Transkei (South Africa)

Fossils and prehistoric animals on stamps and postmarks of Transkei

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Contents:
Transkei, officially the Republic of Transkei, was a Bantustan—an area set aside for members of a specific ethnicity—and nominal parliamentary democracy in the southeastern region of South Africa.
Its capital was Umtata, which was renamed Mthatha in 2004.
Transkei represented a significant precedent and historic turning point in South Africa's policy of apartheid and "separate development"; it was the first of four territories to be declared independent of South Africa.
Throughout its existence, it remained an internationally unrecognized, diplomatically isolated, politically unstable de facto one-party state, which at one point broke relations with South Africa, the only country that acknowledged it as a legal entity.
In 1994, it was reintegrated into its larger neighbour and became part of the Eastern Cape province. [R1]

Created in the 1970’s as a result of the Apartheid system in South Africa, 20 individual territories were set aside for the black inhabitants of the country.
Of these, four were declared to be independent countries, known as Transkei, Bophuthatswana, Venda and Ciskei, and each produced postage stamps for internal use.
These ‘countries’ were never acknowledged by the rest of the world and, in 1994 when Apartheid collapsed, they were amalgamated back into South Africa.


Transkei issued its own stamps during its independent time: 26.10.1976 - 26.04.1994.
These stamps are still valid for post in South Africa and listed in all major stamp catalogs. [R2]
Some examples of a letters with stamps of Transkei sent to Germany from South Africa in 2015 are below:
Letter with fossil stamps Transkei from 1992 sent from South Africa to Germany in 2015 Letter with fossil stamps Transkei from 1993 sent from South Africa to Germany in 2015
Letter with stamps Transkei from 1992 sent from South Africa to Germany in 2015. "Fossils" (2nd set in series), MiNr.: 295-298, Scott: 279-282 Letter with stamps Transkei from 1993 sent from South Africa to Germany in 2015. "Fossils: Prehistoric animals" (3nd set in series), MiNr.: 303-306, Scott: 287-290




Official stamps of Transkei related to Paleontology: fossils and reconstructions of prehistoric plants and animals

18.01.1990 "Plant fossils" (1st set in series) 17.09.1992 "Fossils" (2nd set in series) 18.06.1993 "Fossils: Prehistoric animals" (3nd set in series)
Plant fossils on stamps of Transkei 1990 Fossils on stamps of Transkei 1992 Prehistoric animals on stamps of Transkei 1993



Commemorative postmarks of Transkei related to Paleontology: fossils and reconstructions of prehistoric plants and animals

Legend is here
18.01.1990 "Plant fossils" (1st set in series) 17.09.1992 "Fossils" (2nd set in series) 18.06.1993 "Fossils: Prehistoric animals" (3nd set in series)
Shell fossil on postmark of Transkei 1990 Shell fossil on postmark of Transkei 1992 Dinosaur on postmark of Transkei 1993



References:



Acknowledgements:
Many thanks to Dr. Peter Voice from Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Western Michigan University, for reviewing the draft page and his valuable comments.


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