Quick Facts
- Key People:
- Sayyid Maxamed Cabdulle Xasan
- Maxamed Xaaji Ibrahiim Cigaal
- Related Places:
- Somalia
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British Somaliland
historical region, Somalia
British Somaliland, former British protectorate, located on the southern shore of the Gulf of Aden in eastern Africa. In the Middle Ages it was a powerful Arab sultanate; it was broken up in the 17th century. Its coast came under British influence in the early 19th century, but formal control was not acquired until it was taken from Egypt in 1884. It fell under Italian control in World War II (1939–45). In 1960 it was united with the former Italian Somaliland to form the independent country of Somalia. In 1991 a government opposition group declared the region comprising the former British Somaliland to be an independent state; however, it was not internationally recognized at the time. See also Somaliland.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy McKenna.
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