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French Somali Coast
August 1902
Obock, Djibouti,
and Afars & Issas
 |
French Colonies | 23, a-c |  |
both perf 14x13½, no wmk
| Description | Scott | SG | Mi | Y&T | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stamps of French Colonies General Issue handstamped at Obock | ||||||
| 1 centime black / azure | 1 | 1 | ||||
| other values 2c to 1 franc | 2-11 | 2-11 | ||||
| Stamps of Obock handstamped at Djibouti † | ||||||
| 5c green / pale green, overprint with bar | 1 | 83 | ||||
| 5c green / pale green, without bar | 1a | 84 | ||||
| 25c on 2c brown / buff | 2 | 85 | ||||
† Scott [1] lists Djibouti (Sc1, 1a, 2) under Somali Coast. Gibbons lists [2] both Obock (SG1-11) and Djibouti (SG83-85) under French Territory of the Afars and the Issas.
 |
 |
Somali Coast |
Afars and Issas |
| 1902 Sc34 SG121 FICC#299 | 1967 Sc310 SG504 FICC#692 |
There is a detailed article on the geopolitical and philatelic development of this area in the Journal v10n3p1-3. In summary, France bought the town of Obock and the surrounding area in 1857. France established the French Somali Coast Protectorate (including Obock) in 1888 and also set up the town of Djibouti as its capital. In 1902, stamps of Djibouti were replaced by those of the French Somali Coast.
In a 1967 referendum, 60% of the population voted to retain an association with France, rather than independence, though the name was changed to Afars and Issas, the major tribes.
