Country Somalia Capital Jowhar | Time zone EAT (UTC+3) | |
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Middle Shebelle (Somali: Shabeellaha Dhexe, pronunciation Arabic: شبيلي الوسطى) is an administrative region (gobol) in southern Somalia.
Contents
Map of Shabeellaha Dhexe, Somalia
Overview
It is bordered by the Somali regions of Galguduud, Hiran, Lower Shebelle (Shabellaha Hoose), and Banaadir, as well as the Indian Ocean.
As part of the former Benadir region, Middle Shabelle's capital was Mogadishu up until the mid-1980s, when the town of Jowhar became the capital. It is named after the Shebelle River that passes through this region.
Middle Shebelle is principally inhabited by various sub-clans of the Somali Mudulood clan; most notably the Abgaal. Other Mudulood subclans that reside in the region include the Udeejeen, Moobleen and Hiilebi, who live alongside the Galje'l and Hawadle. There are also members of the non-Somali ethnic minority Bantu group (Kaboole).
The region supports livestock production, rain-fed and gravity irrigated agriculture and fisheries, with an annual rainfall between 150 and 500 millimeters covering an area of approximately 60,000 square kilometers. It has a 400 km coastline on the Indian Ocean.
Districts
Middle Shebelle consists of four districts: