Koutammakou, the Land of the Batammariba | Togo

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Koutammakou is the name of a wide semi mountainous area in North-East Togo, along the Beninese border. The area is home to the Batammariba whose remarkable mud tower-houses (Takienta) have come to be seen as a symbol of Togo.

 

Stamps

The stamp on the right depicts the cathedral of Lomé, the capital and largest city of Togo.

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West Norwegian Fjords: Nærøyfjord | Norway

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Situated in south-western Norway, Nærøyfjord is part of the west Norwegian fjord landscape. In 2005, this spectacular fjord was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, together with Geirangerfjord, located 120 km from one another. 

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West Norwegian Fjords: Geirangerfjord | Norway

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Situated in south-western Norway, Geirangerfjord is part of the west Norwegian fjord landscape. The fjord is among the world’s longest and deepest. The deep blue Geirangerfjord is surrounded by majestic, snow-covered mountain peaks, wild waterfalls and lush, green vegetation. The fjord is one of Norway's most visited tourist sites.

In 2005, Geirangerfjord was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, together with Nærøyfjord, located 120 km from one another.

Stamps

A matching stamp on the right. The stamp on the left depicts Urnes Stave Church, another Unesco site in Norway. 

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Lednice Castle | Czech Republic

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The Lednice-Valtice Area is listed as a World Heritage site by Unesco. 

The fairy tale castle of Lednice is located in this 300km2 area. The origins of the castle dates back to the 13th century.

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Canal ring of Amsterdam | Netherlands

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Amsterdam is the most watery city in the world. Its canals and harbours fill a quarter of the city’s surface. The city has more than hundred kilometres of canals, about 90 islands and 1,500 bridges. A great way to discover the “Venice of the North" is floating down the canals by boat.

In 2010 the canal ring area was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

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Clochán na bhFomhórach | Northern-Ireland

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Clochán na bhFomhórachis is Irish for Giant's Causeway. An area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns  on the coast of Northern Ireland. This striking landscape was caused by volcanic activity during the Tertiary, some 50–60 million years ago.

After its discovery in the late 17th century, there was much argument as to whether the Causeway had been created by men with picks and chisels, by nature, or by the efforts of a giant. 

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Chersonesus, a Greek colony in Russia

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Chersonesus is an ancient Greek colony founded approximately 2,500 years ago in the southwestern part of the Crimean Peninsula. The ancient ruins are on the list of Unesco World Heritage sites since 2013.   

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(right) Part of a set of four stamps about Russian Uniforms. 

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Naracoorte Caves National Park | Australia

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Naracoorte Fossil Mammal site is located in South Australia, about 320km from Adelaide. Discovered in 1969, the site covers 300 hectares and gives visitors a snapshot of Pleistocene life in south-east Australia. Only a small percentage of the site has been excavated yet.

 

Together with Riversleigh in North Australia, Naracoorte is a Unesco World Heritage site.

Stamps

Native animals of Australia, the Tasmanian Devil and the Numbat (issue 2015).

Thank you very much Steve!

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Tide clock on St Margaret's Church in Kings Lynn | UK

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King's Lynn is a sea port and market town in Norfolk, about 100 miles from london. 

During the 14th century, Lynn ranked as England's most important port. Sea trade with Europe was dominated by the Hanseatic League of ports.

The clock (also known as the Moon Dial) is an unusual one for a church. It does not show the time, but shows the phases of the moon and also the next high and low tide at Lynn.  

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Hanseatic city of Pskov | Russia

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Pskov is one of the oldest cities in Russia. Located about 20 kilometers from the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River. By the 14th century, the town functioned as the capital of a de facto sovereign republic. Its most powerful force was the merchants who brought the town into the Hanseatic League. 

 

Stamps

All stamps pictures the Pskov Kremlin.

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The pogost of Kizhi | Russian Federation

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The pogost of Kizhi is located on one of the many islands in Lake Onega, in Karelia. This historical site dates back to the 17th century. Two wooden churches and a clock tower can be seen there. All built in wood. The pogost is on the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites.  

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The 50th Anniversary of the First Spacewalk by Alexey Leonov (issued 2015). He was the first man to "walk" in space on March 18, 1965.

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Holy Trinity Church in Zhovkva | Ukraine

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Zhovkva is a city in western Ukraine. The wooden Holy Trinity Church built in 1720 was listed in 2013 as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Inscribed together with 15 other wooden Tserkvas in Poland and Ukraine.

In Slovakia another eight of these wooden churches are on the Unesco list. In the Russian Federation, the pogost of Kizhi is on the list. Two 18th-century wooden churches, and an octagonal clock tower, also in wood and built in 1862, can be seen there. Another type of church on the list, but also completely made of wood, is the Saint Peter and PaulCathedral in Suriname.  

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The Lotus Mahal in Hampi | India

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Hampi is a village in northern Karnataka, India. It was one of the richest and largest cities in the world during its prime. The Lotus Mahal or Lotus Palace is the place where Rani (Queen) use to stay during summer. The palace is located among the ruins of Hampi.

The Group of Monuments at Hampi is a Unesco World Heritage Site.

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The stamp on the left pictures Hasrat Mohani (1 January 1875 – 13 May 1951). Romantic Poet, journalist, politician and parliamentarian of British India. He was a freedom fighter and never accepted British rule over India.

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Guatemala the capital of Guatemala

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Guatemala City, locally known as Guatemala or Guate, is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Guatemala. The most populous city in Central America with  a population over over 1 million.

The Tikal Futura is a modern shopping and business complex and hotel. The 2 towers include offices, 12 cinemas, 160 stores, 27 restaurants, parking space for 1500 cars and also the Grand Tikal Futura Hotel. 

Tikal refers to the ancient Mayan city discovered in a rainforest in Guatemala.

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Hanseatic League memeber city Smolensk | Russian Federation

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Smolensk is a city in Russian Federation, about 380 km from Moscow, with a port on the Dnieper River. The city was already an important commercial center in the late 9th century. It has a favorable geographical location on the road from Moscow to Belarus, Baltic States and Central and Western Europe. Once a member of the Hanseatic League.

The postcard depicts the Cathedral of the Assumption at Cathedral Hill.

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Part of set of three stamps to commemorate Russian writer Pavel Bazhov (27 January 1879 – 3 December 1950). The Stone Flower is one of his fairy tales. 

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Channel Islands off the Santa Barbara Coast | USA

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The Channel Islands of California are a chain of eight islands located in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California USA.

The archipelago comprises eight islands in total, divided in the Northern and the Southern Channel Islands. The Northern Islands consist of Anacapa, San Miguel, Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa while San Clemente, San Nicolas, Santa Barbara and Santa Catalina make up the Southern Islands.

 

I couldn’t figure out which island is shown on the postcard.

Stamps

The bird stamp is part of set of 10 stamps about North American Songbirds. The painted bunting is a species of bird in the Cardinal family that is native to North America.

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Mexican Cactus Sunset

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The Sonoran Desert is a North American desert which covers large parts of the Southwestern United States in Arizona and California, and of Northwestern Mexico in Sonora, Baja California and Baja California Sur.

It is the hottest desert in Mexico, with an area of 280,000 square kilometers.

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Trees in the Svaneti region | Georgia

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Svaneti is the high Caucasus mountain region in the northwestern corner of Georgia.

Preserved by its long isolation, the Upper Svaneti region is an exceptional example of mountain scenery with medieval-type villages and tower-houses. But this card only shows trees.

 

Stamps

The stamps are part of a set of four, issued 2013: Cultural Heritage of Georgia. 

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Cedar at Sunset | Lebanon

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The cedar of Lebanon is a tall evergreen tree which has been prized for its high quality timber, oils and resins for thousands of years. The tree is the national emblem of Lebanon.

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(right) Kamal Fouad Joumblat (born 1917) was a Lebanese politician, a major ally of the Palestine Liberation Organization until his assassination in 1977. 

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Baobab at Sunset, Tarangire National Park | Tanzania

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Tarangire National Park is the sixth largest national park in Tanzania. The park is famous for its elephant migration.

 

The baobab is found in the savannas of African and India, mostly around the equator. It can grow up to 25 meters tall and can live for several thousand(!) years.

The baobab is leafless for nine months of the year. The tree looks like it has been picked out of the ground and stuffed back in upside-down.

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Part of a series of stamps “ Grasshoppers of Tanzania”. 

Thank you Steve!

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City of Oujda | Morocco

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Oujda is a city located in North-East of Morocco, only 9 miles west of Algeria. 

The city is the only place in the country where you can move from a mountainous landscape to the sea and the desert in a single day. 

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Carpet weaving in Ghardaia | Algeria

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Ghardaïa is a city located within the Sahara Desert in northern-central Algeria. The city is part of a pentapolis, a hilltop city amongst four others, built almost a thousand years ago in the M’Zab valley.

The valley has conserved practically the same way of life and the same building techniques since the 11th century. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

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Oran Olympic complex (2014). The complex covers an area of 106 ha and is dedicated to the practice of several sports disciplines including football, athletics, tennis and cycling.

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Sand Dunes of Temet | Niger

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The Sahara is the largest hot desert in the world. Covering large parts of Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Western Sahara, Sudan and Tunisia. Over 9 million square kilometers of desert! 

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A group of Yao initiates in Malawi

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Malawi is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa with about 15 million inhabitants. The country is bordered by Zambia, Mozambique and Tanzania. The Yao are one of the three major ethnic groups in Malawi. The Yao is are primarily subsistence farmers, growing crops in the savannahs surrounding the lake.

 

Stamps

A 2014 Christmas stamp and a stamp part of a set of stamps depicting the Big Five of Africa. 

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Lilac-breasted Roller | Zambia

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The lilac-breasted roller is a member of the roller birds family. It is widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa and the southern Arabian Peninsula, preferring open woodland and savanna.

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