Bu'ale or Bu'aale ( Somali: ''Bu'aale'') is an agricultural city located in Middle Juba (Jubbada dhexe) region of Somalia and the capital city of Jubaland state of

Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

History

During the Middle Ages, Bu'aale and its surrounding area was part of the Ajuran Empire that governed much of southern

and eastern

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

, with its domain extending from Hobyo in the north, to Qelafo in the west, to Kismayo in the south.Lee V. Cassanelli (1982) ''The shaping of Somali society: reconstructing the history of a pastoral people, 1600-1900''. University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 102. In the early modern period, Bu'aale was ruled by the

Geledi Sultanate The Sultanate of the Geledi (, ) also known as the Gobroon dynasty,Somali Sultanate: The Geledi City-state Over 150 Years - Virginia Luling (2002) Page 229 was a Somali people, Somali kingdom that ruled parts of the Horn of Africa during the late ...

. The kingdom was eventually incorporated into

Italian Somaliland Italian Somaliland (; ; ) was a protectorate and later colony of the Kingdom of Italy in present-day Somalia, which was ruled in the 19th century by the Sultanate of Hobyo and the Majeerteen Sultanate in the north, and by the Hiraab Imamate and ...

protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a State (polity), state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over ...

in 1910 also 5 decades later After independence in 1960, the city was made the center of the official

Bu'ale Bu'ale ( ) is an agricultural town in Southern Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the w ...

Geography

Location

Bu'aale is located in the fertile Juba Valley in southeastern Somalia. Nearby settlements include to the northeast Xamareyso (5.0 nm), to the north Dalxiiska (1.3 nm), to the northwest Qeyla Dheere (6.4 nm), to the west Saamogia (0.9 nm), to the southwest Iach Bulle (17.0 nm), and to the south Qandal (7.5 nm). The largest cities in the country most proximate to Bu'aale are Jamaame (22 km),

Jilib Jilib is a city in the Middle Juba region of Somalia. It currently serves as the ''de facto'' capital of the Islamic Emirate of Somalia controlled by al-Shabaab. Jilib has an estimated population of around 100,000 inhabitants and covers an area ...

(97 km), and

Merca Merca (, ) is the capital city of the Lower Shebelle province of Somalia, a historic port city in the region. It is located approximately to the southwest of the nation's capital Mogadishu. Merca is the traditional home territory of the Bimal c ...

(337 km).

Climate

Bu'aale has a hot arid climate (

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''BWh''), despite receiving around of rainfall per year, due to the extremely high potential evapotranspiration. Weather is hot year-round, with seasonal

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in Atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annu ...

winds and irregular rainfall with recurring droughts. The ''gu'' rains, also known as the Southwest Monsoons, begin in April and last until July producing significant fresh water and allowing lush vegetation to grow. The ''gu'' season is followed by the ''xagaa'' (hagaa) dry season.

Demographics

References

External links

Districts of Somalia

Administrative map of Bu'ale District
Districts of Somalia Middle Juba {{Somalia-geo-stub