Ancient city of Carthage | Tunisia

Postcard

Carthage was founded in the 9th century B.C. as a Phoenician colony near modern Tunis. The Phoenicians were sea traders who ‘occupied’ large parts of the Mediterranean coast. Their major cities were Tyre, Sidon and Byblos on the coastline of modern Lebanon.

Stamp

One of two stamps depicting Villages of Tunisia. Ghazi Mustapha Fort, Djerba.

Butterflies of Tanzania

Postcard

According to good old ‘Wiki’ there are over 1,500 species of butterflies in Tanzania. Six of them are shown on this postcard.

Stamp

A Pensive Water Buck. In 2009 Tanzania issued a set of 18 stamps 'Wild animals of Tanzania'. The waterbuck is a large antelope found widely in sub-Saharan Africa.

Botswana Butterflies

Postcard

A postcard depicting a butterfly shaped stamp sheet. The butterflies are actually moths. The stamps were issued in the year 2000.

Stamps

The three stamps are all part of a series of 14 bird stamps, issued in 2014.

Rarotonga, one of the Cook Islands

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An island country in the South Pacific Ocean: the Cook Islands. Rarotonga is the most populous island of the archipelago, with a population of 13,000.

The mountainous peaks of the inner island are ringed by spectacularly beautiful beaches and stunning lagoons of crystal clear water. Like the Muri Lagoon on this postcard.

Thx Susan!

The giant Buddha of Kamakura | Japan

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The Great Buddha of Kamakura is a monumental outdoor bronze located at the Kōtoku-in Temple in Kamakura, Japan. 

The bronze statue, the second tallest in Japan, dates from 1252. The statue was originally housed in a wooden structure, but that structure was destroyed several times. Since 1495 the statue has no roof over its head.

Thx Steve!

Lantau Island, the Giant Buddha | Hong Kong

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Lantau Island is the largest island in Hong Kong. Tian Tan Buddha, also known as the Big Buddha, is a large bronze statue of a Buddha located near the Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island. The Buddha is 34 metres (112 ft) tall and visitors have to climb 268 steps to reach the Buddha.

This giant Buddha is named Tian Tan Buddha because its base is a model of the Altar of Heaven, part of the Unesco World Heritage site Temple of Heaven in Beijing.

Stamp

Part of a set of six stamps about Cantonese opera costumes, issue 2014. 

Sunset over Faroe Islands

Postcard

The Faroe Islands is located northwest of Scotland and halfway between Iceland and Norway. 

The archipelago comprises 18 islands. Here you see a map of the Faroe Islands. Faroe is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark.

Stamp

A stamp to celebrate the 80th birthday of the Danish Prince Consort. A prince consort is the husband of a Queen who is not himself a king in his own right.

Two German islands: Bock and Hiddensee

Postcard

Bock is an uninhabited island in Germany’s Baltic Sea, located near Hiddensee island. Both can be seen on this card. 

Hiddensee is a car-free island with a population of about 1,000, located west of Rügen, Germany's largest island.

Stamps

The stamps are part of a large series of definitives.

Île d'Oléron | France

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Île d'Oléron is France's largest island after Corsica. 

The island is located off the Atlantic coast of France, connected to the mainland by a 3km long bridge. 

Northern lights over Svalbard

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Svalbard is a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, located somewhere midway between continental Norway and the North Pole. The largest island is Spitsbergen meaning something like “pointy mountains” in Dutch language.

 

Stamp

The stamp was cancelled in Longyearbyen, the administrative centre.

Thank you very much!

Ometepe Island | Nicaragua

Postcard

Ometepe is an island located in the middle of Lake Nicaragua, the second largest lake in Latin America.

Its name means ‘two mountains’ in the native language. The island is home to two volcanoes: Maderas and Concepción. The latter is an active stratovolcano that erupted at least 25 times since 1883. 

Stamps

These six stamps with rainforest animals are part of a sheet of 20 stamp, issued 1991.

Thank you very much!

Vlieland Island and Lighthouse | Netherlands

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Vlieland is one of the five Wadden Islands. Schiermonnikoog, Ameland, Terschelling and Texel are the other four. Vlieland is about 12 km in length and no more than 2 km in width. The number of inhabitants is 1,100.  

Stamps

Part of a sheet of 10 stamps to celebrate 175 years of railways in Netherlands.

Santiaguito Volcano | Guatemala

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Santiaguito has now been active for nearly a century. The volcano is part of a twin volcano system located near Quezaltenango, Guatemala’s second largest city.

The Santiaguito lava dome was created in the aftermath of the explosion of the Santa Maria Volcano in 1902. Since then it has been erupting with an explosion of hot ash and rocks every few hours.

Stamps

(left) Part of a set of four stamps about legends and myths: the legend of Manualita. She was sentenced to death for witchcraft. But she escaped prison by a ship she drew on the prison walls with a piece of coal.

The stamp on the right is a 2013 Christmas stamp. 

A postcard from the West Indies: Montserrat

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Montserrat is a British Overseas Territory located in the Caribbean. Soufrière Hills Volcano began to erupt in 1995, for the first time since the 17th century.

The lava flows and ash falls forced two-thirds of the island's population to flee. Today the island has about 4,500 inhabitants.

Stamp

Part of a set of 12 butterfly stamps, issued 2013.