Middle Shabelle ( so, Shabeellaha Dhexe, ar, شبيلي الوسطى, it, Medio Scebeli) is an administrative region ('' gobol'') in southern

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constitut ...

Overview

It is bordered by the Somali regions of

Galguduud Galguduud ( so, Galgaduud, ar, جلجدود, it, Galgudud or ''Ghelgudud'') is an administrative region ('' gobol'') of Galmudug state in central Somalia. Its administrative capital is Dusmareb. The largest town in the region is Abudwak, which ...

, Hiran,

Lower Shabelle Lower Shabelle ( so, Shabeellaha Hoose, Maay: ''Shibelithy Hoosy'', ar, شبيلي السفلى, it, Basso Scebeli) is an administrative region ('' gobol'') in southern Somalia. Geography Lower Shabelle is bordered by the regions of Banaadi ...

(Shabellaha Hoose), and

Banaadir Banaadir ( so, Banaadir, ar, بنادر, it, Benadir) is an administrative region ('' gobol'') in southeastern Somalia. It covers the same area as the city of Mogadishu, which serves as the capital. It is bordered to the northwest by the Shabel ...

, as well as the Somali Sea. As part of the former Benadir region, Middle Shabelle's capital was

Mogadishu Mogadishu (, also ; so, Muqdisho or ; ar, مقديشو ; it, Mogadiscio ), locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port connecting traders across the Indian Oc ...

up until the mid-1980s, when the town of

Jowhar Jowhar ( so, Jowhar, ar, جوهر) is the capital city of Hirshabelle state of Somalia. Jowhar is also the administrative capital of Middle Shabelle region of Somalia. Along with Baidoa, it used to form the joint administrative capital of t ...

became the capital. It is named after the

Shebelle River The Shebelle River ( so, Webi Shabeelle, ar, نهر شبيلي, am, እደላ) begins in the highlands of Ethiopia, and then flows southeast into Somalia towards Mogadishu. Near Mogadishu, it turns sharply southwest, where it follows the coast. ...

that passes through this region. Middle Shabelle is principally inhabited by

Abgaal Abgaal (Somali: Abgaal, Arabic: أبغال) is a subclan of the Hawiye and the even larger Samaale clan. It is one of the major Somali clans and has produced many prominent historical Somali figures including 3 presidents, and the father of ...

. There are also members of the non-Somali ethnic minority

Bantu Bantu may refer to: *Bantu languages, constitute the largest sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages *Bantu peoples, over 400 peoples of Africa speaking a Bantu language *Bantu knots, a type of African hairstyle *Black Association for Nationali ...

group (Shidle). The region supports livestock production, rain-fed and gravity irrigated agriculture and fisheries, with an annual rainfall between 150 and 500 millimeters covering an area of approximately 60,000 square kilometers. It has a 400 km coastline on the Indian Ocean.

Demographics

The majority clan in the region is the Abgaal, The second are Galje'el and Shiidle the 3rd, the region has suffered from "intense intra-clan conflict that has impoverished the region leading to a regional power struggle that divides the Abgal sub-clans. The two largest sub-clans are the Wa’buudhan (further divided into the Galmah, Kabaale and the Daud) and the Harti Abgal (further divided into the Agoonyar, Owbakar and the Warsangali). Other clans that live in the region include Reer Shabeele (Jareer weyne), Makane (Jareer Weyne) Hawadle, Mubliin, Hilibi.

Districts

Middle Shabelle Region consists of Ten districts: *

* Gamboole * Raaga Ceele * Ceelow * Balad * Adale *

Adan Yabal Adan Yabal District ( so, Degmada Aadan Yabaal) is a district in the southeastern Middle Shabelle (Shabeellaha Dhexe) region of Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl of ...

* Warseikh * Run-Nigrod * Mahaddey The region supports livestock production, rain-fed and irrigated agriculture and fisheries, with an annual rainfall between 150 and 500 millimeters. Covering an area of approximately 60,000 square kilometres, the region has a 400 kilometre coastline on the Indian Ocean. The Shabelle river runs for 150 kilometres through the region.

References

External links

Administrative map of Middle Shabelle
Regions of Somalia {{Somalia-geo-stub