POLAND

POLAND / POLSKA.

Polish National Parks.
Wolen National Park (Woliński Park Narodowy) and White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla).
Second stamp in a set of 6, issued on 22.05.1976.
Face value: 1 Polish złoty.
Design: J. Brodowski.
Printing: Photogravure.
Printed by PWPW (Polska Wytwórnia Papierów Wartościowych), Warszawa.
Print: 10,055,000 copies.
Size: 31.3 x 51 mm.

Catalogues
- AFA No. 2332.
- Fischer No. 2299.
- Michel No. 2446.
- Scott No. 2160.
- StampWorld No. 2443.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 2433.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 2279.

Wolin National Park (in Polish, Woliński Park Narodowy) is situated on the island of Wolin, in the far north-west of Poland, in West Pomeranian Voivodeship, near te German border. It was established on March 3, 1960 and covers an area of 109.37 km² (42.23 sq mi). The dominant landscape is the chain of moraine hills that border the sea and cover 75% of the park area, reaching a height of 115.9 m (380.2 ft), and the Turkusowe Lake. The cliffs reach a height of 95 m (312 ft). The abrasion of the cliff coast moves the coastline about 80 cm each year. The Park contains a varied flora and fauna and an European bison sanctuary.

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Thanks to Sylvester Dulewski for his contribution (https://birdsposta.blogspot.com/).

VANUATU

VANUATU.

Landscapes. Mele Waterfall.
Fourteenth stamp in a set of 16, issued on 07.07.1993.
Face value: 100 vatu.
Printing: Offset lithography.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 932.
- Scott No. 608.
- StampWorld No. 372.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 641.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 928.

In the town of Mele, about 10 km (6.2 mi) north of Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu, on the island of Éfaté, is a set of waterfalls, the highest of which is 35 m (115 ft).

IVORY COAST

IVORY COAST / CÔTE D'IVOIRE.

Coastal landscapes. Rocky coast of Grand-Béréby.
First stamp in a set of 2, issued on 30.08.1986.
Face value: 125 West African CFA francs.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Engraved and printed by Harrison & Sons Ltd, High Wycombe (England).

Catalogues
- Michel No. 934.
- Scott No. 820.
- StampWorld No. 977.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 930.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 777.

Grand-Béréby is a coastal town in south-western Ivory Coast in San-Pédro Region, near Liberian border. In 2014 its population was about 98,600 inhabitants.

NETHERLANDS

NETHERLANDS / NEDERLAND.

Delta Plan (Delta Works).
Simplified map of the Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt delta.
Stamp issued on 16.02.1972.
Face value: 20 cents of Dutch guilder.
Printing: Photogravure.
Print: 30,000,000 copies.
Size: 36 x 25 mm.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 974.
- Scott No. 493 (943?).
- StampWorld No. 974.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 1143.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 943.

The Delta Works (in Dutch, Deltawerken) is a series of construction projects in the southwest of the Netherlands to protect a large area of land around the Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt delta from the sea. Constructed between 1954 and 1997, the works consist of dams, sluices, locks, dykes, levees, and storm surge barriers located in the provinces of South Holland and Zeeland. Unlike the Zuiderzee Works, the purpose of the Delta Plan is largely defensive and not for land reclamation. It was a national program and required collaboration between the national government, the provincial authorities, the municipal authorities, and the water boards. The plan consisted of blocking the mouths of the estuary of the Oosterschelde, the Haringvliet and the Grevelingen. This reduced the length of the levees exposed to the sea by 700 km (430 mi).

ISRAEL

ISRAEL / יִשְׂרָאֵל‎ - إِسْرَائِيل

National Stamp Exhibition Netanya 86.
Map of the Holy Land by Gerard de Jode, 1578.
Minisheet issued om 19.10.1986.
Face value: 2 Israeli new shekel (P. O. selling price: 3 new shekel).
Size: 126 x 80 mm.

Catalogues
- Michel No. BL32.
- Scott No. 951.
- StampWorld No. 1046.
- Stanley Gibbons No. MS1010.
- Yvert et Tellier No. BF 33.

Gerard de Jode (also known as Petrus de Jode; Nijmegen c. 1511 - Antwerp, 5 February 1591) was a Netherlandish cartographer, engraver, and publisher who lived and worked in Antwerp. His most outstanding work is a two volume atlas, Speculum Orbis Terræ (from which the fragment reproduced on the stamp is taken), published in 1578. It was aimed at competing with another atlas, Theatrum Orbis Terrarum by Ortelius, published in 1570. He had previously mapped a map of Jerusalem (1550-1559). In constructing his world map, Hemispherium Ab Æquinoctiali Linea, Ad Circulum Poli Antarctici, published in 1593, De Jode was strongly influenced by Guillaume Postel’s 1581 polar planisphere Polo aptata Nova Charta Universi.

CANADA

CANADA.

Glacier National Park.
Stamp issued on 15.08.1984.
Face value: 1 Canadian dollar.
Design: Brent Laycock (b. 1947) and William Tibbles.
Printing: Offset litography and recess.
Engraved and printed by Canadian Bank Note Company, Ottawa.
Print: 47,747,500 copies.
Size: 48 x 30 mm.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 923.
- Scott No. 934.
- StampWorld No. 923.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 884.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 887.

Glacier National Park one of seven national parks in British Columbia. Established in 1886, the park encompasses 1,349 km² (521 sq mi), and includes a portion of the Selkirk Mountains which are part of the larger grouping of mountains, the Columbia Mountains. It also contains the Rogers Pass National Historic Site. The park’s history is closely tied to two primary Canadian transportation routes, the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), completed in 1885, and the Trans-Canada Highway, completed in 1963. The park has 131 glaciers over 0.05 km² (0.019 sq mi) in size, covering 133 km² (51 sq mi); due to its location near the highway and railway, the Illecillewaet Glacier is the most visited and photographed. The highest point in the park is Mount Dawson, at 3,377 m (11,079 ft). The precipitous Mount Sir Donald stands at 3,284 m (10,774 ft), Mount Macdonald at 2,883 m (9,459 ft) and Mount McNicoll at 2,610 m (8,560 ft).

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

ESTONIA

ESTONIA / EESTI.

Saaremaa (Ösel) Island.
Stamp issued on 29.03.2012.
Face value: 0.45 euro.
Design: Indrek Ilves.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Print: 520,000 copies.
Size: 43 x 33 mm.

Catalogues
- AFE No. 753.
- Michel No. 724.
- Scott No. 698.
- StampWorld No. 764.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 677.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 671.

Saaremaa (in German and Swedish, Ösel; in Danish, Øsel; in Latin, Osilia; old Viking name, Eysýsla) is the largest island in Estonia. It is located in the Baltic Sea, south of the island of Hiiumaa and west of the island of Muhu and mainland Estonia. It has an area of 2,673 km² (1,032 sq mi) and its population, in January 2020, was about 31,500 inhabitants. The capital of the island is Kuressaare. In 1227, during the Northern Crusades, the island was conquered by the Livonian Brothers of the Sword (Fratres militiæ Christi Livoniæ), who were later absorbed into the Teutonic Order, which established the partially independent bishopric of Ösel-Wiek. In 1560 the island was sold to Denmark, who in 1645 ceded it to Sweden. In 1721, Saaremaa and the rest of Swedish Estonia were made part of the Russian Empire by the Treaty of Nystad, and since then the island followed the same fate as the rest of the present Republic of Estonia.

EGYPT

EGYPT / مِصر

"Gaza Part of Arab Nation". Re-occupation of the Gaza Strip.
Map of Gaza Strip.
Stamp issued on 04.05.1957.
Face value: 10 milliemes of Egyptian pound.
Printing: Photogravure.
Size: 26 x 43 mm.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 507.
- Scott No. 394.
- StampWorld No. 514.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 528.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 395.

The Gaza Strip (قطاع غزة) is a narrow strip of land on the shores of the Mediterranean, bordering for 51 kilometers with the southwest of Israel and for 11 kilometers with the northeast of the Sinai Peninsula (Egypt). It is currently a self-governed Palestinian territory that, together with the West Bank, makes up the State of Palestine governed by the Palestinian National Authority. After the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, during the First World War, France and Great Britain divided up the territory, leaving the area of ​​ Palestine undefined; and between 1920 and 1948 the strip was part of the British Mandate for Palestine. During the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, the territory was occupied by the Egyptian army, and on September 22, 1948 the Government of all Palestinians was proclaimed in Gaza by the Arab League. During the Suez crisis in 1956, the strip and the Sinai Peninsula were occupied by Israeli troops, who withdrew in 1957 (the year of issuance of this stamp). Egypt maintained its occupation of the Gaza Strip until 1967.

CHINA PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC

CHINA PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC / 中华人民共和国.

Peaks of Mount Huashan (華山).

First stamp in a set of 4, isued on 25.08.1989.
Face value: 8 Chinese renminbi fēn.
Printing: Photogravure and recess.
Size: 54 x 40 mm.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 2248.
- Scott No. 2225.
- StampWorld No. 2270.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 3623.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 2950.

Mount Hua or Huashan (華山, “Mount of Splendor”) is a mountain located near the city of Huayin in Shaanxi Province, about 120 km (75 mi) east of Xi’an. It is the "Western Mountain" of the Five Great Mountains of China and has a long history of religious significance. Originally classified as having three peaks, in modern times the mountain is classified as five main peaks, the highest of which is the South Peak at 2,154.9 m (7,070 ft).

MAURITIUS

MAURITIUS.

Environmental protection.
Le Morne Peninsula.
Third stamp in a set of 5, issued on 04.10.1991.
Face value: 2 Mauritian rupees.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Size: 42 x 29 mm.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 727.
- Scott No. 691.
- StampWorld No. 746.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 813.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 762.

Le Morne Brabant is a peninsula at the extreme southwestern tip of the Mauritius island. It is highlighted by an eponymous basaltic monolith with a summit 556 m (1,824 ft) above sea level. The summit covers an area of over 12 ha (30 acres). There are many caves and overhangs on the steep slopes. It is largely surrounded by a lagoon. The mountain is named after the ship of the Dutch East India Company Brabant, that ran aground there on December 29, 1783 on the cliffs. In 2008 the península was inscribed by UNESCO on the World Heritage List.

NORFOLK ISLAND

NORFOLK ISLAND.

Bicentennial of the observation of Venus by Captain James Cook.
Map of the Pacific Ocean showing transit of Venus across te Sun from Tahiti,
and portrait of Captain James Cook.
Stamp isued on 03.06.1969.
Face value: 10 cents of Australian dollar.
Designed by V. Whiteley from a sketch by J. Cowap.
Printed by Harrison and Sons Ltd., London.
Printing: Photogravure.
Size: 39 x 26 mm.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 101.
- Scott No. 122.
- StampWorld No. 101.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 99.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 101.

On June 3, 1769, British navigator Captain James Cook, British naturalist Joseph Banks, British astronomer Charles Green and Swedish naturalist Daniel Solander recorded the transit of Venus on the island of Tahiti during Cook's first voyage around the world. During a transit, Venus appears as a small black disc travelling across the Sun. This unusual astronomical phenomenon takes place in a pattern that repeats itself every 243 years. It includes two transits that are eight years apart, separated by breaks of 121.5 and 105.5 years. These men, along with a crew of scientists, were commissioned by the Royal Society of London for the primary purpose of viewing the transit of Venus. Not only would their findings help expand scientific knowledge, it would help with navigation by accurately calculating the observer's longitude.

POLAND

POLAND / POLSKA.

40th Anniversary of the Recovery of Polish North and West Territories.
Stylized map of Poland with territories recovered and portrait of Bolesław III Krzywousty.
First stamp in a set of 3, issued on 08.05.1985.
Face value: 5 Polish złotych.
Design: Stefan Małecki (1924-2012).
Printing: Offset Lithography.
Printed by PWPW (Polska Wytwórnia Papierów Wartościowych), Warszawa.
Primt: 8,600,000 copies.
Size: 42 x 42 mm.

Catalogues
- AFA No. 2859.
- Michel No. 2970.
- Scott No. 2673.
- StampWorld No. 2973.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 2985.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 2782.

The Polish Reclaimed Territories (in Polish, Ziemie Odzyskane, literally "reclaimed lands") was an official term used by the People’s Republic of Poland to describe the territory of the former Free City of Danzig and parts of pre-WWII Germany that became in fact part of Poland in June 1946. The rationale for adopting the term "Recovered", made official by a Decree of October 11, 1938, after the annexation of Zaolzie by the Polish army, was the concept that these territories were once part of the traditional Polish homeland, being fiefdoms or parts of a Polish state during the rule of the Piasta dynasty. Piast concept (developed in 1890s) versus Jagiellonian concept had the support not only of the communist government and the USSR, but also of the Catholic Church.

Bolesław III Krzywousty (Bolesław III Wrymouth, 20 August 1086 - 28 October 1138) was Duke of Poland between 1107 and 1138. It strengthened Poland's international position by its victory over the Holy Roman Empire in the Battle of Hundsfeld (1109). It was also the architect of the expansion of the country's territory to the north and west. He belonged to the Piast dynasty, the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland.

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Thanks to Sylvester Dulewski for his contribution (https://birdsposta.blogspot.com/).

UNITED STATES

UNITED STATES.

National Parks.
Mountain Great White Throne, Zion National Park, Utah.
First stamp in a set of 3, issued on 18.09.1934.
Face value: 8 cents of US dollar.
Printing: Recess.
Print: 15,000,000 copies.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 371.
- Scott No. 747.
- StampWorld No. 588.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 746.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 335A.

Zion National Park is located in the southwest of the state of Utah, near the town of Springdale. It was established on November 19, 1919 and its area is 146,597 acres (229,058 sq mi; 593.26 km²). It is characterized primarily by the 229 sq mi (590 km²) Zion Canyon, which is 15 mi (24 km) long and up to 2,640 ft (800 m) deep. The highest point in the park is Horse Ranch Mountain, 8,733 ft (2,662 m) high.

Among the park’s mountains is the Great White Throne, which towers over Zion Canyon as high as 6,747 ft (2,056 m). It is often used as a symbol of Zion National Park.

ARGENTINA

ARGENTINA.

Definitive stamps.
Inca Bridge (Puente del Inca), Mendoza.
Fourth stamp in a set of 7, issued on 30.06.1971.
Face value: 10 cents of Argentinian peso.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Printed by Casa de Moneda de la Nación, Buenos Aires.
Size: 27 x 37 mm.

Catalogues
- Gz (Argentina) No. 1083.
- Michel No. 1097.
- Scott No. 929.
- StampWorld No. 1121.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 1305.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 886.

The Inca Bridge (in Spanish, Puente del Inca), is a natural arch located in Mendoza Province at 2,740 m (8,990 ft) above sea level, that forms a bridge suspended at 19.2 m (63 ft) over the Las Cuevas River, a tributary of the Mendoza River. It is 53.4 m (175.19 ft) long, 27.6 m (90.55 ft) wide, and 10.2 m² (109.79 sq ft) thick. Both glaciers and hot springs participated in the formation of the arch. In March 1835, Charles Darwin visited the site and made some drawings of the bridge with large stalactites. At the beginning of the 20th century there was a large thermal complex and a monastery that used thermal waters to cure certain diseases. The arch is part of the Andean Qhapaqñan road system, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. By a 1992 decree of the Argentine government, the intangible zone of Puente del Inca was regulated, defining an area of high restriction and another of attenuated restriction.

RHODESIA AND NYASALAND

RHODESIA AND NYASALAND British colonial federation (now Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi).

Victoria Falls, Eastern Cataract (now in Zambia) and portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.
Seventh stamp in a set of 15, issued on 12.08.1959.
Face value: 6 pence.
Printing: Recess.
Pinted by De La Rue & Co., Ltd, London.
Size: 27 x 31 mm.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 25.
- Scott No. 164.
- StampWorld No. 25.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 24.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 25.

The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (also known as the Central African Federation), established on 1 August 1953, was a colonial federation that consisted of three southern African territories: the self-governing British colony of Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and the British protectorates of Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) and Nyasaland (now Malawi), between 1953 and 1963. The capital city of the Federation was Salisbury (now Harare, Zimbabwe).

Victoria Falls (in Sotho language, Mosi-oa-Tunya, "The Smoke That Thunders"; in Tonga language, Shungu Namutitima, "Boiling Water") is a waterfall on the Zambezi River located on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, and is one of the world's largest waterfalls due to its width of 1,708 m (5,604 ft). The Scottish missionary and explorer David Livingstone is believed to have been the first European to view the Victoria Falls on November 16, 1855, from what is now known as Livingstone Island, one of two land masses in the middle of the river, immediately upstream from the falls near the Zambian shore. Livingstone named his sighting in honour of Queen Victoria. The 101 m (331 ft) tall the Eastern Cataract is located in the territory of Zambia. Victoria Falls were declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1989, protecting an area of 8,780 ha. Since 2010 they are integrated into the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area.

SPAIN

SPAIN / ESPAÑA.

5th Centenary of the Juan de la Cosa map.
Minisheet issued on 14.07.2000.
Face value: 150 pesetas.
Printing: Photogravure.
Print: 1,500,000 copies.
Size: 163,6 x 87 mm.

Catalogues
- Edifil No. SH 3722.
- Michel No. 3555.
- StampWorld No. 3561.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 3289.

Juan de la Cosa, probably born in Santoña (Cantabria) between 1450 and 1460, was a Spanish navigator and cartographer who participated in seven of the first voyages to America. After his return from Columbus's second voyage (1493-1496) he settled in El Puerto de Santa María (Andalusia), where in 1500 he made the oldest preserved map showing the American continent, painted on two skins of parchment joined in the shape of an irregular rectangle 96 cm wide and 183 cm long. It reflects the results of the discoveries made in America during the 15th century. It is decorated with compass roses, flags, ships, cities, kings, characters from the Bible and mythological figures. Some rivers are represented and most of the place names are written in old Spanish. Juan de la Cosa died February 28, 1510 in Turbaco, north of present-day Colombia, in an armed confrontation with indigenous people, victim of a poisoned arrow.

The famous map was rediscovered in 1832 by Baron de Walckenaer, Dutch plenipotentiary minister in Paris, on the death of which, in 1853, it was auctioned and purchased by the Spanish government. Since then it has been exhibited in the Naval Museum of Madrid.

INDONESIA

INDONESIA.

Tourism. Mount Bromo (Gunung Bromo).
First stamp in a set of 3, issued on 20.10.1987.
Face value: 140 Indonesian rupiah.
Printing: Photogravure.
Size: 42 x 26 mm.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 1237.
- Scott No. 1329.
- StampWorld No. 1280.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 1860.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 1125.

Mount Bromo (in Indonesian, Gunung Bromo), is an active volcano and part of the Tengger massif, in East Java. At 2,329 meters (7,641 ft) it is not the highest peak of the massif, but is the best known. The volcano belongs to the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park. The name of Bromo derived from Javanese pronunciation of Brahma, the Hindu creator god. Mount Bromo sits in the middle of a plain called the Tengger Sea of Sand (in Indonesian, Lautan Pasir Tengger), a protected nature reserve since 1919. The last eruptions of the volcano occurred in 2004, 2010, 2011, 2015, 2016 and 2019.

FRENCH OCEANIA

FRENCH OCEANIA / ÉTABLISSEMENTS DE L'OCÉANIE (French Polynesia).

Definitiva stamps.
Fautaua Valley (Island of Tahiti).
Stamp issued in 1913.
Face value: 2 French francs.
Design from a photography: Henri Lamasson (1870-1956).
Printing: Typography.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 39.
- Scott No. 53.
- StampWorld No. 36.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 35.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 36.

Fautaua (Fautau’a, Fataoua, Fatahua) Valley is a river valley on the island of Tahiti, in French Polynesia. It is located near the capital of Papeete. The Fautaua River flows through it, eventually cascading down the mountainside as the Fautaua Falls almost 300 metres (980 ft) into a shallow bathing pool called Loti Bain, named for the French writer Pierre Loti, who lived in the area for some time. The falls are also known as Fachoda Falls, after Fort Fachoda, a ruined fort found at the top of the falls.

LATVIA

LATVIA / LATVIJA.

Nature monuments.
Gauja National Park. Zvārtes rock (Zvārtes iezis).
Stamp issued on 11.03.2006.
Face value: 22 Latvian santims.
Design: Ludis Danilāns (b. 1956).
Printing: Offset lithography.
Print: 3,120,000 copies.
Size: 32 x 32 mm.

Catalogues
- AFA No. 664.
- Michel No. 665.
- StampWorld No. 652.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 661.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 636.

The Gauja National Park (in Latvian, Gaujas nacionālais parks), in the Vidzeme region, north of Latvia, is the country’s largest national park, with an area of 917.86 km² (354.39 sq mi) along the valley of the Gauja River, from which takes its name. It was established in 1973 in order to protect slightly disturbed natural areas, promote nature tourism and ensure sustainable development in the area. Since 2004 is a part of Natura 2000 network as a territory, which is designed for conservation of protected species and biotopes.

Zvārtes Rock is one of the most picturesque sandstone cliffs on the banks of the Amata River and within the entire Gauja National Park. Its height is 20 m (65.6 ft) and it is estimated to be more than 350 years old. It is famous for the many mythical stories associated with it. Legend says that long time ago it was a gathering place for witches who would dance and rejoice around it until the crack of dawn.

PORTUGAL

PORTUGAL.

5th centenary of the birth of Vasco da Gama.
Imitation of an antique map of Africa with the routes of Vasco da Gama's travels to India.
Third stamp in a set of 4, issued on 30.12.1969.
Face value: 3.50 Portuguese escudos.
Design: Jaime Martins Barata (1899-1970).
Printing: Offset lithography.
Engraved and printed by Casa da Moeda, Liaboa.
Print: 1,000,000 copies.

Catalogues
- Afi No. 1061.
- Michel No. 1090.
- Scott No. 1058.
- StampWorld No. 1070.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 1376.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 1071.

Vasco da Gama (Sines, Portugal, ca. 1460/1469 - Cochin, India, December 24, 1524), was a Portuguese navigator and explorer. He was noted for being the commander of the first ships that sailed directly from Europe to India, the longest ocean voyage ever made. King Manuel I entrusted him with the command of a small squadron, and on July 8, 1497 he set sail from the port of Santa Maria de Belém (Lisbon) to border the African coast, round the Cape of Good Hope and go in search of India. On March 2, 1498, the fleet reached the coast of Mozambique, and after several incidents, on May 20 it reached Kappakadavu, near Calicut, on the western coast of India. After arduous negotiations to secure trade rights, on August 29, 1498, he began the difficult journey back to Portugal, where he finally arrived in September, 1499. Years later, he made two other trips to India. The Portuguese national epic, Os Lusíadas by Camões refers largely to Da Gama's travels.