VENEZUELA

VENEZUELA.

Regional development.
Regional map of Venezuela.
Stamp issued on 13.12.1973.
Face value: 0.25 Venezuelan bolívar.
Printed by Bundesdruckerei, Berlin.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Print: 1,000,000 copies.
Size: 39 x 30 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 1957.
- Scott No. 1056.
- StampWorld No. 1976.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 2246.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 904.

The regionalization of Venezuela, which began in 1969, had as its primary purpose to promote the development of the different parts that make up the country's territory in economic, social and political aspects, according to the peculiarities and resources of each area. In this way, an attempt was made to end the existing polarization between the coastal region around Caracas and the rest of Venezuela. Later, by a decree of January 14, 1980, the administrative regions of Venezuela were set at 9, according to the geographical, economic and cultural similarities of the states integrated in them.

CHILE

CHILE.

Tribute to Chiloé and its five centenary cities.
Map of Chiloé Archipielago.
Airmail. Second stamp in a set of 2, issued on 07.10.1968.
Face value: 1 Chilean escudo.
Printed by Casa de Moneda de Chile.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Print: 2,500,000 copies.
Size: 31 x 44 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 688.
- Scott No. C283.
- StampWorld No. 667.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 601.
- Yvert et Tellier No. PA 248.

The Chiloé Archipelago (in Spanish: Archipiélago de Chiloé) is a group of islands found off the coast of Chile, in the Los Lagos Region. It is separated from mainland Chile by the Chacao Channel in the north, the Gulf of Ancud in the northeast, and the Gulf of Corcovado in the southeast. The islands form the province of Chiloé. The main island is Chiloé. The total area of ​​the archipelago is 9,181 km² (3,545 sq mi), and its population, in 2012, was 167,659 people. The first European to arrive on the island was the Spanish Francisco de Ulloa in 1553, and in 1567 it was conquered for Spain by Captain Martín Ruiz de Gamboa who was leading an expedition of 110 Spaniards. Gamboa named the islands Nueva Galicia (New Galicia) in honor of the place of origin of Rodrigo de Quiroga, who as governor had organized the expedition. Chiloé was the last Spanish possession in Chile. That it was not abandoned by the colonizers until 1826.

CROATIA

CROATIA / HRVATSKA.

Landscapes.
Zelenjak Valley.
Fifth stamp in a set of 6, issued on 15.08.1941.
Face value: 1.50 Croatian kuna.
Printing: Photogravure.
Print: 18,000,000 copies.
Size: 34 x 27.5 mm.

Catalogs
- AFA No. 36.
- Michel No. 51.
- Scott No. 34.
- StampWorld No. 51.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 36.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 35.

The Zelenjak Valley (Croatian: Zekenjak dolina) is located in Risvica (Kumrovec municipality), in northern Croatia, next to the border with Slovenia. The river Sutla flows through it. The place has historical connotations, as the poet Antun Mihanović was inspired by it to compose the lyrics for the Croatian national anthem, adopted in 1891: a monument 12.20 m (40 ft) high, inaugurated on November 24, 1935, remembers it. On the stamp you can see the Holy Mary chapel, at the top of the mountain.

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

PITCAIRN ISLANDS

PITCAIRN ISLANDS / PITKERN AILEN.

Landscapes. Tatrimoa Cape.
Last stamp in a set of 5, issued on 22.01.1981.
Face value: 70 cents of New Zealand dollar.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Size: 49 x 32 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 205.
- Scott No. 202.
- Seven Seas Stamps No. 201.
- StampWorld No. 205.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 215.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 198.

The Archipelago of the Pitcairn Islands (in Pitkern: Pitkern Ailen) is officially a British Overseas Territory. It includes the Pitcairn (the only inhabited), Oeno, Henderson and Ducie islands. Its capital is Adamstown, where the only settlement of the islands is located, located in the north-central part of Pitcairn, The islands of Henderson, Ducie and Pitcairn were discovered by a Spanish expedition under the command of the Portuguese navigator Pedro Fernandes de Quirós and his crew on January 26, 1606. A century and a half later, the islands were rediscovered by English sailors: Pitcairn in 1767, Ducie in 1791, Henderson in 1819 and Oeno in 1824. Pitcairn is known to be the home of descendants the mutineers on the Bounty ship and the Tahitians who accompanied them in 1790. With only 56 inhabitants from nine families, it is the least populated country in the world, although it is not a sovereign nation.

Tatrimoa is the Polynesian name for the Big Fence headland and cape, on the eastern shore of Pitcairn Island.

SPAIN

SPAIN / ESPAÑA.

Centenary of the Royal Geographic Society (Real Sociedad Geográfica).
Map of Mediterranean and North Africa, from the Islario General (1541) by Alonso de Santa Cruz.
Minisheet issued on 01.10.2003.
Face value: 1.85 euro.
Printing: Offset lithography and recess.
Printed by Real Casa de la Moneda - Fábrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre, Madrid.
Print: 600,000 copies.
Size: 105 x 78 mm.

Catalogs
- Edifil No. 4021.
- Michel No. BL120.
- StampWorld No. 3888.
- Stanley Gibbons No. MS 3993.
- Yvert et Tellier No. BF 119.

The Real Sociedad Geográfica (Royal Geographical Society) is an association created under the name of Sociedad Geográfica de Madrid (Madrid Geographical Society) in 1876, with the aim of disseminating geographic knowledge and research and study of it, mainly in Spain and the countries linked to it for cultural or linguistic reasons. On February 18, 1901, it was renamed with the current name of Real Sociedad Geográfica. During the Second Spanish Republic, between 1931 and 1939, its name was the Sociedad Geográfica Nacional (National Geographic Society). It is a member of the International Geographical Union (IGU), the European Association for Geography (EUGEO) and the European Association of Geographers (EUROGEO).

The Islario General de todas las Islas del Mundo (General Islarian of all the Islands of the World), known simply as Islario General, is a geography text in four volumes by Alonso de Santa Cruz Produced in 1542 at the request of King Philip II. It is composed of eight regional maps and 103 local maps, and a map of Mexico. The map reproduced on the stamp is a fragment of Plate III of the work.

SOVIET UNION

SOVIET UNION / СОЮЗ СОВЕТСКИХ СОЦИАЛИСТИЧЕСКИХ РЕСПУБЛИК.

International Mountaineers' Camps of USSR.
Korzhenevskoi Peak, Pamir (now in Tajikistan). 
Second stamp in a set of 5, issued on 05.09.1986.
Face value: 5 Soviet kopek.
Design: I. Kozlov.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Print: 3,970,000 copies.
Size: 58 x 26 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 5636.
- Scott No. 5482.
- StampWorld No. 5433.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 5684.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 5336.
- Zagorski No. 5688.

Korzhenevskoi Peak (tadjik: Қуллаи Корженевскӣ; russian: Пик Корженевской) is the third highest peak in the Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan. Su altura es de 7,105 m (23,310 ft). It is named after Evgenia Korzhenevskaya, the wife of Russian geographer Nikolai L. Korzhenevskiy, who discovered the peak in August 1910. It was first climbed in 1953 by a party led by A. Ugarov.

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

URUGUAY

URUGUAY.

Salto Grande Dam (and coats of arms of Uruguay and Argentina).
Stamp issued on 19.06.1979.
Face value: 2 Uruguayan new pesos.
Design; Ángel Medina Medina (1914-1980).
Printed by Imprenta Nacional, Montevideo.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Print: 50,000 copies.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 1547.
- Scott No. 1043.
- StampWorld No. 1546.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 1710.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 1025

The Salto Grande Dam (officially, in Spanish: Central Hidroeléctrica Binacional Salto Grande) is a large hydroelectric dam on the Uruguay River, located between Salto, Uruguay, and Concordia, Argentina; it is therefore shared by the two countries. Construction of the dam began on April 1, 1974 and was completed on June 21, 1979. The reservoir has a total area of 783 km² (302 sq mi), while its maximum dimensions are 140 by 9 km (87.0 mi × 5.6 mi). The levee is 65 m (213 ft) high and 3,000 m (9,800 ft) long.

CZECHOSLOVAKIA

CZECHOSLOVAKIA / ČESKOSLOVENSKO.

20th anniversary of Tatra National Park (now in Slovakia).
Lomnicka Mountains. Lomnica Peak (Lomnický štít).
Second stamp in a set of 6, issued on 08.09.1969.
Face value: 60 haléřů of Czechoslovak koruna.
Designed and engraving by Bedřich Housa and Jaroslav Lukavský.
Print: 4,590,000 copies.

Catalogs
- AFA No. 1737.
- Michel No. 1893.
- Scott No. 1641.
- StampWorld No. 1890.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 1844.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 1738.

Lomnica Peak (Slovak: Lomnický štít), at 2,634 m (8,642 ft) above sea level, is one of the highest peaks in the High Tatras of Slovakia. There is a solar observatory and a weather station with permanent staff throughout the year. Since 1940 the summit can be reached by cable car. Local shoemaker and amateur miner Jakab Fábry stated that he made an ascent between 1760 and 1790, but the first recorded ascent was made by English traveler and guide Robert Townson on August 16, 1793.

The Slovak Tatra National Park (there is another in Poland) covers an area of 738 km2 (284.9 square miles). It was established on January 1, 1949 and is the oldest national park in Slovakia; in 1987 a section of the Western Tatras was added to it. In 1992, together with the Polish park, it was declared a transboundary biosphere reserve by UNESCO.

IRELAND

IRELAND / ÉIRE.

50th Anniversary of Killarney National Park / Páirc Náisiúnta Chill Airne.
Upper Lake / An Loch Uachtarach.
First stamp in a set of 2, isued on 26.02.1982.
Face value: 18 Irish penny.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Print: 3,000,000 copies.
Size: 40 x 30 mm.

Catalogs
- AFA No. 467.
- Michel No. 460.
- Scott No. 515.
- StampWorld No. 469.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 510.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 463.

Killarney National Park (Irish: Páirc Náisiúnta Chill Airne), near the town of Killarney (Cill Airne), County Kerry, was the first national park in Ireland, created in 1932; its área is 102.89 km² (39.73 sq mi). It has the only herd of red deer in Ireland and the most extensive coverage of native forest left in the country and is one of the few places in Ireland that has been continuously covered by forest since the end of the most recent ice age, about 10,000 years ago. Inside the park there are several lakes, as the Lough Leane (Loch Léin), the Muckross (Loch Mhucrois) and the Upper Lake (An Loch Uachtarach), which is the one that appears in the stamp, and mountains as Mangerton (An Mhangarta), Torc (Sliabh Torc), Shehy (Cnoic na Seithe) and Purple (Sliabh Corcra). The park was designated a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1981 and is part of a Special Area of Conservation.

SINGAPORE

SINGAPORE / SINGAPURA - 新加坡共和国

Old maps.
Old map of Singapore city.
Second stamp in a set of 4, issued on 13.03.1996.
Face value: 60 cents of Singapore dollar.
Printing: Offset lithography.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 792.
- Scott No. 748.
- StampWorld No. 810.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 829.

Map of Singapore city of undetermined date.

FRENCH SOMALILAND

 FRENCH SOMALILAND / CÔTE FRANÇAISE DES SOMALIS (now DJIBOUTI).

Danakil tent in the desert.
First stamp in a set of 3, issued on 06.10.1947.
Face value: 10 cents of French Somaliland franc.
Printing: Photogravure.
Size: 25 x 40 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 285.
- Scott No. 248.
- StampWorld No. 285.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 393.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 264.

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Thanks to Óscar Valencia for his contribution.

ARGENTINA

ARGENTINA.

Definitive stamps.
El Nihuil Dam.
Eighth stamp in a set on 12, issued on 04.05.1956.
Face value: 3 Argentine peso moneda nacional.
Design: Renato Garrasi (1915-1990).
Engraving: Volumnio Cerichelli.
Printed by Casa de Moneda de la Nación, Buenos Aires.
Printing: Recess.
Size: 37 x 26.

Catalogs
- Götig and Jalil No. 1050.
- Gz (Celogiloza) No. 720.
- Michel No. 627.
- Scott No. 638.
- StampWorld No. 649.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 874.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 548A.

The El Nihuil dam, in the course of the Atuel river (a tributary of the Desaguadero river), in the south of the province of Mendoza, is made of simple concrete and a triangular profile, and is 315 m (1,033.4 ft) long. Its construction began in 1942 and was officially inaugurated on January 11, 1948. It forms the reservoir of the same name, 1,325 m (4,347 ft) above sea level. The 9,600 ha reservoir, inaugurated in 1947, serves both for irrigation and electricity generation, and also for tourist, recreational and sports activities.

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

RHODESIA

RHODESIA (now Zimbabwe).

Definitive stamps.
Bridal Veil Falls.
Fourteenth stamp in a set of 15, issued on 16.08.1978.
Face value: 1 Rhodesian dollar.
Design: D. Myles.
Printed by Mardon Printers, Salisbury.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Size: 35 x 39 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 219.
- Scott No. 406.
- StampWorld No. 219.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 568.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 313.

Bridal Veil Falls are located in Chimanimani (in Manicaland province of Zimbabwe), within the boundaries of Chimanimani National Park, at about 1,520 m (4,987 ft) of altitude, very close to the border with Mozambique. The plunge pool formed below the falls is known as Tessa's Pool.

LATVIA

LATVIA / LATVIJA.

Nature monuments.
The White Dune (Baltā Kāpa).
Stamp issued on 24.03.2007.
Face value: 22 Latvia santims.
Design: Ludis Danilāns (b. 1956).
Printing: Offset lithography.
Print: 3,120,000 copies.
Size: 32 x 32 mm.

Catalogs
- AFA No. 697.
- Michel No. 698.
- StampWorld No. 689.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 695.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 672.

The White Dune (Baltā Kāpa) is an asymmetric undulating sand cliff between 15 and 21 m (49 and 69 ft) high on the banks of the Lielupe River. Its northern slope, between 100 and 200 m (328 and 656 ft) long, is flat, while its shorter southern slope, between 30 and 50 m (98 and 164 ft) is steep. It is located between the towns of Priedaine and Vārnukrogs, in the eastern part of the municipality of Jūrmala. The dune was formed when the Liliupe was connected with the Daugava, due to the displacement, by the wind, of large masses of sand. Since 1991 it has been classified as a natural phenomenon of geological interest and in an area of 32 ha it enjoys protection of local importance.

SRI LANKA

 SRI LANKA / ශ්‍රී ලංකා - இலங்கை.

Ancient Maps of Sri Lanka. 
Map of Ceylon Island (1560-65 A.D.)
First stamp in a set of 3, issued on 22.09.2020.
Face value: 15 Sri Lankan rupee.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Print: 300,000 copies.
Size: 41 x 30 mm.

Catalogs
- StampWorld No. 1912.

The map reproduced on the stamp belongs to the time of the Jaffna Kingdom or Kingdom of Aryachakravarti (1215-1624) and Portuguese domination of Ceylon (present-day Sri Lanka) from 1505 to 1658. Its author was Gerardus Mercator (1512-1594), and was published by Jodocus Hondius in 1609, and its son Henricus in 1630. The map is part of a large collection of rare old cartographic items. The legend reads: Ceilan quæ incolis Tenarisin dicitur.

ANGOLA

ANGOLA (República Portuguesa, Potuguese colony).

Infrastructures.
Dam of Mabubas (Capitão Teófilo Duarte).
Airmail. Fourth stamp in a set of 10, issued on 12.07.1965.
Face value: 4 Angolan escudos.
Printed by Casa da Moeda, Lisboa.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Print: 1,000,000 copies.
Size: 40 x 28.

Catalogs
- Afinsa-Mundifil No. CA 24.
- Michel No. 517.
- Scott No. C29.
- StampWorld No. 530.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 636.
- Yvert et Tellier No. PA 19.

The Dam of Mabubas (Barragem das Mabubas, also known as Barragem Capitão Teófilo Duarte) is located northeast of the town of Caxito, in the Bengo province, Northwestern Angola. It is in the course of the Dande (or Dange) river and forms a large artificial lake known as Albufeira das Mabubas. It was built to generate hydroelectric power and to supply water to the city of Luanda, located about 70 km (44 mi). The construction of the dam began on February 18, 1948, and its first phase entered service in April 1954. The construction of the  second phase ended in May 1957.

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Thanks to Óscar Valencia for his contribution.

MARSHALL ISLANDS

MARSHALL ISLANDS / AORŌKIN M̧AJEĻ.

Definitive stamps.
Map of Mili Atoll.
First stamp in a set of 10, isued on 12.06.1984.
Face value: 1 cent of US dollar.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Size: 20 x 23 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 5A.
- Scott No. 35.
- StampWorld No. 5.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 5.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 45.

The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands (Marshallese: Aolepān Aorōkin Ṃajeḷ), is an island country and an associated state of the United States in the Pacific Ocean, north the Equator. Geographically, the country is part of Micronesia. The republic's population, of 58,413 people (2018 Census), is spread out over 29 coral atolls, comprising 1,156 islands and islets. The capital and largest city is Majuro. The total area of the landmass is 181.43 km² (70.05 sq mi). Islands in the archipelago were first explored in the 1520s by Ferdinand Magellan and Juan Sebastián Elcano. Spain claimed the islands in 1592, and the European powers recognized its sovereignty in 1874. In 1885 Spain sold some of the islands to the German Empire. In World War I, Japan occupied the archipielago, and in 1920 the League of Nations combined with other former German territories to form the South Seas Mandate. During World War II, the United States took control of the islands. Nuclear testing began on Bikini Atoll in 1946 and concluded in 1958. In May 1, 1979 Marshall Islands proclaimed their independence, but full sovereignty or self-government was achieved in a Compact of Free Association with the United States.

Mili is a 92-island coral atoll and forms the legislative district of the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands. Its total area is 14.9 km² (5.8 sq mi). Its population was 738 people in 2011. It has a small airport.

CZECH REPUBLIC

CZECH REPUBLIC / ČESKÁ REPUBLIKA.

EUROPA 1999.
Šumava National Park (Národní park Šumava).
First stamp in a set of 2, issued on 05.05.1999.
Face value: 11 Czech koruna.
Design: Albert Fuchs.
Engraving: Václav Fajt (b. 1952).
Printing: Photogravure and recess.
Print: 806,400 copies.

Catalogues
- AFA No. 215.
- Michel No. 215.
- Scott No. 3089.
- StampWorld No. 215.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 235.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 210.

The Šumava National Park (Czech: Národní park Šumava), or Bohemian Forest National Park, is a wooded area in the Czech Republic, where a special regime of environmental protection is established. In 1990, the area was designated as a UNESCO biosphere reserve, and on March 20, 1991 it was established as a national park. It is located in the South Bohemian regions of the Czech Republic along the border with Germany (where the smaller adjacent Bavarian Forest National Park lies) and Austria. Its area is 680.64 km² (262.80 sq mi). Apart from fir trees and mountain forests, the most important are moors, peat bogs and karst lakes. The Park is  at an altitude of between 600 m (1,968 ft) and 1,378 m (4,521 ft) of the Plechého peak.

CUBA

CUBA.

12th Convention and International Fair Informatica’2007.
Globe, Map of Cuba and Telephone Handset. 
Stamp issued on 17.02.2007.
Face value: 75 cents of Cuban peso.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Size: 72 x 31 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 4896.
- Scott No. 4672.
- StampWorld No. 4912.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 5032.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 4438.

This convention and the exhibition were held at the Palacio de las Convenciones in Havana, from February 12 to 16, 2007. This event was very important for the opening to the world of Cuba, an underdeveloped and economically, commercially and financially blocked country. In addition to the Cuban one, another 18 pavilions from various countries were featured in the exhibition. More than 650 delegates from 58 countries and a thousand Cubans participated in the Convention.

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

PERU

PERU / PERÚ.

America UPAEP issue.
Gera Waterdalls (Cataratas de Gera).
Second stamp in a set of 2. issued on 23.12.1991 [stamp dated 1990].
Face value: 500,000 (0.50 milion) Peruvian inti.
Printing: Offset lithography.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 1455.
- Scott No. 1014.
- StampWorld No. 1440.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 1767.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 959.

The Gera Waterfalls (Cataratas de Gera) are located in the Jepelacio district (Moyobamba province, San Martín region, northern Peru), in the heart of the Selva Alta, at an altitude of 880 m (2,887 ft). They are formed by the Gera River, and the water falls in three jumps down a slope of 120 m (394 ft). The lands where the falls are located are owned by the Electro Oriente company, which manages the visits.