title: Postage stamps and postal history of Tunisia
text: # Postage stamps and postal history of Tunisia
  
  This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of Tunisia.
  
  Tunisia is the northernmost country in Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area is almost 165,000 km², with an estimated population of just over 10.3 million. Its name is derived from the capital Tunis located in the north-east.
  
  ## First stamps
  
  The first stamps were issued for the French protectorate of Tunisia on 1 July 1888, marked "Régence de Tunis" (Regency of Tunis).
  
  ## Independence
  
  Tunisia achieved independence from France on March 20, 1956 as the Kingdom of Tunisia. A year later, Tunisia was declared a republic.
  
  