Thursday, November 30, 2017

The Royal Palace of Cambodia



Postcard
The Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, is a complex of buildings which serves as the royal residence of the king of Cambodia.

Visitors can gain entry to the Throne Hall (Preah Tineang Tevea Vinichhay) where coronations and official ceremonies take place.

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

The Circus of Bath | United Kingdom


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Founded by the Romans as a thermal spa, Bath became an important centre of the wool industry in the Middle Ages. In the 18th century, under George III, it developed into an elegant town with neoclassical Palladian buildings, which blend harmoniously with the Roman baths. source: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/428

The Circus is a historic street of large townhouses in the city of Bath, forming a circle with three entrances. Designed by the prominent architect John Wood, the Elder, it is regarded as a preeminent example of Georgian architecture.

Sunday, November 26, 2017

One of the most spectacular landscapes in the world | Vietnam


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Sa Pa is a town in northwest Vietnam not far from the Chinese border. The rice terrace fields, among the most popular tourist attractions in Vietnam, can be found in the Muong Hoa valley between Sa Pa town and the Fansipan Mountain.

Local mountain people grow rice and corn on these paddy terraces, along with vegetables. Because of the climate, only one rice crop a year can be produced.

Saturday, November 25, 2017

Cascades de Tanougou | Benin


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Tanougou Falls is a waterfall in the Atakora mountains on the edge of the Pendjari Game Park in the north of Benin, part of Pendjari National Park.

W-Arly-Pendjari Complex is a UNESCO World Heritage site located in Benin, Burkina Faso and Niger. It includes the largest and most important continuum of terrestrial, semi-aquatic and aquatic ecosystems in the West African savannah belt.

The property is a refuge for wildlife species that have disappeared elsewhere in West Africa or are highly threatened.

Friday, November 24, 2017

iSimangaliso Wetland Park | South Africa


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iSimangaliso Wetland Park is situated on the east coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.  iSimangaliso means something like "a miracle" in Zulu, one of South Africa's 11 official languages.

The iSimangaliso Wetland Park is one of the outstanding natural wetland and coastal sites of Africa. It includes a wide range of pristine marine, coastal, wetland, estuarine, and terrestrial environments which are scenically beautiful and basically unmodified by people. These include coral reefs, long sandy beaches, coastal dunes, lake systems, swamps, and extensive reed and papyrus wetlands.

iSimangaliso Wetland Park is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Flags of the World | Hungary


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This horizontal tricolour of red, white and green has been the official flag of Hungary since May 23, 1957. Prior to this version, the flag of the Hungarian People's Republic, used between 1949–1956, was in use, bearing the Communist Rákosi coat of arms.

During the anti-Soviet uprising in 1956, revolutionaries cut out the Stalinist emblem and used the resulting tricolour with a hole in the middle as the symbol of the revolution. In 1957, during the Stalinist restoration after the revolution was defeated by the Soviet Red Army, the new government created a "new" coat of arms, which however was never officially put onto the flag.

Thursday, November 23, 2017

Nanda Devi | India


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Nanda Devi is the second highest mountain in India, and the highest located entirely within the country.

Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks is a UNESCO World Heritage site. According to Unesco, the Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks are exceptionally beautiful high-altitude West Himalayan landscapes with outstanding biodiversity.

Thank you Sayam!

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Diyarbakır city | Turkey


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With a population of about 930,000, Diyarbakır is one of the largest cities in southeastern Turkey. The city is situated on the banks of the Tigris River. Diyarbakır is considered the unofficial capital of Turkish Kurdistan. As such, it has been a focal point for conflict between Turkey's government and Kurdish insurgent groups.

Diyarbakır Fortress and Hevsel Gardens Cultural Landscape is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The site encompasses the Inner castle, known as İçkale and including the Amida Mound, and the 5.8 km-long city walls of Diyarbakır with their numerous towers, gates, buttresses, and 63 inscriptions. The site also includes the Hevsel Gardens, a green link between the city and the Tigris that supplied the city with food and water, the Anzele water source and the Ten-Eyed Bridge.

Tuesday, November 21, 2017

Avignon, La Cité des Papes | France



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The Pope resides in the Vatican. Well, not completely through in the period from 1309 to 1376 during which seven successive popes resided in Avignon (then in the Kingdom of Arles, part of the Holy Roman Empire, now in France) rather than in Rome.

Historic Centre of Avignon: Papal Palace, Episcopal Ensemble and Avignon Bridge is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Sunday, November 19, 2017

D.F. Wouda Steam Pumping Station | Netherlands



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D.F. Wouda Steam Pumping Station in Lemmer, Netherlands, is the largest steam pumping station still operational anywhere in the world. The pumping station was opened in 1920 and its purpose was to pump excess water from Friesland region into the Zuiderzee.

Ir.D.F. Woudagemaal (D.F. Wouda Steam Pumping Station) is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Saturday, November 18, 2017

Flags of the World | Bhutan


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Traditionally, the sound of thunder in the many mountains and valleys of Bhutan is believed to be the voice of dragons, and the country is known as the “Land of the Thunder Dragon” in its native language.

The exact date of introduction of this flag is unknown, but it may have occurred in 1971 when Bhutan joined the United Nations. Until the 1960s Bhutan was largely closed to the outside world, so before that the country had no need for a national flag.

Thursday, November 16, 2017

Mount Athos | Greece


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Mount Athos is an Orthodox spiritual centre since 1054 located in northeastern Greece. Today, 2,000 monks live an ascetic life in Athos, isolated from the rest of the world.

Mount Athos is formally known as Autonomous Monastic State of the Holy Mountain. Although technically part of the European Union, the Holy Mountain is largely self-governed. This prohibits the free movement of people and goods in its territory, unless formal permission has been granted.

For over 1,000 years, women have been forbidden from setting foot on the mountain. In fact, females of other species such as cows, dogs and goats aren’t permitted either.

Wooden churches of Maramureș | Romania


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The Wooden churches of Maramureș in northern Transylvania in Romania are a group of churches of different architectural solutions from different periods and areas. The Maramureș churches are high timber constructions with characteristic tall, slim bell towers at the western end of the building, either single- or double-roofed and covered by shingles.

Wooden Churches of Maramureş is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The site comprises eight of these churches.

Tarnowskie Góry | Poland



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Tarnowskie Góry Lead-Silver-Zinc Mine and its Underground Water Management System is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The site includes the entire underground mine with adits, shafts, galleries and water management system.

Wednesday, November 15, 2017

Svetitstkhoveli Cathedral | Georgia



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Mtskheta was the ancient capital of Kartli, the East Georgian Kingdom from the 3rd century BC to the 5th century AD, and was also the location where Christianity was proclaimed as the official religion of Georgia in 337.

Historical Monuments of Mtskheta is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The property consists of the Jvari Monastery, the Svetitstkhoveli Cathedral and the Samtavro Monastery.

Stamp
Rabati castle, part of a set of two Europa stamps (2017).

Monday, November 13, 2017

Heart of Neolithic Orkney | United Kingdom


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Orkney Islands is an archipelago in far north of Scotland comprising approximately 70 islands, of which 20 are inhabited. Heart of Neolithic Orkney is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The group of Neolithic monuments on Orkney consists of a large chambered tomb (Maes Howe), two ceremonial stone circles (the Stones of Stenness and the Ring of Brodgar) and a settlement (Skara Brae), together with a number of unexcavated burial, ceremonial and settlement sites.

These are actually two postcards, like two polaroid fotos. The left one depicts the Standing Stones of Stenness. The other the Ring of Brodgar.

Thank you Amber!

Sunday, November 12, 2017

The Baha’i Shrine in Haifa | Israel


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The remains of Siyyid Al Muhammad (1819-1850), the founder of the Bábí Faith are buried in the Shrine of the Báb, located in Haifa, Israel. It is considered to be the second holiest place on Earth for Bahá'ís, after the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh in Acre.

Both shrines, together with their surrounding gardens, associated buildings and monuments are part of a larger complex of buildings, monuments and sites at seven distinct locations in Haifa and Western Galilee that are visited as part of the Bahá’i pilgrimage.

Bahá’i Holy Places in Haifa and the Western Galilee is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Saturday, November 11, 2017

Gemsbok Antelopes | Namibia


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The gemsbok is a large antelope in the Oryx genus. It is native to the arid regions of Southern Africa. The gemsbok is depicted on the coat of arms of Namibia.

The most intriguing characteristic of the gemsbok is his ability to endure and withstand the very hot conditions of the Namib Desert - even without any surface water for long periods of time.

On of its remedies to counteract the extreme desert conditions is that the gemsbok allows its body temperature to rise up to an incredible 45°C (113°F). This will kill other mammals, but not the Gemsbok.

Friday, November 10, 2017

Pergamon | Turkey


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Pergamon was founded in the 3rd century BC as the capital of the Attalid dynasty. Located in the Aegean Region, the heart of the Antique World in todays Turkey, and at the crossroads between Europe and the Middle East, it became an important cultural, scientific and political centre.

Pergamon and its Multi-Layered Cultural Landscape is a UNESCO World Heritage site. This is a serial property comprising nine component sites, of which the primary and most visually dominant is the acropolis on Kale Hill.

Flags of the World | Rwanda


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The flag of Rwanda was adopted in 2001. A new flag was adopted to avoid connotations to the 1994 genocide.

The blue band represents happiness and peace, the yellow band symbolizes economic development, and the green band symbolizes the hope of prosperity. The sun represents enlightenment.

Thursday, November 9, 2017

Sani Festival in Zanskar | India


Monastery Festival in Sani
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Zanskar is a valley in the Himalayas in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, in the most northern part of India. The valley has a small population of about 13,500 people,  living mainly in scattered small villages.

The Sani festival is a two-day riot of colour, dance and music, the perfect way to build a social camaraderie among the far-flung villages of the Zanskar valley.

The postcard shows Cham, the war dance of this festival. In this dance, the brave warriors kill the enemy with the arrows that are hidden in their sleeves.

thank you Sayam!

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

Vat Phu Temple Complex | Laos


Unesco World Heritage Laos DPR
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Vat Phu (meaning 'mountain temple') is a ruined Khmer Hindu temple complex in Champasak province, southern Laos. This well-preserved planned landscape is more than 1,000 years old.

This UNESCO World Heritage site is inscribed under the name: Vat Phou and Associated Ancient Settlements within the Champasak Cultural Landscape.

Tuesday, November 7, 2017

Hooker Island - Franz Josef Land | Russia


Franz Josef Land Archipelago
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Franz Josef Land is an archipelago of 191 islands covering an area of 16,134 square kilometers. Located deep in the Arctic Ocean this is the world's northernmost archipelago. It is situated 360 kilometers north of Novaya Zemlya (Nova Zembla) and 260 kilometers east of the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard (Spitsbergen).

Hooker Island is one of the central islands of Franz Josef Land. The island was named after British naturalist Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker who went with James Clark Ross' expedition on ships Erebus and Terror to Antarctica in 1839. Despite its remoteness, it is expected that over 1,000 people will visit Hooker Island this year.

Monday, November 6, 2017

Guishan Island | Taiwan


Volcano Taiwan
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Guishan Island or Turtle Island  is a volcanic island in the Pacific Ocean a few miles off the Taiwanese coast. It is actually the only active volcano in Taiwan.

The local population, consisting mainly of fishermen, was relocated in 1977 due to the hardships associated with living on the island. Between 1977 and 2000 it became the site of a military base, and currently it is managed as a natural conservation area. 

Saturday, November 4, 2017

Flags of the World | Bosnia and Herzegovina



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The Bosnia and Herzegovina flag was officially adopted in February, 1998. This flag has a very unusual shape, its width-to-length ratio is 1 to 2. Much wider than most flags.The peaks of the yellow triangle represent three nations: Croats, Serbs, and Bosnians.

Flags

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