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Kismayo

File:Kismayo.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

EntityQ270787· pop 48· linked from 316 articles

OverviewAI-generated

Kismayo, officially named Kismaayo, is a port city in Somalia. It serves as the capital of both Lower Juba and Jubaland regions and is situated within Kismayo District. The city borders the Indian Ocean and lies at sea level. Its official languages are Somali and Swahili.

The urban area covers 42 square kilometers. Population estimates vary, with figures of 166,667 and 234,852 recorded. The city operates in the East Africa Time zone.

Synthesized by Vinony from 45 facts across 7 sources: Wikidata, Open Meteo, Openweathermap, OpenStreetMap, GeoNames, Vinony graph, Geo. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Weather now

cached 19h ago
25°clear sky
88% 6.0 m/s OpenWeatherMap

7-day forecast

via Open-Meteo

Place details

Locality
Kismaayo كيسمايو
Region
Jubbada Hoose جوبا السفلى
Country
Soomaaliya الصومال
Population
234,852
Timezone
Africa/Mogadishu

via OpenStreetMap · GeoNames

Air quality

33US AQIGood
PM2.5
5.1 µg/m³
PM10
8.6 µg/m³
As of 2026-09-14 04:00 · Open-Meteo

Key facts

Settlement.official_name
Kismayo
Settlement.native_name
Kismaayo, 𐒏𐒘𐒈𐒑𐒛𐒕𐒙 ''''
Settlement.settlement_type
City
Settlement.image_skyline
Kismayo.jpg
Settlement.image_caption
Overview of Kismayo
Settlement.pushpin_map
Somalia#Horn of Africa#Africa
Settlement.pushpin_map_caption
Location within Somalia##Location within the Horn of Africa##Location within Africa
Settlement.pushpin_relief
1
Settlement.subdivision_type
Country
Settlement.subdivision_type1
Regional State
Settlement.subdivision_type2
Region
Settlement.subdivision_name2
Lower Juba
Settlement.subdivision_type3
District
Settlement.subdivision_name3
Kismayo
Settlement.unit_pref
Metric
Settlement.area_total_km2
22.5
Settlement.population_as_of
2014
Settlement.population_total
234,852

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Instance of
port city
Official name
Kismaayo
Country
Somalia
Official language
Swahili
Population
166667
Area
42
Elevation
0
Time zone
UTC+02:00
Capital of
Jubaland
Shares border with
Indian Ocean
Image
Kismayo.jpg
Show 3 more facts
Commons category
Kismayo
native label
Kismaayo
Sources (3)

via Wikidata · CC0

Travel guide

Understand

thumb|A bird's eye view of Kismayo Kismayo is a port city around 500 km south of the capital Mogadishu, and has a population of around 250,000. Since 1992, Kismayo has been a city in constant turmoil with local war lords, the federal government, African Union peacekeepers, Al Shabaab and others all vying for control of the area.

Get in

thumb|The Kismayo International Airport terminal. As warring insurgents have made road travel extremely dangerous, travelling by plane is the only safe option to reach the city. Air fare from Nairobi to Kismayo ranges from US$450-500 for a return ticket.

Get around

Buses are the main form of transportation in the city.

Eat

The city offers a range of dishes that include standard African fare and traditional East Africa meals.

Stay safe

See the warning on the Somalia article for more information on the security situation.

The city is not safe for any visitors. Arrival by car from Mogadishu is extremely dangerous, while arriving by sea invites risk of attack by pirates.

Travel guide from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0)

~15 min read

Encyclopedic overview

21 sections
Contents
  • Demographics
  • History
  • Antiquity
  • Middle Ages and the early modern period
  • Colonial Era
  • Somali Civil War
  • Geography
  • Location
  • Climate
  • Government
  • Districts
  • Education
  • Economy
  • Transportation
  • Airport
  • Roads
  • Seaport
  • Notable residents
  • See also
  • References
  • External links

Kismayo (, 𐒏𐒘𐒈𐒑𐒛𐒕𐒙) is a port city in the southern Lower Juba (Jubbada Hoose) province of Somalia. It is the de facto capital of the autonomous Jubaland region.

The city is situated southwest of the capital Mogadishu, near the mouth of the Jubba River, where it empties into the Indian Ocean. According to the United Nations Development Programme, the city of Kismayo had a population of around 89,333 in 2005.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Kismayo” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (16)

On the map

3 mapped locations