Italian Somaliland - Definition and Overview

Italian Somaliland was an Italian colony that lasted, apart from a brief interlude of British rule, from the late 19th century until 1960 in the territory of the modern-day East African nation of Somalia.

Italy gained control of various parts of Somalia in the 1880s and, over the ensuing decades, Italian settlement was encouraged. In 1936, after the Second Italo-Abyssinian War, Italian Somaliland became part of the Italian African Empire, along with Ethiopia and Eritrea.

In 1941, the area was occupied by British troops, and the British continued to administer the area until November 1949, when Italian Somaliland was made a United Nations Trust Territory under Italian administration.

On July 1, 1960, Italian Somaliland was granted its independence. It immediately united with neighbouring British Somaliland (which had become independent on June 26) to form the Republic of Somalia.

References

• UN page on the history of Somalia (http://www.unsomalia.net/infocenter/history.htm)