World Post Day

Today is World Post Day and is the anniversary of the establishment of the Universal Postal Union in 1874 in the Swiss capital, Bern.

In many countries, stamp exhibitions are organized and special stamps are issued. In the United States, October is designated as "Stamp Collecting" month.

According to an article in the Jamaica Gleaner, World Post Day is "...celebrated annually on October 9 to ensure that the role of the postal service in the global economy is recognised. The postal service continues to make a tremendous impact on people's lives all across the world. "

Michael Gentles, Jamaica's Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer is quoted in the article as saying, "Based on a global network of more than 660,000 post offices and approximately five million employees, it is a public service which continues to grow. Over time, the quality of service improvements adds tremendous value to both the business community and individual. Each year, postal services all over the world handle and deliver nearly 436 billion letter-post items in their domestic and international services, and six billion parcels."

Shown above is Sri Lanka's World Post Day stamp from 2006.

To read the entire piece, click here.