Fort Provintia in Tainan City, Taiwan

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Chihkan Tower, formerly known as Fort Provintia, in Tainan City was built in 1653 by the Dutch during their colonization of Taiwan.

During the period of Dutch colonization from 1624 to 1662, Taiwan was known as Formosa. The Dutch East India Company established its presence on Taiwan/Formosa to trade with China and Japan.

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In 2012 Taiwan Post issued a set of 4 stamps depicting protected mammal species. From left to right: the masked palm civet, a Taiwan weasel, a Formosan Yellow-throated Marten and a Small Indian civet.

The magnificent scenery of the Li River

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The Lijiang or Li river is located in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. It is quite easy to see why Huangbu Shoal attracts many tourists and photographers each year.

There are seven green Karst peaks to be seen. A legend goes that the seven peaks are fairy girls from heaven who took baths in the river. Enthralled by the charming scene, they stayed here and become into the peaks. 

This region is part of a UNESCO World Heritage site inscribed under the name South China Karst.

Qibao Ancient Town, Shanghai

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Qibao Ancient Town is one of the oldest and most famous towns in Shanghai. The town was built in the Five Dynasties Period about 1,000 years ago. The town is crossed by two water lanes. Around the water lanes stand a large number of well preserved traditional houses, gardens, temples, shops and restaurants which define the very character of the place. 

With a population of 25 million, Shanghai is the largest city in China. Imagine this tranquil place is located only 15 kilometers from downtown Shanghai.    

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In 1998 China issued four stamps about Architecture of Dai Nationality. The stamps depict a Pagoda (left) and a Pavilion (right). The Dai Nationality is one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by China. They live in the Dai Autonomous Prefectures in Yunnan Province.  

The Forbidden City, Beijing, China

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Tiananmen Square is a large city square in the center of Beijing, China. It is the third largest city square in the World and main gate to the Forbidden City, the imperial palace for twenty-four emperors during the Ming and Qing dynasties. It was forbidden to enter without special permission of the emperor.

The Meridian Gate is the main gate to the Forbidden City. Everyone who entered the Forbidden City in the old days had to observe the strict rules concerning the total five doors of the Meridian Gate. The central doorway was for the exclusive use of the emperor. However, an empress was granted the privilege of using this opening once, and only once, on her wedding day.

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(left) One World One Dream - 2008 Beijing Olympic special sheet: boxing

(middle) Protected wildlife, the Brown Eared Pheasant (Crossoptilon mantchuricum)

A postcard from Laos

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Laos is a landlocked nation in Southeast Asia located in the center of Indochina, sharing borders with China, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

Vang Vieng is a tourism-oriented town; Laos’ backpackers capital. The town is surrounded by a picturesque Karst hill landscape. Karst is a geologic term for a landscape shaped by the dissolution of a layer or layers of soluble bedrock. Limestone and gypsum are typical materials that makeup these kinds of formations. They dissolve easily in water. 

A market in Funchal, Madeira

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Funchal is the capital and main city in Portugal's Autonomous Region of Madeira. More and more new shopping centers and supermarkets are opened all over the island of Madeira to satisfy the consumers' 'needs'. Yet, there's nothing like the ambience of a typical market!

Originally, these regional markets were set up for selling flowers but with the time they expanded to all kinds of agricultural products and local food specialties, such as ‘bolo de caco’ bread, grilled chicken and wheat soup, to be consumed there or to take away.  

(source: http://www.madeira-web.com)

Island of the Sleeping Lady, Micronesia

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Micronesia, also known as the Federated States of Micronesia, is a beautiful island nation in the north-western Pacific Ocean. It is located somewhere between Guam and Hawaii. Meaning "small islands", Micronesia is spread over 3 million miles of the Pacific and includes over 2000 islands. The population is around 90,000.

Kosrae is the second largest island in Micronesia and covers an area of only 110 km2. It is located hundreds of miles from its nearest neighboring island. The island is also known as “Island of the sleeping lady”.

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(right) To commemorate Albert Einsteins 50th year of death.

Kuala Lumpur, capital of Malaysia

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Kuala Lumpur is the capital and most populous city in Malaysia. Petronas Towers, a pair of skyscraper office buildings in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, that are among the world’s tallest buildings with a height of 450 metres. The Twin Towers were built to house the headquarters of Petronas, the national petroleum company of Malaysia.

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Malaysia Post issued a set of four stamps on 25 July, 2013 featuring traditional Malaysian salads. This stamp pictures Kacang Botor.

Caracas, capital of Venezuela

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Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela. The official name is Santiago de León de Caracas. The tallest buildings of Venezuela are located in the Parque Central Complex.

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2011 Stamps, Supreme Court Justice, Stained Glass; 3 stamps out of a sheet of 10. 

Mozambique

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Mozambique is a country in Southeast Africa bordered by Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Swaziland and South Africa. The capital and largest city is Maputo.  

Mozambique is one of Africa’s up-and-coming hot-spots, with stunning beaches, excellent diving and magical offshore islands.

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Televisão de Moçambique is the national public broadcaster of Mozambique. The station was launched in 1981. In 2011 it celebrated its 30 years anniversary. 

Prince Edward Island

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Prince Edward Island (PEI)  is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as some other islands. The City of Charlottetown is located on the south shore of Prince Edward Island. Charlottetown is the capital city of Prince Edward Island.

The smallest province in Canada, Prince Edward Island is famous for red sand beaches, red soil, potatoes, and the irrepressible Anne of Green Gables, a bestselling novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery.

A postcard from São Tomé and Principe

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São Tomé and Príncipe is an island nation in the Gulf of Guinea, in western Africa. With a population of 185,000 São Tomé and Principe is Africa’s smallest country after Seychelles.

It consists of two archipelagos around the two main islands: São Tomé and Príncipe.

A century ago São Tomé and Príncipe was the leading cocoa beans producer of the world. Today it’s economy is still highly dependent on cocoa export. Half of it is exported to The Netherlands, the largest cacao importer in the world.

Principe Flycatcher-babbler is a species of bird endemic to São Tomé and Príncipe.

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Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania

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The Selous Game Reserve is one of the largest faunal reserves of the world, located in the south of Tanzania. It was named after Englishman Sir Frederick Selous, a famous big game hunter and early conservationist.

 

About four times the size of Serengeti, covering more than 5% of Tanzania's total area  , it is home to the largest concentration of elephants in the world. Selous Game Reserve is Unesco World Heritage Site since 1982.

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In May 2005 Tanzania post issued many stamps about Jules Verne (1828 - 1905), a French novelist, poet, and playwright best known for his adventure novels and science fiction. Mistress Branican is one of his adventure novels. 

The Bernina Express, Switzerland

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The Bernina Express is a train connecting Switzerland with Italy by crossing the Swiss Alps. For most of its journey, the train also passes along and through the World Heritage Site known as the Rhaetian Railway.

With its 196 bridges and viaducts, 55 tunnels and 128 km of track, the railway is a miracle of technology – an achievement that, even a hundred years after it was built, continues to fascinate. It is the highest altitude transalpine railway in Europe and one of the steepest adhesion railways in the world.

The postcard pictures Wiesen Viaduct, spanning the Landwasser River. The viaduct is 88 metres (289 ft) high and 204 metres (669 ft) long.

Stamp

Vegetable Blossoms – Tomato (issued 2012)