Concept
Demographics of Somalia
Related concepts (15)
Gaalje'el
The 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).
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.
Samaale
Samaale, 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).
Garre
The Garre (also Gurreh, Karre, or Binukaaf, Somali: Reer Garre, Arabic: بنو كاف, romanized: Banī kāf) are a prominent Somali clan that traces its lineage back to Samaale, who is believed to have originated from the Arabian Peninsula through Aqiil Abu Talib. The Garre clan is considered to be a sub-clan of the Digil-Rahanweynl clan family, which is part of the larger Rahanweyn clan. However, genealogically, they are descended from Gardheere Samaale. The Garre are also categorized as southern Hawiye as well.
Ogaden (clan)
The Ogaden (Ogaadeen, أوغادين) is one of the major Somali clans. Members of the Ogaden clan primarily live in the central Ogaden plateau of Ethiopia (Somali Region), the North Eastern Province of Kenya, and the Jubaland region of Southern Somalia. According to Human Rights Watch in 2008, the Ogaden is the largest Darod clan in Ethiopia's Somali Region, and may account for 40 to 50 percent of the Somali population in Ethiopia. The Ogaden clan "constitutes the backbone of the ONLF". In particular, the ONLF operates in Ogaden areas.
Leelkase
The Leelkase or Lailkase or Lelkase (Laylkase, ليلكسة) (Hussein bin Abdirahman bin Is'mail bin Ibrahim al Jaberti) is a major subclan of the Tanade Darod clan. The term "Leelkase" is a nickname, which translates as "farsighted, mindful, smart or intelligent.
Jidwaq (clan)
The Jidwaq (Jidwaaq, جيدواق) is a large Somali clan, part of one of the largest Somali clans families, the Absame Darod. Jidwaaq are well known for their conquests in Abyssinia during the 1500s they played a very prominent role in Adal Sultanate. They are famous for bringing the largest army and were very loyal to Imam Ahmed. Jidwaaq have produced notable generals such as Ahmed Girri Bin Hussein who was the right hand man of Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi The Jidwaq clan primarily inhabit the Somali Region of Ethiopia, (where they live in the Jigjiga area), the North Eastern Province of Kenya and the Jubaland region of southern Somalia (where they live south of Bu'ale).
Rahanweyn
The 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.
Jubba River
The Jubba River or Juba River (Webiga Jubba) is a river in southern Somalia which flows through the autonomous region of Jubaland. It begins at the border with Ethiopia, where the Dawa and Ganale Dorya rivers meet, and flows directly south to the Somali Sea, where it empties at the Goobweyn juncture. The Jubba basin covers an area of . The Somali regional state of Jubaland, formerly called Trans-Juba, is named after the river.
Marehan
The Marehan (Mareexaan, مريحان) is a Somali clan, which is part of one of the largest Somali clans families, the Darod. The clan is one of the largest constituent sub-clans of the Darod. The majority of the Marehan live in the Jubaland in southern Somalia, as well as the Galguduud and Mudug regions in central Somalia, the Somali region of Ethiopia and the North Eastern Province of Kenya. The Marehan of Darood Jabarti are a noble Clan that has a history of rulership starting from before the Times of Adal, to the Imamate of Aussa and Emirate or harar, up until the modern Somali State.