What is the Universal Postal Union, and why are the countries mentioned here and others so busy issuing stamps to celebrate its anniversary?
The Universal Postal Union is an international organization that regulates the handling of mail between different countries. Its mission is represented by the UPU official emblem shown in Figure 2. The emblem pictures five messengers passing letters around the globe. Representatives of the 189 UPU member nations meet once every five years at the UPU congress to decide upon guidelines for international mail handling that make it possible for mail from one country to be delivered in another country. The 22nd UPU congress will take place this year from Aug. 23 through Sept. 15 in Beijing, China. Consider this question: If you place a 55ยข stamp on a postcard and mail it to a friend in France, why should the French postal service bother to deliver it for you? After all, the money you paid for your postage stamp went to the United States Postal Service, not La Poste, which is the name of the French postal service. Your postcard will be delivered because the United States and France are both
