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nPosted on June 26, 2017
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nThere was a British Somaliland and an Italian Somaliland, two neighboring colonies in Africa.
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But then there was a World War, and Britain and Italy were enemies. In 1940, Italy invaded British Somaliland. But the Brits not only retook their “own” territory, but all of Italian Somaliland came under British military rule. After the war ended, with Britain and the Allies having defeated fascist Italy and the Axis powers, Britain continued to rule until 1949, when Italian Somaliland became a United Nations trusteeship called the Trust Territory of Somaliland – and guess what? The Trust Territory was back under Italian administration again.
But then there was a World War, and Britain and Italy were enemies. In 1940, Italy invaded British Somaliland. But the Brits not only retook their “own” territory, but all of Italian Somaliland came under British military rule. After the war ended, with Britain and the Allies having defeated fascist Italy and the Axis powers, Britain continued to rule until 1949, when Italian Somaliland became a United Nations trusteeship called the Trust Territory of Somaliland – and guess what? The Trust Territory was back under Italian administration again.n
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nYou make ask, what about the Somali people themselves? What were their wishes in all of this?
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nLike other peoples in the world, Somalians wanted to make their own decisions, rule themselves, enjoy independence. An agreement was reached for independence in a step-by-step process:
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nOn this date in 1960, British Somaliland gained independence from the U.K. It was named the State of Somaliland.
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nFive days after that, the State of Somaliland united with the Trust Territory of Somaliland. Together, the two formed the brand-new Somali Republic.
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nOnly five days! Is that the shortest period of time that an independent nation with a particular name and particular borders has lasted?
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nNot even close! Check out this Wikipedia list of short-lived nations. The shortest life of a nation on this list is just six hours.
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nWhat makes Somalia special?
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nLivestock!
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nSomalia is the world leader in exporting sheep and goats. It also leads the world in number of domesticated camels.
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n(By the way, the U.S.A. leads the world in the number of domesticated dogs AND in the number of domesticated cats.)
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nSomalia, which lies on the part of Africa called the Horn of Africa, was known to Ancient Egyptians as the Land of Punt, and Put is even mentioned in the Bible.
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nThe ancients valued Somalia for its aromatic trees, which produce frankincense and myrrh. Ancient Romans even called this land Cape Aromatica!
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| These are grains of frankincense and myrrh gum, NOT pieces of granola! |
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nThe thing that makes landscapes look beautiful to us, often, is water…
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nBut, even though Somalia has the longest coastline in Africa, drinkable water is in seriously short supply there. The current drought is making conditions in the war-torn, famine-prone country even worse.
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| There was worry that the camels of Somalia couldn’t survive the drought. And if CAMELS cannot survive… |
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nAlso on this date:
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Astronomer Charles Messier’s birthday
Astronomer Charles Messier’s birthday n
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nMadagascar’s Independence Day
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nNational Canoe Day in Canada
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nNational Flag Day in Romania
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nInventions and Patents Day
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nAnniversary of the invention of the toothbrush
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nAnniversary of the Cyclone being listed on the National Register of Historic Places
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nPlan ahead:
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Check out my Pinterest boards for:
Check out my Pinterest boards for:
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nJune holidays
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nJune birthdays
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nHistorical anniversaries in June
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nAnd here are my Pinterest boards for:
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nJuly holidays
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nJuly birthdays
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nHistorical anniversaries in July
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