Las Anod
| Las Anod Laascaanood لاس عانود | |
|---|---|
| City | |
 | |
| Nickname(s): Laaska, L.A. | |
  Las Anod Location in Somalia | |
| Coordinates: 8°28′29″N 47°21′22″E / 8.4746°N 47.3560°E | |
| Country |
 |
| Region | Sool |
| District | Las Anod |
| Government | |
| • Type | District Council |
| • Mayor | Abdiaziz Hussain Taarwale |
| Elevation | 691 m (2,267 ft) |
| Population (2005)[1] | |
| • City | 75,436 |
| • Urban | 24,830 |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (EAT) |
Las Anod (Somali: Laascaanood; Arabic: لاس عانود) is the administrative capital of the Sool region of Somaliland.[2]
History
During the pre-independence period, Las Anod served as an early center for Mohammed Abdullah Hassan's Dervish resistance.
On October 15, 1969, while paying a visit to the city, Somalia's then President Abdirashid Ali Shermarke was shot dead by one of his own bodyguards. His assassination was quickly followed by a military coup d'état on October 21, 1969 (the day after his funeral), in which the Somali Army seized power without encountering armed opposition — essentially a bloodless takeover. The putsch was spearheaded by Major General Mohamed Siad Barre, who at the time commanded the army.[3][4] Large protests have also been staged in the city against visiting delegations from Somaliland.[5] Additionally, the Khaatumo authorities have condemned the occupation and demanded that Somaliland withdraw its troops.[6]
Geography
Las Anod is strategically positioned along the trade routes in Somaliland. The city is almost surrounded by hills and has considerable water resources, the latter of which makes it a prime destination for peoples from other parts of generally arid Somaliland as well as from neighboring countries such as Somalia, Djibouti and Ethiopia.
Demographics
According to the UNDP Las Anod has a population of around 75,436 inhabitants.[1] The city is primarily inhabited by people from the Somali ethnic group, with the Dhulbahante sub-clan of the Darod well-represented.[7]
Education
Las Anod has various primary schools which are private and Public. Currently there are 6 Primary Schools in the city of Las Anod; Golkhatumo, Gateway, Abyan, Ilays, Imamu Shafi and Sool primary schools.
Secondary school education is provided by Ilays Educational Academy, Muse Yusuf and Nugaal High Schools.[8] Founded in 2004, Nugaal University (NU) is the first post-secondary institution of higher learning to be established in the area. The first group of four-year Nugaal University students graduated in September 2009. Also there are Ilays National University and Gollis University both established in Las Anod in 2015.
There are also a number of academic institutions in Las Anod which provide diverse education services such as Sool Institute of Heath Sciences (SIHS), Al-Furqan Islamic Institute, Sahal Software College, Future Technology Center etc.
Economy
Las Anod's economy is mainly centered on pastoralism and communications, with some additional retail trade. The area around the city is rich in livestock, while mobile phone and money transfer services provide almost 40% of tax revenues.
The main telecommunication services available in Las Anod are operated by Telesom, Somtel and Golis Telecom Somaliland, among other companies. Several Somali banks also have branches in Las Anod such as Salaam Bank, Amal Bank, Dara-Salaam Bank and Dahabshiil Bank.
Landmarks and services
Las Anod Airport offers air transportation to local residents. The city also has a general hospital, the Las Anod Hospital, which was opened in 1958. There is also a privately operated hospital called Manhal, established in 2010.
In addition, the Las Anod features several landmarks. Among these sites are Goolad, Dhiif Hotel, Laba Qow, Geedka Jacaylka, Masjid Jama, Ataash Hotel, Royal, Hotel Hamdi, Durdurka, Darayda, Abdi Bille Football Stadium, Hills of Hilble, and Hills of Sayidka.
Climate
Las Anod has a hot desert climate (BWh) in Köppen-Geiger system.
| Climate data for Las Anod | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 27.9 (82.2) |
30.1 (86.2) |
30.8 (87.4) |
32.3 (90.1) |
32.5 (90.5) |
30.5 (86.9) |
30.3 (86.5) |
30.8 (87.4) |
32.4 (90.3) |
31.8 (89.2) |
31.5 (88.7) |
29.8 (85.6) |
30.9 (87.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 20.3 (68.5) |
22.6 (72.7) |
23.1 (73.6) |
25.2 (77.4) |
25.9 (78.6) |
24.8 (76.6) |
25.1 (77.2) |
25.2 (77.4) |
26.2 (79.2) |
25.1 (77.2) |
24.1 (75.4) |
22.4 (72.3) |
24.2 (75.5) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 12.7 (54.9) |
15.1 (59.2) |
15.4 (59.7) |
18.2 (64.8) |
19.5 (67.1) |
19.1 (66.4) |
19.9 (67.8) |
19.7 (67.5) |
20.0 (68) |
18.5 (65.3) |
16.8 (62.2) |
15.1 (59.2) |
17.5 (63.5) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 1 (0.04) |
1 (0.04) |
4 (0.16) |
15 (0.59) |
52 (2.05) |
2 (0.08) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
15 (0.59) |
30 (1.18) |
10 (0.39) |
2 (0.08) |
132 (5.2) |
| Source: Climate-Data.org, altitude: 691 metres or 2,267 feet[9] | |||||||||||||
Media
Radio Laascaanood is the main radio station operating in the Sool region from Las Anod.
Notable residents
- Abdi Bile, world champion long distance athlete
- Abdinasir Ali Hassan, entrepreneur and CEO of Hass Petroleum
- Abdirahman Mohamed Abdi Hashi, Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources of Somalia
- Ali Khalif Galaydh, President of Khaatumo State
- Bashe Mohamed Farah, Speaker of Somaliland House of Representatives
- Eng Mohamed Isse Lacle, Colonel in the Somali Navy and Former Deputy Minister of Ministry of Ports in Somaliland
- Garad Jama Garad Ali, Dhulbahante clan chief
- Hodan Nalayeh, TV host and journalist Media
- Mohamed Abdi Hashi, former Chairman USP & Vice President of Puntland
- Abdisalam Mohamed Hussein Tungub, founder and Chairman Ilays Educational Academy non-profit organization
References
 |
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Laascaanood. |
- 1 2 "Regions, districts, and their populations: Somalia 2005 (draft)" (PDF). UNDP. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
- ↑ Regions of Somalia
- ↑ Moshe Y. Sachs, Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations, Volume 2, (Worldmark Press: 1988), p.290.
- ↑ "Somalia: Somaliland forces fire on civilians in Las Anod, 1 killed" Garowe Online 7 November 2007
- ↑ "Somalia: Protests in Las Anod against visiting Somaliland ministers" Garowe Online 21 October 2007, from Internet Archive
- ↑ Somalia: Puntland leader warns of 'new civil war' as Somaliland forces attack Buhodle Archived 2012-04-27 at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Roble, Faisal (22 October 2007) "Somaliland: Is Invading Los Anod Part of Creating 'New Reality on the Ground'"? Archived 2008-05-25 at the Wayback Machine. WardheerNews.Com
- ↑ "Ilays National University". Ilays Educational Academy. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
- ↑ "Climate: Las Anod - Climate graph, Temperature graph, Climate table". Climate-Data.org. Retrieved 25 September 2016.