Postage stamps and postal history of Georgia facts for kids

A 1919 stamp from Georgia

This article is about the postage stamps and postal history of Georgia. Postal history is the story of how mail was sent and delivered, and how stamps were used over time.

Georgia is a country in the Caucasus region, which is a crossroads between Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is bordered by the Black Sea to the west, Russia to the north, Turkey and Armenia to the south, and Azerbaijan to the east. Georgia covers about 69,700 square kilometers and has a population of around 4.385 million people.

In the early 1800s, Georgia became part of the Russian Empire. After the Russian Revolution in 1917, Georgia had a short time as an independent country. However, in 1921, it was invaded by Bolshevik armies and joined the Soviet Union in 1922. Georgia became independent again in 1991.

Georgia's First Stamps

Georgia issued its very first postage stamps on May 26, 1919. These stamps were used during the country's brief period of independence after the Russian Revolution. Another series of stamps was released in 1921.

Stamps from the Early Soviet Era

In January and February 1922, Georgia issued a series of five stamps. These stamps were for Georgia's time as a member of the Soviet Republic.

Stamps of the Transcaucasian Federation

From March 1922 to September 1923, Georgia used stamps from the Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic. This was a larger group of countries that Georgia was part of. These stamps often had new text printed over them, which is called an "overprint." After October 1, 1923, Georgia used the general stamps issued by this Transcaucasian Federation.

When Georgia Used Soviet Stamps

From 1924 until 1993, people in Georgia used stamps from the main Soviet Union. This happened after the Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic became fully part of the U.S.S.R.

Modern stamps of Georgia from 2005.

Georgia Becomes Independent Again

After the Soviet Union ended, Georgia became an independent country once more in April 1991. It started issuing its own stamps again on July 31, 1993.

Unlike some other countries that used to be part of the Soviet Union, Georgia did not print new text over old Soviet stamps right away. They started with completely new designs. However, some Georgian stamps did get overprints in 1994.

Stamps from Abkhazia

There are also stamps that claim to be from the Republic of Abkhazia. Abkhazia is an area in western Georgia that is not recognized as an independent country by most other nations. Many of the stamps from Abkhazia are thought to be "bogus" or fake. They were likely made in other countries just to sell to stamp collectors. However, more recently, Abkhazia has produced stamps that might be used for mail within that specific area. Still, these stamps are not recognized by the Universal Postal Union (UPU), which is the main organization for postal services worldwide.

Images for kids

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  Modern stamps of Georgia from 2005.

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  1919 St. George Series

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  1919 St. George Series

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  1919 St. George Series

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  1919 St. George Series

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  1920 Queen Thamar series

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  1920 Queen Thamar series

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  1920 Queen Thamar series

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  A 1922 stamp