Mari El

Mari El, or Марий Эл, is a republic of the Russian Federation. It is located in central eastern European Russia on the Volga River, next to your favorites Tatarstan and Mordovia.

While Mari El is real, it does not and never issued its own stamps; the stamps supposedly being issued by it are not genuine. Beginning in the early 1990s, old Soviet stamps were surcharged with MARI, МАРИЙ ЭЛ or РЕСПУБЛИКА / МАРИЙ ЭЛ plus a topical-type image. Various topical sheetlets, etc. followed, inscribed Republic of Mari El, МАРИЙ ЭЛ, МАРИŃ ЭЛ (sic), MARI EL, MARIJ EL, plus various bilingual combinations just for maximum confusion.  File:MariEl birds.jpg File:Mari-El Owl.jpg File:Mari-El shrooms.jpg File:Mari-El sundew.jpg File:Mari-El Amanitas.jpg 

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