The Rock of Gibraltar

Postcard

Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean.  In the background you see the iconic Rock of Gibraltar rising up 426 meters.

Gibraltar isn't exactly a paradise of open space. Most of the 30,000 population of this 2.6 square mile peninsula live in flats, packed on land at the base of the rock. 

Gibraltar looks like a little bit of England transported to a rocky outcrop less than 16km from the coast of North Africa: red telephone boxes; bobbies with their distinctive helmets and a Marks and Spencer on the high street. If there is one place in the UK that definitely doesn't want to leave the EU it is Gibraltar. Residents of "The Rock" voted overwhelmingly - by 96% - to stay in the European Union.

Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi | Kazakhstan

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The Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, situated in southern Kazakhstan, was built at the time of Timur, from 1389 to 1405. It is one of the largest and best-preserved constructions of the Timurid period.

Timur (or Tamerlane) was a Turco-Mongol conqueror and the founder of the Timurid Empire in Persia and Central Asia. Here you see apostcard of his statue.  

Tamgaly Petroglyphs | Kazakhstan

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Towards the western end of the Tienshan Mountains in the southeast of Kazakhstan, the Chu-Ili mountain spur forms a canyon around the Tamgaly Gorge. The Archaeological Landscape of Tamgaly features a remarkable concentration of some 5,000 (!) petroglyphs, associated settlements and burial grounds. All dating back as far as the Bronze Age.

Stamps

A stamp to celebrate 200th Anniversary of the Birth of Mikhail Lermontov, the ‘poet of the Caucasus’. He was a Russian Romantic writer, poet and painter.

On the right a stamp to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO).  CSTO is an intergovernmental military alliance between six post-Soviet states: Russia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

Water Cay Island | Turks & Caicos Islands

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“TCI’s amazingly beautiful Water Cay is for sale as a private island? Interested? Contact Sotheby’s, who are handling the sale. The island will be yours for a pricey $36 million.

Water Cay is located to the northeast of our beautiful island of Providenciales, just beyond Little Water Cay, which itself is home to a beloved iguana sanctuary.” 

Port Vila, capital of Vanuatu

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Port Vila is the capital and largest city of Vanuatu and is located on the island of Efate. Locally the town is most commonly referred to simply as "Vila".

Vanuatu is an island archipelago consisting of approximately 82 relatively small islands of volcanic origin of which 65 are inhabited. Efate is the main island of Vanuatu. The two other small islands on this postcard are Ifira and Iririki.

Stamp

The stamp is part of a set of four stamps about Vanuatu’s fine cuisine. 'Vanuatu’s restaurants have risen in stature to rightfully claim the reputation as the culinary capital of the Pacific'.

Corvo Island | Azores

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The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the North Atlantic Ocean: Santa Maria, São Jorge, Terceira, Graciosa, São Miguel, Pico, Faial, Flores and Corvo.  

Corvo Island is the smallest and the northernmost island of the Azores. The size of the island is about 6 by 4 kilometers with 400 inhabitants. In the distance you see the island of Flores.

Spinalonga, the leper island | Greece

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In 1903, a leper colony was established on Spinalonga island, to isolate people suffering from this disease from the healthy population. The cure for leprosy had not yet been discovered, and the contagious disease was regarded with horror. The island was one of the last active leper colonies in Europe. The last inhabitant left the island in 1962. 

Today, the uninhabited island is a popular tourist attraction in Crete.

Stamp

The stamp is part of a set called 'Diving Tourism' featuring colorful scenes of shipwrecks and underwater finds (issue 2015). 

The Hypogeum of Ħal-Saflieni | Malta

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One of Malta’s hidden treasures is a three storied underground monolithic structure called the Hypogeum of Hal Saflieni. Believed to be the oldest underground temple in the world. Entirely cut into stone and discovered by accident in 1902.

 

The Hypogeum is a popular tourist attraction. However, only 80 people are allowed to enter per day.

Stamp
Part of a set of three stamps about Maltese flora. The Common Pyramidal Orchid is the commonest orchid in the Maltese Islands. 

The Fort of Bahrain

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The Qal'at al-Bahrain also known as the Fort of Bahrain is an archaeological site dating back almost 5000 years. A UNESCO World Heritage site since 2005.

I never realized Bahrain is an island. It is an archipelago with Bahrain Island being the largest land mass, 55 km long and 18 km wide. 

Třebíč | Czech Republic

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Třebíč is a town in the Czech Republic. The Jewish Quarter and St. Procopius Basilica is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The ensemble of the Jewish Quarter, the old Jewish cemetery and the Basilica of St Procopius in Třebíč are reminders of the co-existence of Jewish and Christian cultures from the Middle Ages to the 20th century.

Speicherstadt Hamburg | Germany

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Speicherstadt in Hamburg, Germany is the largest warehouse district in the world. The complex was built in 1883. The warehouses are built on oak piles and the district is crossed by what are known as fleets - canals that are flooded depending on the tides and can then also be travelled by ship. One of the fleets on this postcard is Hollandfleet.

Stamp

Atlantic herring, part of a set of three fish-stamps, issued August 2016. Loveley postmark also: first day of issue stamp!

Nilgiri mountain railway | India

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The Nilgiri Mountain Railway is a railway in Tamil Nadu, India, built by the British in 1908. Together with Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, it is part of the UNESCO World Heritage site Mountain Railways of India.

The track is 46 kilometers long and passes over 250 bridges and through 16 tunnels.

Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary | Philippines

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Mount Hamiguitan is a mountain located in the province of Davao Oriental, Philippines. The mountain range has one of the most diverse wildlife populations in the country. 

Vredefort Dome | South Africa

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Vredefort Dome is located about 120 km of Johannesburg in South Africa. 

The Vredefort crater is one of the largest meteorite impact structures on Earth, more than 300 km across when it was formed. The crater dates back millions of years. 

Nur-Astana Mosque | Kazakhstan

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The Nur-Astana Mosque is a mosque located in the Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. It is third largest mosque in Central Asia. It has a capacity of 5,000 worshippers. 

Ellora Caves | India

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Ellora is an archaeological site near the city of Aurangabad in the Indian state of Maharashtra. The site is well known for its monumental monasteries and temples, all cut out of a high basalt cliff.

 

Stamps

Surya Namaskar Stamps commemorating International Day of Yoga 2016. Surya Namaskar is a very ancient technique of paying respect to the sun, a source of all forms of life on the planet. These postures are a good way to keep the body in shape and the mind calm and healthy. J

Abbey Library of Saint Gall | Switzerland

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The Abbey of Saint Gall is a Roman Catholic religious complex in the Swiss city of St. Gallen. 

The library at the Abbey is one of the richest medieval libraries in the world.

Belovezhskaya Pushcha | Belarus

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Located on the border between Poland and Belarus, Białowieża Forest is one of the last and largest remaining parts of the immense primeval forest that once stretched across the European Plain.

The forest is home to 800 European bison, Europe's heaviest land animal. Belovezhskaya Pushcha is the Belarus part of this joint Poland/Belarus UNESCO World Heritage site.

Stamp

Happy postcrossing! stamp 2014.

Lena Pillars Nature Park | Russia

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Lena Pillars Nature Park is marked by spectacular rock pillars that reach a height of approximately 100 m along the banks of the Lena River in far eastern Siberia.

Lena Pillars is a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2012.

Joya de Ceren archaeological site | El Salvador

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Joya de Cerén was a pre-Hispanic farming community that, like Pompeii and Herculaneum in Italy, was buried under an eruption of the Laguna Caldera volcano c. AD 600.

Because of the exceptional condition of the remains, they provide an insight into the daily lives of the Central American populations who worked the land at that time.

(source: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/675)

Antananarivo, capital of Madagascar

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With a population of about 1,4 million, Antananarivo is the largest city of Madagascar.

The postcard gives you a view of the city by night, including Lake Anosy. 

Nauru Airlines

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Nauru Airlines is the national carrier of the Republic of Nauru, operating passenger and freighter services to and from the Central Pacific. Today Nauru Airlines utilizes a Boeing 737 aircraft.

Nauru is an island country in Micronesia in the Central Pacific. With just under 10,000 residents in a 21-square-kilometre area, Nauru is the third smallest state by area in the world. Only Vatican City and Monaco are smaller.

Stamps

The stamps are part of a set of four, issued in 2003. Theme is Anemones and Anemonefish. 

thank you very much David!