Bolívar is a department of Colombia. It was one of the original nine states of the "United States of Colombia". Bolivar is in the north of the country, extending from the coast at Cartagena near the mouth of the

Magdalena River The Magdalena River ( es, Río Magdalena, ; less commonly ) is the main river of Colombia, flowing northward about through the western half of the country. It takes its name from the biblical figure Mary Magdalene. It is navigable through much of ...

, then south along the river to a border with Antioquia.

Postage stamps

Bolívar issued its own

postage stamp A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail), who then affix the stamp to the f ...

s from 1863 to 1904. Most of them feature portraits of Simón Bolívar, and most are commonly available, although as with all the Colombian states, surviving uses on cover are scarce.

Sources

* Stanley Gibbons Ltd: various catalogues
Encyclopaedia of Postal Authorities
* Rossiter, Stuart & John Flower. ''The Stamp Atlas''. London: Macdonald, 1986.

External links

Colombia-Panama Philatelic Study Group
Philately of Colombia Bolívar (state) {{philately-stub br:Timbroù Stadoù-Unanet Kolombia fr:Timbres de l'État de Bolívar