Postage stamps and postal history of Kionga


The Kionga Triangle was a tiny territory on the border between German East Africa and the Portuguese colony of Mozambique, originally German, but occupied by Portuguese forces in 1916. The triangle was the only German territory that the post-war Treaty of Versailles awarded to Portugal.
On May 29, 1916, 100-reis postage stamps from Lourenço Marques were overprinted with "KIONGA" and one of the denominations ½c, 1c, 2½c, and 5c. These were the only stamps issued for Kionga. Most of the stock of the Marques stamps lacked gum, and in 2013, the Scott Catalogue listed the average purchase price of a high-quality set without gum at US$ 97.50. Examples with original gum will command a premium.