The French post offices in Zanzibar were
post office
A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional ser ...
s operated by
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
in
Zanzibar
Zanzibar (; ; ) is an insular semi-autonomous province which united with Tanganyika in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania. It is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of many small islan ...
from January 16 1889 to July 31 1904, when the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
took direct control of what had previously been a protectorate.
The first issues prepared by France for use in Zanzibar were French stamps of the "
Type Sage" design, overprinted with denominations expressed in annas (i.e. a sub-division of the Zanzibar rupee) across the top of the stamp. These began to appear in 1894. In 1896, France re-issued these stamps with an additional "ZANZIBAR" overprint across the bottom of the stamp. Many of the stamps of this design, especially those of 1897 created by printing on stamp margins, are very rare and expensive.
In 1902 French stamps of the "
Type Blanc", "
Type Mouchon," and "
Type Merson" design were issued for use. These stamps incorporated the word "Zanzibar" as a part of the design, but still overprinted with denominations in annas. Stamps of this design were not regularly issued without the surcharge in annas.
See also
*
Postage stamps and postal history of Tanzania
1964 Founding of the union issue.
framed, 10-cent flag, 1965 1-shilling stamp of 1965, used at Shinyanga probably in 1968. Note that the postmark still gives "Tanganyika" as country name.
5-shilling stamp of 1980 depicting lion and cubs.
The ...
*
Postage stamps and postal history of Zanzibar
This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of Zanzibar.
Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous part of the Tanzania, United Republic of Tanzania, in East Africa. It comprises most of the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean.
The islands ...
Sources
*
Stanley Gibbons Ltd: various catalogues
AskPhil – Glossary of Stamp Collecting Terms*
Rossiter, Stuart & John Flower. ''The Stamp Atlas''. London: Macdonald, 1986.
Postage stamps of France
Postal system of France
Philately of Tanzania
Philately of France
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