Tuva's status was determined by a Mixed Claims Commission in 1926 when it became a republic within the Soviet Union. In 1944 it was absorbed into the USSR, and later became the Tuva Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union it became a member of the Russian Federation.

     The stamp shows a map of Touva nestled between Mongolia and the U.S.S.R. The double circle in the middle of the stamp marks the location of Kysyl, the capital. The blue spot between the "O" and "N" of Mongolia is Lake Koso which lies outside the territory of Tuva. The solid reddish-brown line indicates the border between Touva and the U.S.S.R.
     Unlike many of the stamps of Taunnu Tuva it is a legitimate postal issue.

     The second stamp was issued in 1935 as a "collector's" stamp with no postal value. It shows a map of the republic, which lies on the Russian-Mongolian border between the Sayan mountains in the north and the Tannu Ola mountains in the south between 89º and 100º east and 49º and 53º north. The borders are quite different from those on the map above.