Havana, capital of Cuba

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Havana is the capital city of Cuba. It is also the largest city with over 2 million inhabitants.

‘Cuba's roller-coaster history has created one of the most culturally unique and electrifying societies in the region. The city offers something for everyone, from rum and cigars to mambo and a mesmerizing vibe that lures you into the city.’

Thx Chris!

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Boracay Island | Philippines

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Boracay is a small island in the Philippines located approximately 300 km from Manila. It is probably one of the most visited destinations in the Philippines and famous for its beautiful beaches.

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From Victor Harbor to Granite Island by horse tram | Australia

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The Victor Harbor Horse Drawn Trams are a South Australian icon and have been serving visitors to Granite Island and Victor Harbor since 1894. 

The Tram uses 14 Clydesdale Horses on a rotational basis to transport approximately 50 passengers for each ride. Each horse works only two shifts a week with the trams running on roller bearings, to make it easy work for them.

Stamps

A series of four stamps dedicated to four iconic tourist-transport-vehicles (2015).

Thx again Steve! 

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Granite Island | Australia

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Granite Island is a small island next to Victor Harbor, South Australia. There are no permanent residents on the island but it is a popular tourist attraction. The main reason to visit the island is the magical Little penguins (also known as Fairy penguins). The way to travel to the island is by antique horse-drawn tram.

The main picture shows a Leafy Seadragon, a fish that looks like a plant. This  little dragon is found only in southern Australian waters.

Thx Steve!

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Sunset over San Juan Islands | USA

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The San Juan Islands are an archipelago between the North coast of Washington and Vancouver Island (Canada). At mean high tide, there are over 400 islands and rocks in the archipelago, 128 of which are named.

The Islands are an important tourist destination. Sea kayaking and orca whale-watching are two of the primary attractions.

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Sant'Antioco Island | Italy

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Sant'Antioco is the fourth largest Italian island, after Sicily, Sardinia and Elba. The island is located just off the coast of Sardinia and is connected by a causeway. Torre Canai is an old military tower built in 1757.

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Historic centre of Graz | Austria

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The historic centre of Graz, Austria’s second largest city, is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  The city's "Old Town" is one of the best-preserved city centres in Central Europe.

 

On the hill in the background you see the “Grazer Uhrturm” (Clocktower of Graz).It was built in 1560. Its dial’s are over five meters in diameter!

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Ship's propeller – Josef Ressel. Part of a series of stamps about Austrian Inventions.

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Talampaya National Park | Argentina

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Together with Ischigualasto Provincial Park, Talampaya National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Both inscribed under the name Ischigualasto/ Talampaya Natural Parks.

Both parks are located in the northern part of central Argentina. Both offer a collection of wind eroded, whimsical rock formations that decorates this inhospitable region. 

Thx Rubén!

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Mbabane, capital city of Swaziland

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Mbabane is the capital and largest city in Swaziland. The city is named after an African Chief, Mbabane Kunene, who lived in the region when British settlers arrived in the late 19th century.

 

With a population of about 95,000, Mbabane is one of the least-populous capitals in Africa.

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The tree stamp is part of a set of 13, issued in 2007 (definitives).

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Mustaqillik Maydoni in Tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan

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Tashkent (meaning Stone City) is the capital and largest city of Uzbekistan. The buildings on the postcard houses the Ministry of Finance,  located on Independence Square.

 

After the proclamation of Uzbekistan's independence in September 1991, "Lenin Square" was renamed in 1992 as "Mustaqillik Maydoni", which translates to "Independence Square".

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The stamp on the right is part of a set of stamps about space, issued in 1997. 

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Curtis Island Lighthouse | USA

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Curtis Island Lighthouse was built in 1836, on the southeast end of Curtis Island. The light overlooks Camden Harbor. The island is in the USA state of Maine.

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The card is actually sent from Canada. State of Main is a Canadian border state.    

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Drops of lava in the Aegean Sea: Santorini | Greece

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Santorini It is the largest island of a small, circular archipelago which bears the same name and is the remnant of a volcanic caldera. The whole complex of Santorini islands is still an active volcano. However the last big eruption occurred 3,600 years ago.

 

The Santorini islands are part of the the Cyclades, a group of Greek islands, southeast of the mainland in the Aegean Sea. One of the islands that is part of this archipelago is well known Mykonos.

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Part of a series of 4 train stamps, issued 2015.

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Lunar landscape in Mungo National Park | Australia

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Mungo National Park is located in New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The park is part of the UNESCO World Heritage site Wilandra Lakes Region.

 

The fossil remains of a series of lakes and sand formations that date from the Pleistocene can be found in this region, together with archaeological evidence of human occupation dating from 45–60,000 years ago.

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The stamp is part of a series of three stamps issued in 2014 and depicting some of Australia’s untouched wilderness. This stamp shows Victoria’s Alpine National Park. 

Thx Steve!

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Hanseatic city Elblag | Poland

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Elbląg is a city in northern Poland. The tower on the postcards is Market Gate, the landmark of the city. The gate is the only existing part of the original city wall dating back to early 14th century.

Elblag was a member of the Hanseatic League. 

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Hanseatic city Stade | Germany

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Stade is a city in Germany, located on the lower Elbe river. In medieval times, from the 13th century to the late 17th century, Stade was a prominent member of the Hanseatic League.

The Hanseatic League was founded by north German towns and German merchant communities abroad to protect their mutual trading interests. The league dominated commercial activity in northern Europe from the 13th to the 15th century.

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The 100th Anniversary of the Möhnetalsperre Dam (issue 2013). The Möhne Reservoir is an artificial lake some 45 km east of Dortmund, Germany. The lake is formed by the damming of two rivers, Möhnea and Heve. The dam was built to help control floods, regulate water levels on the river Ruhr downstream, and generate hydropower. 

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Valletta, the capital of Malta

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Valletta is the capital of Malta. The city is with a population of only 7,000 the smallest capital of the European Union. Valletta was founded in 1565 by the Order of St John as a refuge for injured soldiers and pilgrims returning from the Crusades.

 

The city is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

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Part of a set of 17 definitives, issued 2009. This stamp refers to the French period.  The French occupation of Malta lasted from 1798 to 1800. 

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Tillamook Rock Lighthouse | USA

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Tillamook Rock Lighthouse is a deactivated lighthouse on the Oregon Coast, situated on less than an acre of basalt rock in the Pacific Ocean. Construction started in 1890.

“Sea conditions necessitating the construction of the Tillamook Rock Lighthouse were notoriously brutal – so brutal, in fact, that no local workers could be found to participate in the project, as they believed leveling-off a small rock located a mile off-shore was obviously a foolhardy idea.” 

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San Juan de Gaztelugatxe | Spain

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Gaztelugatxe, meaning castle rock in Basque language, is a small island on the coast of Biscay. The island is connected to the mainland by a man-made bridge.

On top of the island stands a small monastery named San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, dedicated to John the Baptist, that dates from the 10th century.

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The stamp is marking the 75th anniversary of the burning of the city of Santander in 1941. The old city centre was almost completely destroyed by the fire, 10,000 people were made homeless.

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The Island of Jersey

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Jersey is the largest of the Channel Islands, between England and France, off the coast of Normandy. An independent, English-speaking territory with a mix of British and French cultures. Officially a Crown dependency of the United Kingdom.

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Part of a series of six stamps about the reign of King George V (1865 – 1936). He was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936.

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Gardens by the Bay | Singapore

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Singapore’s top attraction: Gardens by the Bay. Located in central Singapore this piece of art is part of a nature park spanning 101 hectares of reclaimed land.

Gardens by the Bay features the world’s largest glass greenhouse, the Flower Dome – an impressive 1.28 hectares of flowers under glass. 

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The Danube Delta | Romania

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The Danube Delta is the second largest river delta in Europe, after the Volga Delta. The greater part of the Danube Delta is located in Romania, while its northern part is situated in Ukraine.

The waters of the Danube, which flow into the Black Sea, form the largest and best preserved of Europe's deltas. The Danube delta hosts over 300 species of birds as well as 45 freshwater fish species in its numerous lakes and marshes.

Danube Delta is a UNESCO World Heritage site. 

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Olsztyn Castle | Poland

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I was looking for Hanse city Olsztyn but this is another place with same name. This version of Olsztyn is a small village with 2,300 inhabitants, in southern Poland.

The ruins of the castle, located on a hill, date back to the 14th century. It is part of the Trail of the Eagles' Nests, a system of fortifications to protect western Lesser Poland from the Czechs. 

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Hanseatic city of Olsztyn | Poland

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Olsztyn is a city on the Łyna River in northeastern Poland. The card pictures the City hall, built in 1912-1916. The city was a member of the Hanseatic league.

 

In the mid-thirteenth century, North German seafaring merchants joined together to form the Hanseatic League as a way to pursue their shared economic interests. Throughout the North Sea and Baltic Sea region, up to 200 towns and cities were members of the League, as were several large trading houses. 

For over 400 years, the Hanseatic League played a major role in shaping economies, trade and politics before losing its significance in the mid-seventeenth century.

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Bangui, the capital of Central African Republic

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Bangui is the capital and largest city of the Central African Republic (CAR). A troubled nation.

“CAR has been hit hard by communal violence since the coup in March 2013, when Muslim-led Seleka rebels took Bangui, and meted out large-scale revenge against the Christian community.

The reprisal from vigilante Christian groups resulted in the displacement of hundreds of thousands as the country became locked in a cycle of violence.

The past few months have seen a sizable reduction in violence, with Bangui being protected by UN peacekeeping forces.”

Stamps

The stamp on the left is part of a set of two stamps about tennis picturing Boris Becker (issue 1996).

The other stamp is to celebrate the 300th anniversary of Johann Sebastian Bach`s birth (1985 issue). The year 1985 was proclaimed by the United Nations as the International Youth Year.

Thank you so much Olga!

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