Awdal

Awdal (Awdal, أودَل) is an administrative region (gobol)  in western Somaliland. It was separated from Woqooyi Galbeed and became a province in 1984 and is the most northwesterly province of Somaliland. To the east it borders Maroodi Jeex and Sahil; to its north-west it borders Djibouti; to its south and south-west lies Ethiopia; and the Gulf of Aden to its north. The province has an estimated population of 1,010,566. The region comprises the four districts of Borama, the regional capital, Baki, Lughaya, and Zeila.

Description
Awdal (أودل) takes its name from the medieval Adal Sultanate (عَدَل), which was originally centered on Zeila. The area along the Ethiopian border is abundant with ruined cities, which were described by the British explorer Richard F. Burton. Geologically, much of the Awdal region is located in the Arabian Plate.

Demographics
The Awdal Region is mainly inhabited by the Gadabuursi subclan of the Dir who are especially well represented and considered the predominant clan of the region.

Federico Battera (2005) states about the Awdal Region:"'Awdal is mainly inhabited by the Gadabuursi confederation of clans.'"A UN report published by Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (1999), states concerning Awdal:"'The Gadabuursi clan dominates Awdal region. As a result, regional politics in Awdal is almost synonymous with Gadabuursi internal clan affairs.'"Roland Marchal (1997) states that numerically, the Gadabuursi are the predominant inhabitants of the Awdal Region:"'The Gadabuursi's numerical predominance in Awdal virtually ensures that Gadabuursi interests drive the politics of the region.'"Marleen Renders and Ulf Terlinden (2010) both state that the Gadabuursi almost exclusively inhabit the Awdal Region:"'Awdal in western Somaliland is situated between Djibouti, Ethiopia, and the Issaq-populated mainland of Somaliland. It is primarily inhabited by the three sub-clans of the Gadabursi clan, whose traditional institutions survived the colonial period, Somali statehood and the war in good shape, remaining functionally intact and highly relevant to public security.'"There is also a sizeable minority of the Issa subclan of the Dir who mainly inhabit the Zeila district.

Districts
The Awdal region consists of four districts: