Stamps of the British Empire: A World Tour

Uganda came under British control via the Anglo-German Helgoland-Zanzibar Treaty of 1890 and became independent on 9 October 1962. Two early Uganda Protectorate stamps and six combined "East Africa and Uganda Protectorates" George V issues are mounted here, alongside four modern East African Community commemoratives.

Occupied by British-Indian forces in 1915, Tanganyika was administered as a British mandate to 1936 and became an independent republic on 9 December 1961. A German colonial ship stamp, a British "Kilwa" overprint, and two Uhuru-era stamps trace the transition.

Discovered by the Portuguese in 1507, held by the Dutch from 1598, settled by the French from 1712 and ceded to Britain in 1810. This page carries an insert on the celebrated 1847 "Post Office" issue — only twelve of the original 500 survive today — alongside fourteen George V and VI definitives.

Settled by Arab traders from the 10th century, Zanzibar came under British protection in 1890 and merged with Tanganyika to form Tanzania in 1964. Twelve Sultan-portrait stamps trace the classic definitive series.

Declared the British Central Africa Protectorate in 1891 and renamed Nyasaland in 1907, the territory became independent as Malawi on 6 July 1964. Seven stamps run from the earliest 1891 issues overprinted "B.C.A." through a leopard-pictorial definitive.

Administered by the British South Africa Company until Britain took over in 1923, Northern Rhodesia became independent as Zambia on 24 October 1964. Two crest-and-portrait QEII stamps are shown.

Taken into the British South Africa Company's possession in 1889/90, the territory became Zimbabwe in 1980. Stamps trace classic BSAC coat-of-arms designs through tobacco and emerald-mining pictorials to the 1965 Independence issue.

The Basuto kingdom became a British protectorate in 1868 and independent as Lesotho on 4 October 1966. Three stamps here include a Churchill/QEII joint commemorative, plus two Moshoeshoe-anniversary issues.

British Bechuanaland covered the southern territory from 1885. Five stamps span a "Bechuanaland Protectorate" overprint through a 75th-anniversary QEII issue to a hoopoe bird and a ground-scraper thrush definitive.

Boer settlers from the Cape Colony founded a free state here in 1839. Ten Victoria and Edward VII definitives span 1857–1908; a note on Zululand is illustrated with two classic Zululand stamps.