Value and country name inscribed: Zambezia at the end of the 19th century was a district in the center of the Mozambique province, in what was then known as Portuguese East Africa Colony and which today is the Republic of Mozambique. Stamps of Mozambique were used in the region until 1894, when the first stamps of Zambezia were issued: 12 definitives depicting King Carlos encircled by a frame containing the names “Portugal” and “Zambezia.”

Value and country name overprinted: The 23 stamps in the next set were issued in 1898, 1901 and 1903. Though similar to the first set, this keytype issue had the country name and denomination applied in black on all but the 500-reis issue, which had these elements in red. All of the remaining postage stamps issued for Zambezia (through 1917) were varieties of these first two issues overprinted with new denominations or the single words “Provisorio” or “Republica.”