Erigavo
Erigavo
| |
---|---|
City | |
Coordinates: 10°37′05″N 047°22′12″E / 10.61806°N 47.37000°E | |
Country | ![]() |
Region | Sanaag |
District | Erigavo District |
Government | |
• Mayor | Ismail Haji Nour[1] |
Population (2011)[2] | |
• Total | 180,000 |
• Rank | 5th |
Time zone | UTC+3 (EAT) |
Erigavo (Somali: Ceerigaabo, Arabic: عيرجابو), also spelled as Erigabo, is the capital and largest city of the Sanaag region of Somaliland.[3]
The city was inhabited by Dhulbahante, Warsangali and Habar yoonis for decades.
Geography
[edit]Environment
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9f/Gazella-dorcas.jpg/180px-Gazella-dorcas.jpg)
10 kilometres or 6.2 miles to the north of the town are the remains of a juniper forest,[4] running along the edge of the escarpment overlooking the Gulf of Aden. The escarpment is approximately 2,000 metres or 6,560 feet above sea level, where the road from Erigavo drops down to the coast. 2 kilometres or 1.2 miles to the west, it rises to the highest point in Somaliland, Shimbiris. A popular local attraction, the summit sits at an elevation of about 2,470 metres or 8,100 feet above sea level. A road also leads up from Erigavo to Daallo mountain. At the mountain's peak, the sea can be observed in addition to the ancient town of Hiis situated nearby.
Erigavo is also home to many animal and plant species. Wildlife native to the area include dorcas gazelle, gerenuk, Salt's dik-dik, hamadryas baboon, desert warthog, spotted hyena, striped hyena, black-backed jackal, African golden wolf, honey badger and Somali ostrich.
Climate
[edit]Under the Köppen climate classification, Erigavo features a mild version of the semi-arid climate. The city generally sees equable temperatures year round, with some of the mildest weather in all of Somaliland. Despite its location in the tropics, due to the high altitude, temperatures rarely exceed 30 °C or 86 °F. Nights are frequently cool during the summer season and cold during the winter. This is a trait shared with very few places in the world; notable locations with similar climate are Sana'a in Yemen or Arequipa in Peru. The city receives on average under 450 millimetres or 18 inches of rain annually. Average monthly temperatures range from 14.3 °C or 57.7 °F in the month of December to 19.7 °C or 67.5 °F in the month of July. Absolute minimum temperatures sometimes touch or cross 0 °C or 32 °F.
Climate data for Erigavo, Somalia | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 30.5 (86.9) |
33.5 (92.3) |
32.0 (89.6) |
33.5 (92.3) |
31.5 (88.7) |
30.5 (86.9) |
30.5 (86.9) |
30.0 (86.0) |
30.0 (86.0) |
29.5 (85.1) |
29.5 (85.1) |
28.0 (82.4) |
33.5 (92.3) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 24.5 (76.1) |
25.5 (77.9) |
25.5 (77.9) |
26.5 (79.7) |
26.5 (79.7) |
26.0 (78.8) |
26.0 (78.8) |
26.0 (78.8) |
25.5 (77.9) |
25.0 (77.0) |
24.0 (75.2) |
23.5 (74.3) |
25.5 (77.9) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 15.0 (59.0) |
16.0 (60.8) |
17.0 (62.6) |
18.0 (64.4) |
19.0 (66.2) |
19.5 (67.1) |
19.5 (67.1) |
19.5 (67.1) |
18.5 (65.3) |
16.5 (61.7) |
15.5 (59.9) |
14.5 (58.1) |
17.5 (63.5) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 5.5 (41.9) |
7.0 (44.6) |
8.5 (47.3) |
10.0 (50.0) |
11.5 (52.7) |
13.0 (55.4) |
13.5 (56.3) |
13.5 (56.3) |
11.5 (52.7) |
8.5 (47.3) |
7.0 (44.6) |
5.5 (41.9) |
9.5 (49.1) |
Record low °C (°F) | −3.5 (25.7) |
0.5 (32.9) |
0.5 (32.9) |
2.0 (35.6) |
1.5 (34.7) |
4.0 (39.2) |
5.0 (41.0) |
4.5 (40.1) |
3.0 (37.4) |
0.0 (32.0) |
−3.0 (26.6) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
Average rainfall mm (inches) | 18 (0.7) |
13 (0.5) |
33 (1.3) |
38 (1.5) |
81 (3.2) |
64 (2.5) |
10 (0.4) |
41 (1.6) |
114 (4.5) |
8 (0.3) |
13 (0.5) |
2 (0.1) |
435 (17.1) |
Average rainy days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 1 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 1 | 5 | 15 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 56 |
Average relative humidity (%) (at 14:00) | 34 | 35 | 42 | 56 | 51 | 48 | 43 | 49 | 55 | 43 | 34 | 37 | 44 |
Source: Deutscher Wetterdienst (precipitation 1925-1950)[5] |
Demographics
[edit]Majority of the population is Habr Yunis and the Harti clans of the Darood.[6]
In 2013, the Observatory of Conflict and Violence Prevention reported that Erigavo has a population of about 30,000, and that there are four main clans living there, Dhulbahante, Warsangali, and Habar Yoonis, with a small number of other clans.[7]
Education
[edit]Higher learning in Erigavo is provided by East Africa University (EAU), which has one of its six branches in the city.[8] The Sanaag University also offers tertiary courses and degrees, and Gollis university has a branch and many colleges. Queen of Sheba University offers women in Sanaag free degree courses and a limited number of places worldwide in distance mode.
Administration
[edit]Town affairs are managed by the mayor of Erigavo. Taxes are levied and collected by the local town council as of 1999.[3]
Services
[edit]The city is home to a Boy Scouts organization. Formed in 2005 by the local Sanaag administration, the Scouts partake in various activities, including a 2006 training program on governance, peace and leadership.[9]
Notable residents
[edit]- Abdullahi Qarshe - Father of Somali music.
- Jama Ali Korshel – former Vice President of the Supreme Revolutionary Council
- Abdullahi Jama Mahamed - Middle distance runner
References
[edit]- ^ "Somaliland: The UN and its JPLG Program have Orphaned Erigav".
- ^ "Ghost Republic Somaliland". Visura. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
- ^ a b Renders, Marleen (2012-01-20). Consider Somaliland: State-Building with Traditional Leaders and Institutions. BRILL. ISBN 9789004222540.
- ^ "Somali montane xeric woodlands". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
- ^ "Klimatafel von Erigavo / Somalia" (PDF). Baseline climate means (1961-1990) from stations all over the world (in German). Deutscher Wetterdienst. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
- ^ Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "Refworld | Report on the Fact-finding Mission to Somalia and Kenya (27 October - 7 November 1997)" (PDF). Refworld.org. Archived from the original on 2015-02-15. Retrieved 2017-05-20.
Yet the region's main city Erigavo was wholly dominated by the Habr Jallo and Habr Yonis.
- ^ "District Conflict and Security Assessment Report" (PDF). 2015. p. 8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-02-15. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
- ^ "A programme for improving governance, leadership and management capacity of the three health authorities in Somalia". Mannion Daniels Limited. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
- ^ "Erigavo's Students Trained In Leadership". Ssmalaysia.com. Archived from the original on 25 March 2012. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
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External links
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)