Italian Colonies (Twilight of a New Era)

The Italian colonial empire was created after the Kingdom of Italy joined other European powers in establishing colonies overseas during the "scramble for Africa".

Modern Italy as a unified state only existed from 1861. By this time France, Spain, Portugal, Britain, and the Netherlands, had already carved out large empires over several hundred years. Italy had arrived late to the colonial race, and its relative weakness in international affairs meant that it was dependent on the acquiescence of Britain, France and Germany towards its empire-building. One of the last remaining areas open to colonisation was on the African continent.

By the outbreak of World War I in 1915, Italy had annexed Eritrea and Somalia, and had wrested control of portions of the Ottoman Empire, including Libya, though it was defeated in its attempt to conquer Ethiopia.

Italy has the territories in Africa of:
 * Italian North Africa (Africa Settentrionale Italiana, or ASI) or Libya, capital Tripoli. It was the result of the merge of the former colonies of Cyrenaica and Tripolitania and Fezzan. All three former parts of the Ottoman Empire.
 * Italian Eritrea, capital Asmara
 * Italian Somaliland, capital Mogadiscio