FAROE ISLANDS

FAROE ISLANDS / FØROYAR.

Eysturoy Island.
Leirvík.
Third stamp in a set of 3, issued on 13.02.2006.
Face value: 20 Faroese króna.
Design: J. A. Arge.
Printed by Österreichische Staatsdruckerei, Wien.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Size: 35 x 35 mm.

Catalogs
- AFA No. 551.
- Michel No. 559.
- Scott No. 469.
- StampWorld No. 541.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 508.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 555.

Leirvík is a town on the east coast of Eysturoy Island, on the shores of the Leirvíksfjørður strait. It was an important regional ferry harbor until April 2006, when the 6.2 km (3.85 mi) long Nordoy tunnel to Klaksvík was opened. In 2022, the town had a population of 1,048. Archaeological excavations show that Leirvík was settled by the Vikings in the 9th century. The local economy is based on a shipyard and, above all, on fishing. Also visible on the stamp is the 612 m (2,008 ft) Sigatindur mountain.

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.

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.

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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.

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.

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/)

FAROE ISLANDS

FAROE ISLANDS / FØROYAR.

Islands.
Nólsoy.
Last stamp in a set of 4, issued on 18.09.2000.
Face value: 1,000 Faroese oyra.
Printing: Offset lithography.

Catalogs
- AFA No. 376.
- Michel No. 384.
- Scott No. 386.
- StampWorld No. 376.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 375.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 380.

Nólsoy is an island in central Faroe Islands. It has an area of 10.3 km² (4.0 sq mi) and its population was 227 people in 2018. The highest point of the island is Eggjarklettur (372 m or 1,220 ft). The southern coast contains two capes, each with a lighthouse (Øknastangi on the south-east, Borðan on the south); The lighthouses were built in the late 18th century. There is only one settlement on the island, also called Nólsoy, on the north-west coast on the Stongin peninsula which is attached to the rest of the island by a meter-wide isthmus. Nólsoy has been identified as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International because of its significance as a breeding site for seabirds, especially European storm petrels, Atlantic puffins and black guillemots.

UNITED KINGDOM, England

UNITED KINGDOM. England.

A British Journey.
Start Point, Start Bay.
Third stamp in a set of 6, issued on 08.02.2005.
Face value: 40 British penny.
Design: Phelan Barker Design Consultants.
Printed by De La Rue & Co. Ltd., Basingstoke (England). 
Printing: Photogravure.
Size: 35 x 35 mm.

Catalogs
- AFA No. 2479.
- Michel No. 2276.
- Scott No. 2263.
- StampWorld No. 2261.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 2514.
- Unificato No. 2657.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 2618.

Start Point is a promontory in the South Hams district in Devon, south-west England. Close to the most southerly point in the county, it marks the southern limit of Start Bay, which extends northwards to the estuary of the River Dart. The rocks of the point are greenschist and mica-schist, formed by metamorphism of Devonian sediments during a period of mountain building towards the end of the Carboniferous period. As a result of the many shipwrecks in the area, Start Point lighthouse was built in 1836 to alert ships to the danger of the point and its surrounding rocks.

BARBADOS

BARBADOS.

350th Anniversary of the First Settlement.
John Ogilvy Map, 17th century.
Third stamp in a minisheet of 4. issued on 17.12.1975.
Face value: 25 Barbadian cents.
Design: PAD Studios.
Printed by John Waddington Security Print Ltd., Kirkstall, Leeds, UK.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Size: 29 x 43 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 401.
- Scott No. 430.
- StampWorld No. 402.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 540.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 407.

In 1625, the first settlers arrived to Barbados from other Caribbean islands, and in 1627, the first permanent settlers arrived from England, and the island became an English and later British colony. During this period, the colony operated on a plantation economy, relying on the labor of enslaved Africans who worked on the plantations; Final emancipation of the enslaved population in Barbados occurring over a period of five years following the Slavery Abolition Act 1833. On November 30, 1966, Barbados became an independent state and real Commonwealth, and November 30, 2021, the island transitioned to a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations. Barbados's population is predominantly of African descent.

John Ogilby (1600 –1676) was a Scottish translator, printer and cartographer. Best known for publishing the first British road atlas, he was also a successful translator, noted for publishing his work in handsome illustrated editions. In 1674 Ogilby had been appointed "His Majesty's Cosmographer and Geographic Printer" and in 1675 he issued his Britannia atlas which included such details as the configurations of hills and the relative size of towns. The map of Barbados represented on the stamp was made in 1670.

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

ICELAND

ICELAND / ÍSLAND.

Landscapes.
Dyrhólaey.
Last stamp in a set of 4, issued on 04.08.1966.
Face value: 6.50 Icelandic króna.
Printing: Photogravure.
Print: 1,500,000 copies.
Size: 36 x 26 mm.

Catalogs
- AFA No. 404.
- Michel No. 403.
- Scott No. 383.
- StampWorld No. 404.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 435.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 358.

Dyrhólaey ("door hill island"), formerly known by seamen as Cape Portland, is a small promontory located on the south coast of Iceland, not far from the village Vík í Mýrdal. It was formerly an island of volcanic origin; The volcano erupted about 100 thousand years ago during the Pleistocene. The peninsula has an elevation of 120 m (390 ft), and the Dyrhólaey Lighthouse, built in 1910 and rebuilt in 1927, sits at the top of the formation. In front of the peninsula, there is a gigantic black arch of lava standing in the sea, which gave the peninsula its name. Dyrhólaey and its surrounding cliffs are a paradise for bird watchers.

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

CAPE VERDE

CAPE VERDE / CABO VERDE - KABU VERDI (Portuguese colony).

Portuguese sailors.
Portuguese nautical chart from around 1471.
First stamp in a set of 10, issued on 09.05.1952.
Face value: 5 Portuguese centavos.
Design: Rui Preto Pacheco (1922-1989).
Engraved and printed by Litografía Nacional, Porto.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Print: 3,500,000 copies.
Size: 41 x 26 mm.

Catalogs
- Afinsa-Mundifil No. 266.
- Michel No. 280.
- Scott No. 277.
- StampWorld No. 275.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 346.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 269.

The Cape Verde archipelago, located in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Senegal, is made up of ten volcanic islands and has a land area of 4,033 km² (1,557 sq mi). It was uninhabited until the 15th century, when Portuguese explorers discovered and colonized it: The first Portuguese settlers landed in 1462 on what is now Santiago Island, and founded the oldest European city in the tropics: Ribeira Grande (today Cidade Velha). The archipelago was a Portuguese colony until its independence, declared on January 20, 1973 (and recognized by Portugal on July 5, 1975). It was a major slave trading center until 1876, when slavery was abolished.

LITHUANIA

LITHUANIA / LIETUVA.

Tribute to Lithuanian aviation pioneers Darius and Girėnas.
Flight of the Lituanica plane over the Atlantic.
Airmail. Second stamp in a set of 6, issued on 18.05.1934.
Face value: 40 Lithuanian centas.
Printing: Recess.
Print: 2,500,000 copies.
Size: 38.5 x 26 mm.

Catalogs
- AFA No. 386.
- Michel No. 386.
- Scott No. C80.
- StampWorld No. 390.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 390.
- Yvert et Tellier No. PA85. 

Lituanica was a Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker airplane flown from the United States across the Atlantic Ocean by Lithuanian pilots Steponas Darius and Stasys Girėnas in 1933. After successfully flying 6,411 km (4,043 mi) from New York, it crashed near present-day Myślibórz (Poland, then on German territory) on July 17, 1933, due to undetermined circumstances, 650 km (404 mi) from its destination, Kaunas, Lithuania. The planned route was: New York – Newfoundland – Atlantic Ocean – Ireland – London – Amsterdam – Swinemünde – Königsberg – Kaunas airport (a total of 7,186 km). Due to weather conditions over Ireland, they veered to the north and reached Germany via Scotland and the North Sea.

SPAIN

SPAIN / ESPAÑA.

Stamp Exhibition ESPAMER 96, Seville.
Air postal line Seville-Larache 1921.
Map of southern Spain and northern Morocco with the route.
First stamp in a minisheet of 4, issued on 04.05.1996.
Face value: 100 Spanish pesetas.
Printed by F.N.M.T. (Fábrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre), Madrid.
Printing: Photogravure.
Print: 1,200,000 copies.

Catalogs
- AFA No. 3357.
- Edifil No. 3433A.
- Michel No. 3277.
- Scott No. 2851a.
- StampWorld No. 3283.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 3011.

The Seville-Larache airline was inaugurated on October 15, 1921 with a De Havilland DH-9 plane from CETA (Compañía Española de Tráfico Aéreo [Spanish Air Traffic Company], created in 1920) piloted by the Englishman Jack Hatchett, carrying, in addition to its postal cargo , three passengers and an autograph letter from King Alfonso XIII addressed to General Emilio Barrera, greeting the Spanish troops fighting in Africa.

MOROCCO

MOROCCO / المغرب - ⵍⵎⵖⵔⵉⴱ

Tourism. Landscapes and Monuments.
Estuary of the Bou Regreg.
Airmail. Second stamp in a set of 3, issued on 10.08.1955.
Face value: 200 Moroccan francs.
Design: Acelpy.
Engraving: Pierre Munier (1889-1962). 
Printing: Recess.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 406a.
- Scott No. C54.
- StampWorld No. 412.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 466.
- Yvert et Tellier No. PA101.

The Bou Regreg (Arabic: أبو رقراق) is a river located in western Morocco which discharges to the Atlantic Ocean. It is 240 km (150 mi) long, with a tidal estuary, termed Wadi Sala, of approximately 24 km (15 mi) extending upriver. The source of the river originates from the Middle Atlas mountains at an altitude of 1,627 m (5,338 ft) on the level of Jbel Mtourzgane (Province of Khemisset) and of Grou (Province of Khénifra) and descends to its mouth separating the cities of Rabat to the south and Salé to the north. The Phoenicians and the Carthaginians, who founded several colonies in Morocco, inhabited the banks of the Bou Regreg approximately two kilometers from its mouth at the ancient site of Chellah.

PORTUGAL - Azores

PORTUGAL - Azores.

The Heritage of the Azores.
Tea culture in São Miguel Island.
Third stamp in a set of 4, issued on 06.06.2003.
Face value: 0.55 euro.
Design: Acácio Santos and Elizabete Fonseca.
Printed by Litografia Maia, Matosinhos (Porto).
Printing: Offset lithography.
Print: 250,000 copies.
Size: 40 x 31 mm.

Catalogs
- Afinsa-Mundifil No. 2991.
- Michel No. 497.
- Scott No. 476.
- StampWorld No. 476.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 594.
- Unificato No. 165.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 487.

São Miguel Island, nicknamed Ilha Verde ("The Green Island"), is the largest and most populous island in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. It covers 760 km² (290 sq mi) and has around 140,000 inhabitants, with 45,000 people residing in Ponta Delgada, the archipelago's largest city. On the island are the first plantations and the only two agro-industrial tea production units in Europe: Porto Formoso and Gorreana. The tea plant, coming from Brazil, was introduced in São Miguel in the first decades of the 19th century, and at the beginning of its cultivation Chinese farmers arrived from Macau.

CANADA

CANADA.

Opening of Confederation Bridge, Northumberland Strait.
Stamps issued on 31.05.1997.
Face value: 45 + 45 cents of Canadian dollar.
Design: Charles Burke and Jim Hudson.
Printed by Canadian Bank Note Company, Ottawa.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Print: 4,000,000 copies.
Size: 112 x 28 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 1623-1624.
- Scott No. 1646a.
- StampWorld No. 1623-1624.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 1731a.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 1515-1516.

The Confederation Bridge (French: Pont de la Confédération) is a box girder bridge carrying the Trans-Canada Highway across the Abegweit Passage of the Northumberland Strait, linking the province of Prince Edward Island with the province of New Brunswick on the mainland. Opened May 31, 1997, the 12.9-kilometre (8.0 mi) bridge is Canada's longest bridge and the world's longest bridge over ice-covered water. Construction took place from October 1993 to May 1997. In April 2022, the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island voted unanimously in favor of renaming the bridge to "Epekwitk Crossing", whereas Epekwitk is the traditional Mi'kmaq name for Prince Edward Island.

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

UNITED STATES

UNITED STATES.

National Parks Centennial.
Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
Stamps issued on 05.04.1972.
Face value: 4 x 2 cents of US dollar.
Printing: Recess.
Print: 43,000,000 copies.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 1062-1065.
- Scott No. 1451a.
- StampWorld No. 1221-1224.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 1451-1454.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 948-951.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore preserves the portion of the Outer Banks of North Carolina from Bodie Island to Ocracoke Island, stretching over 110 km (70 mi), and is managed by the National Park Service. It was established on January 12, 1953. Tiene una superficie de 122.83 km² (30,351 acres). Three visitor centers offer information about the Cape Hatteras National Seashore: the Bodie Island Visitor Center, located in the north, adjacent to the Bodie Island Lighthouse, which is open for tours seasonally; the Hatteras Island Visitor Center and Museum of the Sea, located in the Cape Hatteras Light keeper's quarters, in Buxton; and the Ocracoke Island Visitor Center, located in Ocracoke, near the Ocracoke Lighthouse.

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

FRANCE

FRANCE.

Tourism.
Somme Bay.
Stamp issued on 27.06.1998.
Face value: 3 French francs.
Design: Jean-Paul Véret-Lemarinier (1944-2021).
Printed by ITVF, Boulazac.
Printing: Photogravure.
Print: 9,473,425 copies.
Size: 31 x 41 mm.

Catalogs
- AFA No. 3400.
- Michel No. 3307.
- Scott No. 2645.
- StampWorld No. 3290.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 3488.
- Unificato No. 3147.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 3168.

The Somme Bay (French: Baie de Somme) is a large estuary, with the appearance of an arm of the sea, in the Picardy, in the región of Hauts-de-France. The bay drains six rivers into the English Channel, mainly the River Somme, and covers a total area of 72 km² (28 sq mi). The bay is noted for its ornithological richness, as well as being a major tourist attraction. When the tide is out, the Baie is characterized by wide, flat areas of marsh and sand, from which glasswort (locally: salicornes) are collected. Small ponds, dug into the marshes and filled with fake plastic ducks, are used to attract migratory birds for hunting. As the tide rises the bay fills, during which time numerous working, leisure and tourist boats cross between the surrounding villages. In 1994 it was declared a National Nature Reserve (Réserve naturelle nationale de la baie de Somme). In addition to the ornithologic fauna, the presence of seals must be highlighted.

BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS

BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS.

Eleventh Meeting of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States.
Flag and map of Montserrat Island.
First stamp in a set of 8, issued on 28.05.1987.
Face value: 10 United States cents.
Printing: Offset lithography.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 590.
- Scott No. 577.
- StampWorld No. 590.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 630.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 567.

The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS; French: Organisation des États de la Caraïbe orientale, OECO) is an inter-governmental organisation dedicated to economic harmonisation and integration, protection of human and legal rights, and the encouragement of good governance between countries and territories in the Eastern Caribbean. It also performs the role of spreading responsibility and liability in the event of natural disaster. The administrative body of the OECS is the Commission, which is based in Castries, the capital of Saint Lucia. The OECS was created on 18 June 1981, with the Treaty of Basseterre, which was named after the capital city of St. Kitts and Nevis. The members of the Organization are: Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The associate members are: Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Guadeloupe and Martinique.

BRITISH GUIANA

BRITISH GUIANA.

Definitive stamps.
Location map of Guiana in South America, and Queen Elizabeth II.
Fifth stamp in a set of 15, issued on 01.12.1954.
Face value: 5 Guyanese cents.
Printing: Recess.
Size: 34 x 28 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 203.
- Scott No. 257.
- StampWorld No. 205.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 335.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 189.

British Guiana was a colony, part of the mainland British West Indies, on the northern coast of South America. The first European to encounter Guiana was the English explorer Walter Raleigh in 1595. The Dutch were the first Europeans to settle there, starting in the early 17th century, when they founded the colonies of Essequibo and Berbice. The colonies were officially ceded to the United Kingdom in 1814 and consolidated into a single colony in 1831. In 1928 the British Government abolished the Dutch-influenced constitution and replaced it with a Crown colony constitution. The colony's capital was at Georgetown. Guyana became independent of the United Kingdom on May 26, 1966.

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