Hargeisa

Anyone in Hargeisa will tell you that the city isn't even part of Somalia, but rather the self-proclaimed capital of Somaliland, a breakaway state that has been ruling on its own since 1991, without the approval of Somalia's federal government or the UN. While the political system based in Hargeisa's mansions is officially non-existent – at least in the perspective of outsiders – there's a lot to like about this former British East African vassal.

Hargeisa is located at an elevation of 1,334 meters in a valley in the Galgodon (Ogo) highlands. The city is a commercial hub for precious stone cutting, building, retail services, and trading, among other things, and is home to Neolithic rock art.

To begin with, the environment is pretty quiet and non-violent. There are memorials of the enormous resistance to Siad Barre's dictatorial reign in the 1990s, as well as indicators of law and order not seen elsewhere in the country: traffic lights, police, and even the occasional tourist!

Location: Somalia