ar, جلجدود, it, Galgudud or ''Ghelgudud'') is an administrative region ('' gobol'') of Galmudug state in central Somalia. Its administrative capital is Dusmareb. The largest town in the region is Abudwak, whi ...
,
Hiran,
Lower Shabelle (Shabellaha Hoose), and
Banaadir, as well as the Somali Sea.
As part of the former
Benadir region, Middle Shabelle's capital was
Mogadishu
Mogadishu (, also ; so, Muqdisho or ; ar, مقديشو ; it, Mogadiscio ), locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and List of cities in Somalia by population, most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port ...
up until the mid-1980s, when the town of
Jowhar became the capital. It is named after the
Shebelle River that passes through this region.
Middle Shabelle is principally inhabited by
Abgaal
Abgaal (Somali: Abgaal, Arabic: أبغال) is a subclan of the Hawiye and the even larger Samaale clan. It is one of the major Somali clans and has produced many prominent historical Somali figures including 3 presidents, and the father of t ...
.
There are also members of the non-Somali ethnic minority
Bantu
Bantu may refer to:
*Bantu languages, constitute the largest sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages
*Bantu peoples, over 400 peoples of Africa speaking a Bantu language
* Bantu knots, a type of African hairstyle
* Black Association for Nationa ...
group (Shidle).
The region supports livestock production, rain-fed and gravity irrigated agriculture and fisheries, with an annual rainfall between 150 and 500 millimeters covering an area of approximately 60,000 square kilometers. It has a 400 km coastline on the Indian Ocean.
Demographics
The majority clan in the region is the Abgaal, The second are Galje'el and Shiidle the 3rd, the region has suffered from "intense intra-clan conflict that has impoverished the region leading to a regional power struggle that divides the Abgal sub-clans. The two largest sub-clans are the Wa’buudhan (further divided into the Galmah, Kabaale and the Daud) and the Harti Abgal (further divided into the Agoonyar, Owbakar and the Warsangali). Other clans that live in the region include Reer Shabeele (Jareer weyne), Makane (Jareer Weyne) Hawadle, Mubliin, Hilibi.
Districts
Middle Shabelle Region consists of Ten districts:
*
Jowhar
*
Gamboole
*
Raaga Ceele
*
Ceelow
*
Balad
*
Adale
*
Adan Yabal
*
Warseikh
*
Run-Nigrod
*
Mahaddey
The region supports livestock production, rain-fed and irrigated agriculture and fisheries, with an annual rainfall between 150 and 500 millimeters. Covering an area of approximately 60,000 square kilometres, the region has a 400 kilometre coastline on the Indian Ocean. The Shabelle river runs for 150 kilometres through the region.
References
External links
Administrative map of Middle Shabelle
Regions of Somalia
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