Somalia

Somalia is a country in northeastern Africa on the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.  File:Somalia first.jpg|1950 1c definitive. File:Somalia chalkboard.jpg|1960 10s drawing. File:Somalia Comm day.jpg|1971 2.80 World Communications Day. File:Somalia 1979.jpg|3s 1979 children's art. File:Somalia 1991.jpg|1991 FREEDOM overprint. 
 * Previously Italian Somaliland, it was declared a UN trust territory in 1949 under Italian administration. Its first stamps were issued in 1950 inscribed SOMALIA and in Arabic.
 * In July 1960, Somalia became independent. Days earlier, the Somaliland Protectorate became independent and united with Somalia.
 * In 1970, it became the Somali Democratic Republic, with stamp inscriptions changed to match.
 * In 1973 inscriptions became Jum. Dim. Somaliya then Jam. Dim. Soomaaliya or J.D. SOOMAALIYA.
 * About 1977, inscriptions became J.D. SOOMAALIYEED, sometimes J.D. SOOMAALIYA, J. SOOMAALIYA or just SOMALIA.
 * In 1991, civil war led to the collapse of government services. Postal operations were declared stopped in October 1991. Meanwhile, stamps were still being issued, with bogus stamps also appearing around this time.
 * Also in 1991, the former Somaliland Protectorate declared its independence as Somaliland. Stamps so inscribed are probably bogus.
 * Also in 1991, the northeastern part of Somalia also declared autonomy as Puntland. Stamps inscribed "Puntland State of Somalia" or "Republic of Puntland" are bogus.
 * In 2005, those older stamps printed by I.Z.P.S. when there was no postal service or government, were acknowledged as being legitimate. They are imprinted "I.Z.P.S. ROMA" and include the year in the bottom margin. They have been seen used after 2013. Beware of bogus issues not produced by I.Z.P.S.
 * In 2013, the United Arab Emirates agreed to route Somalia's international mail through the UAE.

Bogus issues
As for many other countries, bogus Somali stamps have been printed by fakers/countefeiters in topical designs. These have appeared since 1998 and continue to be made today. See: the Golowes illegal stamps pages for Somalia.

[[Category:S]]