Bosaso

All you want to know about Bosaso

Country	Somalia
Bosasso, Bosaso
Bosasso, Bosaso Location in Somalia
Coordinates: 11°17′N 49°10′E / 11.283, 49.167
Region	Bari Region
District
Population
- Total	450,000 (est)
Time zone	East Africa Time (UTC+3)

Bosaso (Somali: Boosaaso) is a large city in Somalia 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 / 11.2835278, 49.1811389) 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 450,000 (up from about 30,000 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 the 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 along with Bosaso College^[1] serve higher education needs, as does the Puntland Nursing Institute. UNCTAD, SIBA and Sunshine also provide post-secondary 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).

Relatively stable in comparison to the southern parts of Somalia, Boosaaso is a rapidly growing city. As with Hargeisa and Berbera, the rapid construction it has enjoyed of late 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. Economically, it is actually doing better now than it was prior to the war.

Boosaaso is also a 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.

1 History of Bosaso
2 Business in Bosaso
3 Entertainment in Bosaso
4 References
5 External links

History of Bosaso

The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea indicates that ancient Greek merchants sailed to Boosaaso, providing notes about the strategic and geographical location of the current Boosaaso area which was called Mosylon in ancient times.^[2]

Boosaaso is the former settlement of Bender Qassim, and was first settled in the 14th century by a Somali trader known as Qassim, who is believed to be Kaptanleh 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 Mora'ase subclans (and other Harti subclans) also claim to have been the city's first settlers.

With the collapse of the central government and the formation of Puntland, Bosaso has become the administrative and business capital of the Northeastern regions of Somalia. In recent years, it 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

Bosaso is a city that is booming and is experiencing a period of rapid growth. Prior to the Somali civil war Bosaso was a town with a population of under 50,000. During the war Majerteen and other Harti clan Somalis began migrating back to their ancestral areas of Puntland. As a result, Bosaso's population grew by a factor of ten since the beginning of the migration. Bosaso is now a city of about 500,000.^{[citation needed]} Due to the dramatic increase in population, the housing industry has become increasingly important. ^[3] Despite the rapid growth, the fishing industry still remains one of Boosaaso's main sources of income. However there is speculation that the increasing wealth of Bosaso may be linked to the recent surge in pirate activities in the Gulf of Aden.

Entertainment in Bosaso

Boosaaso has white sandy beaches and clear sea water with a reef. Popular activities in the city include visiting Internet cafés and coffee shops where allegedly khat is served, although sales are illegal. There are also many hotels, the most famous being Hotel Juba.^[4]

Boosaaso also has its own television channel and studios, named SBC TV and ETN TV, as well as radio stations.

In the outskirts of the city, one can find mountains, lakes, and grasslands with unique wildlife and trees, and a panoramic view of the city.