Postage stamps and postal history of Brazil Postage stamps and postal history of Brazil Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world. It was a colony of Portugal from 1500 until 1815. Brazil was the second country in the world, after Great Britain, to issue postage stamps valid within the entire country (as opposed to a local issue). Like Great Britain's first stamps, the design does not include the country name. The first stamps of Brazil were issued on 1 August 1843 and are known as "Bull's Eyes" due to their distinctive appearance. On 1 July 1844 a new series was issued which is known as
Postage stamps and postal history of Niger Postage stamps and postal history of Niger This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of Niger, a former French colony that obtained independence in 1960. Niger is a landlocked country in West Africa named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east. Niger covers a land area of almost 1,270,000 km, over 80 percent of which is covered by the Sahara desert. The capital city is Niamey. In 1920, Niger was separated from Upper