A country of extreme eastern Africa on the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. Arab and Persian traders first established outposts in the region between the 7th and 10th centuries. European colonization began in the 19th century, with the protectorate of British Somaliland established in the north in 1887. The southern territory eventually came under Italian control and in 1936 was combined with newly conquered Ethiopian territory to form Italian East Africa. Britain ruled the entire region after World War II, with Italy returning in 1950 to administer its former protectorate under a UN mandate. The independent republic of Somalia was created in 1960 out of the British and Italian territories. Mogadishu is the capital and the largest city. Population: 9,120,000.
Somalian So·ma'li·an adj. & n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
