Republic of Somaliland

1 7.5

A region in the Horn of Africa that declared independence and has its own government but is not widely recognized

proper noun

: República de Somalilandia

Despite lack of recognition, the Republic of Somaliland maintains its own government and currency.

Examples

Many countries do not officially recognize the Republic of Somaliland as a sovereign nation.
The Republic of Somaliland declared its independence from Somalia in 1991.
The Republic of Somaliland declared independence in 1991.
Many people in the Republic of Somaliland seek recognition.
Despite lack of recognition, the Republic of Somaliland maintains its own government and currency.
Many countries do not officially recognize the Republic of Somaliland as a sovereign nation.
The Republic of Somaliland declared its independence from Somalia in 1991.

Synonyms

Somaliland

vsRepublic of Somaliland

1 6.5

A region in the Horn of Africa that declared independence in 1991 but most countries still consider part of Somalia

is the formal full title rather than the shorter common form

Surface Forms

Republic of Somaliland main

Morphology

republic + of + Somaliland

The structure 'Republic of X' is compositionally regular: a B1 learner who knows 'republic' and the place-name 'Somaliland' will infer it refers to a state or governing polity for Somaliland. While the fine political distinction about international recognition (self-declared vs widely recognized) is not derivable from the words alone, the core meaning of a state entity is fully predictable and cross-linguistically common.

Etymology

Republic of Somaliland gets its name from the northern part of Somalia called Somaliland, which used to be a British territory called 'British Somaliland'. When Somalia's government fell in 1991, local leaders declared the area independent and chose the name Republic of Somaliland to show they were a separate country, but many states still officially treat it as part of Somalia.