Cilicia (French Occupation)
French occupation issues of Turkish stamps with various overprints which all included CILICIE.
Dates: 1918 - 1921
Capital: Adana
Currency: 40 paras = 1 piastre
Album: French Occupation Issues
CIS
Refer: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)
Ciskei
One of the territories set up by the South African government as part of its apartheid policy.
Although the territory itself did not acquire international recognition, its stamps were
valid for postage.
Dates: 1981 -
Capital: Bisho
Currency: 100 cents = 1 rand
Album: South African Territories
Cochin
Cochin was a state of south India which merged with Travancore on 1 July 1949 to form Travancore-Cochin.
This in turn became the state of Kerala in 1956.
Dates: 1892 - 1949
Capital: Ernakulam
Currency: (1892) 6 puttans = 5 annas
(1898) 12 pies = 1 anna; 16 annas = 1 rupee
Album: Indian Native States
See also: Travancore-Cochin
Cochin-China
Stamps of France were introduced in 1862 when the region became a French colony. On 17 October 1887,
Cochin-China united with Cambodia, Annam and Tongking to form Indo-China. Stamps of Indo-China were
introduced in January 1889.
There were five Cochin-China stamps. All were surcharged French Colonies Commerce types. One (SG#3)
was distinctive by an overprint of C.CH.
Cochin-China is now the southern part of Vietnam.
Dates: 1886 - 1889
Capital: Saigon
Currency: 100 centimes = 1 franc
Album: Indo-China Territories
* Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Discovered by Captain William Keeling in 1609, the islands were uninhabited until 1826. They were
annexed by Britain in 1857. Administration was mainly by Singapore until 1955 when the islands were transferred
to Australia as a Dependent Territory.
Australian stamps were used 1955-1963 and again from 14 February 1966 to 8 July 1969 due to the introduction
of decimal currency.
Dates: 1963 -
Capital: West Island
Currency: (1963) 12 pence = 1 shilling; 20 shillings = 1 pound
(1969) 100 cents = 1 dollar
Coetivy
Coetivy is an island in the Indian Ocean, south of the main Seychelles group. A post office was opened
there in 1963. It was administered by Britain as part of the Seychelles until 8 November 1965 when it was
included in British Indian Ocean Territory. From 1976, Coetivy has been in the independent Seychelles and
uses stamps of Zil Elwannyen Sesel.
Refer: Zil Elwannyen Sesel
* Colombia
Dates: 1859 -
Capital: Bogota
Currency: 100 centavos = 1 peso
* Colombian Territories
Includes: Antioquia;
AVIANCA;
Bolivar;
Boyaca;
Cauca;
Cundinamarca;
Granadine Confederation;
LANSA;
New Granada;
Santander;
Tolima
Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
The CIS was founded in December 1991 at a meeting in Minsk of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. It was
intended to be a commonwealth of Slav republics to ensure co-operation in defence, economics and foreign
policy. It was subsequently joined by all the other former Soviet states except Georgia and the three Baltic
republics.
Stamps of the USSR continued to be used in the member states until each could introduce new types.
There have been no issues for the CIS as a whole.
Refer: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)
* Comoro Islands
An archipelago in the Indian Ocean, north west of Madagascar. The four main islands are Anjouan,
Grande Comore (Great Comoro), Mayotte and Moheli. Mayotte is politically a French overseas department,
while the others constitute the Comoros Republic.
The whole group came under French protection after 1841 and were separate colonies during 1891-1914.
In this period, each island issued French Colonial "Tablet" types inscribed with the island's name.
On 23 February 1914, they were attached to Madagascar as dependencies. British forces captured the islands
from Vichy control in 1942 and, on 9 May 1946, they became collectively a French overseas department
called ARCHIPEL DES COMORES.
Stamps of Madagascar & Dependencies were used 1914-1950. The first Comoros issue was on 15 May 1950.
Independence was declared on 6 July 1975 as the Comoros Republic, but this move was resisted in Mayotte
which continued to be part of France and now uses stamps of France. Mayotte has a predominantly
Catholic population whereas the other three islands are mainly Muslim.
Dates: 1950 -
Capital: Moroni (Grande Comore)
Currency: 100 centimes = 1 franc
Companhia do Nyassa
Refer: Nyassa
Confederate States of America
The Confederacy was established by the southern US states in February 1861 when they seceded from the Union.
This precipitated the US Civil War which ended 9 April 1865 with the surrender of Robert E Lee's army to
that of Ulysses S Grant.
The first Confederacy stamps were issued 18 October 1861. There were four issues in all with values ranging
from 2 to 20 cents. All the stamps were definitive types with portraits of Jefferson Davis (Confederacy
president) or of former Union presidents such as Washington, Jefferson and Jackson.
Dates: 1861 - 1865
Capital: Richmond (Virginia)
Currency: 100 cents = 1 dollar
Album: United States of America
Congo (Indian UN Force)
Stamps were issued to Indian military personnel with the United Nations force in the Congo. These were
six values of the familiar Indian map type overprinted UN FORCE (INDIA) CONGO.
Dates: 1962 only
Currency: 100 naye paise = 1 rupee
Album: Indian Overseas Forces
* Congo Free State
A vast country in central Africa which was not fully explored by Europeans until the 1870s. The missions,
including those of Stanley and Livingstone, were partly financed by King Leopold II of Belgium who established
the Congo Free State under his personal rule on 2 May 1885.
Stamps were issued from 1 January 1886 inscribed ETAT INDEPENDANT DU CONGO.
On 18 October 1908, the Congo was annexed by an Act of the Belgian parliament and renamed Belgian Congo
(Congo Belge). The first stamps with this inscription were issued on 1 January 1909. In the meantime,
stocks of Congo Free State stamps were overprinted CONGO BELGE.
Dates: 1886 - 1908
Capital: Leopoldville
Currency: 100 centimes = 1 franc
See also: Belgian Congo
* Congo Republic
Formerly Middle Congo.
Dates: 1959 -
Capital: Brazzaville
Currency: 100 centimes = 1 franc
See also: French Congo;
French Equatorial Africa;
Middle Congo
Congo Republic (Zaire)
Formerly Belgian Congo and Zaire.
Dates: 1960 - 1971
Capital: Kinshasa
Currency: (1960) 100 centimes = 1 franc
(1967) 100 sengi = 1 kuta; 100 kuta = 1 zaire
Album: Zaire
Constantinople
A number of foreign post offices were established in Constantinople. Most issued stamps of the home
country or general Levant types of that country. There were overprinted local issues by the Italian,
Polish, Rumanian and Russian offices.
Refer: Constantinople (Italian Post Office);
Constantinople (Polish Post Office);
Constantinople (Rumanian Post Office);
Constantinople (Russian Post Office)
Constantinople (Italian Post Office)
Dates: 1908 - 1923
Currency: 40 paras = 1 piastre
Album: Italian Post Offices in the Turkish Empire
Constantinople (Polish Post Office)
Dates: 1919 - 1921
Currency: 100 fenigi = 1 marka
Album: Polish Post Abroad
Constantinople (Rumanian Post Office)
Dates: 1896 - 1919
Currency: 40 paras = 1 piastre
Album: Rumanian Post Abroad
Constantinople (Russian Post Office)
The office was open 1863-1918 and normally used stamps of Russia or Russian Levant. There was an
individual overprint for Galata PO in Constantinople in 1909-10.
Dates: 1909 - 1910
Currency: 40 paras = 1 piastre
Album: Russian Post Offices in the Turkish Empire
Coo
Refer: Kos
* Cook Islands
Dates: 1892 -
Capital: Avarua
Currency: (1892) 12 pence = 1 shilling; 20 shillings = 1 pound
(1967) 100 cents = 1 dollar
Includes: Rarotonga
Cordoba
Dates: 1858 only
Currency: 100 centavos = 1 peso fuerte
Album: Argentine Territories
Corfu (Italian Occupation)
Italian occupation during brief dispute with Greece. Italian stamps overprinted CORFU were prepared
but only a few had been introduced when evacuation took place.
Dates: 1923 only
Currency: 100 centesimi = 1 lira
Album: Italian Occupation Issues
See also: Ionian Islands (Italian Occupation)
Corfu & Paxos (Italian Occupation)
Italian occupation forces issued Greek stamps overprinted CORFU. These were replaced by a general
issue for the whole of the Ionian Islands.
Dates: 1941 only
Currency: 100 lepta = 1 drachma (Greek)
Album: Italian Occupation Issues
See also: Ionian Islands (Italian Occupation)