Hiiumaa Island and Lighthouse | Estonia

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Hiiumaa is Estonias second largest island. Formed 455 million years ago as a result of a meteorite explosion Hiiumaa is one of the oldest islands in the world.

Hiiumaa has an airport with flights to Tallinn but in winter the island can also be reached via an ice-road from the mainland. 

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2014 issue, 100 Years Herdbook of the Estonian Native Breed Cattle. You have to feel this stamp! It is printed onto gummed stamp paper with the flock technique giving the stamp a soft, smooth textured feel to the surface.

Terschelling Island and Lighthouse | The Netherlands

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Terschelling is one of the Netherlands' five Waddenzee islands. The island is only about 32km long and almost 5km wide. About 80 per cent of the island is national park, the remainder is taken up by small villages, roads and fields.

 

Brandaris, the islands lighthouse built in the 16^th century, is the oldest still operating lighthouse in The Netherlands, and a landmark that can't be missed.

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

Fernando de Noronha Islands | Brazil

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Fernando de Noronha is an archipelago of 20 islands in the Atlantic Ocean, about 500 km off the Brazilian coast. It is named after the Portuguese merchant Fernão de Loronha.

Did you know that this Brazilian hidden treasure allows to accommodate only 420 tourists at a given time slot? Being a small island with limited water resources and a fragile ecosystem, there is a maximum number of visitors allowed.

The archipelago is a World Heritage Site since 2001, because of the importance of its environment.

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(right) One of two stamps issued 2014 to celebrated diplomatic relationships with Philippines.

Selingan Turtle Island | Malaysia

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Selingan island is one the Turtle Islands, a group of uninhabited islands in the waters of the Sulu Sea on the maritime borders of Malaysia and the Philippines.

Turtle Islands Park comprises three of the Turtle islands, including Selingan island. The Park is famous for its Green and Hawksbill turtles, which lay their eggs on the beaches of the islands. 

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Part of a set of three stamps about threatened habitats: marine (2010).

The Balearic islands: Ibiza

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Ibiza island is one of Spain’s Balearic islands, located in the western Mediterranean Sea. The other three main islands are Majorca, Minorca and Formentera. 

With 50,000 inhabitants, Ibiza Town is the largest city on the island, widely known and visited for its exciting nightlife.

The old town, called the Dalt Vila (literally meaning "Upper Town") is located on a little mountain by the sea. The Upper Town is Ibiza’s oldest area and is a Unesco World Heritage site since 1999.

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A stamp in remembrance of Spanish guitarist Paco de Lucia (1947 – 2014).

The map of Malta

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The Maltese archipelago is located 100 km south of Sicily and 290 km north of Africa. It comprises five islands and two islets.

 

The main island are Malta, Gozo and Comino. Malta is the largest island and the cultural, commercial and administrative centre. Gozo is the second largest island and is more rural, characterised by fishing, tourism, crafts and agriculture. Comino, the smallest of the trio, has one hotel and is largely uninhabited.

The islets are named Kemmunett and Filfla, both uninhabited.

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2014 Europa stamp, this year’s theme is national musical instruments. This stamp portrays a bagpipe.

The capital of the Maldives: Male

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Maldives is an island nation with more than 2000 tropical islands of which only 200 are inhabited. Of the remaining islands about a 100 have been developed into exotic resort islands.

The capital of Maldives – Malé is located in the middle of the atoll chain, a small island with a population 75,000. Male is a city of high-rise buildings and paved roads. 

Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei

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Brunei is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. The official name of Brunei is Brunei Darussalam which means "abode of peace". Bandar Seri Begawan with an estimated population of 200,000, is the capital and largest city of Brunei, the smallest country in Southeast Asia.

 

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The Green Turtle stamp is part of a series of three stamps about sea turtles issued in 2010. The stamp on the right is to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the Civil Service Day.

Thx Matthew!

The Island of Courage and Sorrow | Belarus

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The (artificial) island of Courage and Sorrow is a memorial, dedicated to the fallen Belarusians who took part in the Afghan war. About 30,000 Belarusians fought in Afghanistan, 771 of them died. In the center of the monument there are figures of mourning women. They symbolize the Belarusian mothers mourning over their sons who did not return from the war.

 

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Slutsk sashes are articles of Belarus manufactory weaving of the second half of 18th — the beginning of 19th centuries. They were called according to the place of origin — Slutsk town.

Ostrog Monastery | Montenegro

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Ostrog monastery is located at 900 meters above sea level,  carved into the magnificent mountain cliff of Ostrog in central Montenegro. Depending on the weather, the Serbian Orthodox monastery can be in or above the clouds.

The monastery, built in the first half of the 17th century, is the most visited holy place of pilgrimage in Montenegro.

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Dado Đurić (1933–2010), was a Yugoslavian-born painter, engraver, drawer, book illustrator and sculptor.

Monastic complex of San Salvatore–Santa Giulia | Italy

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Brescia is a city in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy, situated at the foot of the Alps. In this city, on the ruins of an ecclesiastical complex, the future king of the Longobards, Desiderius, founded the monastery of San Salvatore in 753 AD. The Longobards were a Germanic tribe who ruled Italy from 568 to 774.

This is one of a group of seven historic buildings (monasteries, church buildings and fortresses) that make up the UNESCO World Heritage site of Longobards in Italy, Places of Power (568–774 A.D.). 

French island hideaway: The Fort de Bregancon

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The Fort de Brégançon served as the official retreat of the President of France from 1968 to 2013. It is an old fortress on a tiny island off the French Mediterranean coast, connected to the mainland by a short causeway.

The 17th-century Fort de Brégancon hosted holidaying French leaders for almost 50 years. The current French president Francois Hollande has decided to break with tradition and open it up for the public.

Stamps

Three amazing stamps from the 60’s!

(left) 1968 The 200th Anniversary of the Union of Corsica and France

(middle) 1966 National Congress of Philatelic Societies, Niort Cathedrale

(right) 1965 The 300th Anniversary of the Colonisation of Réunion

Historic Centre of Shakhrisyabz, a monument for Amir Timur

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Amir Timur (1336-1405), also known as Tamerlane, is remembered as a vicious conqueror, who razed ancient cities to the ground and put entire populations to the sword. He was the most powerful ruler in the Muslim world after defeating the Mamluks of Egypt and Syria, the emerging Ottoman Empire and the declining Sultanate of Delhi.

On the other hand, he is also known as a great patron of the arts, literature, and architecture. The Historic Centre of Shakhrisyabz, located on the Silk Roads in southern Uzbekistan, is over 2000 years old. The city contains many fine monuments, and in particular those from the Timurid period.

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A matching stamp!

City of Luxembourg: its Old Quarters and Fortifications

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Luxembourg is a landlocked country in Western Europe, bordered by Belgium, Germany and France. Luxembourg City is a commune with city status, and the capital of Luxembourg.  

The Old City of Luxembourg has long been part of the UNESCO World Heritage. Because of its strategic position, Luxembourg was, from the 16th century until 1867, when its walls were dismantled, one of Europe's greatest fortified sites.

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Europe stamp 2014, part of a set of two stamps. This year’s theme is traditional musical instruments. The stamp depicts a small group of musicians clothed in historical peasant costumes playing the traditional Luxembourgish song, the “Hämmelsmarsch“, on traditional instruments.