San Blas Islands, Panama

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The San Blas Islands is a group of islands which are located just off the Caribbean coast of Eastern Panama. The indigenous Kuna Yala tribe (the Kuna’s) have self governing authority over the islands and a part of the mainland.

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Wellington, the capital of New Zealand

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Wellington is the capital of New Zealand. The city is Situated at the southern end of the North Island, one of the two main islands of New Zealand.

 

Stamps

The stamp on the left depicts the Franz Josef glacier located on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island.

The stamp on the right shows Cape Reinga, the most northern point of New Zealand 

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Seoul, capital of South Korea

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Seoul is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. The Seoul Capital Area is the world's third largest metropolitan area with over 25.6 million people.

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Inagua Islands, Bahamas

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The Bahamas is an island country consisting of more than 700(!) islands, cays, and islets in the Atlantic Ocean, located north of Cuba.

Great Inagua is the third largest island in The Bahamas. The population of this island is about 1,000.There is a large bird sanctuary in the centre of the island with a population of more than 80,000 Flamingoes and many other bird species.

 

The neighbouring Little Inagua is uninhabited and occupied by a large Land and Sea Park.

Stamp

In 2014 The Bahamas issued a set of four stamps to celebrate 10th anniversary of Bahamas National Geographic Information Systems Centre. This 50 cent stamp is about “Hurricane Distribution 1960-2012”. 

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Son Bou Beach, Menorca

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The Balearic Islands are an archipelago of Spain in the western Mediterranean Sea. The four largest islands are: Majorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera. Son Bou is a village in Menorca. 

The beach at Son Bou is the longest on the island - some 3km of golden sands. 

Stamp

At first glance I thought it was sent from Switzerland. But what looks like a Swiss stamp is ..well a Swiss stamp.

This is how it works: In many souvenir shops, kiosks, hotels and camping sites you can buy ”Swiss Post stickers” that can be used to mail postcards from Spain to anywhere abroad. Postcards bearing ”Swiss Post stickers” must be placed in a ”Swiss Post mailbox”, which you can find at the sales points. The ”Swiss Post mailboxes” are yellow and bear a ”Swiss Post” logo accompanied by a red-rimmed cross. Swiss Post will then collect and dispatch your postcards.

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Koh Samui Island

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Ko Samui is an island off the east coast of Thailand. It is Thailand's second-largest island after Phuket. The island’s population of 64,000 welcomes over 1.5 million tourists every year. 

'Beautiful white sand beaches, clean, clear warm water; lush tropical gardens and gentle ocean breezes await you at this ideal holiday destination. If you love the beach, this is the place for you!'

Stamp

In 2011 Thailand Post issued a set of four stamps to commemorate Thailand Philatelic Exhibition. Two of them shows an actor and an actress wearing extravagant costumes. 

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Picture Postcard Paradise... Angola

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Angola is a country in Southern Africa bordered by Namibia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia. Luanda is the capital city.

Mussulo is a peninsula located south of Luanda, a sandbar about 30km long formed by sediment from the river Kwanza. It looks like a tropical paradise to me. An ideal place for rest and relaxation. The calm waters of the bay favors the practice of water sports like diving, windsurfing and snorkeling.

 

Thank you so much www.eco-tur.com

Stamp

A machine label. The currency of Angola is the Kwanza (Kz).

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The Gulf of Morbihan

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The Gulf of Morbihan is a natural harbour in the south of Brittany, France. The Gulf is an inland sea about 10 miles long by 6 miles wide and dotted with picturesque islands, about 40 in total. Many of these small islands are private property.

 

The two largest, Île aux Moines and Île d'Arz are public, each with a tiny car-free village, once of fishermen but now over-run with tourists.

Stamp

Part of a mini sheet with 4 stamps about the four ‘Chemins de Saint-Jacques de Compostelle’. In medieval times Via Turonensis (Way of Tours) was the most westerly of the four traditional pilgrim routes.

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Sanday, one of the Orkney Islands

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Sanday is one of the larger inhabited outer islands of Orkney.  There are around 70 islands and islets in the Orkney archipelago, which is situated about 6.2 miles (10 km) from the Scottish mainland. The island has a population of around 550.

 

Sanday island is dominated by sand dunes (hence its name) and unspoilt beaches. Start Point lighthouse is the island’s distinctive lighthouse with black and white vertical stripes, built over 200 years ago.

Stamp

The stamp is issued by Universal Mail, a private or alternative mail provider. The stamps can be used only to send postcards to any destination outside of the UK. This one depicts Loch Ness together with Scottish flag. 

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Wooden Tserkva of Smolnik

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Smolnik is a village located in south-eastern Poland, close to the border with Ukraine.

Wooden Tserkvas of Carpathian Region in Poland and Ukraine are a group of wooden Orthodox (and some Eastern Catholic) churches located in Poland and Ukraine, built of horizontal wooden logs between the 16th and 19th centuries. The churches were inscribed in 2013 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.  

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Wooden Churches in Slovakia

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Wooden churches of the Slovak Carpathians Mountain Area is the name of a UNESCO World Heritage Site that consists of nine wooden churches in Slovakia. The churches, built between the 16th and 18th centuries, are located in eight different locations in Slovakia.

In addition to these churches there are about 50 more wooden churches in the territory of present-day Slovakia.

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Saint Mary's Monastery, Croatia

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Saint Mary's is a 12th century Benedictine Monastery located on an isolated little island in Veliko Jezero National Park in Croatia. Actually it is an island in a lake on another island.

Stamp

Part of a set of 4 self-adhesive stamps (for international use) about Croatian undersea world (issued 2014). This stamp depicts Yellow-tube sponge.  

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Kihnu Island and Lighthouse

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Kihnu is an island in the Baltic Sea, off the coast of Estonia. With an area of 20 km² it is the largest island in the Gulf of Riga. About 650 people live on Kihnu. 

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The Island of Ameland and Lighthouse

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Ameland is one of the West Frisian Islands off the north coast of the Netherlands. The island has a population of 3,500.

The 55 metres high lighthouse on the island was built in 1880 but since 2005 the lighthouse is not in use anymore.

Stamp

The stamp is part of a souvenir sheet about having fun on the beach (issued 2007).

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The Island of Hooge

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The Halligen are ten small German islands without protective dikes. The islands are to be found in the Schleswig-Holsteinisches Wattenmeer National Park (Unesco WHS).  Hooge is one of these islands.

Unlike the other Hallig islands, Hooge is surrounded by a high stone dyke, which nevertheless fails to prevent it from being inundated by the North Sea during the winter months. During these periods of submersion, only the island's warfts are visible: man-made hills on which the houses of Hooge's inhabitants are located. Hallig Hooge has 10 of these warfts and about 120 inhabitants.

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Robben Island, South Africa

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Robben Island was used at various times between the 17th and 20th centuries as a prison, a hospital for socially unacceptable groups and a military base. During the apartheid years Robben Island was used to isolate opponents of apartheid and to crush their morale. Nelson Mandela spent 18 years of the 27 years he was imprisoned on the island.

 

Since 1997 Robben Island has been a museum acting as a focal point of South African heritage. The island was declared a World Heritage Site in 1999.

Stamp

In 2010 South Africa issued 13 stamps about crafts. This stamp depicts Zulu Neckpieces. 

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Ischigualasto Provincial Park in Argentina

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Ischigualasto Provincial Park is located in the north-east of the San Juan Province of Argentina. El Submarino is a number of rocks that look like a submarine when viewed from a certain angle. Since 2000 Ischigualasto is an Unesco World Heritage Site, together with neighboring Talampaya National Park. 

Thx Ruben!

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Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay

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Colonia del Sacramento is a city in southwestern Uruguay, on the east bank of the Río de la Plata, only 50km from Buenos Aires by ferry. It is one of the oldest towns in Uruguay, founded by the Portuguese in 1680. The city was of strategic importance in resisting the Spanish.

Its historic quarter is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Stamps
The stamp is part of a set of four stamps about insects. This one depicts ‘bicho torito’ or ‘little bull bug’ in English.

The other stamp depicts a sculpture made by Octavio Podesta (1929 - ) a famous artist from Uruguay. 

Thx Ruben! 

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Bujumbura, capital of Burundi

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The Republic of Burundi is a small landlocked country in east central Africa, bordering Rwanda, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

 

Bujumbura is the capital and largest city of Burundi. The city is located at the north-eastern corner of Lake Tanganyika. Bujumbura has a population of about 330,000.

Stamps

In 2012 Burundi issued a mini-sheet of stamps with birds on the red list. Hyacinth Macaw and Military Macaw are both endangered species of parrots.

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Monte Carlo | Monaco

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Monaco is a tiny country hidden amongst the south of France, the second smallest country after Vatican city. With only 32,000 inhabitants.  

The small picture on the left shows the Monte Carlo casino. Did you know that if you happen to be a local, the Monte Carlo Casino is a no-go area?. The citizens of Monaco are prohibited from playing here. In fact, you’ll be asked to show your passport at the door.

The small picture on the right is the Prince's Palace of Monaco, the official residence of the Prince of Monaco, Prince Albert II.  

Stamp

Monaco is one of the 14 members of SEPAC (Small European Postal Administrations Cooperations). The 2014 Sepac issues have a common theme “flowers”. Monaco’s issue depicts the Protea, a typical flower of …South Africa. Well, Charlene, Princess of Monaco is of South African origin.

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Isle of Man Heritage Railways

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A horsecar or horse-drawn tram is an animal-powered streetcar or tram. It is one of the earliest forms of public transport. The Douglas Horse Trams have been in existence on the Isle of Man since 1876.

The Manx Electric Railway was built between 1893 and 1899 and connects the Island’s capital, Douglas, with Laxey in the east and Ramsey in the north. Two of the trams in use are the oldest regularly operated tram cars in the world.

Stamp

It looks as like originally two stamps were attached. 

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Vaduz, capital of Liechtenstein

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This card depicts many interesting sites in Liechtenstein: Castle of Vaduz, Townhall, view on city of Vaduz, Gutenberg Castle in Balzers and Government building.

 

Vaduz is the capital of the principality of Liechtenstein and the seat of the national parliament. The city has about 5,100 inhabitants but it is not the largest: neighboring Schaan has a larger population.

Stamp

Part of a set of 9 stamps issued in 2000 picturing villages in Liechtenstein. Schaan is the largest city of Liechtenstein by population (just under 6,000) and area. 

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Horse herders in Mongolia

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Mongolia is known as the land of the horse, and Mongols have a reputation for being the best horsemen on Earth. Nowhere are horses more central to daily life than in Mongolia. Horses are still widely used for travel, herding, hunting, and sport. Even in the twenty-first century, Mongolia remains a horse-based culture.

The lives of the Mongolian horse herders revolve around their animals. Catching and riding the wild horses is a difficult task!

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Galileo Galilei (1564 –1642) was an Italian physicist, mathematician, engineer, astronomer, and philosopher who played a major role in the scientific revolution.

In 2014 Mongolia issued a set of 6 stamps with famous scientists.

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Mangyongdae Native House, North Korea

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Mangyongdae is located in the outskirts of Pyongyang, the capital of Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). The Mangyongdae Native House is the birthplace of Kim Il-Sung (1912–1994), the leader of North Korea, from its establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994.

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Erbil | ھەولێر Capital of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq

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Erbil (also known as Arbil, Irbil or Hewlêr) is the largest city and capital of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq. Until recently one of the more peaceful regions in Iraq.

(Reuters) - The British government told its citizens to leave parts of Iraqi Kurdistan, including the regional capital Arbil, on Friday as the sweeping advance of Islamist militants brought them closer to Kurdish territory.

The government said the security situation could deteriorate quickly after fighting in the last two days to the southwest of Arbil, where many Western oil workers and executives are based, so British citizens in the regional capital of 1.5 million people should leave immediately.

This follows attacks by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) on towns to the Southwest of Erbil (Arbil) on 6-7 August.

Thx Steve!

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