CHILE

CHILE.

Tourism promotion.
Mocho-Choshuenco Volcano.
Stamp issued on 12.04.1962.
Face value: 2 cents of Chilean peso.
Printed by Casa de Moneda de Chile.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Print: 162,067,901 copies.
Size: 23 x 18 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 617.
- Scott No. 326.
- StampWorld No. 597.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 492a.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 298.

Mocho-Choshuenco is a glacier covered compound stratovolcano in the Andes of Valdivia Province, in Los Ríos Region. It is made of the twin volcanoes Choshuenco in the northwest and the Mocho in the southeast. The highest parts of the volcano are part of the Mocho-Choshuenco National Reserve while the eastern slopes are partly inside the Huilo-Huilo Biological Reserve. The altitude of Choshuenco is 2,415 m (7,923 ft), and that of Mocho, 2,422 m (7,943 ft). The uppermost part of Mocho-Choshuenco is covered by an ice cap that surrounds the volcanic cone of Mocho and some flanks of Choshuenco. The first recorded eruption of the Mocho took place in 1759; the last, to date, is registered in 1937. The first climbers to reach the summits were Dr. Rudolf Haege, Kaerner and Steenbloock, in 1934.

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Thanks to Dragan Buškulić for his contribution (https://worldofstamp2.wordpress.com/).

ROMANIA

ROMANIA / ROMÂNIA.

Danube bridges,
Anghel Saligny Bridge, Cernavodă.
First stamp in a set of 3, issued on 25.06.1972.
Face value: 1.35 Romanian leu.
Design: Vlasto Stoianov.
Printing: Photogravure.
Print: 4,000,000 copies.
Size: 55 x 34 mm.

Catalogs
- AFA No. 3001.
- Michel No. 3031.
- Fomfilatelia No. 795a.
- Scott No. 2337.
- StampWorld No. 3020.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 3910.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 2694.

The Anghel Saligny Bridge (formerly King Carol I Bridge) is a railroad truss bridge in Romania, across the Danube River, connecting the regions of Muntenia and Dobruja. The bridge, built between 1890 and 1895, is listed in the National Register of Historic Monuments. When it was completed, with a total length (with viaducts) of 4,087.95 m (13,411.9 ft), it became the longest bridge in Europe and the second longest in the world. The bridge was designed by the Romanian engineer Anghel Saligny. The two cities on the banks of the river which was built were Feteşti on the left side and Cernavodă on the right side. The entire bridge was inaugurated on September 26, 1895, and as a test on the opening, a convoy of 15 whistling locomotives sped at 60 km/h, followed by a train reserved for guests, at 80 km/h.

UNITED KINGDOM, Scotland

UNITED KINGDOM. Scotland.

Landscapes.
The Cairngorms.
Last stamp in a set of 4, issued on 02.05.1966.
Face value: 1/6 British shillings.
Design: Leonard Rosoman (1913-2012).
Printed by Harrison and Sons Ltd.
Printing: Photogravure.
Print: 5,462,640 copies.
Size: 41 x 24 mm.

Catalogs
- AFA No. 415.
- Michel No. 421.
- Scott No. 457.
- StampWorld No. 401.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 692.
- Unificato No. 440.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 440.

The Cairngorms (Scottish Gaelic: Am Monadh Ruadh) are a mountain range in the eastern Scottish Highlands closely associated with the mountain Cairn Gorm. The Cairngorms became part of Scotland's second national park (the Cairngorms National Park) on September 1, 2003. The Cairngorms consists of high plateaux at about 1000-1200 m above sea level, above which domed summits (the eroded stumps of once much higher mountains) rise to around 1300 m. Many of the summits have tors, free-standing rock outcrops that stand on top of the boulder-strewn landscape. The Cairngorms formed 40 million years before the last ice age, when a slight uplift raised an eroded peneplain based on an exposed granite pluto.

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Thanks to Giovanna Goric for his contribution.

GERMAN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC

GERMAN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC / DEUTSCHE DEMOKRATISCHE REPUBLIK.

Protected landscapes.
Saxon Switzerland (Sächsische Schweiz).
Third stamp in a set of 6, issued on 17.05.1966.
Face value: 20 East German pfennig.
Design: Gerhard Wilhelm August Stauf (1924-1996).
Printing: Offset lithography.
Print: 8,000,000 copies.
Size: 43 x 26 mm.

Catalogs
- AFA No. 969.
- Michel No. 1181.
- Scott No. 833.
- StampWorld No. 923.
- Stanley Gibbons No. E899.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 882.

Saxon Switzerland is located in the current German Free State of Saxony, near its capital, Dresden. Since 1990 it is a national park (Nationalpark Sächsische Schweiz) covering two separate areas of 93.5 km² (36.1 sq mi) in the heart of the German part of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains. Its landscape is of cracked and rocky canyons. The highest peak in the Park is 556 m (1,814 ft) above sea level. The National Park borders the Bohemian Switzerland National Park (Czech: České Švýcarsko), in the Czech Republic.

GIBRALTAR

GIBRALTAR.

Map of Gibraltar (view from Space).
Stamp issued on 03.05.1978.
Face value: 12 Gibraltar penny.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Size: 42 x 28 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 371.
- Scott No. 363.
- StampWorld No. 369.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 398.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 371.

Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory located on a small peninsula at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, in the Mediterranean Sea, bordering on the land with Spain. For the United Nations, Gibraltar, as a colony, is one of the Non-Self-Governing Territories under the supervision of its Special Committee on Decolonization. According to article X of the Peace of Utrecht (1713), "the city and castles of Gibraltar, together with its port, defenses and fortresses" would be a property in perpetuity of the British Crown in territory of Spanish jurisdiction. The territory of Gibraltar has an area of 6.8 km² (2.6 sq mi) and its estimated population, in 2020, was 34,000 inhabitants. Its highest point is the Rock of Gibraltar (Spanish: Peñón de Gibraltar), at 426 m (1,398 ft).

VENEZUELA

VENEZUELA.

States of Venezuela.
Map and coat of arms of Táchira State.
First stamp in a set of 2, issued on 15.10.1971.
Face value: 0.55 Venezuelan bolívar.
Printed by Litografía del Comercio, Caracas.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Print: 350,000 copies.
Size: 33 x 48 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 1886.
- Scott No. 986.
- StampWorld No. 1905.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 2131.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 830.

Táchira is one of the twenty-three states that, together with the Capital District and the Federal Dependencies, make up the Republic of Venezuela. It was created in 1899. Its capital is San Cristóbal. It is located in the Andean region, in the west of the country, limiting to the north with Zulia, to the northeast with Mérida, to the south with Barinas and Apure, and to the west with the Republic of Colombia. Its area is 11,100 km² (4,300 sq mi) and its population, in 2011, was 1,168,908 inhabitants. Its highest point is the peak El Púlpito, which 3,942 m (12,933 ft) above the sea level. The hydrography is varied, there are several rivers of considerable flow, such as the Torbes, the Caparo and the Uribante.

CANADA

CANADA.

Christmas. Winter landscapes.
Bend in Gosselin River (Arthabaska), painting by Marc-Aurèle de Foy Suzor-Coté.
Second stamp in a set of 4, issued on 26.10.1989.
Face value: 38 cents of Canadian dollar.
Printed by Ashton-Potter Ltd., Williamsville (NY), United States.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Print: 50,975,270 copies.
Size: 26 x 40 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 1154A.
- Scott No. 1256.
- StampWorld No. 1154.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 1343.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 1116.

The Gosselin River (French: rivière Gosselin) is a tributary of Nicolet River in the Arthabaska Regional County Municipality, administrative region of Centre-du-Québec, in Quebec.

Marc-Aurèle de Foy Suzor-Coté is the name by which Hypolite Wilfrid Marc-Aurèle Côté was known, a Canadian impressionist painter and sculptor born in Arthabaska (now Victoriaville) on April 6, 1869. He died in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States, on January 29, 1937.

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Thanks to Dragan Buškulić for his contribution (https://worldofstamp2.wordpress.com/).

SRI LANKA

SRI LANKA / ශ්‍රී ලංකා - இலங்கை.

Ancient Maps of Sri Lanka.
Map of Taprobana (Sri Lanka) by Tommaso Porcacchi (1572).
Second stamp in a set of 3, issued on 22.09.2020.
Face value: 15 Sri Lankan Rupee.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Size: 41 x 30 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 2322A.
- StampWorld No. 1913.

Taprobana (Ancient Greek: Ταπροβανᾶ) was the name by which the island of Sri Lanka was known to the ancient Greeks.

Tommaso Porcacchi (Castiglion Fiorentino, 1530 - Udine, 1576) was an Italian humanist, geographer, bibliophile, polygraph, and scholar. Among his most outstanding works is L'isole più famose del mondo descritte da Thomaso Porcacchi da Castiglione arretino and intagliate da Girolamo Porro padovano con l'aggiunta di molte isole ('The most famous islands in the world described by Thomaso Porcacchi da Castiglione from Arezzo and carved by Girolamo Porro from Padua with the addition of many islands'). It was published in Venice by Simon Galignani and Girolamo Porro in 1576. The map reproduced in the stamp was drawn in 1572.

ICELAND

ICELAND / ÍSLAND

Iceland's glaciers.
Öræfajökull Glacier.
Third stamp in a set of 3, issued on 05.08.1957.
Face value: 10 Icelandic króna.
Design: S. Jonnson.
Printed by De la Rue.
Printing: Recess.
Print: 1,000,000 copies.
Size: 36 x 26 mm.

Catalogs
- AFA No. 319.
- Michel No. 318.
- Scott No. 304.
- StampWorld No. 319.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 348.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 276.

Öræfajökull ('Öræfi glacier' or 'wasteland glacier') is an ice-covered volcano in southeastern Iceland. It is the largest active volcano on the island, and Hvannadalshnúkur, on the edge of the crater, is Iceland's highest peak at 2,110 m (6,920 ft); It is located within the Vatnajökull National Park, covered by part of the glacier. In 1362, Knappafellsjökull (the name by which the volcano was then known) explosively erupted, expelling 10 cubic kilometers of tephra. Another smaller eruption took place in 1728, and between 2017 and 2018 an increase in seismic activity was observed in the area.

AUSTRIA

AUSTRIA / ÖSTERREICH.

Scenic Beauties in Austria.
High Tauern National Park.
Stamp issued on 29.03.1996.
Face value: 6 Austrian schilling.
Design: Peter Sinawehl.
Engraving: Gerhart Schmirl.
Printing: Photogravure and recess.
Print: 2,900,000 copies.
Size: 42 x 36 mm.

Catalogs
- AFA No. 2074.
- ANK No. 2214.
- Michel No. 2183.
- Scott No. 1498.
- StampWorld No. 2228.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 2422.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 2010.

The Austrian Alpine Club and the states of Carinthia, Salzburg and East Tyrol, with part of their territories, have contributed to the formation of the High Tauern National Park (Nationalpark Hohe Tauern). With a total area of 1,834 km² (708 sq mi), it is the largest of Austria's seven national parks, as well as the largest nature reserve in the Alps. It is divided into a central zone of 1,198 km² (463 sq mi) that includes the Großglockner (3,798 m; 12,461 ft) and Großvenediger (3,666 m; 12,028 ft) massifs, with a complete prohibition of agricultural use, and a marginal zone of 638 km² (246 sq mi) used for agriculture. Five special natural sanctuaries are protected from any human disturbance. The park was established with a 1971 declaration signed by the participating states, but only in 1981 the first parts around Großglockner and Hochschober in Carinthia were put under protection. The adjacent area in Salzburg followed two years later, and the Tyrol finally joined in 1992. The Upper Tauern is crossed by three tunnels: the Tauern Railway Tunnel, the Katschberg Tunnel and the Felbertauerntunnel.

FIJI

FIJI / VITI - फ़िजी.

Tourism.
Sovi Bay.
First stamp in a set of 4, issued on 18.08.1980.
Face value: 6 Fijian cents.
Printing: Offset lithography.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 424.
- Scott No. 430.
- StampWorld No. 443.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 600.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 417.

Sovi Bay is located in the Coral Coast, southwest of the island of Viti Levu, a few kilometers southeast of the city of Sigatoka. The Sovi River empties into it. In the last decades of the 20th century, it became an important tourist destination for its white sand beaches, its reefs and its scenic beauty. In its vicinity is the town of Korotogo, endowed with a good tourist infrastructure, where an attractive ecological recreational park is installed: the Kula Wild Adventure Park.

INDONESIA

INDONESIA.

Musical instruments.
Sumatra (Sumatera) Map and kultjapi.
Fourth stamp in a set of 16, issued on 01.02.1967.
Face value: 1.50 Indonesian rupiah.
Printing: Photogravure.
Size: 25 x 32 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 565.
- Scott No. 708.
- StampWorld No. 607.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 1143.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 501.
- Zonnebloem No. 566.

Sumatra (Indonesian: Sumatera) is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island in the Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km² (182,812 sq mi). The Indian Ocean borders the west, northwest, and southwest coasts of Sumatra, with the island chain of Simeulue, Nias, Mentawai, and Enggano off the western coast. In the northeast, the narrow Strait of Malacca separates the island from the Malay Peninsula. In the southeast, the Sunda Strait, containing the Krakatoa Archipelago, separates Sumatra from Java. The northern tip of island borders the Andaman Islands, while off the southeastern coast lie the islands of Bangka and Belitung, Karimata Strait and the Java Sea. The Bukit Barisan mountains, which contain several active volcanoes, form the backbone of the island, while the northeastern area contains large plains and lowlands with swamps, mangrove forest and complex river systems. The equator crosses the island at its centre in West Sumatra and Riau provinces. The population of Sumatra, in 2020, was 58,557,211 inhabitants.

The kultjapi (kulkapi or kacapi, better known as hasapi) is a two-stringed lute from the Batak people in Sumatra. Formerly it was used in religious rituals, but more recently it has been incorporated into musical ensembles and. especially to the traveling Opera Batak. The instrument is made from a single piece of wood and its body is slim, pear-shaped.

SOUTH AFRICA

SOUTH AFRICA / SUID-AFRIKA.

Cooperation in Southern Africa.
Cahora Bassa Dam (Mozambique) and map of Southern Africa.
Stamp issued in a minisheet on 15.02.1990.
Face value: 18 cents of South African rand.
Design: A. H. Barrett.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Size: 137 x 78 mm.

Catalogs 
- Michel No. 789.
- Scott No. 784.
- South African Stamp Catalogue No. 715.
- StampWorld No. 828.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 700.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 706.

The Cahora Bassa dam is located in western Mozambique. It is one of the two main dams on the Zambezi River (the other is Kariba). It was built between 1969 and 1974, when Mozambique was still a Portuguese colony. This dam is used to convert energy from the Zambezi River into electricity by spinning turbines. That energy is then sent to cities, farms and mines in South Africa. The dam forms Lake Cahora Bassa. This dam is the largest hydroelectric plant in southern Africa and the most efficient power generation plant in Mozambique: it is 171 m (561 ft) high by 303 m (994 ft) wide at the ridge. The length of the lake is about 250 km (160 mi) and its width, 38 km (24 mi), and it floods an area of 2,700 km2 (1,000 sq mi); its average depth of 20.9 m (69 ft). The Cahora Bassa system is the largest hydroelectric scheme in Southern Africa with the power plant containing five 415 megawatt (557,000 hp) turbines.

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Thanks to Dragan Buškulić for his contribution (https://worldofstamp2.wordpress.com/).

LUXEMBOURG

LUXEMBOURG / LËTZEBUERG.

Definitive stamps.
Echternach from Werschrummschlüff Hills.
Stamp issued on 25.09.1923.
Face value: 3 Luxembourgish francs.
Design: Rudjunk.
Engraving: Ferdinand Schirnböck (1859-1930).
Printing: Recess.

Catalogs
- AFA No. 150.
- Michel No. 147A.
- Scott No. 153.
- StampWorld No. 148.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 226.
- Unificato No. 145A.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 145.

Echternach (Luxembourgish: Iechternach or Eechternoach) is a commune with town status in the canton of Echternach, which is part of the Grevenmacher district, in eastern Luxembourg. Echternach lies near the border with Germany, and is the oldest town in Luxembourg. His population in 2021 is 5,650 inhabitants. He grew up around the Abbey, founded in 698 by Willibrord, an Anglo-Saxon monk who became the first bishop of Utrecht and set about christianizing the Frisians. The Werschrummschlüff Hills, with its rock formations, are located west of the city.

SPAIN

SPAIN / ESPAÑA.

Balearic Islands on a map by Diogo Homem (1563).
Stamp issued on 08.07.1981.
Face value: 7 Spanish pesetas.
Printed by F.N.M.T. (Fábrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre), Madrid.
Printing: Photogravure.
Print: 12,000,000 copies.
Size: 50 x 34 mm.

Catalogs
- AFA No. 2596.
- Edifil No. 2622.
- Michel No. 2505.
- Scott No. 2243.
- StampWorld No. 2511.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 2649.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 2250.

The Balearic Islands (Catalan: Illes Balears; Spanish: Islas Baleares) are a Spanish archipelago in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula, formed by four largest islands: Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza, and Formentera, and many minor islands and islets. Its total area is 4,992 km² (1,927 sq mi) and its population, in 2020, was 1,215,174 inhabitants.

Diogo Homem (1521-1576) was a Portuguese cartographer, member of a family of cartographers. Due to a crime of murder, in which he was connivent, he was forced to exile from Portugal, first in England, and then in Venice. It was there that he produced numerous manuscript atlases and charts, many of them of the Mediterranean. His work is of an exceptional graphical quality and beauty.

ROMANIA

ROMANIA / ROMÂNIA.

Hidroelectric Power Plants and Dams.
Piatra Neamț Dam.
Third stamp in a set of 6, issued on 10.03.1978.
Face value: 55 Romanian ban.
Design: Vlasto Stoianov.
Printing: Photogravure.
Print: 2,000,000 copies.
Size: 49 x 34 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 3495.
- Scott No. 2757.
- StampWorld No. 3484.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 4359.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 3090.

Piatra Neamț power plant has 2 turbines type KVB 5.5-15, a flow installed in the plant of 84 m³ / s, with an energy production of 52 GWh. It is supplied by the Bâtca Doamnei accumulation lake, in the course of the Bistrita River, and is situated at an altitude of 326 m (1,070 ft) above sea level. It has an area of 2.35 km2 (0.87 sq mi), a length of 3.2 km (1.99 mi), and a maximum width of 1,050 km (0.93 mi); its maximum depth is 15.5 m (51 ft). This artificial lake was formed in 1963 by the construction of the Piatra Neamț dam (on the stamp), with a total length of 800 m (2,625 ft) and a height of 27 m (88.6 ft).

ANDORRA

ANDORRA (French post).

Landscapes.
Sant Antoni de la Grella bridge over the Valira River.
Stamp issued on 15.03.1943.
Face value: 50 French francs.
Engraving: Jules Piel (1882-1978).
Printing: Recess.

Catalogs
- AFA No. 94.
- Edifil No. 94.
- Michel No. 94.
- Scott No. 63A.
- StampWorld No. 64.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 81.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 92.

The Romanesque bridge of Sant Antoni de la Grella (also known as Sispony Bridge), over the North Valira River, is located in the parish of La Massana. Its structure is simple, of popular architecture, built in the Middle Ages and restored in the 1940s. Its length is 21.20 m (69.55 ft) and its maximum height is 5.55 m (18.21 ft).

The Valira (or Gran Valira) is the main river in Andorra, which flows from north to south and empties into the Segre. It is made up of the North Valira and the Eastern Valira, which come together in the parish of Escaldes-Engordany. The Valira river system is 35 km (21.75 mi) long.

BRAZIL

 BRAZIL / BRASIL.

Census of Population.
Simplified map of Brazil.
Airmail. Second stamp in a set of 2, issued on 10.07.1950.
Face value: 1.20 Brazilian cruzeiros.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Print: 2,000,000 copies.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 756.
- RHM. No. A77.
- Scott No. C80.
- StampWorld No. 771.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 801.
- Yvert et Tellier No. PA 66.

The population census carried out in July 1950 resulted in 51,944,397 inhabitants, which represented an increase of 26.2% compared to the previous census, in 1940. In the 2020 census, the country's population was 211,476,000 inhabitants. The first unofficial census was taken in Brazil in 1550 and gave an estimated population of 15,000, a figure that had doubled fifty years later. The first official census was taken in 1876.

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Thanks to Dragan Buškulić for his contribution (https://worldofstamp2.wordpress.com/).

SLOVENIA

SLOVENIA / SLOVENIJA.

70th anniversary of the blockade of Ljubljana.
Map of the city of Ljubljana with the limits of the blockade.
Minisheet issued on 27.01.2012.
Face value: 1.33 euro.
Design: Matjaž Učakar.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Print: 70,000 copies.
Size: 70 x 60 mm.

Catalogs
- AFA No. A960.
- Michel No. BL60.
- Scott No. 933.
- Slovenica No. BL61.
- StampWorld No. 785.
- Stanley Gibbons No. MS995.
- Yvert et Tellier No. BF 59.

In 1941, the Province of Ljubljana was annexed by Fascist Italy, and after 1943 occupied by Nazi Germany. From 1942 until the end of WWII, the city was surrounded by more than 30 km (19 mi) of barbed wire, as the Slovene Home Guard (Slovensko domobranstvo), a military organization financed by Nazi Germany, clashed with Yugoslav Partisans (Partizani). Since 1985, a commemorative path surrounds the city where that fence was located.

ARGENTINA

ARGENTINA.

Tourism.
Valle de la Luna or Ischigualasto Park (San Juan).
First stamp in a set of 3, issued on 10.01.1977 [09.1977?].
Face value: 300 Argentine pesos ley.
Printed by Casa de Moneda, Buenos Aires.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Size: 34.5 x 45 mm.

Catalogs
- Cefiloza No. 1293.
- Götig & Jalil No. 1761-
- Michel No. 1288.
- Scott No. 1108.
- StampWorld No. 1312.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 1474.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 1075.

The Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley) or Ischigualasto Provincial Park is located in the northeast of the Argentine province of San Juan and borders the province of La Rioja to the north. Its altitude with respect to sea level varies between 1,200 m (3,940 ft) and 1,800 m (5,900 ft). It is an area of 2,754 km² (1,063 sq mi), of great scientific importance, since it protects an important paleontological reserve. It is the only place in the world where the entire Triassic period can be seen uncovered and perfectly differentiated in a complete and orderly manner. The geological formations at this site are estimated to be between 200 and 250 million years old. The place is characterized by having little vegetation and the most varied range of colors in its soils. Being a preserved place (declared a Natural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, on November 29, 2000), visits are restricted and can only be done guided. Due to the large deposits rich in fossils in the Ischigualasto area, this place has attracted the interest of geologists and paleontologists since the 1930s. One of the most important pieces found in the area is the Eoraptor lunensis, a very primitive dinosaur discovered in 1991.

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Thanks to Óscar Valencia for his contribution.

SWITZERLAND

SWITZERLAND / SCHWEITZ - SUISSE - SVIZZERA - SVIZRA.

Definitive stamps: landscapes.
Rhein Falls near Schaffhausen.
Fifth stamp in a set of 6, issued on 15.03.1948.
Face value: 30 cents of Swiss franc.
Printing: Recess.
Print: 17,786,000 copies.
Size: 21 x 25 mm.

Catalogs
- AFA No. 507.
- Michel No. 504.
- Scott No. 320.
- StampWorld No. 498.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 493.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 465.
- Zumstein No. 289.

The Rhine Falls (German: Rheinfall) is the most powerful waterfall in Europe. The falls are located on the High Rhine on the border between the cantons of Schaffhausen and Zürich, next to the town of Schaffhausen in northern Switzerland, near the German border. They are 150 metres (490 ft) wide and 23 metres (75 ft) high. In the winter months, the average water flow is 250 m³/s (8,800 cu ft/s), while in the summer, the average water flow is 600 m³/s (21,000 cu ft/s). The highest flow ever measured was 1,250 m³/s (44,000 cu ft/s) in 1965; and the lowest, 95 m³/s (3,400 cu ft/s) in 1921. The Rhine Falls were formed in the last ice age, approximately 14,000 to 17,000 years ago, by erosion-resistant rocks narrowing the riverbed.

CROATIA

CROATIA / HRVATSKA.

Landscapes.
Velebit Mountains.
Fourth stamp in a set of 6, issued on 09.09.1942.
Face value: 1 Croatian kuna.
Printing: Photogravure.
Print: 1,000,000 copies.
Size: 34 x 27.5 mm.

Catalogs
- AFA No. 35.
- Michel No. 50.
- Scott No. 33.
- StampWorld No. 50.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 35.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 34.

Velebit is the largest, but not the highest mountain range in Croatia. The mountain range is part of the Dinaric Alps and is located along the Adriatic coast. Its highest peak is the Vaganski vrh at 1,757 m (5,764 ft). The important characteristic of Velebit is its simple and solid form, rigid cliffs and the nakedness of the sea side. The basic geological feature of mountains is karst; flora and fauna are abundant. Velebit as a whole is a natural park, divided into two national parks: Paklenica and Sjeverni Velebit (North Velebit).

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Thanks to Dragan Buškulić for his contribution (https://worldofstamp2.wordpress.com/).

CUBA

CUBA.

Philatelic Exhibition. Stamp Day. April 24. 1958.
Map of Cuba showing the first mail route.
First stamp in a set of 2, issued on 24.04.1958.
Face value: 4 cents of Cuban peso.
Printing: Recess and typography.
Printed by Cia. P. Fernández, S.A., Habana.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 578.
- Scott No. 593.
- StampWorld No. 579.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 864.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 478.

The postal service in the Spanish colony of Cuba was officially established in 1756, when the Greater Mail Office (Oficina Mayor de Correos) was created by a Royal Decree that had been requested from the King of Spain on February 19, 1754 by the Governor General of the Island, Francisco Cajigal de la Vega. The first postal route between Havana and Santuago de Cuba, indicated on the stamp, was then opened. The previous postage of the correspondence was not established until April 24, 1855, with the issuance of the first adhesive stamp of the Spanish West Indies, and on November 19 of the same year the new postal service was inaugurated in Havana, with the installation of mailboxes in different points of the city.

IVORY COAST

IVORY COAST / CÔTE D'IVOIRE (French West Africa).

Ébrié Lagoon and effigy of Marshal Pétain.
Second stamp in a set of 2, issued in 1941.
Face value: 2.50 French francs.
Engraving: Gaston Gandon (1872-1941) and Georges-Léo Degorce (1894-1943).
Printed by Institut de Gravure, Paris.
Printing: Recess.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 185.
- Scott No. 166.
- StampWorld No. 190.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 178e.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 170.

The Ébrié (or Ahizi) lagoon is a complex of long and narrow brackish water lagoons located in the south of the Ivory Coast, separated for almost its entire length from the Atlantic Ocean by a narrow coastal strip. Its area is approximately 560 km² (216 sq mi), with a length (east-west direction) of 130 km (80 mi), a maximum width of 7 km (4 mi), an average depth of 5 m (16 ft), a maximum depth of 20 m (66 ft). On its shores are cities such as Abidjan, Attécoubé,  Bingerville, Grand Bassam, Jacqueville, and Tiagba. At its eastern end it is connected by a canal to the Aghien and Potou lagoons, into which the river Mé flows. At the western end it is linked by the Asagni Canal to the Tagba lagoon and the Bandama river. The rivers Komoé and Agnéby flow into it, among others. The lagoon is connected to the Gulf of Guinea, in the Atlantic, by the Vridi Canal, navigable since 1950.

Marshal Philippe Pétain (1856-1951) had a very prominent role during WWI and later held important public positions. He was a puppet head of state of the Vichy regime (1940-1944), in France occupied by Nazi Germany, and maintained a collaborative policy with the Nazis, which at the end of the WWII led to his degradation and death sentence, which was later commuted for life imprisonment.

NORTH MACEDONIA

NORTH MACEDONIA / СЕВЕРНА МАКЕДОНИЈА - MAQEDONISË SË VERIUT.

Kozjak Dam and Lake.
Stamp issued on 25.10.2005.
Face value: 12 North Macedonian denar.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Print: 40,000 copies.
Size: 40.2 x 30.2 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 367.
- StampWorld No. 372.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 508.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 361.

The Kozjak Dam (Macedonian: Козјак), with its hydroelectric power station, is located in the lower reaches of the Treska River and creates the Kozjak artificial lake. The 130 m (430 ft) dam is the highest in the country. It is in the western part of the country, 45 km (28 mi) southwest of Skopje. It was designed by Chinese engineers, its construction officially started on August 31, 1994 and ended in December 2003. The main purpose of the dam is flood control, but it also serves for power generation. The lake is the largest in the country: it occupies an area of 13.5 km² (5.21 sq mi), its length is 32 km (19.88 mi), its maximum width is 400 m (1,312 ft) and its maximum depth is about 135 m (443 ft).

SLOVAKIA

SLOVAKIA / SLOVENSKO.

Splendors of Homeland.
Skalnaté Lake.
Second stamp in a set of 3, issued on 25.09,1996.
Face value: 8 Slovak koruna.
Design: Karol Felix (b. Košice, 1961).
Printing: Photogravure and recess.
Print: 1,105,000 copies.
Size: 23 x 40 mm.

Catalogs
- AFA No. 242.
- Michel No. 261.
- POFIS No. 100.
- Scott No. 253.
- StampWorld No. 269.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 244.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 221.

Skalnaté Lake (Slovak: Skalnaté pleso) is a moraine lake in the lower karst of the Rocky Valley (Skalnata dolina), in the High Tatras, Prešov Region, at an altitude of 1754 m (5,755 ft). It is located at the foot of Lomnica Peak (Lomnický štít), visible on the stamp, to which it is connected by a cable car. As a result of human intervention, the lake’s ability to retain water has been seriously affected: its area has been reduced to 1.23 hectares and a depth of just 2 m (6.56 ft).

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Thanks to Dragan Buškulić for his contribution (https://worldofstamp2.wordpress.com/).

CHILE

CHILE.

National Parks Ecotourism.
Pan de Azúcar National Park.
Stamp issued in a minisheet of 4 on 27.09.1996.
Face value: 100 Chilean pesos.
Design: Alejandro Inostroza Fabres (n. 1949).
Printed by Casa de Moneda de Chile.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Print: 100,000 copies.
Size: 48 x 36 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 1795.
- Scott No. 1185d.
- StampWorld No. 1768.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 1752.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 1397.

Pan de Azúcar National Park (Parque Nacional Pan de Azúcar) straddles the border between the Antofagasta Region and the Atacama Region, in northern Chile. It was founded in 1985 and has an extension of 437.54 km² (168.9 sq mi), including 1.1 km² (0,42 sq mi) of insular terrain. The park is divided into two ecosystems: the coastal desert of Taltal and the steppe desert of the Sierra Vicuña Mackenna. It’s importance derives from the diversity of species. There are more than 20 cactus species in the area, mainly of the genus Copiapoa. The guanaco is the main mammal found in the park. Other mammals include culpeo fox, chilla fox and European hare. The shoreline area is home to marine mammals, such as the marine otter and the South American sea lion. Among the birds are the Humboldt penguin and Peruvian pelican. Also reptile species of the genera Tropidurus and Callopistes inhabit the park.

FINLAND

FINLAND / SUOMI.

Winter landscape in Haminalahti. Painting by Ferdinand von Wright (1856).
Stamp issued on 24.01.2007.
No face value: 1 lk/kl [0.70 €].
Design: Päivi Vainionpää.
Printed by Joh. Enschendé Stamps, Haarlem (Netherlands).
Printing: Photogravure.
Print: 3,000,000 copies.
Size: 34.5 x 24.5 mm.

Catalogs
- AFA No. 1819.
- LaPe Finland No. 1815.
- Michel No. 1827.
- Scott No. 1278.
- StampWorld No. 1839.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 1850.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 1802.

Haminalahti is a small village located west of the city of Kuopio, birthplace of the painter and ornithologist Ferdinand von Wright (1822-1906), of Scottish descent, author, among other, of the work represented on this stamp, entitled Talvimaisema Haminalahdelta (‘Winter landscape from Haminalahti’), dated 1856, painted on the shores of Lake Kallavesi.

SOVIET UNION

SOVIET UNION / СОЮЗ СОВЕТСКИХ СОЦИАЛИСТИЧЕСКИХ РЕСПУБЛИК.

International Mountaineers' Camps of USSR.
Mount Elbrus (Kabardino-Balkaria, Russian Federation).
Last stamp in a set of 5, issued on 05.09.1986.
Face value: 30 Soviet kopek.
Design: I. Kozlov.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Print: 2,350,000 copies.
Size: 58 c 26 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 5639.
- Scott No. 5485.
- StampWorld No. 5436.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 5687.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 5339.
- Zagorski No. 5691.

Mount Elbrus (Russian: Эльбрус: Karachay-Balkar: Минги тау), a dormant volcano, rises 5,642 m (18,510 ft) above sea level. It is the highest and most prominent peak in Russia and Europe. It is situated in the western part of the Caucasus Mountains, in the Russian republic of Kabardino-Balkaria (southern Russian Federation), 100 kilometers from the Black Sea and 370 kilometers from the Caspian Sea. Elbrus is centered in the Prielbrusye National Park (Russian: Приэльбрусье национальный парк) and has two summits, both of which are dormant volcanic domes. The taller, western summit is 5,642 metres (18,510 ft); the eastern summit is 5,621 metres (18,442 ft). The eastern summit was first ascended on July 10, 1829 by Khillar Khachirov, and the western summit in 1874 by a British expedition led by Florence Crauford Grove. Mount Elbrus was formed more than 2.5 million years ago. The volcano was active in the Holocene, and according to the Global Volcanism Program, the last eruption took place about AD 50.

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Thanks to Kazimierz R. Leszczyński for his contribution (http://leszkarozdub.blogspot.com).

MEXICO

MEXICO / MÉXICO.

150th anniversary of the annexation of Chiapas to Mexico.
Map of Chiapas State.
Stamp issued on 14.09.1974.
Face value: 20 cents of Mexican peso.
Design: A. Brisha.
Printed by T.I.E.F. (Talleres de Impresión de Estampillas y Valores), Ciudad de México.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 1427,
- Scott No. 1067.
- StampWorld No. 1487.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 1312.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 809.

Chiapas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas (Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas), is one of the thirty-one states that, along with Mexico City, make up Mexico. It was founded on September 14, 1824. It is divided into 124 municipalities and its capital and most populated city is Tuxtla Gutiérrez. It is located in the southwestern region of the country, bordering on the north with Tabasco, on the east and southeast with the Guatemalan departments of Petén, Quiché, Huehuetenango and San Marcos, on the south with the Pacific Ocean, on the west with Oaxaca and on the northwest with Veracruz. Its population, in 2020, was 5,543,828 inhabitants. Until its annexation to Mexico, it was integrated into the Captaincy General of Guatemala (Capitanía General de Guatemala). In Chiapas, the Tseltal, Tsotsil, Ch´ol, Tojol-ab´al, Zoque, Chuj, Kanjobal, Mam, Jacalteco, Mocho, Cakchiquel and Lacandón (Carebbean Maya) peoples survive, that is, 12 of the 62 officially recognized indigenous peoples in Mexico.

GERMAN REICH

GERMAN REICH / DEUTSCHES REICH.

Annexion of Styria, Carinthia and Carniola.
Mount Triglav, in Carniola (now Slovenia).
Last stamp in a set of 4, issued on 29.09.1941.
Face value: 25 + 15 German reichsfennig.
Printing: Photogravure.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 809.
- Scott No. B197.
- StampWorld No. 798.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 795.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 733.

Triglav, with an elevation of 2,863.65 m (9,395.2 ft), is the highest mountain in Slovenia and the highest peak in the Julian Alps. It was also the highest peak in Yugoslavia before Slovenian independence in 1991. It is the centerpiece of Triglav National Park, Slovenia's only national park, and the preeminent symbol of the Slovenian nation.

In April 1941, following the attack of the Axis powers on Yugoslavia and the consequent total occupation of its territory, the German Reich applied the old principle of international law of debellatio and completely annexed the northern half of Slovenia, which became integrated in the Reichsgau of Carinthia (Kärnten, in German); the south of present-day Slovenia came under Italian jurisdiction. The occupation lasted until the collapse of Nazism in May 1945.

HUNGARY

HUNGARY / MAGYARORSZÁG.

Lake Balaton and Tihany Peninsula.
Second stamp in a set of 4, issued on 24.06.1968.
Face value: 60 Hungarian filler.
Design: Légrády Sándor (1906-1987).
Printing: Offset Lithography.
Size: 40 x 31 mm.

Catalogs
- AFA No. 2368.
- Michel No. 2418A.
- Philatelia Hungarica No. 2461.
- Scott No. 1909.
- StampWorld No. 2441.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 2366.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 1989.

The Balaton is a freshwater lake in the Transdanubian region of Hungary. It is the largest lake in Central Europe, and one of the region's foremost tourist destinations. The Zala River provides the largest inflow of water to the lake, and the canalized Sió is the only outflow. On the hill that forms the Tihany peninsula, on the north shore of the lake, is the town of the same name (1,369 inhabitants in 2015), in the center of which stands a Benedictine abbey founded in 1055 (rebuilt in the style Baroque in 1754) by King Andrew I of Hungary, who is buried in his crypt: the founding act contains the first words that are preserved in the Hungarian language.

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Thanks to Dragan Buškulić for his contribution (https://worldofstamp2.wordpress.com/).

VENEZUELA

VENEZUELA.

States of Venezuela.
Map ans coat of arms of Yaracuy State.
First stamp in a set of 2, issued on 15.11.1971.
Face value: 0,75 Venezuelan bolívar.
Printed by Litografía del Comercio, Caracas.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Print: 350,000 copies.
Size: 48 x 33 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 1888.
- Scott No. 988.
- StampWorld No. 1907.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 2133.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 832.

Yaracuy is one of the twenty-three states that, together with the Capital District and the Federal Dependencies, make up the Republic of Venezuela. It was created in 1899. Its capital is San Felipe. It is located in the central-western region of the country, limiting to the north with Falcón, to the northeast with the Triste Gulf (Caribbean Sea), to the east with Carabobo, to the south with Cojedes and to the west with Lara. Its area is 7,100 km² (2,700 sq mi) and its population, in 2017, was 785,125 inhabitants. The most important rivers that run through it, belonging to the Caribbean basin, are the Yaracuy and the Aroa. The predominant economic activity is agriculture.

ABKHAZIA

ABKHAZIA / АԥСНЫ.

Simplified map illustrated by the stripes of the Abkhazia flag, and arms.
(Fake stamps printed by a foreign firm in 1994.)
Face value: 300 M(?).
Not other data.
Not in official catalogs.

Abkhazia (Abkhazian: Аԥсны; Russian: Абхазия) is a segregated state of Georgia and recognized only by Russia, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Nauru and Syria. For the United Nations, it lies within the internationally recognized borders of Georgia, thus constituting the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia. It is located between the Caucasus Mountains and the shores of the Black Sea, and unilaterally declared its independence from Georgia on July 23, 1992 as the Republic of Abkhazia (Аԥсны Аҳәынҭқарра). On August 28, 2008, the Parliament of Georgia declared Abkhazia a Russian-occupied territory, a position reflected by most United Nations member states. Its area is 8,665 km² (3,346 sq mi) and its estimated population in 2018 was 245,250 inhabitants. Its capital is Sukhumi. The Republic of Abhazia issued postage stamps between 1993 and 2010, and later from 2018; however, these stamps are not recognized by the Universal Postal Union. In addition to the official issues of the Republic of Abkhazia, some international firms have printed stamps, such as the one reproduced here, which should be considered speculative and fake.

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Thanks to Kazimierz R. Leszczyński for his contribution (http://leszkarozdub.blogspot.com).