BOLIVIA

BOLIVIA.

20th anniversary of the airline Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano (1925-1945).
Map of Bolivia with air routes.
Second stamp in a set of 7, issued on 15.09.1945.
Face value: 30 centavos of boliviano.
Printed by Litografías e Imprentas Unidas, La Paz.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 388.
- Scott No. C106.
- StampWorld No. 393.
- Yvert et Tellier No. PA 83.

Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano (LAB) was a passenger and cargo transportation airline in Bolivia, founded in La Paz by Guillermo Kyllman on September 15, 1925. Its base of operations was in the city of Cochabamba. The airline's first plane, a Junkers F-13, with capacity for two crew members and four passengers, was a gift from the German community in Bolivia. The first international flights of the airline began in July 1930, with routes between La Paz and Rio de Janeiro and La Paz to Corumbá. Unable to overcome an economic crisis that began in 1994, the airline ceased service in 2012, and subsequent relaunch attempts failed.

AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC TERRITORY

AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC TERRITORY.

Mount Coates, in Victoria Land.
Fourth stamp in a set of 10, issued on 18.07.1984.
Face value: 30 cents of Australian dollar.
Design: Gary Emery.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Size: 26 x 38 mm.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 66.
- Scott No, 66. (?)
- Seven Seas Stamps No. 64.
- StampWorld No. 66.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 69. 
- Yvert et Tellier No. 65.

Mount Coates is an Antarctic peak, 2,060 m (6,760 ft) high, just east of the Borns Glacier in the Kukri Hills of Victoria Land (in an area claimed by New Zealand). It was named by the geographer Thomas Griffith Taylor, of the British Terra Nova expedition (1910-1913), in homage to his friend Harold Coates.

HAITI

HAITI / HAÏTI.

In memory of Dr. Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965).
Maps of Alsace and Gabon.
First stamp in a set of 7, issued on 20.04.1967.
Face value: 5 cents of Haitian gourde.
Printing: Photogravure.
Size: 41 x 29 mm.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 892.
- StampWorld No. 880.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 1008.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 567.

Ludwig Philipp Albert Schweitzer (Kaysersberg, Alsace, German Empire, January 14, 1875 - Lambaréné, Gabon, September 4, 1965) was a Franco-German doctor, philosopher, theologian and musician who spent most of his life in Lambaréné (French Equatorial Africa, currently in the Republic of Gabon), where he established a hospital with his wife and cared for thousands of patients. He cared for hundreds of lepers and treated many victims of the African disease known as sleeping sickness. In 1952 he received the Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work.

JAMAICA

JAMAICA.

16th Century Maps.
Map of Jamaica island by Benedetto Bordone (1528).
First stamp in a set of 4, issued on 12.03.1976.
Face value: 10 cents of Jamaican dollar.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 406.
- Scott No. 406.
- StampWorld No. 409.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 411.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 414.

Benedetto Bordone (Padua, 1450-1530) was an Italian miniaturist, cartographer and geographer of the Republic of Venice. Educated at the school directed by Andrea Mantegna and Giovanni Bellini, he belonged to the group of Venetian printers who distinguished themselves for their elegance and precision. In 1528, two years before his death, he published a work that summarizes his inclination as a cartographer and geographer: the Libro di Benedetto Bordone nel qual si ragiona de tutte le isole del mondo (which in successive editions was simply titled Isolario), in the it represents all the known islands of the world with their ancient and modern names.

MADAGASCAR

MADAGASCAR / REPOBLIKA MALAGASY.

World telecommunication day.
Antananarivo-Tamatave-Diego Suarez microwave link.
Stylized map of the country with the link and telecommunications antenna.
Stamp issued on 12.10.1979.
Face value: 25 Malagasy francs.
Printing: Offset.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 853.
- Scott No. 599.
- StampWorld No. 902.
- Ycert et Tellier No. 632.

BELIZE

BELIZE.

Commemoration of independence, 21 September 1981.
Political map with the administrative districts.
Second stamp in a set of 2, issued on 10.02.1982.
Face value: 35 cents of Belize dollar.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Size: 50 x 35 mm.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 623.
- Scott No. 595.
- StampWorld No. 328.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 658.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 573.

The territory of present-day Belize was part of the Mayan cultural area. The Spanish conquerors explored the region from 1519, they incorporated it into the Crown of Castile and the territory became part of the General Captaincy of Guatemala, but they did not colonize it. In 1716 some British loggers settled in the Belize River region, but initially the British government not considerate the region as a colony, thus respecting the Spanish presence. However, in 1862 Great Britain formally declared the territory a British Crown colony subordinate to Jamaica, and named it British Honduras. In 1949 a People's Committee was created, which demanded independence; in 1973 the colony recovered the name of Belize, and despite Guatemala's claims to the territory, it proclaimed its independence on September 21, 1981. Guatemala did not recognize the new country until 1992.

SAUDI ARABIA

SAUDI ARABIA / العربيّة السّعودية.

50th anniversary of the Unification of the Saudi Arabia Kingdom.
Map of the Arabian peninsula and portrait of King Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
Fifth stamp in a set of 8, issued on 23.09.1981.
Face value: 50 halalas.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 706.
- StampWorld No. 628.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 534.

The unification of Saudi Arabia was a political and military campaign made by the House of Saud against several sheikhs, emirates, kingdoms and tribes of the Arabian peninsula, who were conquered between 1902 and 1932. On September 23 of this last year proclaimed the modern kingdom of Saudi Arabia under the leadership of Abdelaziz ibn Saud.

VATICAN CITY

VATICAN CITY / CIVITATIS VATICANÆ - CITTÀ DEL VATICANO.

Protection of the Venetian world heritage.
Representation of Venice on a map by Egnatio Danti (1536-1586) kept in the Vatican Museums.
Stamps in a set of 6 issued on 06.06.1972.
Face value: 50 Italian lire x 4.

Catalogues
- Bolaffi No. 519.
- Michel Nos. 599-602.
- Sassone No. 519.
- Scott No. 520. (?)
- StampWorls Nos. 598-601.
- Stanley Gibbons No. MS580.
- Unificato No. 519.
- Yvert et Tellier Nos. 537-540.

Egnatio or Ignazio Danti is the name by which Pellegrino Rainaldi Danti (1536-1586), mathematician, astronomer, cosmographer, painter and Italian Catholic religious is known. He painted 30 maps of the regions of the world (based on the printed editions published by Giacomo Gastaldi, Abraham Ortelius, Gerardus Mercator and others) in the Guardaroba of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence and, later, others of the regions of Italy in the newly built Vaticane's Galleria delle Carte Geografiche, a project started at the beginning of the year 1580 and completed 18 months later; Each map included a perspective of the most important city in the region (the stamp represents one of them).

CZECHOSLOVAKIA

CZECHOSLOVAKIA / ČESKOSLOVENSKO.

Gerlachovský štít (Gerlach Peak), in Tatra mountains, from Vyšné Ružbachy Spa (now in Slovakia).
Fouth stamp in a set of 4, issued on 17.03.1956.
Face value: 1.20 Czechoslovak koruna.
Design: Mario Stretti.
Engraving: Jindra Schmidt.
Print: 3,375,000 copies.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 962.
- Scott No. 743.
- StampWorld No. 958.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 912.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 848.

Gerlachovský štít (Gerlach Peak), at 2,655 m (8,711 ft), is the highest peak in the High Tatras, in Slovakia, and in the entire Carpathian mountain range. The first confirmed ascent was made by Ján (Johann) Still, from the town of Nová Lesná, in 1834. In the Austro-Hungarian Empire it was known as Franz Joseph Peak, in homage to the emperor.

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA / BOSNA I HERCEGOVINA (Austro-Hungarian Empire).

Vrbas river valley.
Seventh stamp in a set of 16, issued on 01.11.1906.
Face value: 10 Heller of Austro-Hungarian Krone.
Design: Koloman Moser (1868-1918).
Printed: Engraved.
Printed by the Kaiserlich-Königliche Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, Wien.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 34.
- Scott No. 35.
- StampWorld No. 34.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 191. (?)
- Yvert et Tellier No. 34.

The Vrbas River is a river in central and northern Bosnia and Herzegovina. It flows for 250 km (160 mi), and the area of its basin is 6,264 km² (2,422 sq mi). It is a right-hand tributary of the Sava River. Drains the central part of the northern slopes of the Dinaric mountain range, between Jajce and Banja Luka, where the valley that appears in the stamp is located.

EGYPT

EGYPT / مِصر.

29th anniversary of the Revolution
and 25th anniversary of the nationalization of the Suez Canal.
With a small stylized map of the Suez Canal and an indication of the increase
in navigation through the Canal since 1956 and until 1981.
Second stamp in a set of 2, issued on 23.07.1981.
Face value: 20 milliemes of Egyptian pound.

Catalogs
- Scott No. 1161.
- StampWorld No. 869.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 1147.

The Suez Canal (in Arabic, قناة السويس) is a navigable canal located in Egypt that connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea. Its length is 163,30 km (120.11 mi) between Port Saíd (on the Mediterranean coast) and Suez (on the Red Sea coast). The canal excavation works began officially on April 10, 1859, promoted by the French Ferdinand de Lesseps. It was solemnly inaugurated on November 17, 1869, although the first ship had crossed it on February 17, 1867.

On July 26, 1956, Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser decided to nationalize the canal to finance the construction of the Aswan Dam. The measure was received with indignation by France and the United Kingdom, the main shareholders of the Suez Canal, and on October 29 of that same year the so-called Sinai War broke out. Egypt, in retaliation, sank forty ships in the canal, causing its blockade. At the beginning of 1957, after the intervention of the UN, the withdrawal of the European powers and Israel was completed and the canal could be reopened.

PORTUGAL

PORTUGAL.

50th Anniversary of the First Flight Lisbon - Rio de Janeiro (1922-1972).
Map with the route through the Atlantic Ocean.
Second stamp in a set of 4, issued on 15.11.1972.
Face value: 2.50 Portuguese escudos.
Design: Serviços Artísticos dos PTT.
Printed by Casa da Moeda, Lisboa.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 1186.
- StampWorld No. 1175.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 1490.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 1170.

Gago Coutinho (1869-1959) and Sacadura Cabral (1881-1924) were both Portuguese navigators that managed to perform the first aereal crossing from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro, in the South Atlantic. They began the journey on March 30, 1922 in the “Lusitânia” plane, with stopovers in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and São Vicente Island (Cape Verde), and with a second plane, “Pátria”, in Fernando de Naronha island, and with a third plane, “Santa Cruz”, in the Brazilian towns Recife, Salvador de Bahía. Porto Seguro and Vitória. They finally landed in Rio de Janeiro on June 17, after a 79-day journey.

TUVALU

TUVALU.

Map of the Tuvalu Islands archipielago.
Last stamp in a series of 15 (7 + 8), issued on 01.07.1976.
Face value: 10 cents of Tuvalian (Australian) dollar.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 28.
- Scott No. 39. (88?)
- StampWorld No. 29.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 64. (?)
- Yvert et Tellier No. 29.

Tuvalu is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean, formed by 4 coral reefs and 5 atolls, with a total area of 26 km² (10 sq mi), and its total population is about 12,000 inhabitants. Its maximum altitude is 4.6 m (15 ft) above sea level. Its capital is Funafuti, with about 6500 inhabitants.

This is the fifth set of stamps issued by Tuvalu since its separation from the Gilbert Islands (present-day Kiribati) on January 1, 1976. Its independence, however, was officially proclaimed on October 1, 1978. It is a constitutional monarchy belonging to the British Commonwealth, in which Queen Elizabeth II was officially recognized as the monarch of Tuvalu. Previously, the archipelago was known as the Ellice Islands, and from 1895 together with the Gilberts it formed the British protectorate of Gilbert and Ellice (British Micro-Polynesia). The islands were already inhabited in the first millennium BC by Polynesians from Tonga and Samoa. The first Europeans to arrive there, on January 16, 1568, were a group of Spaniards commanded by Álvaro de Mendaña, who gave the name of Islas Nombre de Jesús to the archipelago.

UNITED KINGDOM, Northern Ireland

UNITED KINGDOM. Northern Ireland.

The Giant's Causeway.
50th Anniversary of the National Trust for Scotland.
Pictorial representation.
Forth stamp in a set of 5, issued on 24.06.1981.
Face value: 22 British pence.
Printed by Harrison & Sons (High Wycombe) Ltd.
Printed: Photoengraving.
Print: 9,920,000 copies.
Size: 41 x 30 mm.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 882.
- Scott No. 948.
- StampWorld No. 863.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 1158.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 999.

The Giant's Causeway (in Irish: Clochán an Aifir), discovered in 1693, is an area containing some 40,000 columns of basalt from the relatively rapid cooling of volcanic lava, which occurred about 60 million years ago. It is located on the north-eastern coast of the island of Ireland, in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It was declared a World Heritage Site in 1986 and a National Nature Reserve in 1987. 

According to legend, Irish giant Fionn mac Cumhaill (Finn MacCool) was challenged to a fight by the Scottish giant Benandonner. Fionn accepted the challenge and built the causeway across the North Channel so that the two giants could meet. In one version of the story, Fionn defeats Benandonner. In another, Fionn hides from Benandonner when he realises that his foe is much bigger than he is. Fionn's wife, Oonagh, disguises Fionn as a baby and tucks him in a cradle. When Benandonner sees the size of the 'baby', he reckons that its father, Fionn, must be a giant among giants. He flees back to Scotland in fright, destroying the causeway behind him so that Fionn would be unable to chase him down. In overall Irish mythology, Fionn mac Cumhaill is not a giant but a hero with supernatural abilities.

INDONESIA

INDONESIA.

10th anniversary of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Declaration.
Map of the five signatory countries: the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.
Second stamp in a set of 3, issued on 08.08.1977.
Face value: 35 Indonesian rupee.
Printing: Photogravure.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 880.
- Scott No. 1007.
- StampWorld No. 923.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 1481.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 803.

The Founding Declaration of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was signed on August 8, 1967 by the foreign ministers of five countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. The aims and purposes of ASEAN are to accelerate economic growth, social progress, and cultural development in the region, to promote regional peace, collaboration and mutual assistance on matters of common interest, to provide assistance to each other in the form of training and research facilities, to collaborate for better utilization of agriculture and industry to raise the living standards of the people, to promote Southeast Asian studies and to maintain close, beneficial co-operation with existing international organizations with similar aims and purposes. Later, other countries joined the Association.

EL SALVADOR

EL SALVADOR.

El Salvador in the FIFA World Cup Football "España 82".
Simplified map of El Salvador and its geographical location in America, and the trophy.
Airmail. Second stamp in a set of 3, issued on 01.07.1982.
Face value: 60 cents of colón.
Design: Dirección de Servicios Gráficos.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 1388.
- StampWorld No. 1461.
- Yvert et Tellier No. PA 495.

12th FIFA World Cup Football was played in Spain between 13 June and 11 July 1982. In the first round of Group 3, Hungary defeated El Salvador 10–1. In the final classification of group 3 (Belgium, Argentina, Hungary and El Salvador), the Salvadoran national team was in last place, with 0 points. The trophy was won by the team from Italy.

BRAZIL

BRAZIL / BRASIL.

National Climate Program (Programa Nacional do Clima).
With a simplified map of Brazil.
Stamp issued on 18.03.1985.
Face value: 5 cruzeiros.
Design: Lucia TV Ramos.
Printing: Offset.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 2096.
- StampWorld No. 2113.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 1718.

ARGENTINA

ARGENTINA.

Rocket launch from Argentine Antarctica.
Stylized map of the Antarctic territory claimed by Argentina, and "Centauro" rocket.
Airmail stamp issued on 19.02.1966.
Face value: 27.50 Argentine pesos.
Printed by Casa de Moneda, Buenos Aires.
Print: 1,000,000 copies.
Size: 40 x 35 mm.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 858. (?)
- Scott No. C105.
- StampWorld No. 923.
- Yvert et Tellier No. PA112.

Argentina claims the sector of Antarctica between meridians 74°W and 25°W, parallel 60°S and the south pole as one of its geographical regions and as an integral part of its territory (administratively, for Argentina the area is part of the province of Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and the South Atlantic Islands). This sector is partially overlapped, between the South Pole and the Antarctic peninsula (Tierra de San Martín in the official Argentine cartography), with the eastern area of the sector claimed by Chile (Chilean Antarctic Territory) and totally with the sector claimed by the United Kingdom (British Antarctic Territory). Argentine Antarctic claims are based on historical and geological considerations, of continued Argentine human presence since 1904, and of proximity to continental Argentina. The exercise of Argentine sovereignty over Argentine Antarctica becomes effective in all aspects that are not limited by the signing of the Antarctic Treaty in 1959. The estimated area of the so-called Argentine Antarctica is 1,461,597 km², of which 965,314 km² correspond to the mainland.

ESTONIA

ESTONIA / EESTI.

Stylized map of Estonia and its geographical location in Europe.
Second stamp in a set of 2, issued on 01.11.1991.
Face value: 2.50 Soviet ruble.
Print: 993.000 copies.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 175.
- Scott No. 210.
- StampWorld No. 206.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 189.

This stamp belongs to the second issue (continuation of the first) of the Estonian post after independence proclaimed on August 20, 1991 (and officially accepted by the Soviet Union on September 6 of the same year). The Soviet ruble, which was replaced by the crown (kroon) on June 20, 1992, was still maintained as a monetary unit.

SPAIN

SPAIN / ESPAÑA.

Explorers and colonisers of America: Venezuela.
Map of Santiago de León de Caracas.
Last stamp in a set of 5. issued on 12.10.1968.
Face value: 6 pesetas.
Printed by F. N. M. T. (Fábrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre), Madrid.
Stamp: 8,000,000 copies.

Catalogues
- Edifil No. 1893.
- StampWorld No. 1792.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 2001.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 1553. 

In 1560, a mestizo from Margarita Island installed a small cattle establishment in the north of Venezuela, where later the Spanish conqueror Juan Rodríguez Suárez arrived, who established the Villa de San Francisco there to defend the area from frequent confrontations between indigenous tribes. In 1567 another Spanish conqueror, Diego de Losada, populated the place and on July 25 of the same year he founded the city of Santiago de León de Caracas (Caracas was the transcription of the name that the indigenous Caribs gave to that region). Shortly after, Governor Juan de Pimentel established it as his residence and administrative capital of the province of Venezuela. In 1578 Pimentel designed the first urban map of Caracas, which is the one reproduced on the stamp.

AUSTRIA

AUSTRIA / ÖSTERREICH.

Alm Lake (Almsee), Upper Austria.
Stamp issued on 12.12.1973.
Face value: 4 shilling.
Design: Otto Zeiller (1913-1988).
Engraving: Werner Pfeiler (b. 1941).
Size: 33 x 28 mm.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 1430.
- Scott No. 964.
- StampWorld No. 1481.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 1681.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 1259.

The Almsee is a mountain lake in Upper Austria, belonging to the municipality of Grünau im Almtal, at the northern foot of the Dead Mountains (Totes Gebirge), in the northern eastern Pre-Alps. It is located 589 m (1932 ft) above sea level. Its length is 2.3 km (1.43 mi), its maximum width is 700 m (2,296 ft), and its average depth is 2.5 m (8.20 ft). It has a surface area of 850,000 m² (9,149,323 sq ft). Since 1965 it has been protected as a nature reserve.

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO.

National icons.
Flag, silhouette of Queen Elizabeth II and a small stylized map of the country in silver.
Teenth stamp in a set of 16, issued on 01.04.1969.
Face value: 25 cents of Trinidad and Tobago dollar.

Catalogues
- Scott No. 153.
- StampWorld No. 167.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 348.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 240.

Britain's Caribbean colonies formed the West Indies Federation in 1958 as a vehicle for independence, however the Federation dissolved after Jamaica withdrew following a membership referendum in 1961. The government of Trinidad and Tobago subsequently chose to seek independence from the United Kingdom on its own, which it was officially declared on August 31, 1962.

CEYLON

CEYLON (British colony, now Sri Lanka).

Adam's Peak, with the portrait of King George V.
Second stamp in a set of 13, issued in 1938.
Face value: 3 cents of Ceylon rupees.
Printing: Recess.
Printed by Bradbury, Wilkinson and De La Rue, London.
Size: 25 x 38 mm.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 231.
- Scott No. 279.
- StampWorld No. 247.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 387.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 239.

Adam's Peak is a 2,243 m (7,360 ft) high conical mountain located in central Sri Lanka island. Near its top is a 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) rock formation known to Sinhalese as Sri Pada ("holy footprint"), which Buddhist tradition considers the imprint of Buddha's left foot, Hindu tradition that of Hanuman or Shiva, and some Islamic and Christian traditions that of Adam, left when he stepped on Earth for the first time after being expelled from paradise. Marco Polo wrote in his Travels (1298 CE) that Adam's Peak was an important pilgrimage site, but did not mention the footprint in the rock. In 1344 CE, the Arab traveler Ibn Battuta climbed to the top of the mountain, which he called Sarandīb.

BULGARIA

BULGARIA / БЪЛГАРИЯ.

Rila (Рила) Mountains.
First stamp in a set of 5, issued on 13.03.1962.
Face value: 1 stotinka.
Print: 14,000,000 copies.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 1314.
- StampWorld No. 1294.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 1147.

Rila is the highest mountain range of Bulgaria, the Balkan Peninsula and Southeast Europe. It is situated in southwestern Bulgaria and forms part of the Rila-Rhodope Massif. The highest summit is Musala at an altitude of 2,925 m (9,596 ft). It spans a territory of 2,629 km² (1,015 sq mi) with an average altitude of 1,487 m (4,878 ft). The biodiversity and the pristine landscapes are protected by Rila National Park which covers much of the mountain; the rest lies within Rila Monastery Nature Park.

TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS

TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS.

Turks Island Passage map.
First stamp in a set of 4, issued on 02.02.1978.
Face value: 6 cents of United States dollar.

Catalogues
- Scott No. 338.
- StampWorld No. 350.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 489.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 391.

The Turks and Caicos Islands are a British Overseas Territory consisting of the larger Caicos Islands and smaller Turks Islands, two groups of tropical islands in the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. The first inhabitants of the islands were the Arawakan-speaking Taíno people, who most likely crossed over from Hispaniola some time from AD 500 to 800. Together with Taíno who migrated from Cuba to the southern Bahamas around the same time, these people developed as the Lucayan. Some sources state that Christopher Columbus saw the islands on his voyage to the Americas in 1492. However other sources state that it is more likely that Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León was the first European in Turks and Caicos, in 1512. In 1799, both the Turks and the Caicos island groups were annexed by Britain as part of the Bahamas.

The Turks Islands are separated from the Caicos Islands by Turks Island Passage, which is more than 2,200 m (7,200 ft) deep.

CHILE

CHILE.

10th Anniversary of the Antarctic Treaty, 1961-1971.
Overprinted stamp of 1971, issued on 04.11.1982.
With an stylized map of the Antarctica.
Face value: 1 Chilean peso over 3.50 escudos.

Catalogues
- Chilecollector No. 1038.
- Scott No. 630.
- StampWorld No. 968.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 606.

On December 1, 1959, the twelve countries that had carried out scientific activities in and around Antarctica during the 1957-1958 International Geophysical Year signed the Antarctic Treaty in Washington. The Treaty entered into force on June 23, 1961, and has been accepted by many other nations. The Treaty recognizes, among other things, the interest of all humankind that Antarctica continue to be used exclusively for peaceful purposes and shall not become the scene or object of international discord. The signatory countries were: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Chile, France, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

GREECE

GREECE / ЕΛΛΑΣ.

9th anniversary of Battle of Crete.
Simplified map of Crete.
Flags of Greece, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand and King George II.
Stamp issued on 29.04.1950.
Face value: 1000 Greec drachma.
Printing: Recess.
Print: 4,800,000 copies.

Catalogues
- Karamitsos No. 706.
- Michel No. 576.
- Scott No. 523.
- StampWorld No. 558.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 686.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 570.

During World War II, after the Italian attack on Greece (October 28, 1940), Crete was occupied by allied troops in support of the Greeks to avoid the occupation of the island. However, on April 27, 1941, Adolf Hitler ordered the invasion of Crete through an operation carried out by airborne troops, in which 700 transport planes and 750 gliders participated, in addition to 4,500 paratroopers that took less than two weeks to occupy it. The Allies, with troops from Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand in support of the Greeks, and with massive participation of Cretan civilians, faced the Axis forces unsuccessfully in a bloody battle that lasted from May 20 to June 1. Hitler's strategic victory allowed the occupation of the island, which remained in the hands of the Germans until their garrison capitulated in May 1945.

UNITED STATES

UNITED STATES.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Last stamp in a set of 3, issued on 08.10.1934.
Face value: 10 cents.
Printing: Recess.
Print: 18,874,300 copies.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 373.
- Scott No. 749.
- StampWorld No. 590.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 748.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 337.

The Great Smoky Mountains are part of the Appalachian Mountains. Its highest peak is the Clingmans Dome, with a height of 2,025 m (6,643 ft); they stretch along the Tennessee-North Carolina border in the southeastern United States. On June 15, 1934, President Franklin Roosevelt signed legislation establishing the Great Smoky Mountains National Park: the park covers 2,114.15 km² (816.28 sq mi) and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Native Americans probably hunted in those mountains 14,000 years ago. Hernandode Soto and Juan Pardo are supposed to have been the first Europeans to visit the Smokies, in 1540 and 1567 respectively. Europeans began to explore the region in the mid-18th century. After the French and Indian War (1754-63), tensions developed between the native Cherokee and the arriving white explorers. In the early 1800s, the Cherokee ceded control of the Smokies to the US government.

PARAGUAY

PARAGUAY.

25th Anniversary of Inter-American Development Bank (Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo, BID).
Stylized map of the American continent.
Airmail. Last stamp in a set of 5, issued on 25.04.1985.
Face value: 95 guaraní.

Catalogues
- Scott No. C606.
- StampWorld No. 3907.

The Inter-American Development Bank is an international financial organization based in the city of Washington D.C. (USA), and created in 1959 with the purpose of financing economic, social and institutional development projects and promoting regional trade integration in the Latin American and Caribbean area through loans to governments and government agencies. It is the largest regional development financial institution of this type and its origin dates back to the Inter-American Conference of 1890. Although it was born within the Organization of American States (OAS) it has no relationship with that institution or with the Monetary Fund International (IMF) or with the World Bank. Its official languages are English, French, Portuguese and Spanish.

NEW ZEALAND

NEW ZEALAND / AOTEAROA.

Franz Josef Glacier.
Last stamp in a set of 6, issued on 12.06.1992.
Face value: 1.80 New Zealand dollars.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Size: 40 x 28 mm.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 1235.
- StampWorld No. 1265.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 1680.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 1179.

Franz Josef (Maori: Kā Roimata or Hine Hukatere) is a 12 km (7.5 mi) long glacier located in Westland Tai Poutini National Park, established in 1960 on the west coast of New Zealand's South Island. After retreating several kilometers between 1940 and 1980, the glacier entered a phase of advance in 1984, which continued until 2008. It descends from its head to 2,500 m (8,200 ft) in the Southern Alps at less than 300 m (980 ft) altitude, about 19 km (12 mi) from the Tasman Sea. The river that emerges from the end of the glacier is called Waiho.

SOUTH AFRICA

SOUTH AFRICA / SUID-AFRIKA.

Cooperation in Southern Africa, Veterinaty assistance.
Simplified map of the African continent.
Last stamp in a set of 4, issued on 15.02.1990 (in minishet).
Face value: 50 cents of South African rand.
Design: A. H. Barrett.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 824.
- Scott No. 784A.
- StampWorld No. 831.
- Stanley Gibbons No. MS 704.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 709.

CHINA PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC

CHINA PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC / 中华人民共和国.

Sichuan-Tibet and Qinghai-Tibet Highways.

First stamp in a set of 3, issued 30.03.1956.
Face value: 4 fen.
Design: Lu Tiankiao.
Engraver: Gao Zhengyu, Song Guangzeng and Kong Shaohui. 
Printing: Engraving.
Printed by Beijing People's Printing Works.

Size: 38 x 25.5 mm.

Catalogues
- Scott No. 287.
- Michel No. 311.
- StampWorld No. 316.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 1069.

In 1950, some 110,000 people, including a large number of soldiers, were summoned to build the first highways that linked Tibet with the rest of the People's Republic of China. They had rudimentary equipment and faced many dangers: until the work was completed, more than 4,000 workers lost their lives. The Qinghai-Tibet (1937 km, 1203 mi) and Sichuan-Tibet (2142 km, 1331 mi) highways were opened to traffic in 1954: they are the highest-altitude asphalt roads in the world and the first true communication routes with Tibet.

ARGENTINA

ARGENTINA.

50th anniversary of the Pan American Union, 1890-1940.
Stylized map of all American continent.
Stamp issued on 14.04.1940.
Face value: 15 centavos of Argentine peso moneda nacional.
Engraving by Oppeos.

Catalogues
- GJ No. 839.
- Scott No. 473.
- StampWorld No. 464.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 412.

The Pan American Union (Unión Panamericana) was founded on April 14, 1890 as the Commercial Office of the American Republics, and from 1902 it was also known as the International Office of the American Republics. On April 30, 1948, through the Charter of Bogotá, it became the Organization of American States. Its founding functions were to compile and distribute commercial information and customs tariffs, regulations, treaties, and statistics.

SOVIET UNION

SOVIET UNION / СОЮЗ СОВЕТСКИХ СОЦИАЛИСТИЧЕСКИХ РЕСПУБЛИК.

Europe, common home.
Visit of President Mikhail S. Gorbachev to the Federal Republic of Germany.
Simplified map of Europe.
First stamp in a set of 3, issued on 12.06.1989.
Face value: 5 kopek.
Design: L. Zaitsev.
Print: 2,300,000 copies.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 5955.
- StampWorld No. 5754.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 5637.

DENMARK

DENMARK / DANMARK.

Tourism in North Jutland.
Mols Bjerge National Park.
First stamp in a set of 4, issued on 06.09.1979.
Face value: 80 øre.
Design: Sven Havsteen-Mikkelsen (1912-1999).
Engraving by Czesław Słania (1921-2005).
Print: 6.650,000 copies.
Size: 24 x 31 mm.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 690.
- StampWorld No. 693.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 675.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 686.

Mols Bjerge National Park (Nationalpark Mols Bjerge) is in the area known as Mols Bjerge (Mols Mountains) in Central Jutland. It was inaugurated on 29 August 2009. The protected area, measures km² (69 sq mi) in size. The Mols Mountains, reaching a height of 137 m (449 ft), are centrally located in the park, and take up 2,500 ha. A large part is located on the seafront, in the Kattegat Strait. 

BERMUDA

BERMUDA.

50th Anniversary Air Mail Service to Bermuda.
Map of Kindley Field Airport, in St. David's Island and Constellaton plane, January 1946.
Third stamp in a set of 4, issued on 28.04.1975.
Face value: 20 cents of Bermudian dollars.

Catalogues
- Scott No. 331.
- StampWorld No. 312.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 337.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 308.

The airfield, located west of the St. David's Island (northeast of the country), was built between 1941 and 1943 for use as Kindley Field, a joint base of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) and of the British Royal Air Force (RAF). The RAF forces in Bermuda withdrew at the end of the war, but their local commander remained in the service of the Bermuda government and converted the RAF facilities into the Civil Air Terminal, operated by the local government under the name of Bermuda International Airport. However, the U.S. Air Force continued to operate at its facilities, which in 1970 were transferred to the United States Navy, which operated it as a Naval Air Station until 1995. On April 16, 2007 it was renamed LF Wade International Airport in honor of L. Frederick Wade, leader of the Progressive Labor Party. Its international acronyms are these: IATA: BDA; ICAO: TXKF. Before the airport was built, a seaplane facility on Darrell Island was flown that closed in 1948.

FINLAND

FINLAND / SUOMI.

Uhro Kekkonen National Park.
Stamp issued on 20.01.1988.
Face value: 2.40 Finnish markka.
Design: Pirkko Vahtero.
Print: 26,475,000 copies.
Size: 24 x 34 mm.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 1037.
- StampWorld No. 1050.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 1001.

Uhro Kekkonen National Park (in Finnish: Urho Kekkosen kansallispuisto; in Northern Sami: Urho Kekkonen albmotmeahcci) is located in eastern Lapland, on the border with Russia. It has an area of 2550 km² (985 sq mi) and is the second largest protected area in Finland. It was established in 1983 and was named after the former President of the Republic from 1956 to 1982, Urho Kaleva Kekkonen (1900-1986).

CYPRUS

CYPRUS (Northern) / Kuzey KIBRIS.

Cyprus stamp centenary and 20th anniversary of the Independence of Cyprus, 1960-1980.
Simplified map of Cyprus Island.
Second stamp in a set of 3, issued on 16.08.1980.
Face value: 15 Turkish lira.
Printed by Ajans Türk Matbaa. Ankara.

Catalogues
- Scott No. 91.
- StampWorld No. 91.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 99.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 81.

The first stamps from Cyprus, then under British administration, were issued on April 1, 1880. It was a set of six British stamps with CYPRUS overprint.

On August 16, 1960, Cyprus gained independence following the London-Zurich Agreement between the United Kingdom, Greece, and Turkey. On July 20, 1974, five days after the Greek military junta under Dimitrios Ioannides carried out a coup in Cyprus to unite the island with Greece, the Turkish army invaded the island, citing the right to intervene to restore the constitutional order of the 1960 Guarantee Treaty. The island was divided into two sectors, and on November 15, 1983, the Turkish Cypriot leader, Rauf Denktaş, proclaimed the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti), establishing a State of fact that is only recognized by Turkey.

JERSEY

JERSEY.

Map of Caesarea, Latin name of the island of Jersey, with forteresses, by Thomas Phillips (1680).
Fourth stamp in a set of 4, issued on 05.02.1980.
Face value: 25 Jersey pence.
Design: T.H.O.S. Phillips.
Printed by Joh. Enschedé Stamps, Haarlem, Netherlands.
Printed: Offset lithography.
Print: 379,743 copies.
Size: 35.2  x 27.3 mm.

Catalogues
- AFA No. 209.
- Michel No. 215.
- Scott No. 225.
- StampWorld No. 209.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 225.
- Unificato No. 209.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 209.

Caesarea is the ancient name, in Latin, of the island of Jersey, belonging to the Channel Islands.

Thomas Phillips (1635-1693) was an military engineer and topographical watercolourist, came to Ireland from England in the winter of 1685 during the reign of James II to survey and report on the principal fortified places, castles, forts, and garrisons and to draw exact designs of their present condition and estimate the cost of any necessary repairs. He had worked in the Channel Islands (1679), making maps and plans of probable landing places and of defences needed.

FAROE ISLANDS

FAROE ISLANDS / FØROYAR.

Mount Álvastakkur, in the Hestur Island.
Third stamp in a set of 5, issued on 07.09.1987.
Face value: 420 øre.
Design: Ole Wich (h. 1953).
Engraving by Czesław Słania (1921-2005).
Printing: Offset lithography and recess.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 156.
- Scott Mo. 163.
- StampWorld No. 150.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 163.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 150.

Álvastakkur is a 150 m (492 ft) high mountain on the southwest coast of the island of Hestur, measuring 6 km² (2.31 sq mi).

CUBA

CUBA.

Cuba in a fragment of Juan de la Cosa's World Map (1502).
First stamp in a set of 4, issued on 12.11.1973.
Face value: 1 cent of Cuban peso.
Printing: Offset lithography.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 1925.
- Scott No. 521A.
- StampWorld No. 1929.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 2082.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 1725.

Juan de la Cosa (between 1450 and 1460 - 1510) was a Spanish navigator and cartographer who participated in seven of the first voyages to America. He is known, above all, for having drawn the oldest conserved map in which the American continent appears, a world map in which the "New World" is shown. Since the 19th century this map has been kept in the Naval Museum of Madrid. A line of text on the map says that “it was made by the Cantabrian cartographer and sailor Juan de la Cosa in 1500 in the Andalusian port city of El Puerto de Santa María”. Its rich decoration suggests that it was commissioned by a notable member of the court of the Catholic Monarchs. The indication of the year on the stamp (1502) is wrong.

TONGA

TONGA.

Stylized map of Tonga archipielago.
Tenth stamp in a set of 14, issued on 01.07.1953.
Face value: 1 shilling.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 109.
- Scott No. 109.
- StampWorld No. 109.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 110.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 109.

Tonga, officially Kingdom of Tonga (in Tongan Pule'anga Fakatu'i 'or Tonga) is a country formed by an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean. It has more than 177 islands, of which only about 36 are inhabited. Its total area is 747 km² (288 sq mi), spread over some 700,000 km² (270,000 sq mi). The Lapita, who came to present-day Tonga between 1500 and 1000 BC, developed their own culture and even created an Empire which spread to other islands in the Pacific. The first Europeans to arrive in the archipelago were the Dutch Willem Schouten and Jacob Le Maire in 1616. In 1845 George (Siaosi) Tupou I unified the territory into a kingdom and promulgated the country's constitution, currently constituted as a parliamentary monarchy. Between 1900 and 1970 Tonga was a British protectorate.

ITALY

ITALY / ITALIA.

Naples Football Club (Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli), Italian Champion.
Simplified map of Italy.
Stamp issued on 30.04.1990.
Face value: 700 Italian lire.
Design: V. Cozzella.
Printing: Rotogravure.
Printed by the Officina Carte Valori dell'I.P.Z.S. (Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato).
Print: 3,000,000 copies.
Size: 30 x 40 mm.

Catalogues
- Bolaffi No. 2052.
- Michel No. 2149.
- Sassone No. 1934.
- Scott No. 1811.
- StampWorld No. 2126.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 2096.
- Unificato No. 1952.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 1881.

The Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli, also known as S. S. C. Napoli or simply Napoli, is an Italian football club based in the city of Naples. It was founded on August 1, 1926 as Associazione Calcio Napoli, and its first president was Giorgio Ascanelli. It assumed its current name in 1964 and was re-founded in 2004. In 1990 it won its second "scudetto", that is, the Italian Football League.

MAURITIUS

MAURITIUS.

Historical map of island of Mauritius by Jacques-Nicolas Bellin, 1763.
Eight stamp in a set of 20, issued on 12.03.1978.
Face value: 70 cents.
Printed: Offset and lithography.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 443.
- StampWorld No. 462.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 536.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 456.

Jacques-Nicolas Bellin (Paris, 1703 - Versailles, 1772) was a French geographer and cartographer. In 1721 he was appointed hydrographer (chief cartographer) at the French Hydrographic Office. He was a member of the Académie de Marine and the Royal Society of London. In 1741 he became the first Ingénieur de la Marine of the Deposit of Maps and Plans of the Navy (the French hydrographic office) and was appointed hydrographic officer to the King of France. During his more than fifty-year career, he produced a large number of seas maps from around the world, including a large map of the sea of France called Neptune François, the Maritime Atlas, the Française hidrografique and the Petit Atlas Maritime en 5 volumes, containing 580 finely detailed miniatures.

VATICAN CITY

VATICAN CITY / CIVITATIS VATICANÆ - CITTÀ DEL VATICANO.

1900 Anniversary of the arrival of Saint Paul in Rome.
Map of the Eastern Mediterranean with the itinerary of the trip.
First stamp in a set of 6, issued on 13.06.1961.
Face value: 10 Italian lire.
Design: F. Grassellini.
Printed by the Istituto Poligrafico dello Stato, Officina Carte Valori, Roma.
Print: 602,000 copies.

Accused of having desecrated the Temple of Jerusalem, Paul of Tarsus (the Apostle, born between the years 5 and 10 AD) was arrested and sent to the Roman procurator of the province of Judea, who resided in Caesarea Maritima, before whom he defended himself against the accusations. The procurator postponed the trial and left Paul in prison for two years, after which Paul appealed to the Emperor, and was sent to Rome as a prisoner; it came after a long sea voyage. There he was deprived of liberty for two more years, and according to tradition he died martyred and beheaded by order of Nero on an undetermined date, between the years 64 and 67.

BAHAMAS

BAHAMAS.

Space themes.
Satellite view of Eleuthera island.
Third stamp in a set of 4, issued on 21.04.1981.
Face value: 25 cents of Bahamian dollar.
Printing: Offset lithography.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 478.
- Scott No. 488.
- StampWorld No. 478.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 583.

Eleuthera is an island in the archipelago of the Bahamas, located in the eastern part of it, about 80 km (50 mi) east of Nassau, the capital of the country. It is long and narrow: 180 km (110 mi) long and in some places just over 1.6 km (1.0 mi) wide. Its eastern side faces the Atlantic Ocean and its western side, the Great Bahama Bank. The island's topography ranges from wide, pink-sand beaches to large outcrops of ancient coral reefs, and its population is approximately 11,000. The main economy of the island is tourism.

The first settlers of the island were Taínos or Arawaks. Formerly it was known as Cigateo; the current name was given to it by the first Europeans who occupied it, a group of British Puritan settlers who arrived in 1648 from Bermuda.