The history of mail and postage stamps of Eritrea, a state of North-East Africa with its capital in Asmara, is conventionally divided into several periods: the pre-stamp period, the period of Italian colonization (1890 - 1941), the period of British occupation (1941 - 1952), the period of the Federation of Ethiopia and Eritrea ( 1952 - 1962), the period of being part of Ethiopia (1962 - 1993), the period of independence since 1993. Eritrea has been a member of the Universal Postal Union since 1993. The first Eritrean postage stamps were issued on January 1, 1893. Then the stamps of Italy were overprinted with the text “Colonia Eritrea” (Colony of Eritrea). Before this, in Massawa, from 1869 to 1885, Egyptian stamps were used in postal circulation and Italian post offices were opened.