group. A post office was opened there in 1963. It was administered by Britain as part of the Seychelles until 8 November 1965 when it was included in British Indian Ocean Territory. From 1976, Coetivy has been in the independent Seychelles and uses stamps of Zil Elwannyen Sesel. Refer Zil Elwannyen Sesel Colombia Dates 1859 – Capital Bogotá Currency 100 centavos = 1 peso Main Article Postage stamps and postal history of Colombia Colombian Territories Main Article Includes Antioquia; AVIANCA; Bolívar; Boyacá; Cauca; Cundinamarca; Granadine Confederation; LANSA; New Granada; Santander; Tolima Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) The CIS was founded in December 1991 at a meeting in Minsk of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. It was intended to be a commonwealth of Slav republics to ensure co-operation in defence, economics and foreign policy. It was subsequently joined by all the other former Soviet states except Georgia and the three Baltic republics. Stamps of the USSR continued to be used in the member states until each could introduce new types. There have been no issues for the CIS as a whole. Refer Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) Comoro Islands An archipelago in the Indian Ocean, north west of Madagascar. The four main islands are Anjouan, Grande Comore (Great Comoro), Mayotte and Moheli. Mayotte is politically a French overseas department, while the others constitute the Comoros Republic. The whole group came under French protection after 1841 and were separate colonies during 1891–1914. In this period, each island issued French Colonial Tablet types inscribed with the island's name. On 23 February 1914, they were attached to Madagascar as dependencies. British forces captured the islands from Vichy control in 1942 and, on 9 May 1946, they became collectively a French overseas department called ARCHIPEL DES COMORES. Stamps of Madagascar & Dependencies were used 1914–1950. The first Comoros issue was on 15 May 1950. Independence was declared on 6 July 1975 as the Comoros Republic, but this move was resisted in Mayotte which continued to be part of France and now uses stamps of France. Mayotte has a predominantly Catholic population whereas the other three islands are mainly Muslim. Dates 1950 – Capital Moroni (Grande Comore) Currency 100 centimes = 1 franc Main Article Postage stamps and postal history of the Comoros Companhia do Nyassa Refer Nyassa Confederate States of America The Confederacy was established by the southern U.S. states in February 1861 when they