As part of the former
Benadir region, Middle Shabelle's capital was
Mogadishu up until the mid-1980s, when the town of
Jowhar became the capital. It is named after the
Shebelle River that passes through this region. The region is regarded as one of the most fertile regions in Somalia and was the first region to have multiple factories opened up in it, such as a sugar and clothes factory. It was also the main source of local grown food before the civil war. Today, the region supports livestock production, rain-fed and irrigated agriculture and fisheries, with an annual rainfall between 150 and 500 millimeters. Covering an area of approximately 60,000 square kilometres, the region has a 400 kilometre coastline on the Indian Ocean. The Shabelle river runs for 150 kilometres through the region. ==Demographics==