United Kingdom - Wales - Cardiff

Sent by Mouse from Cardiff, Wales.

Cardiff (/ˈkɑːrdɪf/ Welsh: Caerdydd [kairˈdiːð, kaːɨrˈdɨːð]) is the capital and largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of 372,089 in 2022 and forms a principal area officially known as the City and County of Cardiff (Welsh: Dinas a Sir Caerdydd). The city is the eleventh largest in the United Kingdom. Located in the southeast of Wales and in the Cardiff Capital Region, Cardiff is the county town of the historic county of Glamorgan and in 1974–1996 of South Glamorgan. It belongs to the Eurocities network of the largest European cities. A small town until the early 19th century, its prominence as a port for coal when mining began in the region helped its expansion. In 1905, it was ranked as a city and in 1955 proclaimed capital of Wales. The Cardiff urban area covers a larger area outside the county boundary, including the towns of Dinas Powys and Penarth.

Cardiff is the main commercial centre of Wales as well as the base for the Senedd, the Welsh Parliament. At the 2021 census, the unitary authority area population was put at 362,400.^[ The population of the wider urban area in 2011 was 479,000. In 2011, it ranked sixth in the world in a National Geographic magazine list of alternative tourist destinations. It is the most popular destination in Wales with 21.3 million visitors in 2017.

Cardiff is a major centre for television and film production (such as the 2005 revival of Doctor Who, Torchwood and Sherlock) and is the Welsh base for the main national broadcasters.
Cardiff Bay contains the Senedd building and the Wales Millennium Centre arts complex. Work continues at Cardiff Bay and in the centre on projects such as Cardiff International Sports Village, BBC drama village,^] and a new business district (read more).

Japan - Tokyo

Tokyo night views.

Sent by Emiri from Saitama, Japan.

Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital city of Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is one of the most populous urban areas in the world. The Greater Tokyo Area, which includes Tokyo and parts of six neighboring prefectures, is the most populous metropolitan area in the world, with 41 million residents as of 2024 (read further).

Vietnam - Hanoi

Multiviews of Hanoi.

I bought this postcard during my trip to Hanoi (10th - 12th January 2025) and got the stamps cancelled at the Central Post Office in Hanoi.

Vietnam - Hanoi

Multiviews of Hanoi.

I bought this postcard during my trip to Hanoi (10th - 12th January 2025) and got the stamps cancelled at the Central Post Office in Hanoi.

Vietnam - The Old Town Hanoi

I bought this postcard during my trip to Hanoi (10th - 12th January 2025) and got the stamps cancelled at the Central Post Office in Hanoi.

The Old Quarter (Vietnamese: Phố cổ Hà Nội) is the name commonly given to the historical civic urban core of Hanoi, Vietnam, located outside the Imperial Citadel of Thăng Long. This quarter used to be the residential, manufacturing and commercial center, where each street was specialized in one specific type of manufacturing or commerce (read further).

Vietnam - Hanoi - 1000 Year Old Capital

Multiviews of interesting places in Hanoi.

I bought this postcard during the trip to Hanoi (10th - 12th January 2025) and got the stamps cancelled at the Hanoi's Central Post Office.

Hanoi (Vietnamese: Hà Nội) is the capital and second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name "Hanoi" translates to "inside the river" (Hanoi is bordered by the Red and Black Rivers). As a municipality, Hanoi consists of 12 urban districts, 17 rural districts, and one district-level town. The city encompasses an area of 3,359.84 km² (1,297.24 sq mi) and as of 2023, a population of 8,587,100. Hanoi had the second-highest gross regional domestic product of all Vietnamese provinces and municipalities at US$51.4 billion in 2022, behind Ho Chi Minh City (read further).

Malta - Valletta

The Maltese Islands.

Sent by Silvan, a Facebook friend from Malta.

Valletta, pronounced [vɐlˈlɛttɐ]) is the capital city of Malta and one of its 68 council areas. Located between the Grand Harbour to the east and Marsamxett Harbour to the west, its population as of 2021 was 5,157.As Malta’s capital city, it is a commercial centre for shopping, bars, dining, and café life. It is also the southernmost capital of Europe, and at just 0.61 square kilometres (0.24 sq mi), it is the European Union's smallest capital city (read further).

Maldives - Malé City

MALDIVES

Malé City

Sent by myself during my vacation in Maldives (8-11th December 2024).

Malé is the capital and most populous city of the Maldives. With a population of 211,908 in 2022 within its administrative area and coterminous geographical area of 8.30 square kilometres (3.20 sq mi), Malé is also one of the most densely populated cities in the world. The city is geographically located in the southern edge of North Malé Atoll (Kaafu Atoll).

Administratively, the city consists of a central island, an airport island, and four other islands presided over by the Malé City Council (read further).

Mali - Bamako (2)

Bamako, MALI.

Sent by Jean Joseph Diarra from Bamako, Mali.

Mali - Bamako (1)

Bamako, MALI.

Sent by Jean Joseph Diarra from Bamako, Mali.

Bamako is the capital and largest city of Mali, with a 2022 population of 4,227,569. It is located on the Niger River, near the rapids that divide the upper and middle Niger valleys in the southwestern part of the country.

Bamako is the nation's administrative center. The city proper is a cercle in its own right. Bamako's river port is located in nearby Koulikoro, along with a major regional trade and conference center. Bamako is the seventh-largest West African urban center after Lagos, Abidjan, Kano, Ibadan, Dakar, and Accra. Locally manufactured goods include textiles, processed meat, and metal goods as well as mining. Commercial fishing occurs on the Niger River (read further).

Puerto Rico - Viejo San Juan

Viejo San Juan or Old San Juan.

Sent by Maria-Isabel from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Old San Juan (Spanish: Viejo San Juan) is a historic district located at the "northwest triangle" of the islet of San Juan in San Juan. Its area roughly correlates to the Ballajá, Catedral, Marina, Mercado, San Cristóbal, and San Francisco sub-barrios (sub-districts) of barrio San Juan Antiguo in the municipality of San Juan, Puerto Rico (read further).

Colombia - Bogotá

Bogotá, Colombia.
Panorama, Monserrate, statue by sculptor Fernando Botero.

Sent by Eduardo from Bogotá, Colombia.

Bogotá, formally Bogotá, Capital District (Spanish: Bogotá, Distrito Capital), from 1991 to 2000 called Santafé de Bogotá, is the capital and largest city of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent capital district, and no longer belongs administratively to Cundinamarca. Bogotá is the most populous city in the country, with 6,778,691 inhabitants as of 2005. According to estimations the population would have risen to 7,363,782 by 2010. Bogotá and its metropolitan area, which includes municipalities such as Chía, Cota, Soacha, Cajicá and La Calera, had a population of around 8 million in 2010 (read further)

St. Kitts and Nevis - Basseterre

Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis.

Sent by Monika from Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis.

Basseterre /bæsˈtɛər/, estimated population 15,500 in 2000, is the capital of the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis in the West Indies. Geographically, the Basseterre port is located on the south western coast of Saint Kitts Island, and it is one of the chief commercial depots of the Leeward Islands. The city lies within the parish of Saint George Basseterre and the southern part of the parish of Saint Peter Basseterre. (read further)

Kazakhstan - Astana

Astana, Kazakstan
The Ak Orda Presidential Palace

Sent by Ainagul from Astana, Kazakhstan.

Astana (Kazakh: Астана), formerly known as Akmola  (Kazakh: Ақмола / Aqmola) until 1998, Tselinograd (Russian:Целиноград) until 1992 and Akmolinsk (Russian: Акмолинск) until 1961), has been the capital of Kazakhstan since 1997, and is the country's second largest city (after Almaty, the former capital) with an officially estimated population of 814,401 as of 1 January 2014. It is located in the north portion of Kazakhstan, within Akmola Province, though administrated separately from the province as a federal city area. (read further)

Trinidad and Tobago - Port of Spain

Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago

Sent by Shane from Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

Port of Spain, also written as Port-of-Spain, is the capital of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the country's third-largest municipality, after San Fernando and Chaguanas. The city has a municipal population of 49,031 (2000 census), a metropolitan population of 128,026 (1990 unofficial estimate) and a transient daily population of 250,000. It is located on the Gulf of Paria, on the northwest coast of the island of Trinidad and is part of a larger conurbation stretching from Chaguaramas in the west to Arima in the east with an estimated population of 600,000.

The city serves primarily as a retail and administrative centre and it has been the capital of the island since 1757. It is also an important financial services centre for the Caribbean and is home to two of the largest banks in the region. (read further)

Armenia - Yerevan

ARMENIA
Yerevan and Ararat Mountain (5165 m).

Sent by Arsen from Yerevan, Armenia.

Yerevan (Armenian: Երևան [jɛɾɛˈvɑn]) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country. It has been the capital since 1918, the thirteenth in the history of Armenia.

The history of Yerevan dates back to the 8th century BC, with the founding of the fortress of Erebuni in 782 BC by king Argishti I at the western extreme of the Ararat plain. Erebuni was "designed as a great administrative and religious centre, a fully royal capital." After World War I, Yerevan became the capital of the First Republic of Armenia as thousands of survivors of the Armenian Genocide settled in the area. The city expanded rapidly during the 20th century as Armenia became part of the Soviet Union. In a few decades, Yerevan was transformed from a provincial town within the Russian Empire, to Armenia's principal cultural, artistic, and industrial center, as well as becoming the seat of national government. (read further)

Kenya - Nairobi (2)

NAIROBI - KENYA

Sent by Simon from Nairobi, Kenya.

Burundi - Bujumbura

Bujumbura City

Sent by Déo from Bujumbura, Burundi.

Bujumbura (/ˌbuːdʒəmˈbʊərə/; French pronunciation: ​[buʒumbuʁa]) is the capital, largest city, and main port of Burundi. It ships most of the country's chief export, coffee, as well as cotton, skins, and tin ore. It is on the northeastern shore of Lake Tanganyika. (read further)

Suriname - Paramaribo

Fort Zeelandia, Paramaribo.

Sent by Cheryll from Paramaribo, Suriname.

Paramaribo (Dutch pronunciation: [ˌpaːraˈmaːriboː], nickname: Par′bo) is the capital and largest city of Suriname, located on banks of the Suriname River in the Paramaribo District. Paramaribo has a population of roughly 250,000 people, more than half of Suriname's population. The historic inner city of Paramaribo has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2002. (read further)

Åland - Mariehamn

Mariebad, Mariepark
Självstyrelsegården, Stadshuset.

Sent by Mikaela from Mariehamn, Åland.

Mariehamn (Finnish: Maarianhamina) is the capital of Åland, an autonomous territory under Finnish sovereignty. Mariehamn is the seat of the Government and Parliament of Åland, and 40% of the population of Åland live in the city. Like all of Åland, Mariehamn is unilingually Swedish-speaking and around 88% of the inhabitants speak it as their native language.

The town was named after Maria Alexandrovna, the Empress consort of Alexander II of Russia. Mariehamn was founded in 1861, around the village of Övernäs, in what was at the time part of the municipality of Jomala. The city has since expanded and incorporated more of Jomala territory. The city is located on a peninsula, and has two important harbours, one located on the western shore and one on the eastern shore. The Western Harbour is an important international harbour with daily traffic to Sweden and mainland Finland. A powerful incentive for Baltic ferries to stop at Mariehamn is that, with respect to indirect taxation, Åland is not part of the EU customs zone and so duty-free goods can be sold aboard. Mariehamn Airport is located in the neighbouring municipality of Jomala, some 3 kilometres (2 mi) north-west of Mariehamn city centre. (read further)