French Equatorial Africa (AEF) [1886–1958] Africa • Middle Africa


Timeline of stamp issuing entities of French Equatorial Africa (AEF) and connected areas

French Gabon 1886–1932
French Congo 1891–1903
French Middle Congo 1907–1933
French occupation of German Cameroon 1915–1917
Ubangi-shari 1915–1931
French Cameroon 1921–1956
French Chad 1922–1931
French Equatorial Africa (AEF) 1936–1958
Cameroon 1958–today
Republic of Congo (Brazzaville) 1958–1970
Central African Republic 1959–today
Chad 1959–today
Gabon 1959–today
Southern Cameroons [United Kingdom Trust Territory] 1960–1961
Peoples Republic of Congo (Brazzaville) 1970–1992
Republic of Congo (Brazzaville) 1992–today
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1890
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1900
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1910
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1920
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1930
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1940
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1950
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1960
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1970
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1980
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1990
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2000
2010
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2020

Stamp issuing entities of French Equatorial Africa (AEF) and connected areas

Name Issued
stamps 		Bird
stamps
1886–1932 French Gabon

France officially occupied the area in 1885. In 1910, Gabon became one of the four territories of French Equatorial Africa, a federation that survived until 1959. The postal administrations was separate until 1936.

 ≈ 200
1891–1903 French Congo ≈ 50
1907–1933 French Middle Congo ≈ 100
1915–1917 French occupation of German Cameroon

France gained the larger geographical share, transferred Neukamerun back to neighboring French colonies, and ruled the rest from Yaoundé as Cameroun (French Cameroons).

→ see under German West Africa 		≈ 50
1915–1931 Ubangi-shari ≈ 100
1921–1956 French Cameroon ≈ 300
1922–1931 French Chad ≈ 80
1936–1958 French Equatorial Africa (AEF) ≈ 300 ≈ 1
1958–today Cameroon

French Cameroons achieved independence on January 1, 1960 as the Republic of Cameroon.

→ see under Cameroon 		≈ 1 Thousand ≈ 33
1958–1970 Republic of Congo (Brazzaville)

Following the revision of the French constitution that established the Fifth Republic in 1958, the AEF dissolved into its constituent parts, each of which became an autonomous colony within the French Community. During these reforms, Middle Congo became known as the Republic of the Congo in 1958,

→ see under Congo Republic 		≈ 200 ≈ 93
1959–today Central African Republic
→ see under Central African Republic 		≈ 3 Thousand ≈ 258
1959–today Chad

Chad (Arabic: تشاد‎ Tšād; French: Tchad), officially the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. Chad was granted independence on 11 August 1960 with the PPT’s leader, a Sara people François Tombalbaye, as its first president.

→ see under Chad 		≈ 2 Thousand ≈ 157
1959–today Gabon
→ see under Gabon 		≈ 2 Thousand ≈ 53
1960–1961 Southern Cameroons [United Kingdom Trust Territory]

After French Cameroun became independent in January 1960, it was decided to hold plebiscites in Northern and Southern Cameroons in February 1961. Northern Cameroons opted to join Nigeria, effective from 31 May 1961, and so continued to use Nigerian stamps as before. Southern Cameroons opted to join Cameroon on 1 October 1961. In the meantime, the area was administered as a United Kingdom Trust Territory (UKTT) and used stamps of Nigeria, values one halfpenny to one pound, that were inscribed CAMEROONS U.K.T.T. These stamps were also valid in Northern Cameroons. The stamps became invalid in each area when its separate existence ended.

→ see under Cameroon 		≈ 10
1970–1992 Peoples Republic of Congo (Brazzaville)

The People’s Republic of the Congo (French: République populaire du Congo) was a self-declared Marxist–Leninist socialist state that was established in 1970 in the Republic of the Congo. Led by the Congolese Party of Labour (French: Parti congolais du travail, PCT), it existed until 1991, when the country was renamed and the PCT government was eliminated amidst the wave of multiparty reforms that swept Africa in the early 1990s.

→ see under Congo Republic 		≈ 1 Thousand
1992–today Republic of Congo (Brazzaville)

The Republic of the Congo (French: République du Congo), sometimes referred to as Congo Republic or Congo-Brazzaville, is a country located in Central Africa.

→ see under Congo Republic 		≈

About French Equatorial Africa (AEF)

French Equatorial Africa (French: Afrique équatoriale française) or the AEF was the federation of French colonial possessions in Central Africa, extending northwards from the Congo River to the Sahara. Established in 1910, the federation contained five territories: French Congo and Gabon, Oubangui-Chari, Chad and French Cameroon (after World War I), although the last was not organized as a separate entity until 1920. The Governor-General was based in Brazzaville with deputies in each territory. The postal administrations of the four territories were separate until 1936, each issuing its own stamps.

Bibliography

  • Michael Round, “French Congo Pictorials of 1900,” Gibbons Stamp Monthly, July 2016: 58-61.
© 2013-2019 Tamás Majoros
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