Sanag (, ) is an administrative region ('' gobol'') in north eastern Somaliland.Regions of Somalia
Sanaag has a long coastline facing the

Gulf of Aden The Gulf of Aden (; ) is a deepwater gulf of the Indian Ocean between Yemen to the north, the Arabian Sea to the east, Djibouti to the west, and the Guardafui Channel, the Socotra Archipelago, Puntland in Somalia and Somaliland to the south. ...

to the north, and is bordered by the region of Sahil to the west, Sool to the south and

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 ...

to the east. The region is disputed by the self-declared Republic of Somaliland and Puntland, a Federal Member State of

. Its capital city is Erigavo. Sanaag is the largest region of Somaliland, accounting for 35% of Somaliland's total land area. The region is partially controlled by Puntland and Somaliland. Puntland disputes the Harti inhabited parts of region as being part of Somaliland while the latter claims the entire region based on the

British Somaliland British Somaliland, officially the Somaliland Protectorate (), was a protectorate of the United Kingdom in modern Somaliland. It was bordered by Italian Somalia, French Somali Coast and Ethiopian Empire, Abyssinia (Italian Ethiopia from 1936 ...

boundaries.

Territorial dispute

The Sanaag region is disputed between Somaliland and Puntland. Somaliland effectively controls the western and central parts of Sanaag. Puntland has effective control over Badhan and other areas in the east. Somaliland has declared its claim to all of Sanaag, but some areas (that it struggles to control) do not actually participate in Somaliland's elections.

History

From 1944 to 1974, modern-day Sanaag region was one of three districts of the Burao region. The other two districts were Burao and Las Anod. Sanaag was carved out of

Togdheer Togdheer (, ) is an administrative region (''Administrative divisions of Somaliland, gobol'') in central Somaliland. Togdheer is bordered by Maroodi Jeex to the west, Sahil, Somaliland, Saaxil to the north, Sanaag to the northeast, Sool, Somalia ...

region and was established as a separate region on June 23, 1973, comprising the three districts of Erigavo, Las Qorey and Garadag. Sanaag is home to numerous

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or recorded history, historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline ...

s, with rock art, ancient ruins, buildings and

cairn A cairn is a human-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. The word ''cairn'' comes from the (plural ). Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehistory, t ...

s found at numerous sites, such as Gudmo Biyo Cas, Heis, Maydh, Haylan, Qa'ableh, Qombo'ul, Gelweita and El Ayo. However, many of these old structures have yet to be properly explored, a process which would help shed further light on local history and facilitate their preservation for posterity.Michael Hodd, ''East African Handbook'', (Trade & Travel Publications: 1994), p.640. Sanaag is also home to the ruined Islamic city of Maduna near El Afweyn, which is considered the most substantial and most accessible ruin of its type in Somaliland. The main feature of the ruined city includes a large rectangular mosque, its 3 metre high walls still standing and which include a mihrab and possibly several smaller arched niches. Swedish-Somali archaeologist Sada Mire dates the ruined city to the 15th–17th centuries.

Environment

A severe

drought A drought is a period of drier-than-normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, ...

in the region in the early part of the 21st century caused an 80% or greater loss of livestock, though two good rainy seasons in 2004–2005 helped restore the area. Over a 15-year period of analysis, from 1988 to 2003, there was a 52% loss of

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

and a 40% loss of

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominance (ecology), dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other Herbaceo ...

, and a 370% increase in bare land. Soil

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as Surface runoff, water flow or wind) that removes soil, Rock (geology), rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust#Crust, Earth's crust and then sediment transport, tran ...

due to

weather Weather is the state of the atmosphere, describing for example the degree to which it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloud cover, cloudy. On Earth, most weather phenomena occur in the lowest layer of the planet's atmo ...

and human activities and clearing of wood and brush for such uses as charcoal and fuel are issues leading to a degradation of the environment.

Economy

In recent history, the Sanaag region normally maintained a diverse economy, producing and then exporting to other regions, it produced

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 ...

frankincense Frankincense, also known as olibanum (), is an Aroma compound, aromatic resin used in incense and perfumes, obtained from trees of the genus ''Boswellia'' in the family (biology), family Burseraceae. The word is from Old French ('high-quality in ...

, and leather for export, this was happening while the region lacked basic

infrastructure Infrastructure is the set of facilities and systems that serve a country, city, or other area, and encompasses the services and facilities necessary for its economy, households and firms to function. Infrastructure is composed of public and pri ...

, but, after the outbreak of civil war the region's economy collapsed from loss of markets and dilapidated

has never helped, and lack of investment. Now the region only supports one main economy,

rearing. The Somali livestock ban imposed by Gulf countries in which was Sanaag's largest market has virtually destroyed the economy in the region, reducing purchasing power and forcing pastoralists in the region to survive on subsistence activities. The region is connected to

Burao Burao, also spelt Bur'o or Bur'ao (; , , ), is the capital of the Togdheer region and the second largest city in Somaliland. Burao was the site of the Somaliland Declaration of Independence, declaration of an independent Somaliland on 18 May 19 ...

, capital of

region as well as to the rest of the country through the Siilaanyo road.

Demographics

The region is mainly inhabited by people from the Somali ethnic group, principally the Habr Yunis and

Habar Jeclo The Habr Je'lo (), , Full Name: ''Mūsa ibn Ishaaq bin Ahmed, ash-Shaykh Isḥāq ibn Aḥmad,'' historically known as the Habr Toljaala () is a major Northern Somali clan of the wider Isaaq family. Its members form the Habr Habusheed () confedera ...

sub-clans of the

Isaaq The Isaaq (, , ''Banu Ishaq'') is a major Somali clans, Somali clan. It is one of the largest Somali clan families in the Horn of Africa, with a large and densely populated traditional territory. The Isaaq people claim in a traditional legend ...

and the Dhulbahante and Warsangali sub-divisions of the Harti Darod.

Districts

The region of Sanag is divided into 5 districts as follows: * El Afweyn District * Erigavo District * Garadag District * Badhan District * Dhahar District

Towns and Cities

* Erigavo * El Afweyne * Maydh * Badhan * Dararweyne * Las Khorey * Garadag * Heis * Midhisho * Yubbe * Hadaaftimo * Hingalol * Dhahar * Buraan * El Buh * Gudmo Biyo Cas * Ruguda * Yufle * Dayaha * Guud Caanood

References

External links

*Gwillim Law
"Districts of Somalia"
''Statoids'', December 31, 1990 *SOMALIA NATIONAL PEACE CONFERENCE

''PEACE PLAN'' DJIBOUTI, 20 APRIL - 5 MAY 2000
Warsangeli Sultanate
{{Authority control Sanaag Regions of Somaliland Disputed territory between Somaliland and Puntland Archaeology of Eastern Africa