Tanzania: Stone Town in Zanzibar

Stone Town is the old part of Zanzibar City, the main city of Zanzibar, in Tanzania. Stone Town is located on the western coast of Unguja, the main island of the Zanzibar Archipelago. Former capital of the Zanzibar Sultanate, and flourishing center of the spice trade as well as the slave trade in the 19th century, it retained its importance as the main city of Zanzibar during the period of the British protectorate. When Tanganyika and Zanzibar joined each other to form the United Republic of Tanzania, Zanzibar kept a semi-autonomous status, with Stone Town as its local government seat.

Stone Town is a city of prominent historical and artistic importance in East Africa. Its architecture, mostly dating back to the 19th century, reflects the diverse influences underlying the Swahili culture, giving a unique mixture of Arab, Persian, Indian and European elements. For this reason, the town was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.

 This nice giraffe stamp from set Wildlife of Tanzania, issued on 13.2.2017.

Thank you Wolfgang!

The Big Five series on cover from Tanzania

I received wonderful cover from Tanzania with minisheet The Big Five series, issued on 30.7.2013. They issued five stamps on minisheets, and this one is with African bush elephants. The Big Five is name in Africa, for five big animals: the lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and Cape buffalo. The term was coined by big-game hunters, and refers to the five most difficult animals in Africa to hunt on foot, but is now also widely used by safari tour operators. Africa's Big Five have become major concerns for wildlife conservationists in recent years. The African lion, African leopard and African bush elephant are all classified as vulnerable. The southern white rhinoceros is classified as near threatened while the black rhinoceros is classified as critically endangered, so hunting them is greatly restricted for the latter.



Thank you very much Henrik!

Flags of the World Series: Tanzania

This is my third postcard from Tanzania, this time from Flags of the World Series. United Republic of Tanzania is a sovereign state in eastern Africa within the African Great Lakes region. European colonialism began in mainland Tanzania during the late 19th century when Germany formed German East Africa, which gave way to British rule following World War I. The mainland was governed as Tanganyika, with the Zanzibar Archipelago remaining a separate colonial jurisdiction. Following their respective independence in 1961 and 1963, the two entities merged in April 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania.

Stamps on postcard:
Waterbuck, from set Wild Animals of Africa, issued on 28.10.2010.
Kuria lady from Mara, from set Ceremonial Costumes of Tanzania, issued on 30.11.2013.


Thank you Yangyang Hong!

Tanzania: Zebra in Ngorongoro Conservation Area

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area  is a protected area and a World Heritage Site located 180 km west of Arusha in the Crater Highlands area of Tanzania. The area is named after Ngorongoro Crater, a large volcanic caldera within the area. The name of the crater has an onomatopoeic origin; it was named by the Maasai pastoralists after the sound produced by the cowbell (ngoro ngoro). Based on fossil evidence found at the Olduvai Gorge, various hominid species have occupied the area for 3 million years.

Stamps on postcard:

International Year of Dialogue Among Civilizations, issued on 09.10.2001.
Waterbuck (from set Wild Animals of Tanzania), issued on 31.08.2009.


Thank you Yangyang Hong!

Cover from Czech Republic with 5 fauna mini sheets

I have received a cover from Czech Republic with 5 fauna mini sheets from African countries. On this Czech cover you can see two really nice stamps:

Easter, issued on 04.03.2015.
St Wenceslas by J.V.Myslbek, 1848-1922 – Symbol of the Czech Statehood, issued 06.06.2012.

From Komoros:
Turtles: Chelonia mydas and Psammobates geometricus, issued on 05.09.2009.

From Komoros:
Mammals: Elemur mongoz & Musa paradisiaca sapientum, issued on 05.09.2009. 

From Guinea:
Giraffa camelopardalis, issued on 31.05.2013.

From Tanzania:
Birds of Prey: Pseudogyps africanus, issued on 30.09.1994.

From Togo:
Hippopotamus: Choeropsis liberiensis, issued in 2013.


Thank you Romana!

Street market in Tanzania

Tanzania is a country in Eastern Africa within the African Great Lakes region. Parts of the country are in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north; Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west; Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south; and by the Indian Ocean to the east. Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain, is in northeastern Tanzania.

This stamp is from set Tanzania Heritage Sites, issued on 20.09.2014.

Thank you Deo!