Erigavo

Region

Erigabo (also written Erigavo, Somali Ceerigaabo ) is a city in northern Somalia according to current calculations about 27,700 inhabitants. Estimates are considerably higher, however with up to 180,000. The inhabitants are predominantly to the clan of the Wars of the Angeli family clan of Harti Darod.

Erigabo is the capital of Sanaag region, which also Khaatumo is disputed between Somaliland and Puntland, Maakhir with the short-lived from 2007 to 2009 and from 2012.

Geography

The city is located in the Al Mado Mountains, about 1800 m above sea level, at the foot of the highest mountains north of the town of Somalia. The largest mountain of Somalia, the Shimbiris with 2460 m height and only slightly smaller Surud Cad, Waraq, Jilin and Da'aro, all over 2000 meters.

About 10 km north of the city there are cypress forests, especially of juniper. Large parts of the old trees of the region, however, are now gone by heavy logging of the growing population.

History

Historical tombs of up to three meters high piled stones in the area to the coast, known as Galla graves ( Talla Galla ), indicate very far back settlements of the region.

Under British colonial administration of the place as El Dur Elan was known. 1920 the Royal Air Force stationed there for eight planes that were used in the last campaign against the Dervishes of Mohammed Abdullah Hassan ( 1856-1920 ) to bombardment. A simple brick monument in the city center with the destroyed engine block of a British double-decker aircraft still reminds us of it.

Infrastructure and administration

The city is home to several international and local NGOs. Various authorities of Somaliland have in Shaab, the government quarter of the city, now in place. Erigabo has a hospital and an airfield east of the city.

The road to and from Erigabo are through the foothills of the mountains even worse than usual already common in Somalia. To the east you can reach Hadaaftimo and Badhan, to the north, to the coast of the Gulf of Aden, a road leads into some 60 km distant place Maydh and after Xiis.

The regional telephone company Golis Telecom has Erigabo equipped with a relatively modern mobile phone network. STC Somaliland, another telephone service provider is limited to fixed-line services and delivers his lines flow.