IRAQ

IRAQ / العراق

Hydroelectric Dam in the Taksim Tharthar-Euphrates Canal.
Official stamp issued in 08.1978.
Face value: 5 Iraqi fils.
Printing: Photogravure.

Catalogs
- Michel No. D364.
- Scott No. O332.
- Stanley Gibbons No. O1338.
- Yvert et Tellier No. S286.

The Tharthar or Altharthar, known in Iraq as Buhayrat ath-Tharthar (Arabic: بحيرة الثرثار), is an artificial lake opened in 1956, situated northwest of Saladin Governorate and south of the city of Samarra, about 90 km (56 mi) northwest of Baghdad, between the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers. The lake has an artificial outlet built in 1956 called Taksim Tharthar Canal, which drains to the Euphrates River directly. The canal, after 28 km (17.4 mi) from its outlet, forks to another canal that returns water back to the Tigris River. The dam, with six gates, built in 1976, serves to regulate the outflow of water from the lake and, at the same time, to produce electricity.

GERMAN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC

GERMAN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC / DEUTSCHE DEMOKRATISCHE REPUBLIK.

Bridges.
Bridge over Templiner Lake.
First stamp in a set of 6, issued on 21.09.1976.
Face value: 10 East German pfennig.
Design: Paul Reißmüller (b. 1927).
Printed by Deutsche Wertpapierdruckerei (VEB), Leipzig.
Printing: Photogravure.
Print: 8,100,000 copies.
Size: 65 x 26 mm.

Catalogs
- AFA No. 1885.
- Michel No. 2163.
- Scott No. 1757.
- StampWorld No. 1905.
- Stanley Gibbons No. E1878.
- Unificato No. 2163.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 1839.

Templiner Lake is located in the state of Brandenburg. It stretches to the south and west from the center of the city of Potsdam. It is some 5.8 km (3.6 mi) long, with a maximum width of 1.2 km (0.75 mi) and a surface area is 5.11 km² (1.97 sq mi). It lies at an elevation of 29.4 m (96 ft) above sea level, and has a maximum depth of 6 m (20 ft). The navigable River Havel flows through the lake, entering it at its northern end adjacent to central Potsdam, and leaving it at its southern end via a short channel to the Schwielow Lake between Caputh and Geltow. The lake is crossed by the Berlin outer ring railway, using the bridge represented on the stamp. To keep the dimensions of the bridge small, a dam about 90 m (295 ft) long was built into the lake from the east bank. From the west bank, a 150 m (492 ft) long embankment met the first. This means that it only took 140 m (459 ft) to close the gap. The bridge was completed in 1957.

SRI LANKA

SRI LANKA / ශ්‍රී ලංකා - இலங்கை

Lighthauses.
Devinuwara Lighthouse.
Third stamp in a minisheet of 4, issued on 22.01.1996.
Face value: 2.00 Sri Lankan rupee.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Size: 29 x 40 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 1100.
- Scott No. 1149.
- StampWorld No. 677.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 1317.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 1089.

Devinuwara (Sinhala: දෙවිනුවර) Lighthouse is located on Dondra Head, the southernmost point in Sri Lanka and is Sri Lanka's tallest lighthouse, and also one of the tallest in South East Asia. The name Dondra is a synonym for "Devi-Nuwara" in the local Sinhala language, "Devi" meaning "Gods" and "Nuwara" meaning "City". The 49-meter (161 ft) lighthouse, designed by James Nicholas Douglass, began construction in November 1887 and became operational in March 1890. It is an octagonal tower with balcony and lantern. The rotating lens was removed in 2020 and replaced by a static flashing LED light.

ISRAEL

ISRAEL / יִשְׂרָאֵל‎ - إِسْرَائِيل

Modern ports.
Port of Elat.
First stamp in a set of 3, issued on 19.02.1969.
Face value: 0.30 Israeli lira.
Printing: Photogravure.
Print: 1,648,000 copies.
Size: 61 x 26 mm.

Catalogs
- Israel Philatelic Federation No. 449.
- Michel No. 433.
- Scott No. 378.
- StampWorld No. 432.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 405.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 371.

Elat or Eilat (Hebrew: אֵילַת; Arabic: إِيلَات) is Israel's southernmost city, with a population of 52,299 in 2019, a busy port and popular resort at the northern tip of the Red Sea, on what is known in Israel as the Gulf of Eilat and in Jordan as the Gulf of Aqaba. The name Elat was given to Umm al-Rashrash (أم الرشراش) in 1949 by the Committee for the Designation of Place-Names in the Negev. The name refers to Elath, a location mentioned in the Hebrew Bible that is thought to be located across the border in modern Jordan. During the British Mandate era, a British police post existed in the area, which was known as Umm Al-Rashrash. The area was designated as part of the Jewish state in the 1947 UN Partition Plan. During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the abandoned police post was seized without a fight on March 10, 1949, as part of Operation Uvda. This marked the end of Israel's war for independence. Eilat's airport was built in 1949 and the port opened in 1955. Elat began to develop rapidly after the Suez Crisis in 1956, when the tourist industry began to flourish in the city. In the stamp you can also see the Elat Mountains (Hebrew: הרי אילת Harei Eilat), with a maximum elevation of 899 m (2,949 ft).

WALLIS AND FUTUNA

WALLIS AND FUTUNA / WALLIS ET FUTUNA - UVEA MO FUTUNA.

Landscapes.
Lake Lalolalo, in Wallis ('Uvea) Island.
Airmail. First stamp in a set of 4, issued on 01.12.1975.
Face value: 10 CFP francs.
Design: Pierrette Lambert (b. 1928).
Printed by Edila.
Printing: Photogravure.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 269.
- Scott No. C65.
- StampWorld No. 269.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 249.
- Yvert et Tellier No. PA67.

The Lake Lalolalo is a volcanic crater lake surrounded by jungle to the Mu'a district, southwest of Wallis (’Uvea), a French island in Polynesia, in the South Pacific. The 15.2-hectare lake is almost a perfect circle with rocky cliffs that drop 30m (98ft) into dark waters 80m (262ft) deep, and the largest of several on the island. It is important to the local mythology of Wallis and Futuna, as the indigenous population considers it a vital force that regenerates life, which they call vao tapu, which is why its surroundings are considered sacred. At the end of World War II, the US Army dumped equipment and ammunition. Scuba dives in the lake have found various calibers of ammunition from that era. The surrounding jungle is inhabited by tropical birds and flying foxes, and the waters have a significant population of eels, which in traditional religious beliefs are tutelary deities who protect freshwater sources. In 2018, a viewpoint was built from which tourists can see the lake.

GUERNSEY

GUERNSEY / GUERNESEY - GERNÉSI.

Bailiwick Views.
Petit Bot Beach.
First stamp in a set of 2, issued on 28.03.1988.
Face value: 12 Guernsey penny.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Size: 26.3 x 34.3 mm.

Catalogs
- AFA No. 408.
- Michel No. 413A.
- Scott No. 372.
- StampWorld No. 408.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 306b.
- Unificato No. 417.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 417.

Petit Bot Bay, with its beach, sits at the base of two wooded valleys in a sheltered section of Guernsey's south coast. The Martello Tower is seen on the stamp, one of the two towers that have survived of the fifteen that were built on the coast of the island between 1778 and 1779 to deter possible French attacks after France declared itself an ally of the Americans in the American Revolutionary War. The tower, open to the public, features a small interpretive exhibit. These towers were designed to accommodate muskets only (i. e. there was no provision for artillery), and their manning was the responsibility of the Royal Guernsey Militia.

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

PORTUGAL - Azores

PORTUGAL - Azores / Açores.

1st World Tourism Conference.
Archipelago Map.
First stamp in a set of 6, issued on 17.09.1980.
Face value: 0.50 Portuguese escudo.
Design: José Cândido.
Printed by Imprensa Nacional - Casa da Moeda, Lisboa.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Print: 5,000,000 copies.

Catalogs
- Afinsa-Mundifil No. 1480 (Portugal). 
- Michel No. 336.
- Scott No. 316.
- StampWorld No. 315.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 419.
- Unificato No. 3.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 325.

The 1st World Tourism Conference, held in Manila (Philippines) from September 27 to 10 October 10, 1980, was convened to examine a subject which would lead to modification of outmoded concepts and practices, and would induce governments as well as the travel industry to reconsider all of their activities in the tourism sector.

FRENCH SUDAN

FRENCH SUDAN / SOUDAN FRANÇAIS.

Centenary of René Caillié.
Map of Northwestern Africa and portrait of Caillié.
Second stamp in a set of 3, issued on 05.04.1939.
Face value: 2 French francs.
Design and engraving: René Cottet (1902-1992).
Printed by Institut de Gravure et d'Impression de Papiers-Valeurs, Paris.
Printing: Recess and typography.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 114.
- Scott No. 114.
- StampWorld No. 114.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 199.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 101.

Auguste René Caillié (1799 –1838) was a French explorer and the first European to return alive from the town of Timbuktu. Caillié had been preceded at Timbuktu by a British officer, who was murdered in September 1826 on leaving the city. The map indicates the route that Caillié followed through French West Africa (Afrique Occidentale Française, AOF) from Kakony near Boké, in present-day Gunea, on April 19, 1827, through Tiémé, in present-day Ivory Coast, and Djenné, in present-day Mali. After various adventures, he finally reached Timboktu on April 20, 1828. After spending a fortnight in Timbuktu, Caillié left the city on 4 May 1828 accompanying a caravan of 600 camels heading north across the Sahara Desert until reaching Fez, in August, Rabat and Tangier (Morocco), from where he returned to France by sea. In 1830 he published a description of the city of Timboktu in the Revue des deux mondes, and a Journal d'un voyage à Temboctou et à Jenné dans l'Afrique centrale (‘Diary of a trip to Timbuktu and Djenné in Central Africa’), in three volumes.

ALBANIA

ALBANIA / SHQIPERIA.

Tourism.
Maja e Thatë Peak.
Fifth stamp in a set of 6, issued in 3.1965.
Face value: 5 Albanian lek.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Print: 80,000 copies.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 930.
- Scott No. 805.
- StampWorld No. 939.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 891.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 756.

Maja e Thatë is a 2,406-metre-high (7,894 ft) mountain peak. It lies within the massif of Kolata, in the eastern part of the Albanian Alps, within Valbonë Valley National Park, roughly 2 km (1 mi) northwest of Valbonë, n the municipality of Tropojë, Kukës county (near Montenegro’s border), and rises more than 1,500 m (4,921 ft) above the village. The mountain's southern and western lower slopes are relatively rich in beech and pine forests, while the higher slopes consist of very steep dolomite and limestone rock walls, suitable for mountaineering and rock climbing.

ITALY

ITALY / ITALIA.

Tourism.
Stromboli.
Third stamp in a set of 4, issued on 01.06.1985.
Face value: 450 Italian lire.
Design: E. Golyahovsk.
Printed by I.P.Z.S. (Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato), Roma.
Printing: Photogravure.
Print: 5,000,000 copies.
Size: 48 x 40 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 1924.
- Sassone No. 1718.
- Scott No. 1632.
- StampWorld No. 1900.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 1879.
- Unificato No. 1727.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 1656.

Stromboli is an island in the Tyrrhenian Sea, off the north coast of Sicily, containing Mount Stromboli (926 m or 3,038 ft hight), one of the four active volcanoes in Italy. It is one of the eight Aeolian Islands. The island's area is 12.19 square kilometers (4.7 sq mi), and its population was about 500 as of 2016, managed by the Municipality of Lipari. The volcano has erupted many times and is constantly active with minor eruptions, often visible from many points on the island and from the surrounding sea, giving rise to the island's nickname "Lighthouse of the Mediterranean". Its name is derived from the Ancient Greek name, Στρογγύλη (Strongýlē) which was derived from στρογγύλος (strongýlos, "round"), after the volcano's round, conical appearance when seen from a distance. The geological history of the island of Stromboli begins about 200,000 years ago.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES / ٱلْإِمَارَاتُ ٱلْعَرَبِيَّةُ ٱلْمُتَّحِدَةُ

Definitive stamps. 
Khor Fakkan (Sharjah).
Last stamp in a set of 6, issued on 01.01.1973.
Face value: 75 UAE fils.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Size: 49 x 33 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 6.
- Scott No. 18.
- StampWorld No. 6
- Stanley Gibbons No. 6.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 6.

Khor Fakkan (Arabic: خَوْر فَكَّان) is a city and exclave of the Emirate of Sharjah, located on the east coast of the United Arab Emirates, facing the Gulf of Oman, between the Shumayliyah Mountains and the Arabian Sea, and geographically surrounded by the Emirate of Fujairah. It is located in a bay, and is the only natural deep-water port in the region and one of the major container ports in the UAE, opened in 1979. The place has a long history of human settlement, and there have been found archaeological remains dating from the third to the first millennium BC. The city was captured by the Portuguese in the 16th century and was known as Corfacão. It was part of a series of fortified cities that Portugal had to control access to the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. In 1623 the Persian army tried to conquer the city, but was expelled by the Portuguese. However, in 1737, after the Portuguese had been driven out of Arabia, the Persians re-invaded Khor Fakkan with the help of the Dutch. In 1765, the city already belonged to a sheikh of Al Qasimi, the ruling family of Sharjah. Currently, the city has about 40,000 inhabitants.

JORDAN

JORDAN / الأردنّ

East Ghor Canal Project.
Last stamp in a stamp of 5, issued on 20.09.1963.
Face value: 35 Jordanian fils.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Size: 42 x 31 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 394.
- Scott No. 404.
- StampWorld No. 399.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 536.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 372.

The East Ghor Canal (Arabian: قناة الغور الشرقية), renamed King Abdullah Canal (قناة الملك عبدالله) in 1987, is the largest irrigation canal system in Jordan and runs parallel to the east bank of the Jordan River. Its main water source is the Yarmouk River and the Al-Mukhaibeh wells within the Yarmouk valley: farther south, additional water flows from Wadi el-Arab and from the Zarqa River. The canal’s design capacity is 20 m3/second at the northern entranceand 2.3 m3/second at its southern end. Water flows by gravity along its 110 km (68.35 mi) length, ranging in elevation from about 230 m (755 ft) below sea level to almost 400 m (1,312 ft) below. The Canal supplies water for irrigation and 90 million cubic meters/year of drinking water for Greater Amman through the Deir Allah-Amman carrier, which has been constructed in two phases in the mid-80s and in the early 2000s. The canal was designed in 1957 and was built in phases. Construction began in 1959, and the first section was completed in 1961. By 1966, the upstream portion to Zarqa River was completed. The canal was then 70 km (43.5 mi) in length, and was subsequently extended three times between 1969 and 1987.

COSTA RICA

COSTA RICA.

Paying your taxes means progress.
Río Frío Railroad Bridge.
Airmail. Third stamp in a set of 5, issued on 11.12.1980.
Face value: 2.10 Costa Rican colones.
Printed by Casa Gráfica, San José.
Printing: Offset lithography.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 1095.
- Scott No. C812.
- StampWorld No. 1100.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 1206.
- Yvert et Tellier No. PA794.

The Río Frío railroad bridge, 466 m (1,529 ft) long, was the longest in Central America. It crossed the Chirripó Norte (or Sucio) River in the vicinity of Río Frío de Sarapiquí, east of the Heredia Province (northern Costa Rica), not far from the border with Nicaragua. It was built between 1978 and 1982. However, in February 1996 the raging waters of the river undermined the foundations and a section of the bridge collapsed, rendering it unusable.

BRAZIL

BRAZIL / BRASIL.

Tourism.
Dedo de Deus, Rio de Janeiro, and location map.
Second stamp in a set of 2, issued on 06.07.1991.
Face value: 350 Brazilian cruzeiros.
Design: Lúcia TV Ramos & Álvaro A. Martins.
Printed by Casa da Moeda do Brasil.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Print: 2,125,000 copies.
Size: 44 x 26 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 2423.
- Scott No. 2323.
- StampWorld No. 2445.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 2488.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 2028.

The Dedo de Deus (“Finger of God”) is a peak at 1,692 m (5,551 ft) in altitude whose outline resembles a hand pointing the index finger to the sky. It is one of several geological monuments of the Serra dos Órgãos National Park, which is located in the Serra do Mar, near the city of Teresópolis, in Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Region. The first to step on the summit were José Guimarães Teixeira, Raul Carneiro and the Américo brothers, Alexandre and Acácio de Oliveira, on April 9, 1912.

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

POLAND

POLAND / POLSKA.

1000th Anniversary of Gdańsk.
"Panorama of Gdańsk from Biskupia Góra" by Matthäus Merian the Elder (1640).
Minisheet issued on 18.04.1997.
Face value: 1.10 Polish złoty.
Design: Tomasz Bogusławski.
Engraving: Jan Maciej Kopecki.
Printing: Photogravure and recess.
Print: 550,000 copies.
Size: 94 x 71 mm.

Catalogs
- AFA No. 3534.
- Fischer No. BL159A.
- Michel No. BL129A.
- Scott No. 3343.
- StampWorld No. 3647.
- Stanley Gibbons No. MS3668.
- Yvert et Tellier No. BF139.

In the year 980 a fortress was built on the place where Gdańsk is located, documented in the year 999 by Adalbert of Magdeburg, which describes events of 997. This date is considered as the founding of Gdańsk. Ruled by the Polish Piast dynasty, in 1361 it became a member of the Hanseatic League. In 1793 it was annexed by Prussia, and in the Napoleonic era, between 1807 and 1814 it enjoyed the status of a semi-autonomous state, and was later reintegrated into Prussia under the name of Danzig. In 1863, after the reunification of Germany, it became a German city, and in 1871 of the German Empire. In 1919, after the First World War, by agreement of the Treaty of Versailles, with its territory it became a free city (Freie Stadt Danzig), under the tutelage of the League of Nations, until in 1936 it was annexed again to Germany by the Nazis. During the Second World War it suffered great destruction, and after the war, through Yalta and Potsdam conferences, it was annexed by Poland.

-
Thanks to Krystyna Betiuk for his contribution (https://pocztowkowezbiory.blogspot.com/)

CONGO (Democratic Republic)

CONGO Democratic Republic / République démocratique du CONGO.

25th anniversary of the United Nations. International Cooperation.
Mines in Katanga.
Second stamp in a set of 6, issued on 25.10.1965.
Face value: 8 Congolese francs.
Design: Jean Van Noten (1903-1982).
Printing: Potogravure.
Size: 61 x 26 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 241.
- Scott No. 548.
- StampWorld No. 238.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 587.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 600.

Katanga was one of the four large provinces created in the Belgian Congo in 1914. Katanga was one of the eleven provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo between 1966 and 2015, when it was split into four provinces. Between 1971 and 1997 (during the rule of Mobutu Sese Seko when Congo was known as Zaire), its official name was Shaba Province. The eastern part of the province is considered to be a rich mining region, which supplies cobalt, copper, tin, radium, uranium, and diamonds. Copper mining in Katanga dates back over 1,000 years, and mines in the region were producing standard-sized ingots of copper for international transport by the end of the 10th century CE. After 1900, the Société Génerale de Belgique practically controlled all of the mining in the province through Union Minière du Haut-Katanga (UMHK). In 1960, after the Democratic Republic of the Congo (then called Republic of the Congo) gained independence from Belgium, the UMHK, Moise Tshombe and Godefroid Munongo supported the secession of Katanga province from the Congo. This was supported by Belgium but opposed by the Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba. This led to the assassination of Lumumba and the Congo Crisis, which lasted from 1960 to 1965. The breakaway State of Katanga existed from 1960 to 1963. In 1966, the Congolese central government nationalized the UMHK, under the name of Gécamines.

JAMAICA

JAMAICA.

Definitive stamps.
Rafting in the Rio Grande and portrait of the Queen Elizabeth II.
Eleventh stamp in a set of 16, issued on 15.11.1956.
Face value: 1'6 Jamaican shilling.
Printed by De La Rue & Co. Ltd.
Printing: Recess.
Size: 35 x 25 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 171.
- Scott No. 169.
- StampWorld No. 174.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 169.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 176.

The Rio Grande, one of the largest rivers in Jamaica, found in the parish of Portland, and empties into the Caribbean Sea on the north coast of the island. It was named Río Grande (“Big River”) by the Spanish, who controlled Jamaica in the 15th and 16th centuries.

BULGARIA

BULGARIA / БЪЛГАРИЯ.

Landscapes.
Smolyan Lakes (Смолянските езера).
First stamp in a set of 8, issued on 17.05.1968.
Face value: 1 Bulgarian stotinka.
Printing: Photogravure.
Print: 25,000,000 copies.
Size: 26 x 36 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 1802.
- Scott No. 1681.
- StampWorld No. 1802.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 1795.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 1618.

The Smolyan Lakes (Bulgarian: Смолянските езера) are located in the Bukova Mountains, Western Rhodopes, north of the Orpheus Rocks and Snezhanka Peak. They are scattered along the left slope of the Cherna River valley to the town of Smolyan. They were formed by a large landslide that occurred as a result of contact between rhyolitic rocks and water-resistant sedimentary rocks located below them. In the past there were more than twenty lakes, but now there are only 8 left, the others today are swamps.

PORTUGAL

PORTUGAL.

Inauguration of the Vasco da Gama Bridge.
Stamp issued on 29.03.1998.
Face value: 200 Portuguese escudos.
Design: Carlos Delfim Leitão.
Printed by Imprensa Nacional - Casa da Moeda, Lisboa.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Print: 500,000 copies.

Catalogs
- Afinsa-Mundifil No. 2481.
- Michel No. 2249.
- Scott No. 2220.
- StampWorld No. 2239.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 2616.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 2227.

The Vasco da Gama Bridge (Portuguese: Ponte Vasco da Gama) is a cable-stayed bridge flanked by viaducts that spans the Tagus River in Parque das Nações in Lisbon, and connects Montijo with Sacavém. It is one of the longest bridges in Europe: its length is 12,345 m (40,502 ft), its height is 148 m (486 ft) and its width is 30 m (98 ft). The bridge was designed by Armando Rito and its construction was carried out by the Teixeira Duarte company. It carries six road lanes. Its construction began in February 1995, and it was opened to traffic on March 29, 1998. The structure crosses the Tagus Estuary Natural Reserve, so its environmental impact was taken into account. Its name commemorates the 500th anniversary of Vasco da Gama's arrival in India, which took place in May 1498.

KUWAIT

KUWAIT / الكويت

Definitive stamps.
Pipelines.
Fifth stamp in a set of 10, issued on 01.02.1959.
Face value: 50 Gulf naye paise.
Printing: Recess.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 137.
- Scott No. 147.
- StampWorld No. 137.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 138.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 135.

In February 1938, the first oil fields were discovered in Burgan, south of present-day Kuwait City, and the oil refining industry began to develop after World War II, making the country prosperous. Kuwait became independent from the United Kingdom on June 19, 1961, and since then has earned more than 75 percent of its revenue from oil and natural gas exports. Before the British colonization, the Kuwaiti territory had been occupied by the Greeks (since approximately 600 BC and for three centuries they settled on Failaka Island), then by the Persians until the year 623 when they were expelled by the Arabs. In the 16th century the territory became a Portuguese protectorate; At that time several clans of the Anazah tribe migrated to the northern shore of the Persian Gulf from the Najd in central Arabia and established what is considered the first Kuwaiti state. Officially, however, according to local sources, the country was founded in 1672. Kuwait was later incorporated into the Ottoman Empire. In 1899, growing British influence caused the country to become a British protectorate, which remained until 1961.

GHANA

GHANA.

Kpong Hydro-Electric Project.
Kpong Dam in construction.
First stamp in a set of 4, issued on 28.06.1982.
Face value: 20 Ghanaian pesewa.
Design: C. Tetteh.
Printed by Questa Colour Security Printers Ltd.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Size: 43 x 29 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 938.
- Scott No. 801.
- StampWorld No. 934.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 998.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 750.

The Kpong Dam, also known as the Akuse Dam, is a hydroelectric power generating dam on the lower Volta River near Akuse. It was constructed between 1977 and 1982. Its power station has a capacity of 148 megawatts (198,000 hp) with all four units running, though the total nameplate capacity is 160 megawatts (210,000 hp). The dam is 240 m (790 ft) long and 18 m (59 ft) high. In addition to electricity generation, the project provides irrigation water for agriculture and water supply to Accra and its metropolitan area.

LESOTHO

LESOTHO.

Roof of Africa Rally.
Sani Pass.
Third stamp in a set of 4, issued on 26.09.1969.
Face value: 15 cents of South African rand.
Design: P. Wheeler.
Printed by Harrison & Sons Ltd.
Printing: Photogravure.
Size: 45 x 28 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 73.
- Scott No. 73.
- StampWorld No. 73.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 173 (?).

Sani Pass is a mountain pass about 9 km (5.6 mi) in length, located in the Drakensberg mountains, on the border between Mokhotlong, Lesotho and Underberg, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The route up Sani Pass starts at 1,544 m (5,066 ft), and climbs to an altitude of 2,876 m (9,436 ft). Construction work for the first phase commenced in December 2006 and was completed in September 2012.

UNITED KINGDOM, England

UNITED KINGDOM. England.

A British Journey.
Beachy Head, Sussex coast.
Second stamp in a set of 10, issued on 07.02.2006.
No face value: 1st Class.
Design: Phelan Barker Design Consultants.
Printed by De La Rue & Co. Ltd., Basingstoke (England).
Printing: Photogravure.
Size: 35 x 35 mm.

Catalogs
- AFA No. 2578.
- Michel No. 2276 (?).
- Scott No. 2344.
- StampWorld No. 2359.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 2598.
- Unificato No. 2770.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 2721.

Beachy Head is a chalk headland in East Sussex. It is situated close to Eastbourne within the administrative area of Eastbourne Borough Council which owns the land. The cliff rising to 162 m (531 ft) above sea level. In 1831, construction began on the Belle Tout Lighthouse on the next headland west from Beachy Head. Because mist and low clouds could hide the light of Belle Tout, it was decommissioned in 1902, after the Beachy Head Lighthouse had been built in the sea below Beachy Head as a replacement. The ashes of German social scientist and philosopher Friedrich Engels were scattered off the cliffs at Beachy Head into the Channel, as he had requested.

INDIA

INDIA / भारत.

Definitive stamps.
Bhakra Dam.
Tenth stamp in a set of 11, issued on 15.03.1967.
Face value: 5 Indian rupee.
Printed by India Security Press, Nashik (Maharashtra).
Printing: Photogravure.
Size: 41 x 23 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 399.
- Scott No. 421.
- StampWorld No. 402.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 519.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 232.

Bhakra Dam (Hindi: भाखड़ा बांध) is a concrete gravity dam on the Sutlej River in Bhakra Village near Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh State in northern India. Its length (measured from the road above it) is 518.25 m (1,700 ft) and the width is 9.1 m (30 ft). Its height is 226 m (741 ft). Construction of the dam started in 1948 and was completed by the end of 1963. Successive stages were completed by the early 1970s. During its construction, more than 370 villages were submerged. The dam retains excess water during the monsoon and provides regulated discharge throughout the year. It also prevents damage due to monsoon flooding. Electric power is produced at the dam, and the Bhakra Canal fed by this dam provides irrigation for 10 million acres of fields (40,000 km²). The dam forms the Gobind Sagar reservoir.

YUGOSLAVIA (Croatia)

YUGOSLAVIA (Croatia) / JUGOSLAVIJA (Hrvatska).

Airmail definitive stamps.
Dubrovnik.
Seventh stamp in a set of 9, issued on 16.06.1951.
Design: Janez Trpin (1908-1973).
Engraving: Božidar Kocmut (1899-1977).
Printing: Recess.
Size: 39 x 24 mm.

Catalogs
- AFA No. 641.
- Michel No. 650A.
- Scott No. C40.
- SFK Serbia No. 974A.
- StampWorld No. 682.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 681.
- Yvert et Tellier No. PA38.

Dubrovnik, historically known as Ragusa, is a city on the Adriatic Sea in the region of Dalmatia. Its total population is 42,615 (2011 census). In 1979, the city of Dubrovnik was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in recognition of its outstanding medieval architecture and fortified old town. In 1991, during the Croatian War of Independence, Dubrovnik was besieged by the Yugoslav People's Army for seven months and suffered significant damage from shelling. After undergoing repair and restoration works in the 1990s and early 2000s, it re-emerged as one of the Mediterranean's top tourist destinations, as well as a popular filming location. Dubrovnik has its own international airport, located approximately 20 km (12 mi) southeast of Dubrovnik city centre, near Čilipi.

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

LEBANON

LEBANON / لُبْنَان

Tourism.
Litani falls.
Airmail. First stamp in a set of 4, issued in 07.1945.
Design: R. Koroloff.
Printed by T.C. Beyrouth.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Size: 24 x 41 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 296.
- Scott No. C97.
- StampWorld No. 297.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 294.
- Yvert et Tellier No. PA97.

Litani Falls are located at a point on the Litani River, which we have not been able to determine.
Any additional information would be appreciated.

MADAGASCAR

MADAGASCAR / REPOBLIKA MALAGASY.

Tourism.
Nossi-bé. Andoany (Hell-Ville) port.
Airmail stamp issued on 07.05.1962.
Face value: 100 French African CFA francs.
Design and engraving: René Cottet (1902-1992).
Printing: Recess.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 482.
- Scott No. C70.
- StampWorld No. 531.
- Stanley Gibbons No. R 44.
- Yvert et Tellier No. PA87.

Nossi-bé (now Nosy Be) is an island in the Indian Ocean, in the Antsiranana Province, about 8 km (5 mi) off the coast of Madagascar. Its estimated population is about 109,000 people, according to the census of 2018. Its capital is Andoany, called Hell-Ville (after Admiral Anne Chrétien Louis de Hell) during the French colonization: it was founded by the French in 1841 to establish there a military port, which is currently a civil and commercial port (it is the one seen on the stamp).