Ethiopia–Somalia Land Boundary | Sovereign Limits (2024)

FAQs

Ethiopia–Somalia Land Boundary | Sovereign Limits? ›

The Ethiopia–Somalia boundary extends 1,648 kilometers (1,024 miles) and received only a partial colonial demarcation.

The Ethiopia–Somalia border stretches 1,500 kilometers. In the 19th century, both Britain and Italy contributed to shaping the modern border, on behalf of their colonies of British and Italian Somaliland. The Somali people were thus under British, French, Italian and Ethiopian rule.

The Ethiopian–Somali conflict is a territorial and political dispute between Ethiopia, Somalia, and insurgents in the area. Originating in the 1300s, the present conflict originates from Ethiopian Empire's expansion into the Somali-inhabited Ogaden region during the late 19th century.

The country is on the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, the Gulf of Aden to the north, the Indian Ocean to the east, and Kenya to the southwest. Somalia has the longest coastline on Africa's mainland.

There is a history of territorial conflict between the two. In 1977, Somalia invaded Ogaden, a disputed border territory now in Ethiopia. Backed by the Soviet Union and Cuba, which were seeking a cross-continent socialist alliance, Ethiopia responded and eventually won the war.

The total length of Ethiopia's boundary line is 5260 km. Table 3.2 indicates that F Sudan shares the longest length of boundary line, followed by Somalia.

The plate boundaries between the Somali Plate and the surrounding tectonic plates are overwhelmingly divergent boundaries. This means that all the surrounding tectonic plates are moving away from the Somali Plate. These plates are the African Plate, Arabian Plate, Antarctic Plate, Indian Plate, and Australian Plate.

Somalia is bounded by the Gulf of Aden to the north, by the Indian Ocean to the east, by Kenya and Ethiopia to the west, and by Djibouti to the northwest.

On January 1, 2024, Ethiopia and Somaliland signed a memorandum of understanding giving Ethiopia access to the Red Sea via the port of Berbera in return for recognizing Somaliland.

Independence: July 1, 1960 (from a merger of British Somaliland, which became independent from the UK in June 1960, and Italian Somaliland, which became independent from the Italian-administered UN trusteeship on July 1960 to form the Somali Republic).

Why did Ethiopia invade Somalia? ›

Ethiopian military involvement began in response to the rising power of the Islamic Courts Union, which operated as the de facto government in the majority of southern Somalia by late 2006.

The Soviets responded in the affirmative: they supplied Ethiopia with substantial weapons such artillery and tanks in early September 1977. Two weeks later, the Derg received other good news: the termination of Soviet arms delivery to Somalia. The Soviets were thus committed to helping Ethiopia.

Do not travel to Somalia due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, health issues, kidnapping, and piracy.

Location: Ethiopia is strategically located in the Horn of Africa, 3′ and 14.8″ latitude 33′ and 48′ longitude bordering Somalia, the Sudan, Djibouti, Kenya and Eritrea with a total border length of 5,311 km. It is the 10th largest country in Africa.

The shared border between Ethiopia and Djibouti runs over a distance of 213.13 miles and is located along the northeastern region of Ethiopia. It is the shortest international border in this country.

↔️ Kilometers: 770.56 km. / Miles: 478.81 miles. / Nautical Miles: 415.8 NM. ✈️ Estimated flight time: 0.84 hours. (With average airplane speed of 567mph).

Nestled between a Spanish enclave called Penon de Velez de la Gomera and Morocco, this unique border covers a mere 85 meters (242 feet). While short, it has a rich history and significance that captivates curious minds.