Mogadishu

[maw-gah-dee-shoo] /ˌmɔ gɑˈdi ʃu/

noun
1.
a seaport in and the capital of Somalia, in the S part.
[soh-mah-lee-uh, -mahl-yuh] /soʊˈmɑ li ə, -ˈmɑl yə/
noun
1.
an independent republic on the E coast of Africa, formed from the former British Somaliland and the former Italian Somaliland. 246,198 sq. mi. (637,653 sq. km).
Capital: Mogadishu.
/ˌmɒɡəˈdɪʃuː/
noun
1.
the capital and chief port of Somalia, on the Indian Ocean: founded by Arabs around the 10th century; taken by the Sultan of Zanzibar in 1871 and sold to Italy in 1905. Pop: 1 257 000 (2005 est) Local spelling Muqdisho Italian name Mogadiscio (ˌmɒɡəˈdɪʃɪˌəʊ-ˈdɪʃəʊ)
/səʊˈmɑːlɪə/
noun
1.
a republic in NE Africa, on the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden: the north became a British protectorate in 1884; the east and south were established as an Italian protectorate in 1889; gained independence and united as Somalia (or the Somali Republic) in 1960. In 1991 the former British Somaliland region in the north unilaterally declared itself independent as the Republic of Somaliland, and Puntland and other areas are also operating effectively as separate states, but this has not been recognized officially. Official languages: Arabic and Somali. Official religion: (Sunni) Muslim. Currency: Somali shilling. Capital: Mogadishu. Pop: 10 251 568 (2013 est). Area: 637 541 sq km (246 154 sq miles)

city in Somalia, from Arabic mukaddas “holy.”

country named for the indigenous Somali people, whose name (attested in English by 1814) is of unknown origin.
Somalia [(soh-mah-lee-uh, soh-mahl-yuh)]

Republic in extreme eastern Africa, directly south of the Arabian Peninsula across the Gulf of Aden, bordered by Ethiopia and Kenya to the west. Mogadishu is the capital and largest city.

Note: Britain, France, and Italy established protectorates in the area in the late 1880s. Somalia gained independence in 1960.

Note: Civil war and famine have recently ravaged the country. In 1992, the United States embarked on a humanitarian intervention designed to ensure delivery of food supplies to the population. After American troops were drawn into a conflict between local warlords and suffered casualties, the United States withdrew from Somalia in 1994. The country currently lacks any central government.