Mountain Gorilla | Rwanda

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Rwanda is a country in central and east Africa, bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  

Volcanoes National Park is located in northwestern Rwanda. The national park is known as a haven for the mountain gorilla and is home to five volcanoes, hence its name. The park was the base for the zoologist Dian Fossey.

Rwanda is home to one third of the world remaining mountain gorillas. Today there are less than 900, their biggest threats come from deforestation and the region’s growing population.

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In 2010 Rwanda issued a set of four stamps about ‘folklore’. 

Borobudur temple Indonesia

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Borobudur is a 9th-century Buddhist Temple in central Java, Indonesia. The temple compounds is one of the greatest Buddhist monuments in the world. The monument is the single most visited tourist attraction in Indonesia.

For centuries the site lay forgotten, buried under layers of volcanic ash and jungle growth. In 1815 Europeans cleared the site. In the early 1900's the Dutch started its restoration. Completed in 1982 with help of Unesco.

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Year of the horse stamps.

Amphitheatre of El Jem | قصر الجمّ , Tunisia

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The impressive ruins of the largest amphitheatre in North Africa, which could hold up to 35,000 spectators, are found in the small village of El Jem. It is home to some of the most impressive Roman remains in Africa.

The ruins of the amphitheatre were declared a World Heritage Site in 1979.

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The medina (old city) of Tozeur, an oasis and a city in south west Tunisia. 

Kinkaku-ji Temple | 金閣寺 , Japan

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Kinkaku-ji, commonly known as the Golden Pavilion, is a Zen temple in northern Kyoto whose top two floors are completely covered in gold leaf.The temple was the retirement villa of the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu.

The temple is part of the Unesco WHS, inscribed as “The Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities)”. This site consist of seventeen parts that are situated in Kyoto and surroundings. 

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway

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The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, also known as the "Toy Train", is a railway that runs between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal, India. Built between 1879 and 1881, the railway is about 78 kilometres long. Its elevation level varies from about 100 metres to about 2,200 metres.

 

Darjeeling Himalayan Railway was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1999. It is listed as  Mountain Railways of India. This site includes three railways: the Darjeeling Himalayan, the Nilgiri Mountain Railway and the Kalka Shimla Railway. All three railways are still fully operational.

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This stamp is part of a set of five stamps about spices of India: coriander, chilly and turmeric (curcuma).

Thx Rod!

Tarkhankut Lighthouse | Crimea

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The Tarkhankut Lighthouse is located in Crimea. The construction of the lighthouse started in 1816 to ensure safe sailing in the area.

The Autonomous Republic of Crimea is internationally recognized as an autonomous republic of Ukraine, located in the Crimean Peninsula. It is currently subject to a territorial dispute between Ukraine and the Russian Federation, which currently administers the territory as one of its federal districts.

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I received the card in 2013. I guess today Russian stamps are used?

Iguazu Falls, Argentina

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One of the great natural wonders of the world, the Iguaçu Falls, are situated near the border of Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. The area is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The surrounding subtropical rainforest has over 2,000 species of vascular plants and is home to the typical wildlife of the region: tapirs, giant anteaters, howler monkeys, ocelots, jaguars and caymans.

Thx Ruben!

Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna | Italy

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The Basilica of San Vitale is a church in Ravenna, Italy and one of the most important examples of early Christian Byzantine art and architecture in western Europe. The Basilica dates from the mid-6th century and contains what are probably the finest Byzantine mosaics in the western world. It is one of eight Ravenna structures inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Visovac Monastery, Croatia

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The Visovac Monastery is a Roman Catholic monastery, located on the island of Visovac, encircled by a lake within Croatia’s Krka National Park.

Visovac was first settled by Augustinian monks, who established a small monastery and church dedicated to the Apostle Paul in the 14th century. A new Franciscan monastery was built in the 18th century.

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In 2013, Croatia Post issued a series of commemoratives entitled “Croatian Fauna — Amphibians.” This stamp pictures a fire-bellied toad. 

Trakai Island Castle, Lithuania

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Trakai Island Castle is one of the must visit places in Lithuania. The castle is situated in Trakai, on the shores of Lake Galve, about 20 km from Lithuania's capital city Vilnius.

The construction of the stone castle started early in the 14th century. At the end of the 14th-15th century Trakai castle was a summer residence of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania.

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In 2013 Lithuania issued two stamps depicting lighthouses. Built in 1796, the Klaipėda Lighthouse is one of the first lighthouses erected on the coast of the Baltic Sea.

Saint Peter and Paul Cathedral, Suriname

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The Saint Peter and Paul Cathedral is a wooden Roman Catholic cathedral located in the center of the capital city of Paramaribo, Suriname. The Paramaribo cathedral is the largest wooden building in the Caribbean and the largest and tallest wooden church in South America.

The cathedral was built between 1882 and 1901. It was closed for renovations for more than 20 years, reopening on November 14, 2010. The cathedral was elevated to the rank of a minor basilica by Pope Francis in 2014.

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2007 issue about apes and monkeys of Suriname: Nasalis Larvatus or long-nosed monkey. In Indonesia it is also known as “Dutch Monkey” as Indonesians remarked that Dutch colonizers often had similarly large bellies and noses.

Giant Land Tortoise - Seychelles

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The Republic of Seychelles comprises 115 islands, located between 500 and 1,600 km from the east coast of Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar. Nearby islands include the Maldives, Mauritius, and Réunion. With a population of only 90,000 Seychelles is one of the smallest African states by population.

 

There are more than 115 islands in the Seychelles archipelago, and the majority of these are virtually untouched tropical paradises.

Giant tortoises are characteristic reptiles of certain tropical islands. Often reaching enormous size, they can weigh as much as 300 kg, they live, or lived (some species are recently extinct), in the Seychelles, the Mascarenes and the Galapagos. 

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(left) Part of a set of WWF stamps, Frogs of the Seychelles. (right) Prince William and Kate royal wedding stamp

Botswana

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Botswana is a country unrivalled in its abundance of wildlife and natural resources, which are as diverse as the Kalahari Desert in the southern and eastern parts of the country, to the lush Okavango Delta swamps and river plains of the north.

 

The Okavango Delta in Botswana is a very large outland delta with an abundant wildlife and over 400 bird species. All the water reaching the Delta is ultimately evaporated and transpired, and does not flow into any sea or ocean.

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All The Stars in Heaven, very colorful but Im not sure where this stamp is about.

WWF stamp dedicated to the Southern White Rinoceros (2011 issue).

Sipadan Island, Malaysia

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Sabah is one of the 13 member states of Malaysia, and is its easternmost state. It is located on the northern portion of the island of Borneo.

 

Sipadan Island is located off the east coast of Malaysian Borneo in Sabah. The island is known above all for some of the best scuba diving anywhere in the world.

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Third Tri-Nation Stamp Exhibition 2013, jointly organized by Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia.

Republic of Dagestan: the Citadel of Derbent

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The Republic of Dagestan (meaning "land of the mountains"), is a Russian republic located in the North Caucasus region near the Caspian Sea.

The Citadel, Ancient City and Fortress Buildings of Derbent are part of an ancient strategic defence system. Derbent is situated on the western shores of the Caspian Sea, in present-day Dagestan.

It was in the position to control the traffic between Europe and the Middle East, and shield the prospering agricultural peoples of the Middle East from devastating raids of nomadic tribes from the steppes of South-Eastern Europe.  

Mexico, the archaeological site of Teotihuacan

 

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The holy city of Teotihuacan, located 30 miles northeast of modern-day Mexico City, was one of the most powerful Mayan centers in Mesoamerica.

It was the largest city anywhere in the Western Hemisphere before the 1400s. It had thousands of residential compounds and scores of pyramid-temples and was comparable to the largest pyramids of Egypt.

Today it is the most visited archaeological site in Mexico.

Guatemala, parque nacional Tikal

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In the heart of the jungle, surrounded by lush vegetation, lies one of the major sites of Mayan civilization. Located in Northern Guatemala, Tikal is one of the largest archaeological sites and urban centres of the Maya civilization.

The ‘Dance of the reindeer’ is an ancient Mayan custom, a story about how humans must learn to respect the natural world and when they don’t nature takes revenge. Once upon a time hunters killed every deer they saw in the forest. The other animals were enraged and chased the hunters far away.

Be careful not to take more from the forest than you absolutely need to otherwise bad things will happen.

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(left) Part of a set of four stamps about legends and myths: El Sombrerón: the man in the large hat.

Île aux Cerfs | Deer Island

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Île aux Cerfs, also known as Deer Island, is an island near the east coast of the island of Mauritius.

The island is the property of a five star hotel. Every day Mauritians and tourists visit the island, they depart in boats from the village of Trou d'Eau Douce and spend the whole day on the island. This paradise island is about 100 hectares in size and is well known for its paradise beaches.

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Bicentenary of Mauritius Turf Club (1812 – 2012). The Mauritius Turf Club is a horse racing club that was founded in 2012.

FANAR, Qatar Islamic Cultural Center in Doha

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“FANAR was chosen as our name because of our high-profile mission; to act as a guiding light to whole of mankind, and to help all non-Arabs to have a better understanding of Islam and culture of Qatar.

FANAR is governmental organization that presents culture to all world through a variety of activities such as exhibitions, tours of the centre, visits to the mosque and Arabic language Courses.

FANAR is a Qatari milestone, known for its Islamically inspired architectural designs and amazing ornaments with a beautiful outlook of the city Doha. From the rich Qatari heritage of sailing at large, the lighthouse was a tangible way of returning to land safely. FANAR now uses this exact metaphor to act as a beacon of light to humanity, hoping to present culture to feed and nurture the soul.”

http://www.fanar.gov.qa/