page_title: Berbera
section_title: Location and habitat
hierarchical_section_title: Berbera / Geography / Location and habitat
caption_attribution_description: Berbera, Somaliland
context_page_description: Berbera is a coastal city and the former capital of Somaliland before Hargeisa. Berbera is the capital of the Sahil region of Somaliland and is the main sea port of the country.
  In antiquity, Berbera was part of a chain of commercial port cities along the Somali seaboard. During the early modern period, Berbera was the most important place of trade in the Somali Peninsula. It later served as the capital of the British Somaliland protectorate from 1884 to 1941, when it was replaced by Hargeisa. In 1960, the British Somaliland protectorate gained independence as the State of Somaliland and united five days later with the Trust Territory of Somalia to form the Somali Republic. Located strategically on the oil route, the city has a deep seaport, which serves as the region's main commercial harbour.
context_section_description: Berbera is located in coastal region of Somaliland Republic. An old port city, it has the only sheltered harbour on the southern side of the Gulf of Aden. The landscape around town, along with Somaliland's coastal lowlands, is semi-arid land.
  Popular local beaches, such as Bathela and Batalale, have earned the city the nickname Beach City.
caption: The Berbera landscape
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