Tuvalu

Tuvalu is an island country in the South Pacific. It is the former Ellice Islands as in Gilbert and Ellice Islands. Believe me when I say it is between Fiji and the equator, in case you decide to take a swim to visit it. Watch for sharks.

 File:Tuvalu first overprint.jpg|1976 5c overprint File:Tuvalu ray.jpg|1979 40c ray definitive 
 * Its first issue released in 1976 used Gilbert and Ellice pictorials overprinted TUVALU with the old country name blocked out in blue or silver. The watermarks are mixed from two issues.
 * Its first country-specific issue was issued at the same time commemorated the separation of Kiribati and Tuvalu.
 * Its own pictorial definitives followed later in that year.
 * Tuvalu then decided to become the champion of issuing topicals. Those who ask "How many Elvis issues can one country crank out?" can be told "Keep an eye on Tuvalu and count them up just before the end of the universe".