Somali is a language spoken primarily in Somalia.  It is also found in Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Kenya.  With 24 million speakers, Somali has been an official language in Somalia since the 1970s.

In Somali culture, family is very important.  Extended families often live together and represent security and identity.  As such, personal relationships are reflected in greetings and cultural practices.  Greeting tends to include a long handshake, though men and women do not touch each other and tend not to socialize in public.  Naming traditions reflect the importance of family ties; a person's name is composed of their birth (first) name, father’s name, and paternal grandfather’s name.