Greater Somalia in the context of "French Somaliland"

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⭐ Core Definition: Greater Somalia

Greater Somalia, also known as Greater Somaliland (Somali: Soomaaliweyn; Arabic: الصومال الكبرى, romanizedal-Sūmāl al-Kubrā), is the geographic location comprising the regions in the Horn of Africa in which ethnic Somalis live and have historically inhabited.

During the Scramble for Africa at the end of the 19th century, Somali-inhabited territories were partitioned between imperial powers. The unification of these territories became a focal objective of an independent Somalia. Referred to as "Greater Somalia," these regions, at the outset of Somali independence, encompassed State of Somaliland (former British Somaliland) and Trust Territory of Somaliland (former Italian Somaliland), which had successfully merged into a single nation in 1960. French Somaliland, the Northern Frontier District (NFD) in Kenya, and the Ogaden region in Ethiopia were placed under the control of neighboring states despite the pre-independence unification efforts of Somali nationalists.

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Greater Somalia in the context of Somali language

Somali (/səˈmɑːli, s-/ sə-MAH-lee, soh-; Latin script: Af Soomaali; Wadaad: اف صومالِ‎; Osmanya: 𐒖𐒍 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘 [af soːmaːli]) is an Afroasiatic language belonging to the Cushitic branch. It is spoken primarily in Greater Somalia, and by the Somali diaspora as a mother tongue. Somali is an official language in both Somalia and Ethiopia, and serves as a national language in Djibouti. It is also a recognised minority language in Kenya. The Somali language is officially written with the Latin alphabet, although the Arabic script and several Somali scripts like Osmanya, Kaddare and the Borama script are informally used.

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Greater Somalia in the context of Naked mole-rat

The naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber), also known as the sand puppy, is a burrowing rodent native to the Horn of Africa and parts of Kenya, notably in Somali regions. It is closely related to the blesmols and is the only species in the genus Heterocephalus.

The naked mole-rat exhibits a highly unusual set of physiological and behavioral traits that allow it to thrive in a harsh underground environment, most notably its being the only mammalian thermoconformer with an almost entirely ectothermic (cold-blooded) form of body temperature regulation, as well as exhibiting eusociality, a complex social structure including a reproductive division of labor, separation of reproductive and non-reproductive castes, and cooperative care of young. The closely related Damaraland mole-rat (Fukomys damarensis) is the only other known eusocial mammal. Naked mole-rats lack pain sensitivity in their skin, and have very low metabolic and respiratory rates. The animal also is remarkable for its longevity and resistance to cancer and oxygen deprivation.

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Greater Somalia in the context of Somali diaspora

The Somali diaspora or Qurbajoogta refers to ethnic Somalis who reside in areas of the world outside of Greater Somalia. The Somali Civil War greatly increased the size of the Somali diaspora, as many Somalis moved from Somalia primarily to Europe, North America, Oceania, North Africa, West Africa, Middle East, South Asia and Southern Africa. There are also Somali populations in Asia. The UN estimates that in 2015, approximately 2 million people from Somalia were living outside of the country's borders.

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