The modern nation of Tanzania began its postal history as the German territory of German East Africa. German stamps overprinted "Deutsch-Ostafrika" were used from 1893 until the Yacht Hohenzollern keytype issues appeared in 1900. British and Belgian forces occupied the area during World War I. Belgium overprinted stamps of Belgian Congo "RUANDA" or "URUNDI" in 1916, as well as a generic series overprinted "GERMAN EAST AFRICA//BELGIAN OCCUPATION" in French and Flemish, plus a series of semi-postal stamps "A.O.". British occupation forces overprinted stamps from Nyasaland Protectorate, "N.F." (Nyasaland Forces), and stamps from East Africa and Uganda "G.E.A." (note: similar stamps, watermarked multiple Crown and Script CA, rather than Crown and CA multiple, are considered to be issues of British Tanganyika). The territory was divided after World War I, with the majority being incorporated into the British colony of Tanganyika. Other bits were distributed to Belgium, Portugal (Kionga, later Mozambique), and Italy (Oltre Giuba). The Belgian-occupied portion of the colony was renamed "Ruanda Urundi". Initially, stamps of the Belgian Congo overprinted with the new colony's name were used; later, issues similar to Belgian Congo, but bearing the name "Ruanda-Urundi" appeared. Ruanda-Urundi achieved independence in 1962, as the nations of Rwanda and Burundi.
Catalogue manufacturers disagree on how to include the stamps inscribed "East Africa and Uganda Protectorates". Scott Publishing Company separates out the Edward VII issue, and the George V issue on paper watermarked Crown and CA multiple, as belonging to the East Africa and Uganda postal authorities. Stanley Gibbons places ALL the East Africa and Uganda Protectorate in with the Kenya, Uganda, and Tanganyika issues. Yvert y Tellier, the French catalogue, includes all stamps inscribed "East Africa and Uganda Protectorates" with the British East Africa issues under East Africa ("Afrique Orientale Anglaise"). However they are listed, the stamps of East Africa and Uganda were replaced by stamps inscribed "Kenya and Uganda" in 1922, and by stamps inscribed "Kenya, Uganda, and Tanganyika" in 1935. Kenya, Uganda, and Tanganyika all achieved independence in the early 1960's, and began issuing their own stamps, while still issuing and using stamps inscribed "Kenya, Uganda, and Tanganyika". A single issue was produced in 1964, inscribed "Kenya, Uganda, Tanganyika & Zanzibar", when Zanzibar and Tanganyika united. Stamps issued after 1964 appeared withthe name "Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania", when Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged into the nation of Tanzania. Stamps from the combined postal authorities of Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania were issued until 1976, when the three postal authorities terminated the joint arrangement. Stamps bearing the names of the individual nations, Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, were used exclusively within the named territories after 1976.
