Tongariro National Park | New Zealand

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Tongariro National Park in New Zealand has active and extinct volcanoes, a diverse range of ecosystems and some spectacular landscapes.

Mt Ruapehu is one of New Zealand's most active volcanoes, and the highest mountain on the north island. It last erupted in 2007. The majestic slopes of Mt Ruapehu accommodate New Zealand’s largest and most developed ski areas. Skiing on an active volcano! Not for the faint of heart I guess.

Stamps

(left) Round Kiwi stamp, issued 2011.The kiwi is a national symbol of New Zealand.

(right) Maori Crafts, Taniko Embroidery. Part of a set of 6 stamps, issued in 1996. Aotearoa is the Maori name for New Zealand.

Tassili n'Ajjer | Algeria

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Tassili n'Ajjer is a mountain range in the Algerian part of the Sahara Desert. It is a vast plateau in south-east Algeria at the borders of Libya and Niger.

Located in a strange lunar landscape, this site has one of the most important groupings of prehistoric cave art in the world. More than 15,000 drawings and engravings record the climatic changes, the animal migrations and the evolution of human life on the edge of the Sahara from 6000 BC to the first centuries of the present era. 

Stamp

Mosques in Algeria, Al Atiq Mosque - Ghardaia

The holy Island of Patmos | Greece

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Patmos is a small Greek island in the Aegean Sea with only 3,000 inhabitants. The island's historic center Chora, along with the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian and the Cave of the Apocalypse, were declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 1999. All can be seen on this postcard.

Stamp

A stamp picturing watermelons and figs, issued 2014. There are twelve stamps in the series, each one representing something particular to that month. This one is for August. 

Singapore Botanic Gardens

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Singapore Botanic Gardens has been around for over 150 years. From an ornamental garden with roads, terraces, a band parade area and even a small zoo, it has come a long way in evolving into a leading equatorial botanic garden of 74 hectares, where major world crops, such as rubber and orchids were launched. The gardens are the first UNESCO World Heritage site for Singapore.

Stamp

Both postcard and stamp showing the bandstand on Lawrence Niven's parade ground. Probably one of the largest stamps in the world!      thx SL!

The Putorana plateau | Russia

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The Putorana plateau is a stunningly beautiful landscape, located in the northern part of Central Siberia. It is a complex of high flat-topped mountain massifs divided by deep and wide stepped canyons.

The part of the plateau inscribed on the World Heritage List harbours a complete set of subarctic and arctic ecosystems in an isolated mountain range, including pristine taiga, forest tundra, tundra and arctic desert systems, as well as untouched cold-water lake and river systems. (source: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1234)

Stamp

The 175th Anniversary of the World's First Postage Stamp - One Penny Black (issue 2015).

Plebiscito Square in Naples | Italy

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Naples, two hours south of Rome, is the largest city in southern Italy. It has some of the world's best opera houses and theatres, and is often called an open-air museum, because of its many historic statues and monuments.

The postcard pictures Piazza Plebiscito (Plebiscito square), a large public square in central Naples. A 25,000 square meter open air arena set between the city and the sea.

Stamp

A machine label.

thx Cheryll!

Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex | Vietnam

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The Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex is a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2014. This is a spectacular landscape of limestone karst peaks and  valleys, many of them partly submerged and surrounded by steep cliffs. The property also contains temples, pagodas, paddy-fields and small villages. 

 

Stamp

Founded in 1967, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has 10 member states today: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.  All the flags are in the symbol on the stamp.

The goal of this organization is to accelerate economic growth, social progress, and cultural development among its members and to promote regional peace.

Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in Essen | Germany

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Essen is Germany’s 9th largest city with about 570,000 inhabitants. The city is located in the Ruhr district, a densely populated and industrialized region.

The Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex is large historical coal-mining site in Essen.

UNESCO world heritage site since 2001.

Werla paper mill | Finland

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The Verla groundwood and board mill is a unique, small-scale industrial complex from the early years of the Finnish wood processing industry. Within its rural setting, the area includes mills, power plants and workers’ housing. Only a handful of such settlements survive to the present day.

The first groundwood mill at Verla was founded in 1872 but was destroyed by fire in 1876. A larger mill, founded in 1882, continued to operate until 1964.

Verla is a UNESCO World Heritage site. (Not sure why the postcard shows Werla, with a “ W”)

Ironbridge Gorge | United Kingdom

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The Ironbridge Gorge is a deep gorge formed by the River Severn in Shropshire, England. The bridge, built in 1779, is the first iron bridge of its kind in the world.

Ironbridge is also known throughout the world as the cradle of the Industrial Revolution. The nearby mines, blast furnaces, railways, bridge and river all contributed to the industrialization of this region and the rest of the world. 

Humayun's Tomb | India

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Humayun's tomb is the tomb of the Mughal Emperor Humayun in Delhi, India. Humayun died in 1556, and his widow Hamida Banu Begam, ordered the construction of his tomb fourteen years after his death.

Humayun's tomb is UNESCO World Heritage site.

Upper Harz Water Regale | Germany

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The Upper Harz was once an important mining region in Germany. The major products of its mines were silver, copper, lead, iron and zinc. The Upper Harz Water Regale is one of the largest and most important historic mining water management systems in the world.

Together with mines of Rammelsberg and the historic townof Goslar, Upper Harz Water Management System is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

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Part of a set of four stamps aus der Serie "Für die Jugend (2015). Süßwasserfische - Die Barbe

Thx Dustin!

The Forth Rail Bridge | United Kingdom - Scotland

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The Forth bridge was opened in 1890 after eight years of construction. It was the first major structure in Britain to be made of steel and at the time the world's longest multi-span cantilever bridge. Its construction resulted in a continuous East Coast railway route from London to Aberdeen.

 

The Forth Bridge is a UNESCO World Heritage site since July 2015. 

Stamp

Part of a set of six stamps to commemorate 200 years Battle of Waterloo. The battle ended Napoleon’s aspirations to conquer large parts of Europe. After being exiled to the Island of St Helena he died in 1821 at the age of 51.  

Heraion of Samos | Greece

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Samos is a Greek island in the eastern Aegean Sea, close to the Turkish coast. The island's population is 33,000, which makes it the 9th most populous of the Greek islands.

The ruins of the temple of Hera is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The temple was a large sanctuary to the goddess Hera, constructed in the 6th century B.C.