The Somali population began converting to Islam sometime after its introduction to the region in the 7th century. During this time the Somali also moved into what is now eastern Ethiopia and northern Kenya, and set up trade routes that would last for centuries. While some parts of the country developed a farming economy; other clans developed trade centres and watering-hole routes that enabled them to keep their families and herds alive in dry seasons. Coastal trading cities like Berbera and Zayla controlled Indian Ocean trade through the Red Sea.
Colonialism changed these patterns. In the 19th century, Somalia was colonized by France, Italy and Britain. Prior to colonisation, city-states, sultanates and independent clans were the normal mode of Somali government. In the 19th century, the Somali territories were divided up by great Britain, France and Italy; Britain gave a section to the newly created Ethiopia. The Italians names Somali colony "Somalia", while the British called theirs "Somali land"
On June 26, 1960, British controlled Somali land gained independence, closely followed by Somalia gaining independence from Italy, on July 1, 1960.
The two newly independent states amalgamated and formed the Somali Republic with Mogadishu as its capital.
However Somalia and other newly independent countries were left with the old colonial borders. While the Somalis in British Somaliland and Somalia Italiana were united, three groups of Somalis were trapped behind the borders of Kenya, Djibouti and Ethiopia. Families were permanently separated, and traditional herding routes stopped at now impassable borders, cutting off vital water and grasslands. Despite problems of dissatisfaction with the Union, especially felt by the Somali land in the North, peace and a chaotic democracy prevailed.
In 1969, Somalia’s fledgling democratic government, headed by Prime Minister Muhammed Ibrahim Egal, was toppled in a military coup led by Major-General Mohammed Siyad Barré. Barré’s regime attempted to abolish clanship power and introduced the Latin script for the Somali language. After an initial period of modest successes in social reform, the regime became known for corruption, brutal repression and increasing tribal rivalry. In 1974, Barré allied with the Soviet Union and adopted communist economic policies. An attempt to gain traditional lands in Ethiopia ended in tragedy when Soviet and Cuban troops joined the Ethiopians to destroy the Somali army, leaving a million people destitute and creating a severe refugee problem within Somalia.
Increasing anger against Barré’s government led to the formation of opposition movements, and a brutal civil war erupted that devastated communities, fractured power into territories controlled by warlords and left millions homeless. His brutal rule and programs especialy in North, led to his downfall in 1991 and subsequent collapse of the Somali republic. In 1992 a coalition government accepted UN assistance for relief efforts and in 1993 signed a peace agreement. In the north, clans reconciled and in 1991 formed a state government called Somaliland, with Muhammed Ibrahim Egal as president; however, Somaliland is not yet recognized by the international community. Southern Somalia still has no formal national government.
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