Postage stamps and postal history of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Postage stamps and postal history of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands The first mail service to the Gilbert and Ellice Islands was ad hoc, depending on which ships were calling at the various islands. A regular service began in 1911; Edward VII postage stamps of Fiji were overprinted and put on sale on 1 January of that year, followed in March by a set of four stamps depicting a "Pandanus" tree, inscribed . These were followed in 1912 by George V stamps of the common type, inscribed . A new definitive series came out starting 14 January 1939, featuring local
Flag of the Gambier Islands Flag of the Gambier Islands The Flag of the Gambier Islands is the flag of the Gambier Islands of French Polynesia in the Pacific Ocean administered by France. In 1837, the seaman Armand Mauruc requested that King Maputeoa adopt a Gambier national flag to commence trade. The flag of the Gambier Islands is horizontally divided white-blue-white with five stars placed 2 (blue stars in the upper white stripe), 1 (white star in the middle blue stripe) and 2 (blue stars in the upper white stripe). The four blue stars in the corners represent the islands of Mangareva, Taravai, Aukena and