ANTIGUA

ANTIGUA.

Landscapes.
Nelson's Dockyard and king George VI.
Third stamp in a set of 12, issued in 1943.
Face value: 1,1/2 British penny.
Design: A. W. Morley.
Printed by Waterlow & Sons Ltd.
Printing: Recess.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 80a.
- Scott No. 86.
- StampWorld No. 80.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 100a.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 83.

Nelson's Dockyard is a cultural heritage site and marina in English Harbour, located in Saint Paul Parish on the island of Antigua. It is part of Nelson's Dockyard National Park, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is named after Admiral Horatio Nelson, who lived in the Royal Navy Dockyard from 1784 through 1787. After England acquired colonial British Antigua and Barbuda in 1632, the English Harbour became a focal point for the establishment of a naval base. Its position on the south side of Antigua island facilitated the monitoring of the neighbouring French island of Guadeloupe. Construction of the modern Naval Dockyard began in the 1740s. The Naval Officer's and Clerk's House was built in 1855 and is now home to the Dockyard Museum. In 1889 the Royal Navy abandoned the dockyard, and it fell into decay. The Society of the Friends of English Harbour began restoration of the dockyard in 1951, and a decade later it was opened to the public.

CUBA

CUBA.

Lighthouses of Cuba.
Cayo Paredón Grande lighthouse and simplified map of Cuba.
Second stamp in a set of 3, issued on 25.10.1982.
Face value: 20 centavos of Cuban peso.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Print: 288,000 copies.
Size: 33.5 x 45 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 2703.
- Scott No. 2554.
- StampWorld No. 2707.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 2860.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 2404.

Cayo Paredón Grande is an island of the Jardines del Rey archipelago, north of Camagüey Province. Its extension is 8.7 km² (3.36 sq mi). It is located off the north coast of Cayo Romano, to which it is linked by a viaduct. The island's economy is mainly based on tourism, thanks to its white sand beaches. The lighthouse, also known as Faro Diego Velázquez, built in 1859, has a height of 48 m (157.5 ft) and a range of 27 nautical miles (50 km, or 31 mi).

NETHERLANDS ANTILLES

NETHERLANDS ANTILLES / NEDERLANDSE ANTILLEN.

Inauguration of the Inter-island Undersea Cable.
Stylized maps of islands.
Minisheet of 3 stamps issued on 20.06.1973.
Face values: 15, 30 and 45 Netherlands Antillean cents.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Print: 207,300 copies.
Size: 144 x 50 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. BL2.
- Scott No. 354a.
- StampWorld No. 269-271.
- Stanley Gibbons No. MS575.
- Yvert et Tellier No. BF2.

On May 23, 1973, the link between the islands of the Netherlands Antilles through undersea cables was completed and inaugurated.

CUBA

CUBA.

Lighthouses of Cuba.
Morro de Santiago de Cuba Lighthouse and simplified map of Cuba.
Last stamp in a set of 3, issued on 25.10.1982.
Face value: 30 centavos of Cuban peso.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Print: 288,000 copies.
Size: 33.5 x 45 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 2704.
- Scott No. 2555.
- StampWorld No. 2708.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 2861.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 2405.

The Morro lighthouse is located next to the San Pedro de la Roca Castle, better known as Castillo del Morro, built by the Spanish colonizers in the 17th century south of the city of Santiago de Cuba, on the shores of the Caribbean Sea, on the southernmost coast of the island. Its height is 18 m (59 ft), 83 m (272 ft) from sea level. It is the work of French builders and was put into operation in 1842. It was destroyed during the Spanish-American War in 1898, and was rebuilt in a short time. The lighthouse was modernized in 1914 but, due to disruptions caused by World War I, its optical equipment was not installed until 1923. Its lamp emits beams of light through lenses, which rotate 360 degrees. Its range is 27 nautical miles (approximately 50 km or 31 mi).

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/).

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO.

Tourism, beaches.
Maracas Bay.
First stamp in a set of 4, issued on 25.07.2000.
Face value: 75 Trinidad and Tobago cents.
Printing: Offset lithography.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 693.
- Scott No. 601.
- StampWorld No. 667.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 884.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 727.

Maracas is a bay with a crescent-shaped beach of golden sand, located between tropical forests and high hills (up to 120 m, 394 ft) covered with vegetation, on the north side of the Trinidad Island. Unlike many of the northern beaches of the island, Maracas is protected by a deep bay of some 2 km (1.25 mi). It is the most popular beach in the country, and an ideal place for body or board surfing, also famous as a gastronomic seaside resort.

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

VENEZUELA

VENEZUELA.

Tourism.
Playa Colorada.
First stamp in a set of 6, issued on 24.01.1969.
Face value: 0.15 Venezuelan bolívares.
Printed by Bundesdruckerei, Berlin.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Print: 500,000 copies.
Size: 39 x 30 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 1771.
- Scott No. 930.
- StampWorld No. 1791.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 2059.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 772.

Playa Colorada is a beach on the Caribbean Sea, located in the Mochima National Park in the state of Sucre. It owes its name to the color of its sand, which has shades ranging from reddish to gold. It is characterized by its crystal clear waters, its coconut palms and its rich fauna, formed mainly by seabirds and dolphins. It is approximately 400 m (1,310 ft) long. It is under the responsibility of the Instituto Nacional de Parques (National Institute of Parks).

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.

SAINT LUCIA

SAINT LUCIA.

Attractions.
The Pitons.
Nineth stamp in a set of 14, issued on 01.02.1970.
Face value: 25 East Caribbean cents.
Printing: Offset lithography.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 261.
- Scott No. 269.
- StampWorld No. 260.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 284.

Saint Lucia (French: Sainte-Lucie; Creole: Sent Lisi) is an island country in the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. It covers a land area of 617 km² (238 sq mi) and reported a population of 178,015 in the 2016 census. Its capital is Castries. The French were the first Europeans to settle on the island. They signed a treaty with the native Caribs in 1660. England took control of the island from 1663 to 1667. In ensuing years, it was at war with France fourteen times, and the rule of the island changed frequently. From 1958 to 1962, the island was a member of the West Indies Federation. On February 22, 1979, Saint Lucia became an independent state and a member of the Commonwealth of Nations as a Commonwealth realm. It is a member of Organisation internationale de la Francophonie. Is a volcanic island very mountainous: the highest point being Mount Gimie, at 950 m (3,120 ft). The official language is English. Saint Lucian French Creole (Kwéyòl), which is colloquially referred to as Patois (Patwa), is spoken by 95% of the population.

The Pitons are two mountainous volcanic plugs, volcanic spires, located at the south-west of the island, near the town of Soufrière. Gros Piton is 798.25 m (2,618.9 ft) high, and Petit Piton is 743 m (2,438 ft) high; they are linked by the Piton Mitan ridge. The Pitons are a World Heritage Site, 2,909 ha (7,190 acres) in size.

BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS

BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS.

Definitive stamps.
Map of Tortola Island, and portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.
First stamp in a set of 13, issued on 01.11.1956.
Face value: 1/2 British West Indies cent.
Printed by De La Rue & Co. Ltd.
Printing: Recess.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 111.
- Scott No. 115.
- StampWorld No. 111.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 149.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 113.

Tortola is the largest and most populated of the British Virgin Islands. It is a mountainous island 19 km (12 mi) long and 5 km (3.1 mi) wide, with an area of 55.7 km² (21.5 sq mi). Formed by volcanic activity, its highest peak is Mount Sage at 530 m (1,740 ft) above sea level. In 2010 the population of the island was 23,491 inhabitants. Christopher Columbus named the island Santa Ana. Dutch colonists called it Ter Tholen. When the British took over, the name evolved to Tortola.

ANTIGUA

ANTIGUA.

Landscapes.
English Harbour (Falmouth Bay) and portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.
Second stamp in a set of 15, issued on 02.06.1953.
Face value: 1 West Indies cent.
Printed by Waterlow & Sons Ltd.
Printing: Recess.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 102.
- Scott No. 108.
- StampWorld No. 102.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 121.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 104.

English Harbour is a natural deep-water harbor and settlement in the Saint Paul Parish, on Falmouth Bay, on the south coast of the island of Antigua. It is part of Nelson's Dockyard National Park. Its population, in 2012, was 666 inhabitants. Due to its strategic importance, it served as a base of operations for the former British Navy in the 17th and 18th centuries. It is currently a center for water sports, mainly sailing.

VENEZUELA

VENEZUELA.

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries Conference, Caracas.
Mochima National Park.
Sixth stamp in a set of 10, issued on 26.09.2000.
Face value: 400 Venezuelan bolívares.
Design: Ana Carolina Palmero.
Printed by Gráficas Armitano, Caracas.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Print: 20,000 copies.
Size: 38 x 32 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 3401.
- Scott No. 1616h.
- StampWorld No. 3428.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 3657.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 2169H.

Mochima National Park (Spanish: Parque Nacional Mochima) is located in the States of Anzoátegui and Sucre, on the northeastern coast of Venezuela. It covers 949,35 km² (94,935 hectares) and is made up of an exclusively marine area in its western sector, a coastal marine area that includes the Gulf of Santa Fe and Mochima Bay, and a mountainous area that covers the Turimiquire Dam watershed. The park was created on December 19, 1973 to protect the montane forests of the Turimiquire Range and the country's eastern Caribbean Sea marine landscapes.

HONDURAS

HONDURAS.

Year of National Sovereignty.
Soldado Bay, in Guanaja Island.
First stamp in an airmail set of 16, issued on 01.05.1972.
Face value: 0.04 Honduran lempira.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Printed by Lito Maia, Porto, Portugal.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 783.
- Scott No. C515.
- StampWorld No. 814.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 795.
- Yvert et Tellier No. PA469.

The Soldado Bay (Bahía del Soldado) is located on the western coast of the island of Guanaja, in the archipelago of the Islas de la Bahía, in the Caribbean Sea, north of Honduras. Christopher Columbus arrived on the island, precisely at Soldado beach, on July 30, 1502, during his fourth and last trip to the American continent, and he named it Isla de los Pinos; the island was populated by members of the Pech ethnic group. It was subjected to the Spanish, the English and the Dutch. In 1859 England ceded the archipelago (called Colony of the Bay Islands) to the Republic of Honduras. In 2012, the island was populated by about 4,500 inhabitants.

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

JAMAICA

JAMAICA.

Dunn's River Falls, Ocho Ríos.
Third stamp in a set of 5, issued on 02.10.1972.
Face value: 30 cents of Jamaican dollar.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Size: 31 x 38 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 360.
- Scott No. 354.
- StampWorld No. 363.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 355.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 364.

Dunn's River Falls (also known in Spanish as Las Chorreras) is a famous waterfall near Ocho Rios, Northern Jamaica. At about 55 m (180 ft) high and 180 m (600 ft) long, the waterfalls are terraced like giant natural stairs though some incorporate man-made improvements. Several small lagoons are interspersed among the vertical sections of the falls. They empty into the Caribbean Sea at the western end of a white-sand beach. The falls were the location where the Battle of Las Chorreras took place on October 30, 1657, when the British defeated a Spanish expeditionary force from Cuba.

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

SAINT VINCENT

SAINT VINCENT.

St. Vincent Post Offices.
Small map of Saint Vincent with the location of Layou's Post Office.
Fifth stamp in a set of 19, issued on 31.05.1979.
Face value: 5 East Caribbean cents.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Realization and printing: Waddingtons.
Size: 42 x 28 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 524I.
- Scott No. 552.
- StampWorld No. 535.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 586.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 542.

Saint Vincent is a volcanic island in the Caribbean. It is the largest island of the country Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. It is composed of partially submerged volcanic mountains. Its largest volcano and the country's highest peak, La Soufrière, 1,234 m (4,048 ft), is active. The area of the island is 345 km² (133 sq mi) and the population, in 2012, was about 100,000. The capital is Kingston. Before 1498, the island was called Hairouna by its indigenous inhabitants. Columbus named the island Saint Vincent, since it is said to have been discovered on 22 January, the feast day of the patron saint of Lisbon and Valencia, Vincent of Saragossa.

BARBUDA

BARBUDA.

Map of the Barbuda Island and Queen Elisabeth II.
Third stamp in a set of 9, issued on 19.11.1968.
Face value: 2 East Caribbean cents.
Printing: Offset lithography.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 14.
- Scott No. 14.
- StampWorld No. 14.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 14.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 14.

Barbuda is a small island located in the eastern Caribbean forming part of the sovereign Commonwealth nation of Antigua and Barbuda from November 1, 1981. It is located north of the island of Antigua and is part of the Leeward Islands of the West Indies. His capital is Codrington. The island was a British colony from 1666 to the Independence of Antigua and Barbuda. Total area of the island is 160.56 km² (61.99 sq mi), and according to the 2011 census its population was 1,325 inhabitantes. From September 2017 to February 2019 the inhabitants of the island were evacuated to Antigua beacuse Hurricane Irma damaged or destroyed 95% of the island's buildings and infrastructure. The Codrington family, owning the island since 1685, produced food and transported slaves as labour for their sugarcane plantations on Antigua. During the 1740s, there were multiple slave rebellions at Codrington and all slaves were freed in 1834.

VENEZUELA

VENEZUELA.

450th Anniversary of Discovery of Lake Maracaibo.
Map of Lake Maracaibo and portrait of Alonso de Ojeda.
Air Mail. Sixth stamp in a set of 9, issued on 18.12.1950.
Face value: 15 cents of Venzuelan bolívar,
Printed by Courvoisier, Switzerland.
Printing: Photogravure.
Print: 500,000 copies.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 604.
- Scott No. C318.
- StampWorld No. 624.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 880.
- Yvert et Tellier No. PA 312.

Lake Maracaibo is a coastal freshwater lake, similar to a large bay, located in the westernmost part of Venezuela, and between the states of Zulia, Trujillo and Mérida. It has an area of 13,210 km² (5,100 sq mi) and is the largest in South America: its length is 159 km (99 mi) and its maximum width, 108 km (67 mi). It is supposed to be between 20 and 36 million years old. In the extreme north it is connected to the Gulf of Venezuela (Caribbean Sea) by the Strait of Tablazo, 5.5 km (3.4 mi). It is fed by numerous rivers, the largest being the Catatumbo River. The Maracaibo basin is one of the most oil rich areas in the world, which began to be exploited in 1914. The lake also has numerous islands, some of sedimentary origin and others of tectonic origin. The shores of the lake were inhabited by the aborigens Añú, they called it Coquivacoa. There were also other tribes in the area, such as the Wayuu, the Caquetio and the Quiriquires. The first European to arrive to the lake there was the explorer Alonso de Ojeda (his name is misspelled on the stamp), in 1499.

JAMAICA

JAMAICA.

Definitive stamps
Priestman's River, Portland (and portrait of King George VI).
Twelfth stamp in a set of 18, issued on 10.12.1938.
Face value: 6 Jamaican penny.
Printing: Recess.
Size: 34 x 28 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 129A.
- Scott No. 123a.
- StampWorld No. 132.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 128.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 130.

Priestman's River is located in the northeast of Jamaica. It has its sources in the Blue Mountains, runs through the Portland Parish and empties into the Long Bay coast (Caribbean Sea). Its banks, in the final stretch, are very populated.

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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.

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.