Dir (clan)The Dir (Dir) is one of the largest and most prominent Somali clans in the Horn of Africa. They are also considered to be the oldest Somali stock to have inhabited the region. Its members inhabit Djibouti, Somalia, Ethiopia (Somali, Harar, Dire Dawa, Oromia and Afar regions), and northeastern Kenya (North Eastern Province). Like the great majority of Somali clans, the Dir trace their ancestry to Aqil ibn Abi Talib (580 – 670 or 683), a cousin of the prophet Muhammad (570 – 632) and an older brother of Ali ibn Abi Talib (600 – 661) and Ja'far ibn Abi Talib (590 – 629).
RahanweynThe Rahanweyn (Reewin Northern Somali: Raxaweyn, رحنوين), also known as the Digil and Mirifle (Digil iyo Mirifle) are a major Somali clan. It is one of the major Somali clans in the Horn of Africa, with a large territory and densely populated fertile valleys of the Jubba and Shebelle rivers and the area between are mainly inhabited by settlers from the Digil and Mirifle lineages. Anthropologists and northern Somalis have helped coin the term Rahanweyn.
SamaaleSamaale, also spelled Samali or Samale (Samaale) is traditionally considered to be the oldest common forefather of several major Somali clans and their respective sub-clans. His name is the source of the ethnonym Somali. As the purported ancestor of most pastoralist clans living in the northern part of Somalia, Samaale lies at the basis of the largest and most widespread Somali lineage (the second largest lineage belonging to Samaale's brother Sab, the purported progenitor of most southern, cultivating clans).
Ajuran (clan)The Ajuran (Somali: Ajuuraan, Beesha Ajuuraan, Morshe, Arabic: أجران) is a Somali clan, part of the Jambelle clan which itself belongs to the largest Somali clan-family — the Hawiye. Ajuran members largely inhabit Kenya as well as southern east Ethiopia; considerable numbers are also found in southern Somalia. Some Ajuran members settled in Mogadishu. The Ajuran clan's origins are found in the Ajuran Sultanate, a Somali Muslim sultanate that ruled over large parts of the Horn of Africa in the Middle Ages.
Demographics of SomaliaDemographic features of Somalia's inhabitants include ethnicity, language, population density, education level, health, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population. Somalia is believed to be one of the most homogeneous countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Child marriages, known to deprive women of opportunities to reach their full potential, have among women aged 20-24, 36 percent of total population. The April 2020 SHDS report further unveils that fertility rates remain very high, the total fertility rate for Somalia is 6.
Harla peopleThe Harla, also known as Harala, Haralla are an ethnic group that once inhabited Somalia, Djibouti and Ethiopia. They spoke the now-extinct Harla language, which belonged to either the Cushitic or Semitic branches of the Afroasiatic family. The Harla are credited by the present-day inhabitants of parts of Somalia, Djibouti and Ethiopia with having constructed various historical sites. Although now mostly lying in ruins, these structures include stone necropoleis, store pits, mosques and houses.
Gaalje'elThe Gaalje'el (Gaaljecel), (Galgial), (الجعل) Galjecel is one of the largest Somali clans, whose origins trace back to Samaale. The Galje'el clan belong to the Saransor family of clans, alongside the Issa, Masare and Degodia. According to Ali Jimale, the etymology of the name Gaalje'el is from gaal, meaning camel and je'el meaning love: gaalje'el meaning "that which loves the camel". Gaal is the Af May (Reewin dialect) equivalent of Geel in Af Maḥa Tiri (the Maḥa Tiri dialect).
BimaalThe Bimaal or Bimal, is a sub-clan of the major Dir clan family. This clan is widely known for leading a resistance against the colonials in southern Somalia for decades which can be -in a little way- compared to the war of the Sayyid in Somaliland. The Biimaal mainly lives in southern Somalia, the Somali region of Ethiopia, which their Gaadsen sub-clan mainly inhabits and in the NEP region of Kenya. The Bimal are the dominant clan in Merca district of Lower Shabelle region and make up the majority in Jammaame district of Lower Jubba region.
SomalisThe Somalis (Soomaalida 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒆𐒖, صوماليون) are an ethnic group native to the Horn of Africa who share a common ancestry, culture and history. The East Cushitic Somali language is the shared mother tongue of ethnic Somalis, which is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afroasiatic language family, and are predominantly Sunni Muslim. They form one of the largest ethnic groups on the African continent, and cover one of the most expansive landmasses by a single ethnic group in Africa.
HawiyeThe Hawiye (Hawiye, بنو هوية, Hauija) is the largest Somali clan family. Members of this clan traditionally inhabit central and southern Somalia, Somaliland, Djibouti, Ethiopia (Somali, Harar, Oromia and Afar regions) and Kenya (North Eastern Province, Eastern Province). They are also the majority in the capital city, Mogadishu. Like the great majority of Somali clans, the Hawiye trace their ancestry to Aqil ibn Abi Talib (580 – 670 or 683), a cousin of the prophet Muhammad (570 – 632) and an older brother of Ali ibn Abi Talib (600 – 661) and Ja'far ibn Abi Talib (590 – 629).
