Italian Somaliland (Italian: Somalia italiana, Arabic: الصومال الإيطالي Al-Sumal Al-Italiy, Somali: Dhulka Talyaaniga ee Soomaaliya), also known as Italian Somalia, was a colony of the Kingdom of Italy in present-day northeastern, central and southern Somalia. Ruled in the 19th century by the Somali Majeerteen Sultanate and the Sultanate of Hobyo, the territory was later acquired in the 1880s by Italy through various treaties.
In 1936, the region was integrated into Italian East Africa as part of the Italian Empire. This would last until 1941, during World War II. Italian Somaliland then came under British military administration until 1949, when it became a United Nations trusteeship, the Trust Territory of Somaliland under Italian administration. On July 1, 1960, the Trust Territory of Somaliland united as scheduled with the former British Somaliland protectorate to form the Somali Republic. |
