The Somalis are an East African ethnic group native to the Horn of Africa. The Somalis originated in Puntland, with Samaale being their legendary progenitor; alternatively, the name Somali is said to come from the Somali word for "cow milk" in a reference to the Somali people's pastoral history, the Hebrew word s'mali (meaning "on the left-hand side", evolving into the Egyptian Automoli), or the Arabic word zawamal (meaning "wealthy"). The Somalis formed mercantile city-states following the downfall of Macrobia, and they were among the earliest non-Arabs converted to Islam, doing so peacefully and under the influence of Sunni scholars. Muslim city-states such as Mogadishu, Barawa, and Marka formed, and the Middle Ages saw the rise of the Somali Ajuran Sultanate and Adal Sultanate. The Ottoman province of Yemen nominally controlled the Somali coast until Sharmarke Ali Saleh ousted the Turks from Berbera in 1845. In the late 1880s, the British Empire incorporated Somaliland as a protectorate, and, starting in 1889, Italy also established a protectorate in Somalia. The Somalis revolted against the Europeans in the Somaliland campaign of 1900-1920, but the Dervish movement was defeated and the Europeans were victorious. The Somalis of Djibouti were ruled over by the French; in the aftermath of World War II, Somalia and Djibouti each gained their independence, although many Somalis resided in non-Muslim countries such as Ethiopia and Kenya, resulting in border conflicts with both nations, especially during the Ogaden War with Ethiopia in 1977. By the 21st century, around 8.8 million Somalis lived in Somalia, in addition to 4.6 million in Ethiopia, 3.5 million in Somaliland, 2.8 million in Kenya, and 534,000 in Djibouti; almost all Somalis were Muslim, specifically 77% Sunni, 8% non-denominational, 2% Shia, 2% Ibadi or Quranist, and 13% unknown.
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