Positioned on the eastern seaboard of Africa, at the mouth of the Bab el Mandeb passageway into the Red Sea and Suez Canal, Somalia is often referred to as the Horn of Africa due to its resemblance to a rhino's horn.
The Cal Madow mountain range sits in the northeast, and contains the highest peak of Somalia - Shimbiris at 7,926 ft (2,416 m).
Major rivers include the Jubba and Shabele, both of which flow south towards Kismaayo and exit into the Indian Ocean (the lowest point of the country).
Nationally, mean daily minimums usually vary from about 15 to 30 °C (59 to 86 °F). The greatest range in climate occurs in northern Somalia, where temperatures sometimes surpass 45 °C (113 °F) in July on the littoral plains and drop below the freezing point during December in the highlands.
Schoolgirls in Somalia generally wear shirts and trousers.
Women never wear anything revealing and their garments generally have very conservative colors.
Most Somali women wear full-length dresses that come in a variety of styles
For day-to-day activities, women in Somalia generally wear a guntiino. A guntiino is a long piece of cloth which is tied over the shoulder and draped around the woman’s waist.
For formal events like weddings and religious celebrations, women commonly wear a dirac. A dirac is a long dress usually made of 100 percent cotton or cotton blends including linen or polyester. This dress is worn over a slip and a brassiere.
An outfit commonly worn by Somali men is a white cotton sheet wrapped around them as a skirt and another white piece used as a shawl.
A sarong-like garment, worn around the waist, called a macawiis is typically worn by most Somali men.
Some Somali men wear a long ankle-length garment called a khameez.
Many Somali men wear a colorful turban or an embroidered cap known as koofiyad on their head.
Some men, mainly in the upper class, wear suits and neckties in order to look more western and modern. This is also common garb for Somali business people.