ICELAND

ICELAND / ÍSLAND.

Tourism.
Hekla Volcano.
Second stamp in a set of 2, issued on 28.06.1935.
Face value: 1 Icelandic króna.
Design: Johannes Britze (1895-1966).
Printed by Posts and Telegraph Office, Copenhagen.
Printing: Recess.
Print: 1,000,000 copies.
Size: 24 x 21 mm.

Catalogs
- AFA No. 182.
- Michel No. 182.
- Scott No. 194.
- StampWorld No. 182.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 215.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 159.

Hekla is a stratovolcano in the south of Iceland with a height of 1491 m (4,892 ft). It is one of Iceland's most active volcanoes; over 20 eruptions have occurred in and around the volcano since 874. After the eruption of 1104, stories, probably spread deliberately through Europe by Cistercian monks, told that Hekla was the gateway to Hell.

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.

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

ALGERIA

ALGERIA / الجزائر - ⴷⵣⴰⵢⴻⵔ

Landscapes.
Rhumel Gorges and Sidi M'Cid Bridge, in Constantine.
Airmail stamp issued on 26.02.1972.
Face value: 4 Algerian dinar.
Design: Ismaïl Samsom (1934-1988).
Printed by Imprimerie Delrieu, Paris (1959-1985).
Printing: Photogravure.
Print: 5,000,000 copies.
Size: 45.5 x 30 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 582.
- Scott No. C18.
- StampWorld No. 583.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 583.
- Yvert et Tellier No. PA20. 

The Rhumel Gorges are formed by the Rhumel River (Arabian: وادي الرمال), in the Constantine Province. The Sidi M'Cid (جسر سيدي مسيد) suspension bridge, in the city of Constantine, crosses the gorge at a height of 175 m (575 ft) above the river: construction began in 1909, and was opened to traffic on April 19, 1912; it is 164 m (538 ft) long and 5.70 m (18.70 ft) wide. The bridge was designed by the French engineer Ferdinand Arnodin.

FRANCE

FRANCE.

Tourism.
Gulf of Morbihan.
Stamp issued on 06.05.2005.
Face value: 0.53 euro.
Design: Michel Bez (1951-2018).
Printed by ITVF (Imprimerie des Timbres-Poste et des Valeurs Fiduciaires), Périgueux.
Printing: Photogravure.
Print: 3,779,242 copies.
Size: 80 x 26 mm.

Catalogs
- AFA No. 4026.
- Michel No. 3936.
- Scott No. 3108.
- StampWorld No. 3901.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 4085.
- Unificato No. 3761.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 3783.

The Gulf of Morbihan (French, golfe du Morbihan; Breton, Mor Bihan) is an inland gulf or sea located at the bottom of Quiberon Bay, on the Atlantic coast of the Brittany region. It has a length of 20 km (12.4 mi) and a maximum width of 15 km (9.3 mi) and includes numerous islands and islets. Due to the presence of numerous species of migratory birds, its ancient marshes have been classified as a nature reserve. The gulf receives the waters of four main rivers: the Auray, the Vincin, the Marle and the Noyalo. It is an interesting area for the study of prehistory and especially the Neolithic period from 7500 years before our era; Numerous megalithic monuments (menhirs, dolmens and cairns) are found in it.

Thanks to Daniel Mathieu for his contribution (http://lettresdumonde.blogspot.com/)

MONGOLIA

MONGOLIA / МОНГОЛ УЛС

Protected Fauna in Mongolian Wildlife Reserves.
Bulgan Gol National Park and Eurasian Beaver (Castor fiber).
Second stamp in a set of 7, issued on 30.09.1974.
Face value: 20 Mongolian mïngö.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Size: 60 x 40 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 888.
- Scott No. 796.
- StampWorld No. 880.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 853.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 739.

Bulgan Gol National Park (Mongolian: Булган Гол), in western Mongolia near the Chinese border, is centered on the Bulgan River (Chinese: Ulungur, 乌伦古河), which divides into many meandering streams, lakes, and wetlands as if flow through the valley in the park. The area is an important stopover for migratory birds; Species in the park include the vulnerable eastern imperial eagle (Aquila heliaca), the lesser kestrel (Falco naumanni), and the Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber, depicted on the stamp). The Bulgan River, about 700 km (435 mi) long, originates in the Altai Mountains, and flows westward into Ulungur Lake in Xinjiang, China. The national park, established in 2011, covers an area of 2,461 km² (950 sq mi).

SYRIA

SYRIA / سُورِيَة

Definitive stamps.
Daphne Bridge.
Fouth stamp in a set of 7, issued in 03.1925.
Face value: 3 Syrian piastre.
Design: Joseph de La Nézière (1873-1944).
Printed by Imprimerie de Hélio-Vaugirard, Paris.
Printing: Photogravure.
Size: 40 x 24 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 272.
- Scott No. 182.
- StampWorld No. 181.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 184.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 163.

It is a bridge represented by the French orientalist painter Joseph de La Nézière (1873-1944), located in the town of Daphne, on the banks of the Orontes River, near the city of Antioch (Antakya), currently belonging to Turkey. Today’s city stands partly on the site of the ancient Antiochia, also known as Antioch on the Orontes or Syrian Antioch.

DENMARK

DENMARK / DANMARK.

Danish Tourist Association.
Bornholm Island.
Last stamp in a set of 5, issued on 18.06.1981.
Face value: 230 Danish øre.
Design: Alan Havsteen-Mikkelsen (1938-2002) and Sven Havsteen-Mikkelsen (1912-1999).
Engraving: Czesław Słania (1921-2005).
Printing: Recess.
Print: 8,575,000 copies.
Size: 31 x 24 mm.

Catalogs
- AFA No. 734.
- Michel No. 737.
- Scott No. 686.
- StampWorld No. 740.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 708.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 739.

Bornholm (Bornholmsk: Borrinjholm) is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea, to the east of the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, northeast of Germany and north of Poland. Occupying an area of 588.36 km² (227.17 sq mi), the island had a total population of 39,545 on January 1, 2022. The island is known as klippeøen (‘Rock Island’) because of its geology, which consists of granite, except along the southern coast. Its largest settlement is Rønne. Many inhabitants speak the Bornholmsk dialect, which is officially a dialect of Danish. Most inhabitants are members of the Lutheran Church of Denmark (Folkekirken).

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

MALTA

MALTA.

National Heritage of the Maltese Islands.
Gozo Channel.
Tenth stamp in a set of 12, issued on 09.12.1991.
Face value: 50 Maltese cents.
Design: Frank Portelli (1922-2004).
Printed by Printex Ltd.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Size: 36 x 27 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 880.
- Scott No. 792.
- StampWorld No. 879.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 914.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 859.

The Gozo Channel (Maltese language: Fliegu ta’ Għawdex) is short stretch of Mediterranean Sea separating the Maltese island of Gozo from the northern tip of Malta. It is about 7 km (4.3 mi) long and varies in width from 6.7 km (4.2 mi) at its widest to 4.5 km (2.8 mi) at its northeastern end. At the centre of the channel are the islands of Comino and Cominotto. The channel serves as a sea route link between the two islands with a ferry service run by Gozo Channel Line running all year round from the ports of Mġarr Harbour and Ċirkewwa.

LIECHTENSTEIN

LIECHTENSTEIN.

Mountains.
Augstenberg.
First stamp in a set of 4, issued on 05.06.1990.
Face value: 5 cents of Swiss franc.
Design: Josef Schädler (1930-2012).
Printed by Helio Corvoisier SA.
Printing: Photogravure.
Print: 1,176,119.
Size: 34 x 28.3 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 993.
- Scott No. 930.
- StampWorld No. 997.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 965.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 934.
- Zumstein No. 915.

Augstenberg, also known as Schafälpler, is a mountain in the Rätikon range of the Eastern Alps close to the border with Austria and the town of Malbun (southeast Liechtenstein), with a height of 2,359 meters (7,740 ft) above sea level.

MEXICO

MEXICO / MÉXICO.

Fauna of Mexico.
Gray Whale (Eschrichtius robustus) and map of Mexico.
Second stamp in a set of 2, issued on 03.07.1982.
Face value: 4 Mexican pesos.
Design: Joana Bielschowsky de Aguirre (b. Rio de Janeiro 1950).
Artwork in gouache technique.
Printing: Photogravure.
Print: 1,000,000 copies.
Size: 48 x 40 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 1829.
- Scott No. 1282.
- StampWorld No. 1860.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 1639.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 979.

The gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus), also known as the gray whale, gray back whale, Pacific gray whale, or California gray whale, is a baleen whale that migrates between feeding and breeding grounds yearly. It reaches a length of 14.9 m (49 ft), a weight of up to 41 tonnes (90,000 lb) and lives between 55 and 75 years. It is distributed in an eastern American North Pacific and an endangered western Asian North Pacific population. There is an abundance of them on the coast of Baja California Peninsula (Mexico), which appears marked in red on the stamp map.

EL SALVADOR

EL SALVADOR.

America UPAE issue.
Chichontepec Volcano.
First stamp in a set of 2, issued on 11.10.1990.
Face value: 25 cents of Salvadoran colón.
Printed by D. S. G.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Size: 40 x 35 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 1813.
- Scott No. 1251.
- StampWorld No. 1886.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 2131.

Chichontepec (or San Miguel, or Los Chiches) is a stratovolcano in central El Salvador, in the American Cordillera, about 60 kilometers east of the capital city San Salvador. The volcano has two summits and two craters, one located in each summit, although not exactly at the top. His elevation is 2,182 m (7,159 ft). Numerous hot springs and fumaroles are found on the northern and western flanks of the mountain. The last significant eruption occurred more than 1,700 years ago. The volcano may have had a very long history of repeated, and sometimes violent, eruptions, and at least once a large section of the volcano collapsed in a massive landslide.

HUNGARY

HUNGARY / MAGYARORSZÁG.

Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Antique map of the East Aegean Sea and statue of the Colossus of Rhodes.
Fifth stamp in a set of 7, issued on 29.02.1980.
Face value: 3 Hungarian forint.
Design: László Dudás (1935-2015).
Printing: Offset lithography.
Print: 387,919 copies.
Size: 44 x 34 mm.

Catalogs
- AFA No. 3314.
- Michel No. 3415A.
- Philatelia Hungarica No. 3387.
- Scott No. 2635.
- StampWorld No. 3438.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 3305.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 2713.

The Colossus of Rhodes (Ancient Greek: ὁ Κολοσσὸς Ῥόδιος) was a statue of the Greek sun-god Helios, erected in the city of Rhodes, on the Greek island of the same name in Aegean Sea, by Chares of Lindos in 280 BC. One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, it was constructed to celebrate the successful defence of Rhodes city against an attack by Demetrius Poliorcetes, who had besieged it for a year with a large army and navy. According to most contemporary descriptions, the Colossus stood approximately 70 cubits, or 33 m (108 ft) high making it the tallest statue in the ancient world. It collapsed during the earthquake of 226 BC.

SWEDEN

SWEDEN / SVERIGE.

750th Anniversary of Stockholm.
Stadsholmen Island in an ancient gravure.
Second stamp in a set of 2, issued on 21.03.2002.
Face value: 10 Swedish krona.
Design and engraving: Lars Sjööblom (b. 1956). 
Printed by Sweden Post Stamps.
Printing: Recess.
Size: 31 x 31 mm.

Catalogs
- AFA No. 2214.
- Facit No. 2307.
- Michel No. 2290.
- Scott No. 2433.
- StampWorld No. 2292.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 2216.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 2272.

Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, is currently made up of 14 islands where Lake Mälaren empties into the Baltic Sea. The first mention of the city ─ which was reduced then to the island of Stadsholmen (the one that reproduces the engraving on the stamp), where the current Gamla Stan is located ─ is from the year 1252. It was founded by Birger Jarl, with the aim of to protect Sweden from invasions by foreign fleets and to be able to put an end to looting in towns on the shores of the lake. The first building built was a fort that controlled maritime traffic between the sea and the lake. Under the influence of Magnus Ladulås, it prospered thanks to its commercial relations with Lübeck. It was part of the Hanseatic League. In 1270, it is described in documents as a true city, and in 1289 it is already the largest city in Sweden.

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

NEW ZEALAND

NEW ZEALAND / AOTEAROA.

Centennial of the National Parks Movement.
Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park.
Second stamp in a set of 4, issued on 17.06.1987.
Face value: 80 cents of New Zealand dollar.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Size: 30 x 35 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 997.
- Scott No. 877.
- StampWorld No. 1017.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 1429.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 961.

Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park is in the South Island of New Zealand, near the town of Twizel. The area was gazetted as a national park in October 1953 and consists of reserves that were established as early as 1887 to protect the area's significant vegetation and landscape. The park stretches for about 60 km (37 mi) along the southwest-northeast direction of the Southern Alps, covering 722 km² (279 sq mi) on the southeastern side of the main spine of the Alps. Glaciers cover 40% of the park area, notably the Tasman Glacier. It is also in the park area the New Zealand's highest mountain, the Aoraki / Mount Cook, at 3,724 m (12,218 ft). On the stamp there is also a drawing of a buttercup (Ranunculus bulbosus), a characteristic flower of the area.

The National Parks Movement began in 1887 with an initiative of the paramount chief of the Ngāti Tūwharetoa tribe, Horonuku Te Heuheu, which made an agreement wirh the British Crown that the central North Island volcanoes would become a national park, because different tribes were disputing ownership of the peaks of Ruapehu, Ngāuruhoe and Tongariro, and there was a danger that they would be divided and sold.

UNITED KINGDOM, Northern Ireland

 UNITED KINGDOM. Northern Ireland.

25th Anniversary of Investiture of the Prince of Wales.
Watercolors painted by Prince Charles.
Mourne Mountains, Clunty Down.
Third stamp in a set of 5, issued on 01.03.1994.
Face value: 30 British penny.
Printing: Photogravure.
Size: 41 x 30 mm.

Catalogs
- AFA No. 1662.
- Michel No. 1505.
- Scott No. 1550.
- StampWorld No. 1485.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 1812.
- Unificato No. 1747,
- Yvert et Tellier No. 1750.

The Mourne Mountains (Irish: Beanna Boirche), also called the Mournes or Mountains of Mourne, are a granite mountain range in County Down in the south-east of Northern Ireland. They include the highest mountains in Northern Ireland, the highest of which is Slieve Donard (Irish: Sliabh Dónairt) at 850 m (2,790 ft). The Mournes are designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and it has been proposed to make the area Northern Ireland's first national park.

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/).

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.

MEXICO

MEXICO / MÉXICO.

Tourism.
Basaseachic Falls.
First stamp in a set of 4, issued on 29.05.1982.
Face value: 0.80 Mexican peso.
Design: Ramón Alcántara Rodríguez (from watercolor and pen).
Printed by T.I.E.F. (Talleres de Impresión de Estampillas y Valores), Ciudad de México.
Print: 1,000,000 copies.
Size: 24 x 40 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 1821.
- Scott No. 1274.
- StampWorld No. 1852.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 1631.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 971.

Basaseachic Falls (Spanish: Cascada de Basaseachic) is located at the top of the Sierra Madre Occidental, in the municipality of Ocampo (Chihuahua state), in the Basaseachic Falls National Park (Parque Nacional Cascada de Basaseachic). With a height of 246 m (807 ft) of free fall (the height indicated in the stamp is incorrect), it is the highest permanent waterfall in Mexico. It is formed by the Durazno and the Basaseachi streams, which come together at the top of the mountain and then rush down the ravine; from the waterfall the stream is called the Candameña River.

CANADA

CANADA.

Landscapes.
Mount Hurd.
First stamp in a set of 5, issued 05.12.1928.
Face value: 10 cents of Canadian dollar.
Design based in a painting of Frederic Marlett Bell-Smith (1846-1923).
Printing: Recess.
Print: 36,077,000 copies.
Size: 39 x 28 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 134.
- Scott No. 155.
- StampWorld No. 128.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 281.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 135.

Mount Hurd is a Canadian mountain in the Ottertail Range of the Rocky Mountains in British Columbia. It was named after Major Marshall Farnam Hurd (1823-1903), a Canadian Pacific Railway engineer and explorer. Its height is 2,966 m (9,731 ft) above sea level. Precipitation runoff from Mount Hurd drains into tributaries of the Kicking Horse River which is a tributary of the Columbia River.

UNITED KINGDOM, Scotland

UNITED KINGDOM. Scotland.

Glenfinnan. Loch Shiel.
50th Anniversary of the National Trust for Scotland.
Pictorial representation.
First stamp in a set of 5, issued on 24.06.1981.
Face value: 14 British pence.
Design: Michael Fairclough (b. 1940).
Printed by Harrison & Sons (High Wycombe) Ltd.
Printing: Photogravure.
Print: 43,308,000 copies.
Size: 41 x 30 mm.

Catalogs
- AFA No. 963.
- Michel No. 879.
- Scott No. 945.
- StampWorld No. 860.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 1155.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 996.

Loch Shiel (Scottish Gaelic: Loch Seile) is a freshwater lake situated 20 km (12 mi) west of Fort William (An Gearasdan) in the Highland council area of Scotland. At 28 km (17.5 mi) long it is the 4th longest loch in Scotland, being 120 m (393 ft) deep. Its nature changes considerably along its length, being deep and enclosed by mountains in the north east and shallow surrounded by bog and pasture in the south west, from which end the 4 km River Shiel (Abhainn Seile) drains to the sea in Loch Moidart.

Foreground on the stamp is the Glenfinnan (Scottish Gaelic: Gleann Fhionnain) Monument, 18 m (60 ft), commemorating the elevation of the lake's shores in 1745 by Prince Charles Edward Stuart.