ent situation in Somalia and it's place in African affairs.
             Somalia is located in the Horn of Africa, sitting along the coasts of the Arabian Peninsula along the Indian Ocean. The entire Horn region has a history several thousands of years old.. The ancient Egyptians referred to Somalia as "God's Land", which is the ancient Land of Punt. During the tenth through the fourteenth centuries, Chinese mariners would come to the Somali coast for trade and bring back some of the wildlife of the region, Giraffes, leopards, and the large tortoises for use in the emperors gardens. Greek and medieval Arab sailing vessels would also trade along the coast. The Arabs referred to the Somalis as the Berberi.
             The Somali people are one of several ethnic groups in East Africa known as Cushites who descends from the Kingdom of Cush. The Kingdom of Cush lasted from approximately 1000 B.C. to 330 A.D. This Kingdom lasted longer than any other modern nation. The Kingdom of Cush exchanged ambassadors with Rome and Egypt and several of the other major governments of the time. The end of the Cushite Kingdom came when the Auxumites from Ethiopia defeated the Cushites in 330 A.D.
             The expansion into Somalia from Arab and Persian mariners and immigrants produced a very healthy economy based off of trade. This system lasted several hundred years until the 1560's when Ethiopia sent military forces into to harass the inhabitants of the region. By the middle of the sixteenth century, the entire region became dependant on the Ethiopians who in turn passed this on to the Ottoman Turks, who would recruit local Somalis to act in positions of authority. There is some truth that Islam took root in Somalia long before it became popular in Arabia, based on the immigration of persecuted Muslims from Arabia. Somalia. 13 December 2002. Library of Congress.
             Relations between Muslim Somalia and Christian Ethiopia went from peaceful neighbors to all ...