1889-1918 1939-1960










1918-1939



Since 1922, BENITO MUSSOLINI headed a fascist administration of Italy. Settlement in southern Somalia was intensified; economically Somalia outperformed British Somaliland further north. On March 1st 1925, Britain (Kenya) ceded the JUBALAND to Italy; the region was called OLTRE GIUBA (Trans-Juba) by the Italians, with the port city of Kisimayo (Treaty of London, June 15th 1924). After a period of transition, in which Oltre Giuba was ruled as an autonomous entity under Commissioner General Corrado Zoli, it was annexed into Somalia on June 10th 1926.
In 1925 the fascist administration undertook military action in order to establish Italian control over the regions of Obbia (Hobyo), Nogal and Migiurtinia (Majerteen), hitherto only superficially recognizing Italian sovereignty. The Sultanate of Obbia was occupied, posts established at strategic locations throughout Migurtinia (the Sultan of which, Osman Mahamud, fled into British Somaliland), the Sultanate of Nogal occupied, up to the border of British Somaliland.
The colony's population in 1929 was estimated at 1,500,000, the population of capital Mogadiscio c. 27,000. In 1925, the Italian Rupee was replaced by the Italian Lira as the colony's official currency. In 1925 the colony was renamed SOMALIA.
The population was almost entirely Muslim, of the Sunnite branch. Catholic missionaries were active since 1904; in 1928 Italian Somalia was established as an Apostolic Vicariate under Monsignore Gabriele Perio.
The economy was dominated by pastoral herding (cattle, camels, goats, donkeys), irrigation agriculture practised in the valleys of the Uebi and Juba; native agricultural products included maize, sesame, cotton. The Italians tried to improve the cultivation of cotton, sugar cane, sesame, the sisal agave, the banana). Industry was limited to a sugar refinery (Societa Saccarifera Somala), oil-extracting factories (S.A.I.S.) and a few minor enterprises. Native industries included pottery and textile production. A specific product of the country was FRANKINCENSE.
Imports were 2.5 - 6 times the value of exports; Italy figured second in the table of origins of imports (25-30 %), behind British Aden, but clearly dominated exports (60-70 %); the dominating export products were cotton andodorous substances, skins, Benadir textiles, cattle and goats, salted fish. In 1929 there was one railway line, total length 113 km. In 1920 the Banco d'Italia opened a branch in Mogadiscio. The colony's budget in 1926-27 of 67 million Lire was subsidized by the Italian state (subsidy 42 million Lire).
The colony was administrated by a GOVERNOR who presided over a number of departments (civil and political affairs, economic and financial affairs, justice ..). The COMITATO AMMINISTRATIVO was a consultative body, comprising of the heads of the various departments, the military commander, legal counsels and two citizens appointed by the governor. In 1929 the troops stationed in the colony numbered 130 officers, 50 NCO's and 7000 indigenous soldiers. Two naval vessels were stationed in Somalian waters, "Lussin" and "Arimondi".


Stamps overprinted / issued for Oltre Giuba (= Ultra Juba, Jubaland)


In 1935, Italy began the conquest of Ethiopia; the conquest was completed by 1936. Ethiopia's OGADEN province, inhabited by Muslim Somalis, was integrated into Somalia, which itself became part of the larger colony of AFRICA ORIENTALE ITALIANE (Italian Eastern Africa), together with Rest-Ethiopia and Eritrea.







EXTERNAL
FILES 		Articles from Infoplease : Somalia
Links on Somali history, from mogadiscio.com (click : historical notes), and from Somalinet
Mogadishu from the Past, by Enrico Cerulli
Library of Congress, Country Studies : Somalia
Article from Catholic Encyclopedia : Benadir
The Majerteen Sultanates, by Faduma, detailed account of Italian conquest 1925-1927
DOCUMENTS Mogadishu - Images from the Past, by Rick Davies
REFERENCE L.V. Bertarelli, Guida D'Italia del Touring Club Italiano : Possedimenti e Colonie, Milano 1929, pp.687-808, in Italian [G]
Article : Italian Somaliland, in : Statesman's Yearbook 1919 pp.1009-1011, 1924 pp.1043-1045, 1925 pp.1051-1052, 1926 pp.1018-1020, 1928 pp.1045-1047, 1929 pp.1031-1033, 1932 pp.1044-1046, 1937 pp.1081-1082 [G]
Article : Italian Somaliland, in : Americana Annual 1927 p.459, 1928 p.416, 1930 p.411, 1931 p.411, 1932 p.375, 1933 pp.402-403, 1934 p.315, 1935 p.373, 1936 p.377, 1937 p.363 [G]
Article : Italian East Africa, in : Americana Annual 1938 p.349, 1939 pp.386-388, 1940 p.399 [G]



This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted in 2001, last revised on Auust 27th 2007

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