Italian Somaliland

Italian Somaliland was a country in northeast Africa.  File:Ital Somaliland eleph.jpg|1903 1b Benadir issue. File:Ital Somali lion.jpg|1903 5a Benadir issue. File:It Somali C.5.jpg|1906-07 5c surcharge. File:It Somali 2b surch.jpg|1926 5c surcharge. File:It Som 60c.jpg|1926 60c definitive. File:It Somali montecassino.jpg|1929 25c Montecassino. File:It Som expo.jpg|1934 5c exposition. File:It Somali air.jpg|1936 70c airmail. 
 * Italy acquired coastal territory by protectorate treaties beginning in the 1880s, with control being given to a private company. This was named Benadir, reflected by the inscriptions of its first stamps issued in 1903.
 * Beginning in 1905, various surcharges were applied on Benadir stamps.
 * In 1922, the Italian Victory issue was surcharged with SOMALIA ITALIANA.
 * In 1923, Benadir stamps were once again surcharged with 4 bars over the old denominations.
 * Following that, Italian commemorative sets, semipostals, were overprinted or surcharged SOMALIA ITALIANA in different styles.
 * In 1926, the Benadir issue was surcharged once again but in Italian currency, with 3 bars used to cover "BESA".
 * The 1926 Colonial Institute semipostal set was released inscribed SOMALIA ITAL.
 * Also in 1926, Italian stamps were again overprinted or surcharged SOMALIA ITALIANA in different styles.
 * In 1926, Oltre giuba became part of Italian Somaliland. See: Oltre Giuba.
 * In December 1930, overprints became just SOMALIA.
 * 1932 saw a new set of pictorial definitives inscribed SOMALIA.

Back of the book issues
 File:It Som 5c due.jpg|1926 5c postage due. File:It Som money order tax.jpg|Money order stamp. 
 * In 1934, an airmail semipostal official was released using a 25+2L airmail semipostal overprinted with a crown and SERVIZIO DI STATO.
 * In 1923, Italian special delivery stamps were overprinted like the commemoratives.
 * In 1924, two country-specific special delivery stamps were inscribed POSTE SOMALIA.
 * Beginning in 1917, parcel post stamps were overprinted or surcharged SOMALIA ITALIANE.
 * In 1905, Italian postage dues were overprinted Somalia Italiane / Meridionale.
 * The 1909 dues had Somalia Italiane overprinted at top; the 1920 issue was overprinted at bottom.
 * In 1923, Italian postage dues were surcharged in besa or rupees.

In 1940-41, Italian forces crossed the border and invaded British Somaliland and a small part of Kenya. By spring of 1941, British forces recaptured British Somaliland and invaded Italian Somaliland.

British occupation period
 File:EAF somalia 2d.jpg|2d value. File:EAF Somalia 2sh6.jpg|2/6 value. File:BMA Somalia.jpg|1948 30c surcharge. File:BA SOMALIA surch.jpg|1950 5c surcharge. 
 * In April 1942, British M.E.F. stamps were first used. See: Middle East Forces.
 * In 1943, with the surrender of Italy, the British military administration issued British stamps surcharged E.A.F (East Africa Forces). The country would be under British control until 1949 when the country was made a UN trust territory.
 * In 1948, surcharges were released overprinted B.M.A. / SOMALIA (British Military Authority Somalia).
 * The country would be under British control until 1949 when the country was made a UN trust territory.
 * Therefore, in 1950, surcharges were released that had the "M" removed.

See

 * Somalia

[[Category:I]]