Bosaso

Bosaso (Somali: Boosaaso) is the third largest city in Somalia (after Mogadishu and Hargeisa ) and the main port of Somalia (since the start of the Somali Civil War in 1991). Situated on the southern coast of the Gulf of Aden ( 11°17′0.70″N, 49°10′52.10″E) at the estuary of Baalade Wadi, it is the de facto capital of the Bari region (gobolka) in the autonomous republic of Puntland.

Formerly known as Bender Qassim, Boosaaso governs seven districts: Qandala, Caluula, Iskushuban, Bandar Bayla, Carmo, Baargaal, and Qardho. The population in August 2006 was estimated at about 500,000 (up from about 50,000 in the 1990s). Boosaaso is a melting pot, with citizens representing all the major clans in Somalia, but most of its population is from the Harti subclan of Darood. It also has a significant number of Mehri Arabs, also known as Arab (Maxamuud) Saalax.

Boosaaso currently has more than 30 primary and secondary schools, including Boosaaso Public Secondary School (with over 2000 students), Sheikh Hamdan Secondary School (approximately 800 students), Imam-Alnawawi, Alnajeh, and Garisa. East Africa University, the main university of Puntland, is also located in Boosaaso, as is the Puntland Nursing Institute. UNCTAD, SIBA and Sunshine also provide modern education. The Sam Greathouse School of Modern Technology (SG-SMT) has been working with local governments to construct a large scale dial-up network linking Boosaaso to the cities of Berbera and Las Anod.

A highway connects Boosaaso to Garoowe (the capital of Puntland State), Las Anod, Galkacyo and, from there, to Mogadishu and Berbera. Boosaaso has the busiest port in Somalia, along with a major airport ( Bender Qassim International Airport.

Boosaaso is a rapidly growing city. As with Hargeisa and Berbera, the rapid construction in the city has largely been financed by Somalis from the diaspora. Boosaaso has grown exponentially since the civil war, as it has attracted people from all over Somalia. Boosaaso is actually doing better than it did before the civil war, when it was largely neglected, and is relatively stable compared with other parts of the country.

Boosaaso is also the major port for boats carrying Somali emigrants across the Gulf of Aden to settle (sometimes illegally) in Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and the other Persian Gulf states. Khat is also shipped from the port.

History of Boosaaso

The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea indicates that ancient Greek merchants sailed to Bosaso, providing notes about the strategic and geographical location of the current Boosaaso area which was called Mosylon in ancient times.

Boosaaso is the former settlement of Bender Qassim, and was first settled in the 14th century by a Yemeni trader known as Qassim, who is believed to be of Mehri origin (Arab Maxamuud Salaax) and had a camel called Bosa or Boosaas. So the town was first called Bender Qassim ("Qassim\'s town") then later Boosaaso, derived from his camel\'s name. This story is, however, purely speculative. Members from various Majerteen subclans ( and other Harti subclans) all claim to have been the city\'s first settlers.

With the collapse of the central government, and, with the formation of Puntland, the city has become the capital of the Northeastern regions of Somalia. In recent years, Boosaaso has evolved into a refueling station for maritime transport between the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf ports. It has also become an important commercial point of entry. The Siad Barre regime constructed the main port of this region in the mid-1980s, along with a two-lane highway for the annual livestock shipments to the Middle East.

Business in Bosaso

Boosaaso is a city that is booming and is experiencing a period of rapid growth. It used to be a small fishermen town with a population less than 50,000, but when the Somali civil war broke out the Majerteen\'s (who had been victimized in Mogadishu) and other Harti people started migrating back to their "ancestral" regions and, thus, Boosaaso went from a city of 50,000 to a city of about 500,000, today.^{[citation needed]}

The fishing industry still remains one of Boosaaso\'s main commercial source. Real estate in Boosaaso is also on the rise. Somalis in the diaspora are even immigrating back and buying real estate in Boosaaso [1]. The average wage in Boosaaso is the highest of Somalia (being about $1200 USD ) and it\'s increasing annually (the average wage in the rest of Somalia is less than $600) [2].

Bosaso

Entertainment in Bosaso

Boosaaso has white, sandy, beaches and crystal clear sea water with a nice reef in the sea. Popular activities in the city include visiting coffee shops where Khat is consumed and Internet cafés. There are also many hotels, the most famous being Hotel Juba[3].

Boosaaso also has its own TV studio and channel named ETN TV. If you are a tourist visiting Boosaaso, the best period to visit is during September-May during the rain season because the heat in the summer is unbearable for outsiders. In the outskirts of the city, you can find mountains, lakes, grasslands with unique wildlife and trees, and a panoramic view of the city.

External links

Coordinates: 11°17′N, 49°11′E

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