A statue in better days: Martyrs' Square from Beirut, Lebanon

PostcardSituated in the heart of Beirut, the square represents the location of most of the largest Lebanese public gatherings. Most political demonstrations and protests take place here. The square has undergone many changes and many names along the years. The square is known as Place des Canons because it commemorates Lebanese nationalists who were hanged during the World War I during Ottoman occupation. The Martyrs’ square has a great significance...

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A Postcard from Port El Kantaoui, Tunisia

PostcardPort El Kantaoui is a tourist complex 10 kilometers north of Sousse in central Tunisia. It was built in 1979 specifically as a tourist centre, around a large artificial harbor. It quickly established itself as one of the most popular holiday resorts in Tunisia.StampFrom a set of four stamps with ‘plantes medicinales’: La Verveine odorante (French for Lemon Verbena). This is a medicinal plant, used especially as a tea against digestive disorders...

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A Postcard from the West Indies: Puerto Rico

PostcardPuerto Rico is located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands. The United States acquired the island from Spain in 1898. Puerto Rico is a territory (Commonwealth) of the United States of America and Puerto Ricans have common citizenship, currency and defense. Although Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, residents of Puerto Rico pay no federal...

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A Rocky Mountain Elk from Canada

PostcardThe elk  is one of the largest species of deer in the world and one of the largest land mammals in North America and eastern Asia.The Rocky Mountain Elk is a subspecies of elk found in the Rocky Mountains and adjacent ranges of Western North America. Male elk have large antlers which are shed each year. Elk are similar to the Red Deer found in Europe. StampFrom a series of 4 stamps about baby wildlife: the polar be...

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A Postcard from the South Pacific: Vanuatu

PostcardThe Republic of Vanuatu, with a population of around 225,000, is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. Vanuatu is an island archipelago consisting of approximately 82 relatively small, geologically newer islands of volcanic origin, 65 of them are inhabited.StampFrom the fifth definitive issue, Tropical Flowers. The flower species depicted represent a kaleidoscope of tropical beauty typical of the South Pacific. Plumeria Obtusa,...

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A Postcard from the West Indies: St. Lucia

PostcardSaint Lucia is an island country in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. It is a beautiful, mountainous volcanic island with high peaks, majestic rain-forests and sandy beaches.About 150,000 people, with 60,000 living in its capital, Castries, inhabit Saint Lucia. It was named after Saint Lucy of Syracuse by the French, the first European colonizers.No official record of Saint Lucia's discovery, in historic times,...

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A Postcard from the Pearl of the Middle East: Beirut | بيروت

PostcardThe city is built on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon’s coastline with the Mediterranean sea. The first mention of this metropolis is found in the ancient Egyptian Tell el Amarna letters, dating to the 15th century BC, and the city has been continuously inhabited since. Beirut serves as the country’s largest and main seaport. Beirut is divided into East (Christian) Beirut and West (Muslim) Beirut.The postcard shows Parliament Square,...

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Regensburg an der Donau

PostcardRegensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers. The large medieval centre of the city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.StampJoint stamp issue Romania-Germany  -  The Fortified Church of Biertan – Monument from UNESCO World Herita...

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A Postcard from Tanzania

PostcardTanzania is a country in Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Kenya and Mozambique. The name Tanzania derives from the names of the two states Tanganyika and Zanzibar that united in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, which later the same year was renamed the United Republic of Tanzania.StampsFishes of lake Victoria. Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa and the second largest freshwater lake...

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A Postcard from the Scottish Highlands | A' Ghàidhealtachd

PostcardThe celebrated 'Monarch of the Glen', the red deer stag is a Scottish icon. This species, the largest land mammal in Britain, is widespread throughout Scotland. In summer, red deer are, as the name suggests, a dark red or brown colour with a lighter underside, while in winter they adopt a darker brown or grey hide. The stag is distinguishable from the hind by its size and impressive antlers, which it sheds each spring.StampFrom a set of two...

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Horsh Ehden Nature Reserve, Lebanon

PostcardHorsh Ehden is a Nature Reserve located in north Lebanon, it contains a particularly diverse and beautiful remnant forest of the Cedar of Lebanon, making the reserve a very important part of the country’s cultural and natural heritage. Source: Wikipedia.Stamps(left) Arabic League(right) from a set of three, picturing traditional buildings...

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A vintage postcard from Russia: Moscow 1968 | Москва 1968

PostcardMoscow, Kremlin as seen from Bolshoy Kamenny Bridge (Greater Stone Bridge).StampSixth Definitives series  - Russian Kremlins: Ryazan Krem...

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A Postcard from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

PostcardCorcovado mountain bears at 704 m above sea level the town symbol of Rio the Janeiro: the well known, 1000 tons weighting Christ the Redeemer seen from every corner of the metropolis.Stamps(left) From a series of four stamps about historical cities of Brazil: historic city of Mariana.(right) Costureira (sewi...

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A Postcard from Cyprus: Cypriots

PostcardCyp·ri·ot: A native or inhabitant of Cyprus. Also called Cyprian.In 1878 as a result of the Cyprus Convention, the United Kingdom received as a protectorate the island of Cyprus from the Ottoman Empire. On August 16, 1960 Cyprus gained its independence from the United Kingdom.In July 1974 Turkey  invaded Cyprus . Turkish troops took control of 38% of the island. In 1983, the 1974 Turkish area declared itself the Turkish Republic of Northern...

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Views of Dubai, United Arab Emirates

PostcardThe first human settlement in the history of Dubai was in approximately 3000 BC, when the area was inhabited by nomadic cattle herders.In 1966, oil was discovered in Dubai, which changed the country beyond recognition and led to Dubai becoming the vibrant, modern, business-centred city-state it is today.StampThe Falcon, Falcon is the national bird of UAE and is a symbol of force, grace, pride, strength and courage, recognizing the importance...

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Mount Belukha, the heart of the Altai

PostcardThe Altai Mountains are a mountain range in East-Central Asia, where Russia, China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan come together, and where the rivers Irtysh and Ob have their sources. Belukha Mountain , located in the Katun Mountains, is the highest peak of the Altai Mountains.StampsSixth Definitives series  - Russian Kremlins: - Pskov Kremlin- Astrakhan Krem...

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Camels in the Chuya Steppe, Russian Federation

PostcardThe Chuya Steppe in the Siberian Altai mountains is the most arid part of Altai, as it gets the most sunshine in the region. The name 'Chuya Steppe' comes from the large river which runs through the steppe, the Chuya River.The region is mostly covered with drought-resistant plants. It is the only place in Russia where camels are bred in the wild.StampsSixth Definitives series  - Russian Kremlins: - Pskov Kremlin- Astrakhan Kremlin- Moscow...

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Aflaj Daris irrigation system from Oman

PostcardAflaj are complete irrigation systems for a settlement. Using gravity, water is channeled from underground sources or springs to support agriculture and domestic use. For this WHS, five were chosen to represent some 3,000 still functioning systems in Oman. They are:- Falaj Al-Khatmeen - Falaj Al-Malki- Falaj Daris - Falaj Al-Jeela - Falaj Al-Muyassar The sites are an exceptionally well preserved form of land-use. They are still functioning...

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A Postcard from Mauritius

PostcardPrior to 1598 there was no human habitation on the island of Mauritius. The Dutch who were the first to colonise Mauritius, named it after their ruler, Prince Maurice Van Nassau. Ebony forests were destroyed by overexploitation and the dodo was exterminated. It later became the symbol of endangered animal species and conservation worldwide. In 1710 the Dutch left Mauritius. In 1715 The French took possession of the island and re-named it...

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Sugarloaf Mountain | Pão de Açúcar from Brazil

PostcardSugarloaf Mountain, is a peak situated in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at the mouth of Guanabara Bay on a peninsula that sticks out into the Atlantic Ocean. Rising 396 metres (1,299 ft) above the harbor, its name is said to refer to its resemblance to the traditional shape of concentrated refined loaf sugar.StampsSapateiro (shoemaking) Costureira (sewing)...

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Karymsky Volcano, Kamchatka

PostcardThe Kamchatka Peninsula  is a 1,250-kilometre peninsula in the Russian Far East. The Kamchatka peninsula contains the Volcanoes of Kamchatka, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Karymsky volcano is a relatively short (1,486 m) and young (6,100years old) volcano, the most active one in Kamchatka. There have been 23 eruptions in this century only, the latest one started in 1996 and was going on for two years gradually fading.Sta...

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A Postcard from Lesotho: The Big Five of South Africa

Postcard The Lion, the African elephant, the cape buffalo, the leopard and the rhinoceros. What do these animals have in common? Are they the most dangerous animals of Africa? No, the hippo kills more people in Africa than any other. Are they the largest animals of Africa? No, the lion and the leopard are much smaller than the hippo or a giraffe. The origin of the Big Five is at the beginning of the twentieth century. The white settlers went on hunting...

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Winter Olympics 2014 in Sochi | Сочи, Russia

Postcard The city of Sochi has been elected host city of the XXII Olympic Winter Games in 2014.Sochi is situated just north of Russia's border with the de facto independent republic of Abkhazia on the Black Sea coast.Sta...

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