British Somaliland

British Somaliland was a British protectorate in the Horn of Africa, established in 1884 and consisting of self-ruling sultanates. Its capital was Berbera, an important port on the Gulf of Aden. From 1899 the British faced a long resistance led by Sayyid Mohammed Abdullah Hassan's Dervish movement, which was defeated in 1920. The protectorate was formally organised after that campaign, with a council of elders, a police force and a small administration. A camel corps and local police kept order, while the grazing lands of the interior remained central to Somali pastoral life and to the caravan trade. Italy occupied British Somaliland in August 1940, and British forces recaptured it in April 1941. On 26 June 1960 the protectorate became independent as the State of Somaliland; five days later it united with the Trust Territory of Somalia to form the Somali Republic. Berbera remained the principal port and the historic capital of the territory.