somalí

Somalí is the Spanish term used to refer to things related to Somalia, its people, and the Somali language. It can serve as an ethnolinguistic designation or an adjectival form, depending on context, and is commonly found in Spanish-language references about the Horn of Africa.

The Somali are a Cushitic-speaking ethnic group native to the Horn of Africa. They are concentrated in Somalia and the Somaliland region, with significant populations in Djibouti, the Somali region of Ethiopia, and northern Kenya. A large diaspora is established in Europe, North America, the Middle East, and other regions, with estimates of around 25 million ethnic Somalis worldwide.

The Somali language, or Af-Soomaali, is a Cushitic language in the Afroasiatic family. It has several dialects, notably Northern Somali which forms the basis of the standard language. Since 1972, the language has been written primarily with a Latin-based script; earlier times used Arabic-derived scripts and other orthographies. Somali is the dominant language in Somalia and is widely used in education and media, with continued use across neighboring regions and diaspora communities.

Historically, Somali literature has a rich oral tradition and later underwent standardization to support national and regional communication. The term somalí thus commonly denotes related topics in Spanish-language texts about Somalia, its people, and their language.