The Republic of Tuva, presently a state of Russia, was previously known as North Mongolia and Tannu. It occupied the northern part of what is today known as Mongolia. It became part of Russia in 1944. Its capital is Kyzyl.

The People’s Republic of Tuva issued postage stamps from 1926 until 1936. The early stamps were in several shapes, which included rectangles, triangles and diamonds. The text on the stamps was usually in Mongolian and they depicted exotic images of Tuvan life. Since the 1990’s stamps inscribed “Tuva” have appeared on the market. They are considered to be labels issued for commercial purposes.