The Horn of Africa, the peninsula jutting into the Arabian Sea that includes Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Djibouti, has long been a crossroads of trade, migration, and political change. Studying the region covers Somali history, language, governance, and the challenges of rebuilding after prolonged conflict.
The Institute for Somali Studies (ISOS) is a non-profit research center within Mogadishu University, established on 5 March 2001. It conducts research and analysis on Somalia, the Horn of Africa, and Somali communities abroad, and it publishes the peer-reviewed journal Somali Studies. In the 2018 and 2019 editions of the University of Pennsylvania’s Global Go To Think Tanks Index, ISOS was ranked among the top think tanks in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Students of the region may also explore West African democracy studies in Gambia, West African history studies in Benin, Nile Valley archaeology in Sudan, and francophone African literature in Senegal.
Career paths include research, policy analysis, and development work with organizations focused on the region.

