Once upon a time, the island that came to be known as Norfolk was inhabited by Polynesians - but they were long gone by the time the Brits started administering the island out of Australia as a penal colony in 1788. There were two periods during which the penal system was run, before the convict settlements were abandoned and the outgrowth of Pitcairner population (pretty much all of whom were descendants of Fletcher Christian and his men and the Tahitian women with which they cohabited) was given Norfolk in 1856. The population today hovers around 1,700 on the 15-square-mile island, again with most of them still direct descendants of Fletcher Christian and his men. Norfolk Island is one of Australia’s external territories, although there was a recent change in its autonomous governance that has led some Norfolk Islanders to appeal variously to the UN for “non-self-governing territory” status, and to New Zealand for inclusion in its territories.
Stamp details:
Stamps on top:
Issued on: June 10, 1947
From: Kingston, Territory of Norfolk Island
MC #1, 4
Middle stamps:
Issued on: June 10, 1997
From: Kingston, Territory of Norfolk Island
MC #635-636
Stamp on bottom:
Issued on: May 4, 2006
From: Kingston, Territory of Norfolk Island
MC #949
Recognized as a sovereign state by the UN: No
Claimed by: External Territory of the Commonwealth of Australia
Member of the Universal Postal Union: Yes (as a part of the Commonwealth of Australia on October 1, 1907)
