PUNTLAND-SOMALIA

Puntland is a region in northeastern Somalia, centered on Garowe, whose leaders declared it to be an autonomous state in 1998. Unlike neighbouring Somaliland, it does not seek outright independence from Somalia. The name is derived from the "Land of Punt" mentioned by ancient Egyptian sources, which is believed by some to have existed in what is now Somalia. Puntland seeks to become a federal division within a united Somalia that is a federal republic, thus maintains the flag of Somalia as its official flag.