The history of mail and postage stamps of Burundi, a small state in East Africa with its capital in Bujumbura, conventionally includes several stages: the period of being part of German East Africa until 1916, the period of Belgian occupation, the period of being part of the Belgian Mandate Territory, the period of the independent Kingdom of Burundi and Republic of Burundi since 1966. Burundi has been a member of the Universal Postal Union since 1963.