Independence Day is a public holiday in Somalia on June 26 yearly. The holiday commemorates the anniversary when the State of Somaliland achieved its independence from the United Kingdom on June 26, 1960.

When is Independence Day?

Independence Day is celebrated every year on June 26.

The following is the list of Independence Day from 2020 to 2049.

The History of Independence Day?

Somalia, formally the Federal Republic of Somalia, is a country in the Horn of Africa. In the late 19th century, European colonists began the Scramble for Africa after the Berlin Conference in 1884. The territory was administrated separately.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Somalia was divided among colonial powers: British Somaliland (northwest, a British protectorate), Italian Somaliland (south, an Italian colony), and other Somali-inhabited regions were controlled by France (Djibouti), Ethiopia (Ogaden), and Kenya (Northern Frontier District).

At the beginning of World War II, Italia occupied British Somaliland. However, the United Kingdom regained it and conquered the Italian Somaliland in 1941. In 1950, Italian Somaliland became a United Nations trusteeship under the Italian administration, while British Somaliland was still under the control of the United Kingdom.

In 1960, the British Government started to grant independence to the Somaliland protectorate, and on June 26, 1960, the British Somaliland protectorate gained independence as the State of Somaliland.

However, this independence was short-lived: after just five days, the State of Somaliland voluntarily united with Italian Somaliland (which gained independence on July 1, 1960) to form the Somali Republic.