54. Another port of ancient origin, Somalia's capital of Mogadishu is located on which large body of water?
From Quiz Ships Ahoy!
Answer:
Indian Ocean
Located in the Horn of Africa, on the coast of the Indian Ocean, just north of the Equator, Mogadishu (Muqdisho in the Somali language, though locally known as Hamar) has been an influential trade centre for over 2,000 years; the site where the city now stands has been identified with the city-state of Sarapion, founded by the ancestors of modern Somalis, and mentioned in a 1st-century AD travel document known as "Periplus of the Erythraean Sea". Medieval travellers and geographers wrote of a prosperous city, inhabited by people who were the likely ancestors of present-day Somalis. In any case, in the Middle Ages and Early Modern era Mogadishu became part of the Ajuran Sultanate, which dominated the Indian Ocean trade. The city became a thriving commercial hub, involved in the Silk Road maritime trade; famed Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama visited Mogadishu during his voyage at the end of the 15th century, noting its many large houses, palaces and mosques.
Besides its importance as a port, Mogadishu was the centre of a renowned textile industry; its prosperity continued under the Hiraab Imamate, which took over after the collapse of the Ajuran Sultanate. In the late 19th century, Mogadishu came under Italian rule, which lasted until Somalia's independence in 1960. Sadly, in recent times Mogadishu has been torn apart by years of civil war; the city, like the rest of Somalia, is still considered one of the world's most dangerous destinations. At the end of the war, the Somali government launched a major rehabilitation project for the Port of Mogadishu, though it will probably be a long time before the city returns to what it used to be.
=
added recently, 
= Gold Member