Ethiopia has been more or less politically stable and philatelically consistent until the overthrow of the Emperor in the late 1970's. While stamps of the area still are issued in the name "Ethiopia", there have been a number of issues that have probably not seen postal use within the country. Ethiopia was briefly occupied by Italian troops in 1941-42, and seven occupation stamps were issued with the name "Ethiopia". Stamps of Italian East Africa, Eritrea, and Somalia were also used. After the British recaptured the area from the Italians, stamps bearing the name Ethiopia were once again produced, but stamps of Great Britain and Kenya were also used when available. There are possibilities of picking up a number of unusual cancellations from this area!
The French purchased a strip of land around the port of Obock in 1862, and issued stamps for the area beginning around 1892. The majority of these stamps are French stamps of the period overprinted "OBOCK". The main post office was moved to another port, Djibouti, in 1894, and stamps previously issued for Obock were overprinted "DJ" or "DJIBOUTI". The name of the colony was officially changed to the French Protectorate of the Somali Coast", later just "Somali Coast", and stamps were issued for that area, some issues including the names "Djibouti" and "Obock", until 1967. The name was changed to the French Territory of Afars and Issas" in 1967, and stamps were issued with that name until independence was achieved in 1977. The 173 stamps issued with the name "Territoire Francais des Afars et des Issas" are some of the most difficult French colonial stamps to find in fine/used condition! Upon gaining independence, the area was renamed Djibouti, and stamps bearing that name are currently in use.
The actual "horn" of Africa is currently the nation of Somalia. Originally, the land between Djibouti and the horn was controlled by the British as the Somaliland Protectorate. Stamps of India were overprinted "British Somaliland" and used until the first definitive issue (Edward VII keytype) were issued in 1904, inscribed "Somaliland Protectorate". The area from the horn south to the border of Kenya was the Italian colony of Somaliland, also known as Benadir and Italian East Africa (along with Eritrea). A portion of German East Africa west of the Juba River was ceded to Italy in 1924 by the British, and Italian stamps appeared in 1925 inscribed "Oltre Giuba". The area was absorbed into Italian Somaliland in 1926, and Oltre Giuba stamps became obsolete. Stamps for Italian Somaliland were originally issued with the name "BENADIR", later Italian stamps overprinted "SOMALIA//ITALIANA", or just "SOMALIA" were used. The first stamps issued using the name SOMALIA appeared in 1932. During World War II and until about 1949, British stamps overprinted similar to those used in Eritrea were used in the area of former Italian Somaliland (inscribed "B.M.A.//SOMALIA" or B.A.//SOMALIA"). Italy took over the trusteeship for this former colony in 1950, and stamps with just the name "SOMALIA" appeared from then until 1979. Italian Somaliland and the British Somaliland Protectorate merged in 1960, when Somalia gained independence, and formed the nation of Somalia. The nation changed its name to the People's Democratic Republic of Somalia in 1979, and stamps issued after that date carry the name "Jam. Dim. Somalia" or "J.D.Soomaaliyeed". The country has been wracked by an unceasing civil war since at least 1989, with more than a dozen different factions vying for power. A number of provisional issues have appeared on the market, but there is no indication of what postal authority, if any, actually exists in the nation.
