This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe, formerly Southern Rhodesia is a landlocked country located in the southern part of Africa between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east.
Early European explorers, missionaries and traders, in the area that became Zimbabwe, hired private couriers, or made other arrangements to have their mail carried to the nearest post office which first meant one in the Cape of Good Hope Colony, and later included the post offices in the South African Republic (Transvaal). [1]
The first post was established in 1888 by the British South Africa Company (BSA) consisting of a route from Gubulawayo in Matabeleland to Mafeking in Bechuanaland, [2] with post offices in Tati and Gubulawayo. [3] Mail was initially carried by police riders [4] [5] and franked with the stamps of British Bechuanaland. [2] In fact the post offices in Bulawayo and Tati remained under the control of the Bechuanaland Protectorate until 1894. [6]
The post was introduced to Mashonaland and western Manicaland in 1890 by the BSA [4] who had sent occupying forces there, the Pioneer Column accompanied by the company's police force. [7] By 1894 Matabeleland was fully included within the company's postal system following the First Matabele War.
The BSA company had stamps printed in London in 1890, and they arrived in the colony on 1891. Although there was some revenue use of the stamps in 1891, the first postal use began in January 1892 when the postal route through Beira on the east coast was opened up. [2] Over the next couple of years the area controlled by the BSA grew and land north of the Zambezi River was added. [8] The name "Rhodesia" first appeared on BSA stamps in 1909 when four stamps were overprinted with new values. [2] The stamps of the BSA were not, at first, recognized for international postage, and letters going through Bechuanaland were franked with additional Bechuanaland stamps until Rhodesia joined the South African Postal Union in mid 1892, while mail sent via Beira required additional Mozambique stamps until 1894. [2] [9]
The area continued to use the stamps of the BSA until 1923 when it became the Self-governing Colony of Southern Rhodesia. [2] The area north of the Zambezi River remained under the BSA until the following year, when it became a protectorate named Northern Rhodesia. [2]
Southern Rhodesia issued its first stamps on 1 April 1924. In 1953, Southern Rhodesia joined the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. During a short interim period, stamps from Southern Rhodesia, Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland could be used in any of the three countries.
The Federation dissolved in 1963 and the 10th Anniversary of Federation stamps designed for December release were not issued. In 1964, the country issued a definitive series under Southern Rhodesia. This remained until the Unilateral Declaration of Independence after which it released its stamps under the name of Rhodesia. [10]
Rhodesia unilaterally proclaimed independence in 1965 and issued stamps until 1978. [11] No stamps were issued in 1979 during the Zimbabwe Rhodesia period.[ citation needed ]
The first stamps with the name Zimbabwe were issued on 18 April 1980, [12] they were a set of definitives and featured the same designs as the previous definitive stamps of Rhodesia. [13]
Southern Rhodesia was a landlocked self-governing British Crown colony in southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The region was informally known as south Zambesia until annexed by Britain at the behest of Cecil Rhodes's British South Africa Company, for whom the colony was named. The bounding territories were Bechuanaland (Botswana), Northern Rhodesia (Zambia), Portuguese Mozambique (Mozambique), and the Transvaal Republic.
The Bechuanaland Protectorate was a protectorate established on 31 March 1885 in Southern Africa by the United Kingdom. It became the Republic of Botswana on 30 September 1966.
This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of German East Africa.
The British Central Africa Protectorate existed in the area of present-day Malawi between 1891 and 1907.
This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of Bechuanaland Protectorate.
Rhodesia, known initially as Zambesia, is a historical region in southern Africa whose formal boundaries evolved between the 1890s and 1980. Demarcated and named by the British South Africa Company (BSAC), which governed it until the 1920s, it thereafter saw administration by various authorities. It was bisected by a natural border, the Zambezi. The territory to the north of the Zambezi was officially designated Northern Rhodesia by the company, and has been Zambia since 1964; that to the south, which the company dubbed Southern Rhodesia, became Zimbabwe in 1980. Northern and Southern Rhodesia were sometimes informally called "the Rhodesias".
Each "article" in this category is a collection of entries about several stamp issuers, presented in alphabetical order. The entries are formulated on the micro model and so provide summary information about all known issuers.
Aden is a city in southern Yemen. Aden's location made it a popular exchange port for mail passing between places around the Indian Ocean and Europe. When Captain S. B. Haines of the Indian Marine, the East India Company's navy, occupied Aden on 19 January 1839, mail services were immediately established in the settlement with a complement of two postal clerks and four letter carriers. An interim postmaster was appointed as early as June 1839. Mail is known to exist from 15 June 1839 although a regular postmaster was not appointed until 1857; one of the officials of the Political Agent or the civil surgeon performed the duties of postmaster for a small salary.
The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, also known as the Central African Federation (CAF), was a semi-independent state in southern Africa that existed from 1953 to the end of 1963.
This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of British Bechuanaland.
This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of Lesotho, formerly known as Basutoland.
This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of Nigeria.
This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of Zambia, formerly known as Northern Rhodesia.
This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of Malawi.
The Mosely Collection of British Africa stamps dating to 1935 was formed by Dr Edward Mosely of Johannesburg, South Africa. The collection was donated to the British Museum by his daughter, Kathleen Cunningham, in 1946 and is now held as part of the British Library Philatelic Collections. After the Tapling Collection, this is considered the Library's most important philatelic acquisition due to the number of countries represented and the number of unique items included.
On 6 July 1907 the British Central Africa Protectorate became the Nyasaland Protectorate and its first stamps were issued on 22 July 1908.
Bechuanaland first issued revenue stamps as Stellaland in 1884. Note: this information is wrong. Bechuanaland was split into British Bechuanaland and the Bechuanaland Protectorate. British Bechuanaland was added to the Cape Colony and the Bechuanaland Protectorate was governed from Mafeking until the seat of government was moved to Gaberone.
Nyasaland, now known as Malawi, first issued revenue stamps as British Central Africa in 1891 and continued to do so until the late 1980s.
Rhodesia, now divided between Zambia and Zimbabwe, first issued revenue stamps in 1890, and Zimbabwe continues to do so to this day.
