Friday, October 31, 2014

Island of Pines | New Caledonia


Postcard
L'Île-des-Pins is a commune in the South Province of New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean.

L'Île-des-Pins is made up of the Isle of Pines, the smaller Kôtomo Island, and several islets around these two, as well as the distant island of Walpole, which is located almost 150 km to the east.
The card is picturing a child performing the traditional Wapan dance.
 
Stamps
The ‘stamp’ on the right is pre-printed. 

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Tiny Island in the South Pacific: Norfolk Island


Postcard
Norfolk Island is a small island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. It has 2,300 inhabitants living on a total area of about 35 km2. 

The upper picture in the middle shows Phillip Island. An uninhabited island located just 6 km south of Norfolk Island that is part of the Norfolk Island group. The island is an oasis for the thousands of sea birds that regularly visit Phillip Island.

Stamps
From left to right.
Norfolk Island shore lines: Second Sands beach (issue 2013).
Seashells of Norfolk Island: Violet Snail and Ram's Horn shell (issued 2011).
Seabirds of Norfolk Island: the Black Noddy and the Sooty Tern (issued 2006). The latter is found in large numbers on offshore Phillip Island. 

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Jambiani beach, Zanzibar | Tanzania



Postcard
Jambiani is a tiny fishing village with only a handful of guesthouses, hotels and resorts. Jambiani Beach is miles of startling white sand fringed by coconut palm trees. This tropical paradise can be found on Tanzania’s island of Zanzibar.
 
Stamps
The dinosaur stamp is part of a set of 16 stamps depicting World of the Dinosaurs, issued in 1994. The other stamp is part of a set of 11 stamps about Youth and sports, issued 2009.

Thx Steve! 

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

The Balearic Island of Mallorca | Spain


Postcard
Mallorca is the largest island of the Spanish Balearic Islands. Located in the Mediterranean Sea the island is an extremely popular holiday destination. Just like Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera, the other Balearic Islands. Sa Calobra is a small village on the northwest coast of Mallorca, a popular destination for coach trips and road cyclists.

Cultural Landscape of the Serra de Tramuntana is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Located on a sheer-sided mountain range parallel to the north-western coast of the island of Mallorca.

Stamp
A stamp dedicated to tourism (issue 2014). It shows a compilation of various facets relating to tourism.
The passion and beauty of the country are reflected by red-roses, natural products by oranges, crafts by the typical Spanish fan, and art by the carved tympana over church and cathedral doors.

Monday, October 27, 2014

Batanes Island and Lighthouse | Philippines


Postcard
Batan island is the second largest and one of the four inhabited islands of the Batanes archipelago.

Basco Lighthouse is located near the town of Basco in Batanes, the northernmost province in the Philippines.

Jeepneys are the most popular means of public transportation in the Philippines. They are known for their crowded seating and kitsch decorations.

Sunday, October 26, 2014

Dean's Blue Hole, Long Island | Bahamas


Postcard
The Bahamas is an island country consisting of more than 700 islands, cays, and islets in the Atlantic Ocean.

Long Island is one of those islands. It earned its name because a seafarer felt it took too long to sail past the island. After all, it is about 130 kilometers long and 6 km wide at its broadest point. The island has a population of about 3,000.
 
Dean's Blue Hole is the world's deepest underwater sinkhole, dropping to a depth of about 200 meters.

Stamp
Part of a set of four stamps celebrating the christening of Prince George, born July 22, 2013 and christened October 23 of the same year. Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge is the first child of Prince William and Catherine (or simply just 'Kate').

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Fehmarn, the Sunny Island in the Baltic Sea



Postcard
With 185 km2, Fehmarn is the second largest island in Germany. It is situated in the south-western part of the Baltic sea. The island has a population of 12,500.

Thanks to favorable air-streams, this island is the sunniest and driest island in Germany, and therefore a popular holiday destination. The island is linked to the continent via the Fehmarn Sound Bridge.

Friday, October 24, 2014

Taipa Houses–Museum | Macau


Postcard
Macau was administered by Portugal from the mid-16th century until late 1999, when it was the last remaining European colony in Asia.

The "Macanese House" is one of Macau's typical houses in Portuguese colonial style. It is part of  the Taipa Houses–Museum. The museum is located on the south side of Taipa, one of the islands that forms part of Macau. The islands of Taipa and Coloane, are now connected by a piece of newly reclaimed land (Cotai strip).

Stamps
Centenary of the Establishment of the World Scouting Movement . Part of a set of 5 stamps, issued 2007.

Sai Van Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge that is 2.2 kilometers long. It is the third bridge connecting Taipa Island and the Macau Peninsula.

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

The Unspoiled Queen of the Caribbean: Saba


Postcard
Saba is a Caribbean island and the smallest special municipality of The Netherlands. The island consists largely of the 887 metres high Mount Scenery volcano. With only 13km² and 2,000 inhabitants, Saba is one of the smallest islands in the Caribbean.    
 
Thank you so much Olga!

Stamp
Flamingo Express Dutch Caribbean is the mail service company for the BES-islands (Bonaire, Eustatius and Saba).

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Penang Island | Malaysia


Postcard
Penang Island is the fourth-largest island in Malaysia, It is also the most populated with an estimated population of 679,000. George Town is the capital of the state of Penang, the inner city of George Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Stamp
The stamp is part of a set of four, depicting Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL) Mounted Unit.

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Seychelles - a tropical island paradise


Postcard
The Republic of Seychelles comprises more than 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 MaldivesMauritius, and Réunion. The majority of the islands in the Seychelles archipelago are virtually untouched tropical paradises.

Stamps
Frogs of the Seychelles, part of a set of WWF stamps. And a Prince William and Kate royal wedding stamp.

Friday, October 17, 2014

Cyprus Turtle Beach - Lara Bay



Postcard
Lara Bay Beach, also known as ‘Turtle Beach’ is located at the Akama peninsula. The beach is famous for its turtle hatchery where loggerhead and greenback turtles lay their eggs – one of the few places in the Mediterranean where they can still be found.


Thursday, October 16, 2014

Capri Island


Postcard
Capri is an Italian island located in the Tyrrhenian Sea on the south side of the Gulf of Naples. It is a small and picturesque island with 12,500 inhabitants that has been visited over the centuries by intellectuals, artists and writers, all enthralled by its magical beauty.

Stamp
To commemorate the 400th Anniversary of the Death of San Camillo de Lellis, 1550-1614.

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Bonaire Sea Turtle


Postcard
The island of Bonaire is located in the Caribbean, about  50 miles north of Venezuela and 86 miles east of Aruba. The population is only 17,500. 

Sea turtles are threatened with extinction. Populations are declining worldwide due to fishing, increased coastal tourism and marine pollution. Nearly all Caribbean populations are severely depleted.
 
One of the sea turtle species found in Bonaire is the hawksbill. Adult hawksbills lay their eggs on the island's beaches each year. The capture of sea turtles is prohibited on Bonaire, as is the buying and selling of sea turtle products like shells, meat, eggs and jewelry.

Stamp
Just a postmark, earlier this year no stamps were available on the island. Probably as a result of all the postal issues on Bonaire.

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Christmas Island Crabs

Postcard
Christmas Island is one of the territories administered by Australia. The remote island is located in the Indian Ocean, 380 kilometres south of Java and 1,565 kilometres to the Australian mainland. The island has a population of about 2,000.

Christmas Island is well known for its red crabs. The annual red crab mass migration to the sea to spawn is one of the wonders of the natural world. This migration takes place each year after the start of the wet season synchronized with the cycle of the moon.

Stamp
A matching stamp!

Monday, October 13, 2014

Penghu Islands


Postcard
The Penghu or Pescadores Islands are an archipelago of 64 islands and islets in the Taiwan Strait between mainland China and Taiwan Island. One of these islands is Qimei.

The Twin-Heart Fish Trap is a well-preserved ancient fish trap made by stacking stones to form a trap that resembles a flying heart. This underwater dam, created to reduce, but not stop the flow of water is located on the north side of Qimei Island.

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Old San Juan | Puerto Rico



Postcard
Puerto Rico is an archipelago that includes the main island of Puerto Rico and a number of smaller islands.

Old San Juan, the capital city, is located on the Isleta de San Juan,  a small and narrow island which lies close to the main island of Puerto Rico. Both islands are connected by three bridges.

Old San Juan is the oldest settlement within Puerto Rico and is the historic colonial section of San Juan. It is a USA World Heritage Site.

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Jeju Island



Postcard
Jejudo is a volcanic island, 130 km from the southern coast of Korea. Located on the island is Sanbangsan Mountain, the result of violent volcanic activity some 700,000 to 800,000 years ago and is in fact a huge body of lava.  

The island is a popular vacation spot for Koreans and many Japanese. It remains one of the top honeymoon destinations for Korean newlyweds. 

Stamps
The birdstamp depicts  the Black-crowned Night-Heron. Issued in 2000 as part of a set of definitive stamps. 

Friday, October 10, 2014

The Canary Islands: Gran Canaria


Postcard
The Canary Islands are a Spanish archipelago located just off the coast of Morocco.

Gran Canaria is the third largest island in the Canary Islands and the second largest by population with 850,000 inhabitants. The islands are a major tourist destination with over 12 million visitors per year. 

Maspalomas is a tourist town in the south of the island. If you look (very) closely  you see the Maspalomas Lighthouse, built between 1861 and 1890.





Stamp
A stamp dedicated to tourism (issue 2014). It shows a compilation of various facets relating to tourism. In one way or another, the passion and beauty of the country are reflected by red-roses, natural products by oranges, crafts by the typical Spanish fan, and art by the carved tympana over church and cathedral doors.

Valaam Island


Postcard
Valaam is an archipelago in the northern portion of Lake Ladoga, located within the Republic of Karelia, Russian Federation. The archipelago comprises fifty islands and is named after the biggest, Valaam.
Some of the Valaam islands are joined by bridges.

Valaam Island is home to 150 Orthodox monks of the Valaam monastery who try to be self-sufficient. 

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

The Holy Island of Lindisfarne


Postcard
The Holy Island of Lindisfarne (or just Holy Island) is a tidal island off the northeast coast of England. It is located in the part of England called Northumbria, once a medieval Anglian kingdom.

The island is home to a population of less than 200 and is connected to the mainland by a causeway that is cut off twice a day by the tides. The ruins of the Lindisfarne Priory can be found on this island, once an important centre of early Christianity.  

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Wangerooge Island


Postcard
The East Frisian Islands are a chain of islands in Germany’s part of the North Sea. Wangerooge is the most easterly of the seven East Frisian islands. It is one of the smallest. Only about a 1,000 people live on this small island but in the tourist season it welcomes more than 7,000 visitors a day.
 
Stamp
(right) 600 jahre Konstanzer Konzil  (600 years Council of Constance) 

Monday, October 6, 2014

Georgian Bay's 30,000 Islands


Postcard
Lake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is shared on the east by the Canadian province of Ontario. Georgian Bay is a large bay of Lake Huron. There are tens of thousands of islands in Georgian Bay. 

Saturday, October 4, 2014

Belitung Island and Lighthouse | Indonesia


Postcard
Belitung is an island on the east coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. An enchanting island with pearly white beaches, crystal clear water, and magnificent granite stone formations on its shallow shores. The island has a population of about 265,000. Belitung is a source of tin, clay, iron ore and silica sands. 
 
Stamps
(left) Ujung Kulon National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991. The park has the largest remaining lowland rainforest in Java and holds the only viable population of the critically endangered Javan rhino.

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