Namibia
Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...
, formerly known as South West Africa and
German South West Africa
German South West Africa (german: Deutsch-Südwestafrika) was a colony of the German Empire from 1884 until 1915, though Germany did not officially recognise its loss of this territory until the 1919 Treaty of Versailles. With a total area of ...
, has a long history of postal services, starting in 1814 with postal runners delivering messages among
mission station
A Christian mission is an organized effort for the propagation of the Christian faith. Missions involve sending individuals and groups across boundaries, most commonly geographical boundaries, to carry on evangelism or other activities, such as ...
s. The first stamps were printed during the German colonial period.
NamPost
NamPost is the national postal service of Namibia. It has 743 employees and reserves of N$ 2.51 million. The current CEO of NamPost is Festus Hangula.
History
The first postal services in then South West Africa started in 1814 with the deplo ...
is responsible for running postal services, managing 135 postal offices in the country.
Pre-colonial period
The first postal services in Namibia (then known as South West Africa) started in 1814 with the deployment of messengers facilitating communication between the early
mission station
A Christian mission is an organized effort for the propagation of the Christian faith. Missions involve sending individuals and groups across boundaries, most commonly geographical boundaries, to carry on evangelism or other activities, such as ...
s at
Warmbad and
Bethanie and later to
Keetmanshoop and
Gross Barmen
Gross Barmen (German: Groß Barmen) is a historic settlement and a recreational spa on the Swakop River in central Namibia, north of Windhoek. It is situated on the District Road 1972, 25 km south-west of Okahandja in the Otjozondjupa Region ...
. This service was expanded in 1846, connecting the South West African mission stations to those in South Africa.
German colonial period
The first post office of South West Africa was founded in
Otjimbingwe
Otjimbingwe (also: Otjimbingue) is a settlement in the Erongo Region of central Namibia. It has approximately 8,000 inhabitants.
History
The area was already a temporary settlement of some Herero in the early 18th century. Their chief Tjiponda c ...
in 1888, further offices were established in Windhoek (1891) and
Swakopmund
Swakopmund (german: Mouth of the Swakop) is a city on the coast of western Namibia, west of the Namibian capital Windhoek via the B2 main road. It is the capital of the Erongo administrative district. The town has 44,725 inhabitants and covers ...
(1895).
South African period
The
South African Army overran the colony in 1914–15 and the territory was controlled by South Africa until Namibian independence in 1990.
Independent Namibia
Namibia has issued regular
definitive
Definitive may refer to:
* ''Definitive'' (TV series), an American music television series
* Definitive stamp, a postage stamp that is part of a regular issue of a country's stamps available for sale by the postal service
See also
* Definiten ...
and
commemorative stamp
A commemorative stamp is a postage stamp, often issued on a significant date such as an anniversary, to honor or commemorate a place, event, person, or object. The ''subject'' of the commemorative stamp is usually spelled out in print, unlike defi ...
s since independence in 1989. NamPost is the company responsible for postal service in Namibia. It has 743 employees in 135 post offices, and reserves of
N$2.51 million. CEO of NamPost is
Festus Hangula.
In 1989, the last stamps of South West Africa were a set of 15 depicting minerals and mining. Shortly before their issue in 1990, the territory gained independence as Namibia. As the stamps were new, most of the designs were kept with only the name changed (cuprite was dropped and willemite added for the Namibian issue).
Another problem was that one of the stamps, for
boltwoodite
Boltwoodite is a hydrated potassium uranyl silicate mineral with formula HK(UO2)(SiO4)·1.5(H2O). It is formed from the oxidation and alteration of primary uranium ores. It takes the form of a crust on some sandstones that bear uranium. These crus ...
, had an error in its chemical equation. This was corrected in the Namibian issue.
Minerals on Stamps
by Paul Glover, 14 November 2008. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
See also
* List of people on stamps of Namibia
References
Bibliography
* Gondwana Collection Namibia & NamPost. ''Stamps & Stories: 50 Stories on Namibia's Postage Stamps''. Windhoek: Gondwana Travel Centre, 2012 2 vols.
* Putzel, Ralph F. ''The Comprehensive Handbook of the Postmarks of German South West Africa/South West Africa/Namibia''. Tokai, South Africa: R.F. Putzel, 1991 600p.
* Reinert, Peter. ''UNTAG: A Postal History''. Windhoek: SWA Scientific Society, 1990 137p.
* ''The South African Stamp Colour Catalogue 2019-20''. 36th ed. Johannesburg: International Philatelic Service, 2019 406p.
* van den Hurk, George. ''Border Mail: Postal History and Markings of the War in Angola and Along the Namibian Border, 1975-1976''. Zug, Switzerland: G.J. van den Hurk, 1990 76p. Two further volumes appeared in 1990 (for 1977-80) and 1991 (for 1981-88).
* Van der Merwe, Barend Frederik. n Bedryfsekonomiese analise van die ontwikkeling van die poswese in Namibia''. Pretoria: Vista Universiteit, 1992 295p.
External links
AskPhil – Glossary of Stamp Collecting Terms
Birds on the stamps of Namibia by Rob and Jane Wilkinson
South West Africa
Communications in Namibia
Namibia
Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...
Postal history of Namibia
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