French Somaliland
[2] On March 25, 1885, the French signed a treaty with the Gadabuursi, effectively making them a protectorate of France.[11] Although the city's population fell after the completion of the line to Dire Dawa and the bankruptcy (and subsequent government bail-out) of the original company, the rail link allowed Djibouti to quickly overtake the caravan-based trade out of Zeila[12] (then in British Somaliland) and become the premier port for coffee and other goods leaving southern Ethiopia and the Ogaden through Harar.Before the French aligned with the Issa, the Gadabuursi held the position of the first Senator of the country, and is the first Somali head of state to lead the territory compromising Djibouti today.Djama Ali Moussa, a former sailor, pursued his political aspirations and managed to become the first Somali democratically elected head of state in French Somaliland.[13][14] The railway continued operating after the Italian conquest of Ethiopia, but following the tumult of the Second World War, the area became a French overseas territory in 1946.
FrenchSomaliArabicLa MarseillaiseColonyOverseas territoryDjiboutiTa'izzi-AdeniChristianityDemonym(s)Dependent territoryGovernorLéonce LagardeNew ImperialismItalian invasionBritish occupationRenamedFrench francFrench Somaliland francObock TerritoryFrench Territory of the Afars and the IssasHistory of DjiboutiAsa KomaHandogaKingdom of PuntMacrobiansKingdom of AxumKingdom of AdalIfat SultanateAdal SultanateImamate of AussaHabesh EyaletColonial governorsRepublic of DjiboutiFrench colonyHorn of Africasuccessor stateGadabuursithe cession of territory to Italian Eritrea in 1935Imperial Ethiopian RailwayEthiopiaport of DjiboutiboomtownDire DawaBritish SomalilandcoffeeOgadenDjama Ali MoussaItalian conquest of Ethiopiathe tumult of the Second World WarList of governors of French SomalilandList of French possessions and coloniesFrench colonial empireChisholm, HughEncyclopædia BritannicaUniversité de Provence–Aix-Marseille IFrench overseas empireFormer French coloniesNorth AfricaAlgeriaMoroccoTunisiaWest AfricaCôte d'IvoireDahomeyGuineaMauritaniaArguin IslandSenegalFour CommunesUpper VoltaTogolandJames IslandAlbredaEquatorial AfricaMiddle CongoUbangi-ShariCameroonsComorosAnjouanGrande ComoreMohéliMadagascarIsle de Francein the AmericasFrench North AmericaAcadiaLouisianaCanadaTerre NeuveFrench FloridaFrench TexasFrench CaribbeanDominicaGrenadaThe GrenadinesSaint-DomingueHaïtiDominican RepublicSaint Kitts & NevisSaint LuciaSaint VincentTobagoVirgin IslandsEquinoctial FranceBerbiceFrance AntarctiqueFrench colonization of the AmericasFrench West India CompanyFrench IndiaChandernagorCoromandel CoastMadrasPondichéryKaraikalYanaonIndochinese UnionCambodiaCochinchinaTonkinKouang-Tchéou-WanMandate for Syriaand the LebanonState of SyriaAleppoDamascusAlawite State