Canada - Manitoba - Winnipeg

An aerial view of downtown Winnipeg.

Sent by Lynette from Winnipeg, Canada.

Winnipeg /ˈwɪnɪpɛɡ/ is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers. The Winnipeg area was a trading centre for Aboriginal peoples prior to the arrival of Europeans. The first fort was built there in 1738 by French traders. A settlement was later founded by the Selkirk settlers in 1812, the nucleus of which was incorporated as the City of Winnipeg in 1873. Winnipeg is the seventh-largest municipality in Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region. (read further)

U.S.A. - Wyoming - Cheyenne

CHEYENNE, WYOMING
As the capital of Wyoming, the labor force of Cheyenne is predominately government,local, state, and federal employees. Trucking firms are a major employer. The city also functions as a regional shopping center, serving nearly 200,000 people in Southeastern Wyoming, Western Nebraska and Northern Colorado.

Sent by Camellia from Cheyenne, Wyoming, USA.

Cheyenne (/ʃaɪˈæn/ shy-an or /ʃaɪˈɛn/) (Arapaho: Hítesííno'óowú' ) is the capital and most populous city of the US state of Wyoming and the county seat of Laramie County. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne, Wyoming, Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Laramie County. The population was 59,466 at the 2010 census. Cheyenne is the northern terminus of the extensive and fast-growing Front Range Urban Corridor that stretches from Cheyenne to Pueblo, Colorado, and has a population of 5,467,633 according to the 2010 United States Census. Cheyenne is situated on Crow Creek and Dry Creek. The Cheyenne, Wyoming Metropolitan Area had a 2010 population of 91,738, making it the 354th most populous metropolitan area in the United States. (read further)

Netherlands - Flevoland - Lelystad

Images of Lelystad.

Sent by Esther from Lelystad, Netherlands.

Lelystad (Dutch: [ˈleːlistɑd]) is a municipality and a city in the centre of the Netherlands, and it is the capital of the province of Flevoland. The city, built on reclaimed land, was founded in 1967 and was named after Cornelis Lely, who engineered the Afsluitdijk, making the reclamation possible. Lelystad is approximately 3 m (9.8 ft) below sea level. (read further)

Finland - Central Ostrobothnia - Kokkola

Kokkola

Sent by Eelco from Kokkola, Finland.

Kokkola (Swedish: Karleby) is a town and municipality of Finland. The town is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Central Ostrobothnia region. The town has a population of 46,714 (31 January 2014) and covers an area of 2,730.81 square kilometres (1,054.37 sq mi) of which 1,286.61 km² (496.76 sq mi) is water. The population density is 32.35 inhabitants per square kilometre (83.8 /sq mi). The municipality is bilingual with 84.2% being Finnish and 13.9% Swedish speakers. (read further)

Libya - Mosaic Four Seasoun

Libya - mosaic

Sent by Omran from Tripoli, Libya.

Libya

Libya

Sent by Omran from Tripoli, Libya.

Canada - Nunavut - Muskox

Nunavut - Canada's Arctic
Muskox at Cambridge Bay.

The muskox (Ovibos moschatus, also spelled musk ox and musk-ox) is an Arctic mammal of the family Bovidae, noted for its thick coat and for the strong odor emitted by males, from which its name derives. This musky odor is used to attract females during mating season. Muskoxen primarily live in the Canadian Arctic and Greenland, with small introduced populations in Sweden, Siberia, Norway, and Alaska. (read further)

Russia - Kamchatka Krai - Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky

Petropavlosk-Kamchatsky
Stretching from center of the town to Zavoiko

Sent by Olesya from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia.

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (Russian: Петропа́вловск-Камча́тский) is the city and the administrative, industrial, scientific, and cultural center of Kamchatka Krai, Russia. Population: 179,780 (2010 Census); 198,028 (2002 Census); 268,747 (1989 Census). (read further)

Greece - Athens

Athens

Sent by Elena from Athens, Greece.

Athens (/ˈæθɨnz/; Modern Greek: Αθήνα, Athína, [aˈθina]; Ancient Greek: Ἀθῆναι, Athēnai) is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, with its recorded history spanning around 3,400 years. Classical Athens, as a landlocked location was a powerful city-state that emerged in conjunction with the seagoing development of the port of Piraeus. A centre for the arts, learning and philosophy, home of Plato's Academy and Aristotle's Lyceum, it is widely referred to as the cradle of Western civilization and the birthplace of democracy, largely due to the impact of its cultural and political achievements during the 5th and 4th centuries BC in later centuries on the rest of the then known European continent. Today a cosmopolitan metropolis, modern Athens is central to economic, financial, industrial, political and cultural life in Greece. In 2012, Athens was ranked the world's 39th richest city by purchasing power and the 77th most expensive in a UBS study. (read further)

Finland - Kainuu - Kajaani

Kajaani

Sent by Anni from Kajaani, Finland.

Kajaani (Swedish: Kajana) is a town and municipality in Finland. It is the center and capital of the Kainuu region. It is located southeast of Oulujärvi (Lake Oulu), which drains to the Gulf of Bothnia along the Oulujoki (river Oulu).

There are 38,005 (31 January 2014) inhabitants, and city surface area is 2,264.01 square kilometres (874.14 sq mi) of which 428.94 km² (165.61 sq mi) is water. The population density is 20.71 inhabitants per square kilometre (53.6 /sq mi). The town is unilingually Finnish. (read further)

Finland - Southern Savonia - Mikkeli

Mikkeli
Mikkeli's Cathedral.

Sent by Steffie from Mikkeli, Finland.

Mikkeli (Swedish: Sankt Michel) is a town and municipality in Finland. It is located in what used to be the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the Southern Savonia region. The municipality has a population of 48,970 (31 January 2014) (around 34,000 in the town itself) and covers an area of 2,124.60 square kilometres (820.31 sq mi) of which 424.7 km² (164.0 sq mi) is water. The population density is 28.81 inhabitants per square kilometre (74.6 /sq mi) .

Mikkeli was the site for the headquarters of the Finnish armed forces during World War II. In recognition of this, the town's coat of arms incorporates a pair of crossed Marshal's batons, and the town was awarded the Cross of Liberty, 4th class, to be displayed with the coat of arms. (read further)

France - Picardy - 02 Aisne - Laon

Laon (Aisne)

Sent by Mariel from Laon, France.

Laon (French pronunciation: ​[lɑ̃]) is the capital city of the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France.

Netherlands - Drenthe - Assen

Multiviews of Assen.

Sent by Joke from Assen, Netherlands.

Assen (Dutch: [ˈɑ.sə(n)] is a municipality and a city in the northeastern Netherlands, and is the capital of the province of Drenthe. It received city rights in 1809. Assen's main claim to fame is the TT Circuit Assen the motorcycle racing circuit, where on the last Saturday in June the Dutch TT is run. (read further)

Dominican Republic - Colonial City of Santo Domingo

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Colonial City of Santo Domingo.

Sent by Idrialis from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

After the arrival of Christopher Columbus on the island of Hispaniola in 1492, Santo Domingo became the site of the first cathedral, hospital, customs house and university in the Americas. This colonial town was laid out on the grid pattern that became the model for almost all town planners in the New World.

The first impression of the Spanish colonizers was favourable: the nature was luxuriant; the aborigines were friendly, and it seemed that the ground was rich in gold. Using what was left of the Santa María, Columbus built the fort of the Nativity (Navidad) on the northern coast of the island not far away from a peak that he called Christi Mount, leaving 39 men there under the protection of the village head. When Columbus returned to Hispaniola a year later, the fort had been destroyed, his men were dead, and the aborigines had become mistrustful. He founded a new colony further to the east, which he called Isabella, and left it under the control of Bartholomew. However, the first revolts were very soon to begin.

In 1496, Bartholomew abandoned Isabella in order to move on the southern coast of the island, where he established the settlement of Nueva Isabella, now Santo Domingo, on the left bank of the Ozama River. Because of the insurrections that continued to upset the island, Columbus was replaced as Viceroy and Governor of the colony by Nicolás de Ovando. In 1502 a typhoon destroyed the city and the fleet that was preparing to return to Castile. Ovando decided that the city should be completely rebuilt on its present site on the Ozama.

This colonial town was laid out on the grid pattern that became the model for almost all town planners in the New World. The city was to be embellished with a cathedral, a hospital, convents, a fortress and a university. At that time it was not appropriate to describe these buildings as having been built in the colonial architectural style because they were all based on plans that faithfully followed models imported from Spain. Earthquakes and pirate attacks were in due course to ravage the main buildings of the city, such as the convents of the Dominican, Franciscan and Las Mercedes, the three religious orders that pioneered the evangelization of the New World, and the Hospital of Nicolás de Ovando.

Among the most outstanding buildings, the cathedral was constructed between 1514 and 1542; it is the oldest in America, and is one of the architectural wonders of the Colonial City. The main entrance stands next to the Columbus Plaza, where stands a giant statue of the great navigator himself. The fine stained glass is by the famed Dominican artist José Rinçon Mora.

The Ozama Fortress and Tower of Homage were built in 1503: this stone group is said to be the oldest formal military outpost still standing in America. The Tower of Homage still stands in the centre of the grounds, an impressive architectural structure that is medieval in style and design. (Source)

Channel Islands - Bailiwick of Guernsey

South Coast Cliffs at Icart.

Sent by Monica from Saint Peter Port in Guernsey.

Guernsey (/ˈgɜ:nzi/, /ˈɡɜrnzi/ gurn-zee), officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey (French: Bailliage de Guernesey, IPA: [bajaʒ də ɡɛʁnəzɛ]), is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy. As a bailiwick, Guernsey embraces not only all ten parishes on the Island of Guernsey, but also the islands of Alderney and Sark – each with its own parliament – and the smaller islands of Herm, Jethou and Lihou. Although its defence is the responsibility of the United Kingdom, the Bailiwick is not part of the United Kingdom but rather a possession of the British Crown. It lies within the Common Travel Area of the British Isles and is not a member of the European Union, but has a special relationship with it, being treated as part of the European Community for the purposes of free trade in goods. Together, the Bailiwick of Guernsey and Bailiwick of Jersey form the geographical grouping known as the Channel Islands. (read further)

The stamp must have been peeled off during the journey:)

Italy - Friuli-Venezia Giulia - Trieste

Trieste.

Sent by Giordano from Trieste, Italy.

Trieste (/triːˈɛst/; Italian pronunciation: [triˈɛste]; Triestine Venetian: Trièst; Slovene, Serbo-Croatian: Trst, Трст; German: Triest) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of Italian territory lying between the Adriatic Sea and Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city. Trieste is located at the head of the Gulf of Trieste and throughout history it has been influenced by its location at the crossroads of Latin,Slavic, and Germanic cultures. In 2009, it had a population of about 205,000 and it is the capital of the autonomous region Friuli Venezia Giulia and Trieste province.

Trieste was one of the oldest parts of the Habsburg Monarchy. In the 19th century, it was the most important port of one of the Great Powers of Europe. As a prosperous seaport in the Mediterranean region, Trieste became the fourth largest city of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (after Vienna, Budapest, and Prague). In the fin-de-siecle period, it emerged as an important hub for literature and music. It underwent an economic revival during the 1930s, and Trieste was an important spot in the struggle between the Eastern and Western blocs after the Second World War. Today, the city is in one of the richest regions of Italy, and has been a great centre for shipping, through its port (Port of Trieste), shipbuilding and financial services.

In 2012 Lonely Planet.com listed the city of Trieste as the world's most underrated travel destination. (read further)

Germany - Hesse - Wiesbaden

Multiviews of Wiesbaden.

Sent by Stephanie from Wiesbaden, Germany.

Wiesbaden (German pronunciation: [ˈviːsˌbaːdn̩]) is a city in southwest Germany and the capital of the federal state of Hesse. It has about 273,000 inhabitants, plus approximately 19,000 United States citizens (mostly associated with the United States Army). Wiesbaden, together with the cities of Frankfurt am Main, Darmstadt and Mainz, is part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Region, a metropolitan area with a combined population of about 5.8 million people.

Wiesbaden is one of the oldest spa towns in Europe. Its name translates to "meadow baths," making reference to the hot springs. At one time, Wiesbaden boasted 26 hot springs. Fourteen of the springs are still flowing today. (read further)

Pitcairn Islands - Adamstown

Pitcairn Islands
Adamstown from Palva Valley Ridge with Ship Landing Point prominent in the far centre.

Sent and arranged by my friend in Auckland, New Zealand.

Adamstown is the only settlement on, and as such, the capital of, the Pitcairn Islands.

Adamstown has a population of 48, which is the entire population of the Pitcairn Islands: all the other islands in the group are uninhabited. Adamstown is where most residents eat and sleep, while they grow food in other areas of the island.

The hamlet currently holds the record for being the smallest capital in the world. It has access to television, satellite internet, and a telephone. The main means of communication is still the ham radio. According to Google maps, the only named road in the capital is called "The Hill of Difficulty". (Source)

Pitcairn Islands - Mapcard

Mapcard of Pitcairn Islands.

Sent and arranged by my friend in Auckland, New Zealand.