A chronology of key events:

600s - Arab tribes establish the sultanate of Adel on the Gulf of Aden coast.

Somali capital, Mogadishu, in more peaceful times Emerged as Arab settlement in 10th century Bought by Italy in 1905 Capital of independent Somalia from 1960 Estimated population: 1 million

1500s - Sultanate of Adel disintegrates into small states.

1875 - Egypt occupies towns on Somali coast and parts of the interior.

1860s - France acquires foothold on the Somali coast, later to become Djibouti.

1887 - Britain proclaims protectorate over Somaliland.

1888 - Anglo-French agreement defines boundary between Somali possessions of the two countries.

1889 - Italy sets up a protectorate in central Somalia, later consolidated with territory in the south ceded by the sultan of Zanzibar.

1925 - Territory east of the Jubba river detached from Kenya to become the westernmost part of the Italian protectorate.

1936 - Italian Somaliland combined with Somali-speaking parts of Ethiopia to form a province of Italian East Africa.

1940 - Italians occupy British Somaliland.

1941 - British occupy Italian Somalia.

Independence

1950 - Italian Somaliland becomes a UN trust territory under Italian control.

Parliament in ruins: War devastated much of Mogadishu 2004: Life amid Mogadishu's ruins Taxi driver: Mogadishu

1956 - Italian Somaliland renamed Somalia and granted internal autonomy.

1960 - British and Italian parts of Somalia become independent, merge and form the United Republic of Somalia; Aden Abdullah Osman Daar elected president.

1963 - Border dispute with Kenya; diplomatic relations with Britain broken until 1968.

1964 - Border dispute with Ethiopia erupts into hostilities.

1967 - Abdi Rashid Ali Shermarke beats Aden Abdullah Osman Daar in elections for president.

Drought and war

1969 - Muhammad Siad Barre assumes power in coup after Shermarke is assassinated.

Muhammad Siad Barre backed 'Scientific Socialism' Born in 1919 Led military coup in 1969; overthrown in 1991 Died in Nigeria, 1995

1970 - Barre declares Somalia a socialist state and nationalises most of the economy.

1974 - Somalia joins the Arab League.

1974-75 - Severe drought causes widespread starvation.

1977 - Somalia invades the Somali-inhabited Ogaden region of Ethiopia.

1978 - Somali forces pushed out of Ogaden with the help of Soviet advisers and Cuban troops. Barre expels Soviet advisers and gains support of United States.

1981 - Opposition to Barre's regime begins to emerge after he excludes members of the Mijertyn and Isaq clans from government positions, which are filled with people from his own Marehan clan.

1988 - Peace accord with Ethiopia.

Disintegration

1991 - Mohamed Siad Barre is ousted. Power struggle between clan warlords Mohamed Farah Aideed and Ali Mahdi Mohamed kills or wounds thousands of civilians.

1991 - Former British protectorate of Somaliland declares unilateral independence.

UN force sent to quell violence suffered losses, left in 1994 On This Day 1992: American marines land in Somalia On This Day 1993: US forces killed in Somali gun battle

1992 - US Marines land near Mogadishu ahead of a UN peacekeeping force sent to restore order and safeguard relief supplies.

1993 - US Army Rangers are killed when Somali militias shoot down two US helicopters in Mogadishu and a battle ensues. Hundreds of Somalis die in the battle depicted in the film "Black Hawk Down". US mission formally ends in March 1994.

1995 - UN peacekeepers leave, having failed to achieve their mission.

1996 - Warlord Muhammad Aideed dies of his wounds and is succeeded by his son, Hussein.

1998 - Puntland region declares autonomy.

2000 August - Clan leaders and senior figures meeting in Djibouti elect Abdulkassim Salat Hassan president of Somalia.

Fighting in 2002 led Somali civilians to seek safety in Kenya

2000

October - Hassan and his newly-appointed prime minister, Ali Khalif Gelayadh, arrive in Mogadishu to heroes' welcomes. Gelayadh announces his government, the first in the country since 1991.

2001 April - Somali warlords, backed by Ethiopia, announce their intention to form a national government within six months, in direct opposition to the country's transitional administration.

2001 August - UN appeals for food aid for half a million people in the drought-hit south.

2004 August - In 14th attempt since 1991 to restore central government, a new transitional parliament inaugurated at ceremony in Kenya. In October the body elects Abdullahi Yusuf as president.

2004 peace deal: Factions agreed to set up new parliament Q&A: Somali peace deal

2004 December - Tsunami waves generated by an undersea earthquake off Indonesia hit the Somali coast and the island of Hafun. Hundreds of deaths are reported; tens of thousands of people are displaced.

2005 February - June - Somali government begins returning home from exile in Kenya, but there are bitter divisons over where in Somalia the new parliament should sit.

2005 November - Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Ghedi survives an assassination attempt in Mogadishu. Gunmen attack his convoy, killing six people.

Islamist advance

2006 February - Transitional parliament meets in Somalia - in the central town of Baidoa - for the first time since it was formed in Kenya in 2004.

Sheikh Aweys: His Islamic militia controlled Mogadishu Profile: Somalia's Islamist leader Profile: Somalia's Islamic Courts

2006 March and May - Scores of people are killed and hundreds are injured during fierce fighting between rival militias in Mogadishu. It is the worst violence in almost a decade.

2006 June-July - Militias loyal to the Union of Islamic Courts take control of Mogadishu and other parts of the south after defeating clan warlords.

Ethiopian troops reported in Somalia.

2006 July-August - Mogadishu's air and seaports are re-opened for the first time since 1995.

2006 September - Transitional government and the Union of Islamic Courts begin peace talks in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.

Somalia's first known suicide bombing targets President Yusuf outside parliament in Baidoa.

2006 October - About 35,000 Somalis escaping drought, strict Islamist rule and the possibility of war have fled to Kenya refugee since the start of 2006, the UN reports.

War of words between Ethiopia and Somalia's Islamists. Premier Meles says Ethiopia is "technically" at war with the Islamists because they had declared jihad on his country.

Islamists retreat

2006 December - UN Security Council resolution endorses African peacekeepers, specifies that neighbouring states should not deploy troops. Islamist leaders react by saying they will tackle foreign forces as invaders.

ETHIOPIA INTERVENES Ethiopian troops, government forces routed Islamist militias Somalia: Who supports who? Timeline: Ethiopia and Somalia

Ethiopian and transitional government engage the Islamists in battle and soon put them to flight.

2006 December 27 - African Union, Arab League urge Ethiopia to pull out its troops. UN Security Council fails to agree on a statement calling on foreign forces to withdraw.

2006 December 28 - Joint Ethiopian and Somali government force captures Mogadishu.

2007 January - Islamists abandon their last stronghold, the port town of Kismayo.

President Abdullahi Yusuf enters Mogadishu for the first time since taking office in 2004.

US carries out air strikes in southern Somalia which it says targetted al-Qaeda figures, and which reportedly kill an unknown number of civilians. It is the first known direct US military intervention in Somalia since 1993. The strikes are defended by President Yusuf. They are condemned for killing innocent civilians.

Interim government imposes three-month state of emergency.

2007 February - UN Security Council authorises a six-month African Union peacekeeping mission for Somalia.

2007 March - African Union peacekeepers land at Mogadishu amid pitched battles between insurgents and government forces backed by Ethiopian troops. The Red Cross says it is the worst fighting in 15 years.

Humanitarian crisis grows

2007 April - UN says more than 320,000 Somalis have fled fighting in Mogadishu since February.

Hundreds of people are reported killed after several days of fierce clashes in the capital.

2007 May - The World Food Programme says a resurgence of piracy is threatening food supplies.

2007 June - A US warship shells suspected Al-Qaeda targets in Puntland.

Prime Minister Ghedi escapes a suicide car bomb attack on his compound.

Ethiopian Premier Meles Zenawi visits Mogadishu, pledging to withdraw his troops once peace takes hold.

2007 July - National reconciliation conference opens in Mogadishu and comes under mortar attack. Islamist leaders stay away from the talks.

Refugee exodus grows amid an upsurge in violence.

2007 August - Human Rights Watch accuses Ethiopian, Somali and insurgent forces of war crimes, and the UN Security Council of indifference during the recent conflict.

New opposition alliance

2007 September - Opposition groups form a new alliance to campaign for a military and diplomatic solution to the Somali conflict. They meet in Asmara, Eritrea.

2007 October - Ethiopian forces fire on demonstrators in Mogadishu protesting at the presence of what they call foreign invaders.

Heaviest fighting in Mogadishu reported since April. Ethiopians move reinforcements into the city.

CRACKDOWN ON PIRACY French commandos snatch pirates in Somalia as foreign navies begin their fight-back Somalia piracy 'costs up to $30m' Somalia pirates face sea battles

Prime Minister Ghedi resigns.

Aid agencies warn a catastrophe is unfolding in Somalia.

2007 November - Government shuts down Radio Shabelle, Radio Simba and Radio Banadir.

UN special envoy Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah describes Somalia's humanitarian crisis the worst in Africa, suggests using international justice to curb the violence.

Nur Hassan Hussein, also known as Nur Adde, sworn in as new prime minister.

Number of Somali refugees hits one million, with nearly 200,000 fleeing the capital in the past two weeks, the UN reports.

2007 December - Ethiopian troops leave key central town of Guriel.

2008 January - Burundi becomes the second nation to contribute troops to the African Union peacekeeping force, sending 440 soldiers to Mogadishu.

US strikes

2008 March - US launches missile strike on southern town of Dhoble targetting suspected al-Qaeda member wanted for 2002 bombing of Israeli-owned hotel in Kenya.

Islamist-led insurgency continues to spread.

2008 April - EU calls for international efforts to tackle piracy off the Somali coast after a series of hijackings and attacks on vessels.

2008 April - US air strike kills Aden Hashi Ayro, a leader of the Al-Shabab insurgent group.

2008 May - Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi says he will keep troops inside Somalia until "jihadists" are defeated.

The UN Security Council unanimously votes to allow countries to send warships into Somalia's territorial waters to tackle pirates.

2008 June - Government signs three-month ceasefire pact with opposition Alliance for Re-Liberation of Somalia.

The deal, which provides for Ethiopian troops to leave Somalia within 120 days, is rejected by Islamist leader Hassan Dahir Aweys, who says Union of Islamic Courts will not stop fighting until all foreign troops have left country.

2008 July - Head of the UN Development Programme in Somalia, Osman Ali Ahmed, killed by gunmen in Mogadishu.

Piracy concern

2008 September - Somali pirates' hijacking of a Ukrainian ship carrying 33 tanks prompts widespread international concern. The US and other countries deploy navy ships to Somali waters.

2008 October - Nato agrees to despatch a naval force to patrol to waters off Somalia by the end of 2008, in an effort to control piracy.

A wave of coordinated bombings across the self-governing and relatively peaceful regions of Somaliland and Puntland, in Somalia's north, kill at least 27 people.

2008 November - Somali pirates hijack an oil-laden Saudi super-tanker and demand a 25m dollar ransom for its return.

Government crisis

2008 December - Ethiopia announces plans to withdraw all forces by end of 2008.

President Abdullahi Yusuf tries to sack Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein over his attempts to draw moderate Islamists into the government. Parliament declares the dismissal unconstitutional and passes a vote of confidence in Mr Nur. Mr Yusuf resigns.

2009 January - Ethiopia completes the withdrawal of its troops. Fighters from the radical Islamist al-Shabab militia take control of the town of Baidoa, formerly a key stronghold of the transitional government.

Meeting in neighbouring Djibouti, Somalia's parliament swears in 149 new members from the main opposition Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia. It elects a moderate Islamist, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, president, and extends the transitional government's mandate for another two years.

2009 February - President Ahmed selects Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke as prime minister. Mr Sharmarke, a former diplomat, is widely seen as a bridge between Islamists within the Somali government and the international community.

2009 May - Islamist insurgents launch onslaught on Mogadishu.

2009 June - Somalia's security minister and more than 20 other people are killed in a suicide bombing at a hotel in Beledweyne, north of the capital Mogadishu.

President Ahmed declares a state of emergency as violence intensifies. Somali officials appeal to neighbouring countries to send troops to Somalia, as government forces continue to battle Islamist insurgents.

Ethiopia's Prime Minister Meles Zenawi says Ethiopia will intervene in Somalia if the situation there poses a national security threat to his country.

Aid agencies says some four million people in Somali - or about one-third of the population - need food aid.

Country profile: Somalia

Somalia has been without an effective central government since President Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991. Years of fighting between rival warlords and an inability to deal with famine and disease have led to the deaths of up to one million people. Comprised of a former British protectorate and an Italian colony, Somalia was created in 1960 when the two territories merged. Since then its development has been slow. Relations with neighbours have been soured by its territorial claims on Somali-inhabited areas of Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti. Overview Overview Facts Leaders Media In 1970 Mr Barre proclaimed a socialist state, paving the way for close relations with the USSR. In 1977, with the help of Soviet arms, Somalia attempted to seize the Ogaden region of Ethiopia, but was defeated thanks to Soviet and Cuban backing for Ethiopia, which had turned Marxist. AT A GLANCE Scene of arguably Africa's worst humanitarian crisis: a third of the population is dependant on food aid No effective government since 1991 A UN-backed transitional government emerged in 2004 The self-proclaimed state of Somaliland and the region of Puntland run their own affairs Timeline In 1991 President Barre was overthrown by opposing clans. But they failed to agree on a replacement and plunged the country into lawlessness and clan warfare. In 2000 clan elders and other senior figures appointed Abdulkassim Salat Hassan president at a conference in Djibouti. A transitional government was set up, with the aim of reconciling warring militias. But as its mandate drew to a close, the administration had made little progress in uniting the country. In 2004, after protracted talks in Kenya, the main warlords and politicians signed a deal to set up a new parliament, which later appointed a president. The fledgling administration, the 14th attempt to establish a government since 1991, has faced a formidable task in bringing reconciliation to a country divided into clan fiefdoms. Its authority was further compromised in 2006 by the rise of Islamists who gained control of much of the south, including the capital, after their militias kicked out the warlords who had ruled the roost for 15 years. With the backing of Ethiopian troops, forces loyal to the interim administration seized control from the Islamists at the end of 2006. Islamist insurgents - including the Al-Shabab group, which the US accuses of links to al-Qaeda - fought back against the government and Ethiopian forces, regaining control of most of southern Somalia by late 2008. Ethiopia pulled its troops out in January 2009. Soon after, fighters from the Al-Shabab militia took control of Baidoa, formerly a key stronghold of the transitional government. Somalia's parliament met in neighbouring Djibouti in late January and swore in 149 new members from the main opposition movement, the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia. The parliament also extended the mandate of the transitional federal government for another two years, and installed moderate Islamist Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmad as the new president. However, the government's military position weakened further, and in May 2009, Al-Shabab and another radical militia launched an attack on Mogadishu, prompting President Ahmad to appeal for help from abroad. The long-standing absence of authority in the country has led to Somali pirates becoming a major threat to international shipping in the area, and has prompted Nato to take the lead in an anti-piracy operation. After the collapse of the Siad Barre regime in 1991, the north-west part of Somalia unilaterally declared itself the independent Republic of Somaliland. The territory, whose independence is not recognised by international bodies, has enjoyed relative stability. Facts Overview Facts Leaders Media     Population: 9 million (UN, 2008) Capital: Mogadishu Area: 637,657sq km (246,201 sq miles) Major languages: Somali, Arabic, Italian, English Major religion: Islam Life expectancy: 47 years (men), 49 years (women) Monetary unit: 1 Somali shilling = 100 cents Main exports: Livestock, bananas, hides, fish GNI per capita: n/a Internet domain: .so International dialling code: +252 Leaders Overview Facts Leaders Media President: Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmad A moderate Islamist, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmad was elected president of Somalia's fragile transitional government in January 2009, replacing President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, who had stepped down a month earlier.   Sheikh Sharif has promised to bring peace and unity to Somalia Mr Ahmed was elected by parliament, which was sitting in neighbouring Djibouti to avoid the violence back home. He comfortably won through against several other contenders, among them the then-Prime Minister, Nur Hassan Hussein. At his swearing-in, Mr Ahmed promised to bring peace and unity to Somalia, and to work with anyone sharing the same aim. Only days earlier, Ethiopian troops had completed their pullout from Somalia. Mr Ahmed was chairman of the Islamic Courts' Union (ICU) that wrested control of Mogadishu from its feuding warlords in 2006, before the Ethiopian army invaded to remove it of from power. After the Ethiopian incursion, he escaped to Kenya, before joining the insurgent Islamist-led Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS). He later broke with the hardline ARS leader, Sheikh Hassan Dahir Awes, to set up a moderate breakaway faction based in Djibouti. Mr Ahmed, in his 40s at the time of his election, studied in Libya and Sudan, before becoming a secondary school teacher in Mogadishu, where he joined the ICU. He is a member of the Abgaal clan. His predecessor, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, resigned after parliament sided with Prime Minister Nur Hassan, whom he had tried to sack over a dispute about how to deal with rebel Islamist militants in control of much of southern Somalia. Mr Yusuf - an ally of Ethiopia and a foe of the Islamists - had been chosen as president by the transitional parliament set up in 2004 after years of peace talks. He was once seen as the strongman Somalia needed, but his reliance on Ethiopian military assistance was deeply unpopular with many Somalis and undermined efforts to impose the transitional government's authority on the country as a whole. Prime minister: Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke Mr Sharmarke, who became prime minister in February 2009, is widely seen as a bridge between Islamists within the government and the international community.   Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke has worked for the UN in Darfur His father was Somalia's second civilian president, who was killed in 1969 ahead of the military coup that brought Siad Barre to power. Mr Sharmarke is from the Darod clan, ensuring the country's three major clans are represented in the country's struggling leadership. Raised in the US and Canada, he is also said to enjoy widespread support from parliamentarians and Somalis living at home and abroad. He has worked for the United Nations in Darfur and was most recently Somalia's ambassador-designate to Washington. Media Overview Facts Leaders Media Somalia's disintegration is reflected in its media, which tends to be fragmented and often partisan. Broadcasters and journalists operate in an atmosphere which is hostile to free expression, and often dangerous. In 2008, Reporters Without Borders described Somalia as "Africa's deadliest country for journalists".   Journalists defy danger to serve their audiences Nevertheless, diverse and increasingly professional media outlets have emerged in recent years - in particular, FM radio stations with no explicit factional links. The TV and press sectors are weak and radio is the dominant medium. There are around 20 radio stations, but no national, domestic broadcaster. Many listeners tune to Somali-language media based abroad, in particular the BBC Somali service. The Somali diaspora - in the West, the Gulf states and elsewhere - sustains a rich internet presence. But domestic web access is hampered by practicalities such as limited access to mains electricity. In secessionist Somaliland and Puntland the authorities maintain a tight hold on broadcasting. The press Qaran - Mogadishu Xog-Ogaal - Mogadishu Codka Xoriyadda - Mogadishu Ayaamaha - Mogadishu Jamhuuriya - Somaliland Mandeeq - Somaliland Somaliland Times - Somaliland, English-language weekly Television Somali Telemedia Network (STN) - private, rebroadcasts Qatar-based Al-Jazeera TV and CNN HornAfrik TV - private, rebroadcasts Al-Jazeera, CNN Somaliland National TV (SLNTV) - owned by Somaliland government Somali Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) - private, Puntland Radio Radio Mogadishu - FM station operated by transitional government, coverage limited to the capital Radio HornAfrik - popular private FM station based in Mogadishu, rebroadcasts BBC Radio Shabelle - private FM station in Mogadishu, Marka Radio Banaadir - private, Mogadishu-based FM station Holy Koran Radio - private, Mogadishu FM station Radio Simba - private, Mogadishu Radio Hargeisa - owned by Somaliland government, via FM and shortwave Radio Galkayo - Puntland Voice of Peace - Puntland SBC Radio - private, Puntland