In recent times, the area Ethiopia’s borders now encompass was the Ethiopian Empire - and by recent, I mean that the ruling Solomonic Dynasty (claiming patrilineal connection to THE King Solomon through his tryst with the Queen of Sheba) founded the Ethiopian Empire (also known as Abyssinia) in 1270 AD. The Empire lasted all the way until Emperor Haile Selassie’s deposition in 1974, after which some form or other of a Democratic Republic of Ethiopia has presided. [There have been numerous attempts by the Italians in particular to colonize Ethiopia - without lasting success.] But that’s an awfully long time for en empire to hang around in these recent days - and in fact, at the time he was deposed in 1974, Haile Selassie was only one of three leaders still styled as Emperor (Japan and Iran; and briefly in the later 1970s, the Central African Republic had self-styled Emperor Bokassa I) (now it’s just Emperor Akihito, soon to be Emperor Naruhito).
Stamp details: Issued in: 1894 From: Addis Ababa, Ethiopian Empire MC #3, 7
Issued on: December 5, 1936 From: Addis Ababa, Italian East Africa MC #1
Issued on: June 22, 1942 From: Addis Ababa, Ethiopian Empire MC #196
Issued on: September 11, 1975 From: Addis Ababa, Provisional Military Government of Socialist Ethiopia MC #829
Issued on: September 10, 1987 From: Addis Ababa, People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia MC #1277
Issued on: March 31, 1994 From: Addis Ababa, Transitional Government of Ethiopia MC #1458
Issued on: December 26, 1996 From: Addis Ababa, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia MC #1557
Stamps on bottom: Issued on: November 6, 2016 From: Addis Ababa, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia MC #1980-1981
Recognized as a sovereign state by the UN: Yes (since November 13, 1945) Official name: Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia; የኢትዮጵያ ፌዴራላዊ ዴሞክራሲያዊ ሪፐብሊክ Member of the Universal Postal Union: Yes (since November 1, 1908)
