Italian Somaliland
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,
Eritrea and
Libya.
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.
