The British Somaliland Protectorate was a British protectorate in the north part of the Horn of Africa, later part of Somalia.

Egypt dominated the area in the 1870s, but withdrew in 1884, upon which the British established a protectorate and garrisoned it from Aden. The protectorate was administered from British India until 1898, then by the Foreign Office, and after 1905 the Colonial Office.

From 1900 to 1920, the British faced a determined opponent in the "Mad Mullah", a Moslem religious agitator who fought them throughout this time, twice forcing them to withdraw from the interior.

During the East African Campaign, the protectorate was occupied by Italy in August 1940, but recaptured by the British in March 1941.

A referendum indicated support for unification with Italian Somaliland to form the nation of Somalia, which occurred 1 July 1960. After the breakdown of Somalia's central government, the former British Somaliland declared independence in May 1991 as the Republic of Somaliland.

See also

• British Somaliland postage stamps