Somalis are an ethnic group indigenous to the Horn of Africa, primarily from the Somali Peninsula, which includes present-day Somalia and adjacent regions. They are a Cushitic-speaking people native to this area, not recent arrivals from elsewhere.

Homeland

• Somalis traditionally inhabit “Greater Somalia,” covering Somalia and parts of Djibouti, eastern Ethiopia (the Somali Region/Ogaden), and northeastern Kenya.

• Most ethnic Somalis live in Somalia, with large populations across these neighboring countries and additional diaspora communities worldwide.

Language and identity

• Somali is a Cushitic language within the Afroasiatic family, reflecting deep roots in the Horn of Africa.

• Historical usage identifies the region as Barbara/Barbaria in classical and medieval sources, tying Somalis to the wider Cushitic populations of the Horn.

Origins views

• Scholarly consensus places Somali ethnogenesis within the Horn of Africa, with connections to ancient Cushitic populations of the region.

• While some traditions reference Arabian lineage, linguistic and archaeological perspectives emphasize long-standing indigenous origins in the Somali Peninsula.