French Territory of Afars and Issas

In the second half of the 19th century, France intensified its colonial presence on the East coast of Africa in order to counter British influence in the region. In 1862, Napoleon III signed a trade treaty with Madagascar where he set up a French consulate. On the road that leads to the "red island" is the small territory of Obock, located near the city of Djibouti on the Gulf of Tadjourah and whose geostrategic position at the crossroads of three continents, excites the lust of large western powers. It will be the first French anchor in the region which will then take the name of French Coast of Somalis (CFS) from 1896 to 1967. In June 1960, Somalia frees itself definitively from the British Empire and to avoid any reference with this new neighbor, the French administration is forced to change the name "French Coast of Somalis". Between 1967 and 1977, the colony was called the French Territory of the Afars and the Issas (TFAI). On June 27, 1977, the independence of the country was proclaimed and the former French territory officially became the Republic of Djibouti.