Jubaland

Jubaland (also Jubbaland, Trans-Juba, It: Oltre Giuba) is the southwesternmost part of Somalia, on the far side of the Jubba River[?] (thus the "trans-" name), bordering on Kenya. It has a total area of 87,000 sq km (33,000 sq mi), and in 1926 a population of 12,000. Principal city is Kismayu[?], on the coast near the mouth of the Jubba.

Originally Jubaland was part of the British colony of Kenya, but was ceded to Italy June 29, 1925, purportedly as a reward for joining the Allies in World War I. It then had a brief existence as the Italian colony of Oltre Giuba, before its incorporation into the colony of Italian Somaliland[?] on June 30, 1926.

Jubaland declared its independence from Somalia in 1998, and its present status remains unsettled.

Stamps and postal history of Oltre Giuba

Italy issued its first postage stamps for the area on July 29, 1925, consisting of contemporary Italian stamps overprinted "OLTRE GIUBA". The same process was followed for the Italian commemorative issues of the time - the "Victor Emmanuel" issue, the "St Francis[?]" issue. On April 21, 1926, Italy issued a set of seven stamps printed specifically for the colony, depicting a map of the territory and inscribed "COMMISSARIATO GENLE / DELL' OLTRE GIUBA", then on June 1 the omnibus Colonial Institute issue[?] included a set inscribed "OLTRE GIUBA".

Only a couple of the higher values have more than a minimal price for collectors, although as usual for remote colonies of brief existence, genuine usages on cover are seldom seen.