Surfing a big wave in Micronesia

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The Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) is an independent sovereign island nation consisting of four states (Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae) that are spread across the Western Pacific Ocean. 

 

The 607-island nation that is the Federated States of Micronesia is one of the most remote and beautiful places on earth. The FSM sits in the heart of the Caroline Islands Archipelago, a vast seascape that extends from Palau in the west to Kiribati in the east.

Stamps

The stamp on the right is a printed one in the style of the postcard. The stamps on the left are ‘real’ stamps. 

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Catching a big wave on Oahu's famed North Shore

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Oahu is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands but the most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu, the state capital, is on Oahu's southeast coast. The island is home to about 950,000 people.

“If there is such a thing as a perfect wave, you’ll likely find it on Oahu’s North Shore. The big, glassy winter waves of this legendary surf mecca attract the best surfers in the world, while summer waves are far smaller and more gentle – all of which makes the North Shore the perfect surf spot for beginners and veterans alike.”

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A machine label.

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Turks and Caicos Islands

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The Turks and Caicos Islands are located 550 miles southeast of Miami, Florida, just below the Bahamas. The islands consist of 40 islands and cays, eight of which are inhabited. The islands are home to 30,000 full time residents, and welcome more than 200,000 tourist annually.

In 1962 the Turks & Caicos became a British Crown colony and still is one today.

The name of the country comes from these earliest inhabitants: Taino and Lucayan Indians. Turks is a reference to the indigenous Turk’s head cactus and Caicos is from the Lucayan term “caya hico” meaning string of islands.

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The Margarita Murex, is a species of sea snail.

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A postcard from Kiribati

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Kiribati is an island nation located in the Pacific Ocean, somewhere in the middle between the islands of Hawaii and French Polynesia.

The Republic consists of thirty three atolls and islands, spread across approximately a third of a million square kilometres of the Pacific Ocean, of which 21 islands are inhabited. Kiribati’s Fanning Island and Kiritimati (Christmas Island) are perfect spots for surfing.  

Kiribati is believed to be one of the first nations to get lost because of rising sea levels due to climate change. Therefore the leaders of Kiribati are considering an unusual backup plan: moving the population to Fiji.

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One out of a set of 12 bird stamps, issued 2008:  the Black-tailed Godwit.

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Dragon Boat Racing in Macau

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Macau is a former Portugese colony in China. Since 1999 Macau is one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China, the other being Hong Kong.

Dragon boat is a human-powered boat (Paddled Water Craft) traditionally made of teak wood to various designs and sizes. It is one of a family of Traditional Long Boats found throughout Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands. It is now used in the team paddling sport of dragon boat racing.

 

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Henrique de Senna Fernandes (1923 – 2010) was a writer from Macau.

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Détente au bord du lac Tanganyika, Burundi

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Lake Tanganyika is regarded as the second largest and second deepest freshwater lake in the world after Siberia’s Lake Baikal. Burundi, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia-all the four countries enjoy some parts of Lake Tanganyika.

Lake Tanganyika is not only a place for tourists. The surrounding areas of the lake are also developed for various economic activities like mining, livestock raising and agriculture. Fishery is also an important industry in Lake Tanganyika.

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From a set of four stamps about monkeys.

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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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Baseball from Cuba

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Baseball came to Cuba in the 1860's. Brought by Cubans who studied in the United States and American sailors in Cuban ports. It quickly spread through the island and took heart with the Cuban people who were fighting for their independence from Spain.

The Netherlands has beaten Cuba 2-1 to win the baseball World Cup 2011 in Panama.

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50th anniversary of The National Aquarium of Cuba, a scientific research center specialized in environmental education and disclosure of the flora, fauna and ecology of the marine environment. 

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Winter Sports in Italy: Basilicata

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Skiing is becoming increasingly popular in this region; Basilicata offers three different ski resorts. The most popular is Sellata Pierfaone.  

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Pope John Paul II beatified more people than many of his predecessors combined and was himself beatified six years after his death.

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European Football Championship 2012 Poland

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The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship (Euro 2012), will be hosted by Poland and Ukraine between 8 June and 1 July 2012.

Wrocław is the main city in south-western Poland. Over the centuries, the city has been either part of Poland, Bohemia, Austria, Prussia or Germany. It is one of the largest cities in Poland.

 

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(upper right) Beach and wooden pier in Polish city Sopot.

(lower right) Polish city Katowice

(upper left) Manor in Polish city Łopuszna

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Sport fishing on the Skeena River, Canada

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Over five million salmon return to the Skeena River every year, making this a premier salmon-fishing area.

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Kate Middleton (1982) and Prince William (1982)

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Moricetown BC, Canada

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Moricetown British Columbia. The main attraction is the roaring Bulkley River, tumbling Morice Canyon and the cement fish ladders and leaning, wooden fishing huts used by the First Nation people for fishing.

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A polar bear. No one really knows how many polar bears there are because they are hard to count, and at times hard to find.  Researchers estimate that there are between 22 000 and 40 000 polar bears in the world.  Close to half of the polar bear population lives in Canada.

THX Donna!

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