Recent incidents have turned the world's attention to this desperately poor, unstable country.

Over the past few weeks, there have been a lot of news stories about events happening off the coast of Somalia. These stories involve modern-day pirates taking over ships in Somalia's waters. The definition of a pirate is the same now as it was hundreds of years ago. A pirate is someone who attacks and robs ships at sea. For several years, Somali pirates have threatened ships off Somalia's coast. Much of the world's oil and other valuable cargo is shipped through the Gulf of Aden, north of Somalia. So far this year, pirates have captured or tried to capture more than 40 ships. These heavily armed pirates approach ships in small boats, usually at night, and use ropes, ladders, and hooks to climb aboard. They hold the crew hostage, demanding ransom money from the ship's owner. Most of the time, the owners pay the ransom, and the money is dropped by helicopter to the pirates. Why do you think the owners pay the ransom?

Some of the pirates are former fishermen who say illegal fishing by other countries forced them out of business. But now, piracy is big business in Somalia, an otherwise desperately poor country. Some Somali people see the pirates as heroes. But others say the pirates have made their country more violent, dangerous, and unstable. And the countries whose ships travel near Somalia are trying to figure out what to do about the problem. Let's find out more about Somalia.