Environment

Environment: Somalia

Movie:
See what Somalia looks like: take a drive though the countryside

Somalia is an arid country in eastern Africa. The country wraps around the horn of Africa with a coast line of 460 miles and is approximately the same size as England and Whales combined (Ram, 2005). There are four seasons, a rainy spring season that lasts from April to June, a dry summer from July to September, a short autumn rainy period from October to November, then a long dry winter (Ram, 2005). This tropical monsoon-type climate has temperatures in the winter ranging from 15-26*C and the summer temperatures between 26 and 32*C (Ram, 2005). The average amount of annual precipitation differs from along the coast and inland. Inland receives approximately 500mm or rainfall and the coast gets double that amount.
The mountains along the northern coast (see map below) create a suitable environment for the frankincense trees, as it is said the trees prefer the arid zone behind these mountains (FOF). Also, the trees' density across the countryside is not affected by the physical boundaries such as mountains, cliffs, boulders, etc. Both B. frereana and B. sacra have the ability to grow in "steep or exposed situations and are often found in rocky slopes or gullies (FAO, 1994 p. 2)." Although some species of Frankincense trees are endemic to Somalia, they are known to grow in the dry areas of northeast Africa and southern Arabia as well (FAO, 1994).