The voyage of discovery of the River Zaïre, 1979
The River Zaire, formerly the Congo, is the second longest in Africa at 4,670 kilometers / 2,900 miles and rises in the southeastern region where it is called the Lualaba. Tides effect the river up to 100 kilometers / 62 miles upstream. It flows through tropical rainforest and grasslands on its way to its mouth in the Atlantic Ocean. The source of the Zaire is the Lualaba River by the border of Zaire and Zambia. From here it flows north and crosses the Equator where it then drops down the mighty Boyoma Falls, a spectacular waterfall. The river then flows through tropical rainforest, following the border between Congo and Zaire. The people of Zaire call the river "Zaire". The people of Congo call it the "Congo". There are many rapids found on the Zaire, both near its source and near its mouth. The rapids are very useful to the people who live in Congo and Zaire. Many species of fish live in the river. The fishermen have found a way of catching the fish in the rapids.
Date of issue: (12?) February 1979
Expiration date:
Design:
Printing:
Perforation: 14
Size: 46 x 27 mm
Sheet: 12 (2 x 6) & 14 (2 x 7)
Marginal inscriptions: none
Circulation:
No 967. 1k, indigenous dancer
No 968. 3k, tropical bird
No 969. 4k, male elephant
No 970. 10k, cotton, diamond, coffee leaf
No 971. 14k, black hand holding a torch
No 972. 17k, female lions head and water lily
No 973. 25k, waterfalls of Inzia
No 974. 50k, fishermen of Wagenia
The series:
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The imperforated series is in size and coloring exact the same as above:
Remark: the white border around these stamps is much larger when cut from a side, top, bottom or corner of a sheet.
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Block 30A/B (size sheet 13.3 x 10 cm)
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Block 30A/B the imperforated series is in size and coloring exact the same as above:
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“Pseudo recto-versa”, actually the ink that was wet from the previous sheet and stuck to the back of the sheet on top when the overprinting was done. (The whole series is known)
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Printer’s proofs (several different ones are known):
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