Galdogob () is a town that is administered by the semi-autonomous

Puntland Puntland is an autonomous state that considers itself to be part of Somalia, despite not accepting the legitimacy of Somalia's current governing administration. It was formed in 1998, and was a federal member state of Somalia from its fou ...

State of Somalia, and serves as the capital of the

Galdogob District Galdogob District () is a district in the north-central Mudug region of Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordere ...

within the

Mudug Mudug () is an administrative region ('' gobol'') in north-central Somalia. The population of Mudug is 131,455 as of 2005. Overview Physiographically, Mudug is bordered to the west by Ethiopia, to the north and south by the Somali regions of Nu ...

region. The city technically straddles the disputed 1950s-era Provisional Administrative Line, as depicted on virtually all worldwide maps, from north-central

Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

Overview

Galdogob is located in the western part of the Mudug region bordering Ethiopia's portion of the Somali-majority

Dollo Zone Dollo () is one of the nine zones in the Somali Region of Ethiopia. It was previously known as Warder/Werder, so named after its largest city, Warder. Dollo is bordered on the southwest by Korahe, on the northwest by Jarar, and on the southeas ...

, and is a popular rest stop for Somali travelers heading to and from

Dire Dawa Dire Dawa (; , meaning"where the Dir (clan), Dir hit his spear into the ground" or "The true Dir", , Harari language, Harari: ድሬዳዋ, lit. "Plain of Medicine"; ) is a city in eastern Ethiopia near the Somali Region and Oromia, Oromo borde ...

Jijiga Jijiga (, , ''Jijiga'') is the capital city of Somali Region, Ethiopia. It became the capital of the Somali Region in 1995 after it was moved from Gode. Located in the Fafan Zone with 75 km (37 mi) west of the border with Som ...

, Gode, Werder and

Geladi Geladin () is a town in eastern Ethiopia. Located in the Dollo Zone of the Somali Region, this town has an elevation between 427 and 530 meters above sea level. Arthur Donaldson Smith records he visited Geladin (which he also calls "Bari") in ...

. Hundreds of small cars and heavy trucks pass through the city every day. In 1982, Galdogob briefly fell in the hands of the Ethiopian backed group SSDF in the

1982 Ethiopian–Somali Border War The Ethiopian–Somali Border War took place from June 1982 to August 1983, when Ethiopia launched a large-scale invasion of central Somalia. Backed by warplanes and armored units, Ethiopia deployed a 10,000-man force alongside thousands of Somal ...

Galdogob also has a thriving

livestock Livestock are the Domestication, domesticated animals that are raised in an Agriculture, agricultural setting to provide labour and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, Egg as food, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The t ...

industry: hundreds of thousands of

camel A camel (from and () from Ancient Semitic: ''gāmāl'') is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. Camels have long been domesticated and, as livestock, they provid ...

sheep Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to d ...

goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a species of Caprinae, goat-antelope that is mostly kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the ...

s and

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...

are purchased here and shipped through the busy port of

Bosaso Bosaso (, ), historically known as Bender Qassim is a city in the northeastern Bari province ('' gobol'') of Somalia. It is the seat of the Bosaso District. Located on the southern coast of the Gulf of Aden, the municipality serves as the region ...

every year. The city's livestock trade is at its most brisk during the

hajj Hajj (; ; also spelled Hadj, Haj or Haji) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for capable Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetim ...

period, when over a hundred thousand heads of livestock are sold and shipped to the Gulf states, again through Bosaso. Galdogob has recently also seen the arrival of migrants from the more southernly areas of Somalia seeking work and a safer place to live. The second largest hospital in the region, Galdogob general hospital, is located in this town, which serves both residents and surrounding areas. In October 2014, the firm Tawakal Money Express (Tawakal) began construction of the four-storey Tawakal Plaza Galdogob. The building features a Tawakal Global Bank customer and financial services center, conference and event halls, restaurant and coffee shop facilities, and a luxury hotel. In 2016 Tawakal Money Express finished building a large multi purpose structure in Galdogob market area. Galdogob and the surrounding region are served by the Galdogob Airport. A major renovation of the facility was launched in 2020 and the first scheduled flight departed in 2022. The airport was inaugurated by Fardowsa Osman Egal, the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation of Somalia with the event attended by several officers from

Demographics

As of 2005, the broader

had a total population of 309,799 residents, out of it 247,366 were urban and 67,067 were non-urban. Galdogob Hospital

Climate

Galdogob has a

hot arid climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk'') is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''BWh''). The coldest average temperatures occur during the winter months of November to February, when thermometer readings range from . The weather slowly heats up in the spring, as the April rainy season begins. Average temperatures later reach a maximum of around 41 °C over the summer period. Come September, a gradual fall chill starts to set in again.

Education

Galdogob has several academic institutions. According to the Puntland Ministry of Education, there are 25 primary schools and 5 secondary schools in the Galdogob District. Among these are Ciro, Al-Nur Galdogob, Kulmiye Galdogob and Qansaxle. Secondary schools in the area include Ain Shams and Galdogob Secondary. Higher learning is provided by AED informal education college, and Puntland State University SU

Notable residents

Said Sheikh Samatar Said Sheikh Samatar (, ‎; 1943 – 24 February 2015) was a Somali scholar and writer. Biography Early years Said was born in 1943 in the Ogaden in Ethiopia to Faduma and Sheikh Samatar. He came from a large family consisting of fourteen p ...

(1943– 24 February 2015) – scholar and writer * Sadik Warfa – Member of the Somalia Parliament and Minister for Labour and social affairs of the Somali government

Notes

References

*{{cite book , title = AF press clips, Volume 17 , publisher = Bureau of African Affairs, Dept. of State, U.S.A. , year = 1982, url = https://books.google.com/books?id=y2zjAAAAMAAJ * https://www.facebook.com/Goldogob?fref=ts

External links

HAFZA Railway project
Populated places in Mudug