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

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Situated 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 for Lebanese people and it remains a symbol for all that was destroyed during the Lebanese civil war( 1975-1992). The bullet-ridden statue symbolizes the destruction that took place during the Lebanese civil war.

This is how the statue looks today:

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(left) Arabic League

(right) from a set of three, picturing traditional buildings

Thx for sending and foto's Steve!

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A Postcard from Port El Kantaoui, Tunisia

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Port 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.

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From 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 due to nervousness or pressure. It is advisable to use it with caution because it can cause a drop in blood pressure. The verbena is also used to flavor a number of dishes and cakes.

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A Postcard from the West Indies: Puerto Rico

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Puerto 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 income tax, nor can they vote in presidential elections. Over 2 million Puerto Ricans live in the United States, primarily in the northeast.

Puerto Rico is mostly mountainous with large coastal areas in the north and south. The 3.966 million people that inhabit the island of Puerto Rico make it one of the most densely populated islands in the world.

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In Puerto Rico US stamps are used.

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A Rocky Mountain Elk from Canada

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The 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.

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From a series of 4 stamps about baby wildlife: the polar bear.

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A Postcard from the South Pacific: Vanuatu

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The 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.

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From the fifth definitive issue, Tropical Flowers. The flower species depicted represent a kaleidoscope of tropical beauty typical of the South Pacific.

Plumeria Obtusa,  also called Frangipanis - Large white flowers with broad oval petals and golden center.

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A Postcard from the West Indies: St. Lucia

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Saint 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, has yet come to hand. Some say that Columbus navigator was the first European to discover Saint Lucia in 1499. But others state that the navigator's records of his travels reveal that he never set foot on Saint Lucia.

The French first arrived in 1667. Saint Lucia was alternately British and French for the next 150 years, before it was finally ceded to the British in 1814.

Want to know more about Saint Lucia? Go visit http://www.stlucia.org/

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From a set of 14 stamps issued in 2005 about fruits and nuts: a yellow mombin.

Thx your a star!

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

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The 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, with the Parliament Square Clock-Tower in the center.

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(left) Arabic League

(right) from a set of three, picturing traditional buildings

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Regensburg an der Donau

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Regensburg 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.

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Joint stamp issue Romania-Germany  -  The Fortified Church of Biertan – Monument from UNESCO World Heritage.

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A Postcard from Tanzania

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Tanzania 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.

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Fishes of lake Victoria. Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa and the second largest freshwater lake on earth. Located in eastern Africa between the states of Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya.

thx!

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A Postcard from the Scottish Highlands | A' Ghàidhealtachd

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The 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.

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From a set of two country definitives: the iconic Scottish thistle.

Country definitives, formerly known as regional postage stamps of Great Britain are the postage stamps issued for regions of the United Kingdom, reflecting the regional identity of the various countries and islands of the British isles.

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Horsh Ehden Nature Reserve, Lebanon

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Horsh 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.

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(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

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Moscow, Kremlin as seen from Bolshoy Kamenny Bridge (Greater Stone Bridge).

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Sixth Definitives series  - Russian Kremlins: Ryazan Kremlin

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A Postcard from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

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Corcovado 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.

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(left) From a series of four stamps about historical cities of Brazil: historic city of Mariana.

(right) Costureira (sewing)

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A Postcard from Cyprus: Cypriots

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Cyp·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 Cyprus, recognized only by Turkey

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(left) The Refugee Fund Tax Stamp. Every letter, postcard and parcel has to have an additional refugee postage stamp on it in order for it to enter the sending process. The proceeds of the refugee stamps go to the refugee fund, i.e. for the Greek Cypriots who became refugees from their homes in the north of Cyprus after the invasion in 1974.

(right) From 2011, Cyprus Embroidery

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Views of Dubai, United Arab Emirates

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The 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.

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The Falcon, Falcon is the national bird of UAE and is a symbol of force, grace, pride, strength and courage, recognizing the importance of falconry in Arab tradition and culture.

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Mount Belukha, the heart of the Altai

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The 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.

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Sixth Definitives series  - Russian Kremlins:

- Pskov Kremlin

- Astrakhan Kremlin

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Camels in the Chuya Steppe, Russian Federation

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The 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.

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Sixth Definitives series  - Russian Kremlins:

- Pskov Kremlin

- Astrakhan Kremlin

- Moscow Kremlin

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Aflaj Daris irrigation system from Oman

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Aflaj 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 as integral and essential aspects of the production systems of villages and towns, and are still managed by long-standing traditional systems within the communities they serve.

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41st National Day: On this day the people of Oman pay tribute to His Majesty whose visionary and benevolent leadership has helped put the Sultanate firmly on a course to economic development and prosperity.

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A Postcard from Mauritius

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Prior 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 ‘Île de France’.

The Dodo

Credit goes to this bird that put Mauritius, for the first time, on the world map. Though extinct for more than 300 years now, the giant bird still continues to stir amazement in visitors at the country’s National History Museum, where one of the few remaining skeletons is on display.

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Le Morne Cultural Landscape, a rugged mountain that juts into the Indian Ocean in the southwest of Mauritius was used as a shelter by runaway slaves, maroons, through the 18th and early years of the 19th centuries. Protected by the mountain’s isolated, wooded and almost inaccessible cliffs, the escaped slaves formed small settlements in the caves and on the summit of Le Morne.

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Sugarloaf Mountain | Pão de Açúcar from Brazil

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Sugarloaf 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.

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Sapateiro (shoemaking)

Costureira (sewing)

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Karymsky Volcano, Kamchatka

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The 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.

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A Postcard from Lesotho: The Big Five of South Africa

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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 safaris. The Big Five refers to the five most difficult animals in Africa to hunt on foot! The members of the Big Five were chosen for the difficulty in hunting them and the degree of danger involved.  

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Aloe broomii is a short-stemmed, robust aloe reaching a height of 1.5 m.  Lekhala means aloe in Lesotho.

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Winter Olympics 2014 in Sochi | Сочи, Russia

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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.

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