Marshall Islands

The former Caroline Islands were renamed after they became a German Protectorate by agreement with Spain. When their first stamps appeared in 1897, they were German issues overprinted Marschall-Inseln, or “Marshall Islands”, in German. The islands were seized by Japan in 1914 (World War I) and that country’s stamps were used while the Japanese administered them under a League of Nations mandate. The islands were invaded and occupied by the U.S. in World War II, and became part of the U.S. Trust Territory of the Pacific. The territory began issuing its own stamps in 1984 with a special issue devoted to the inauguration of the postal service. The U.S. Postal Service continues to carry mail to and from the islands.