Afghanistan - Herat Grand Mosque

Herat Grand Mosque

Thanks to Tian Zi Yi of China for arranging this postcard sent from Kabul, Afghanistan.

The Jama Masjid of Herat (مسجد جمعه هرات), also known as the Masjid-i Jami' of Herat, and the Great Mosque of Herat is a mosque in the city of Herat, in the Herat Province of north-western Afghanistan. It was built by Ghurids, the famous Sultan Ghayas-ud-Din Ghori, who laid its foundation in 1200 AD, and later extended by several rulers as Herat changed rulers down the centuries from the Timurids, to the Safavids, to the Mughals and the Uzbeks, all of whom supported the mosque. Though many of the glazed tiles have been replaced during subsequent periods, the Great Mosque in Herat was given its present form during the closing years of the fifteenth century.

Apart from numerous small neighborhood mosques for daily prayer, most communities in the Islamic world have a larger mosque, a congregational mosque for Friday services with a sermon. The Jama Masjid was not always the largest mosque in Herat; a much larger complex the Mosque and Madressa of Gawharshad, also built by the Timurids, was located in the northern part of the city. However, those architectural monuments were dynamited by officers of the British Indian Army in 1885, to prevent its use as a fortress if a Russian army tried to invade India. (read further)

France - Burgundy - 89 Yonne - Auxerre

AUXERRE

Sent by David from Auxerre, France.

Auxerre (French pronunciation: ​[oˈsɛʁ]) is the capital of the Yonne department and the fourth largest city in Burgundy. The city of Auxerre is located 1h30 southeast of Paris.

Auxerre's population today is about 39,000. Residents of Auxerre are referred to as Auxerrois. Auxerre's metropolitan area comprises roughly 92,000 inhabitants.

It is a commercial and industrial centre, with industries including food production, woodworking and batteries.

Auxerre is also world famous for its production of Burgundy wine, including Chablis.

In 1995 Auxerre was named "Town of Art and History". (read further)

Canada - Northwest Territories - Yellowknife

Aurora Paradise, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada.

Sent by NFVC from Yellowknife, Canada.

Yellowknife /ˈjɛloʊnaɪf/ (2011 population: 19,234) is the capital city and largest community of the Northwest Territories (NT or NWT), Canada. It is located on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, approximately 400 km (250 mi) south of the Arctic Circle, on the west side of Yellowknife Bay near the outlet of the Yellowknife River. Yellowknife and its surrounding water bodies were named after a local Dene tribe once known as the 'Copper Indians' or 'Yellowknife Indians' (now referred to locally as the Yellowknives Dene (First Nation)) who traded tools made from copper deposits near the Arctic Coast. The current population is ethnically mixed. Of the eleven official languages of the Northwest Territories, five are spoken in significant numbers in Yellowknife: Dene Suline, Dogrib, South and North Slavey, English, and French. In the Dogrib language, the city is known as Somba K’e (Som-ba Kay) ("where the money is"). (read further)

Finland - Nokia

NOKIA
Tapsa's Tacts (annual music happening in Nokia)
Museum of home district (Hinttalan)
Market place (Pirkkalaistori)

Sent by Riitta from Nokia, Finland.

Nokia, Finland (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈnokiɑ]) is a town and a municipality on the banks of the Nokianvirta River (Kokemäenjoki) in the region of Pirkanmaa, some 15 kilometres (9 mi) west of Tampere. As of 31 January 2014 it has a population of 32,402.  (read further)

USA - Georgia - Atlanta

For over 120 years, Coca Cola has been selling their product. Now, they've put it's complete history, all in one place,the NEW World of Coca Cola.

Sent by Dana from Atlanta, USA.

Atlanta (/ætˈlæntə/, locally /ætˈlænə/) is the capital of and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia, with an estimated 2011 population of 432,427. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, home to 5,457,831 people and the ninth largest metropolitan area in the United States. Atlanta is the county seat of Fulton County, and a small portion of the city extends eastward into DeKalb County.

Atlanta was established in 1837 at the intersection of two railroad lines, and the city rose from the ashes of the Civil War to become a national center of commerce. In the decades following the Civil Rights Movement, during which the city earned a reputation as "too busy to hate" for the progressive views of its citizens and leaders, Atlanta attained international prominence. Atlanta is the primary transportation hub of the Southeastern United States, via highway, railroad, and air, with Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport being the world's busiest airport since 1998. (read further)

Norway - Tromsø

Norway - Tromsø
Northern Light 

Sent by Sissel from Tromsø, Norway.

Tromsø (Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈtrʊmsø]); Northern Sami: Romsa; Kven: Tromssa) is a city and municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø.

Tromsø city is the ninth-largest urban area in Norway by population, and the seventh largest city in Norway by population. It is the largest city and the largest urban area in Northern Norway, and the second largest city and urban area north of the Arctic Circle in Sápmi (following Murmansk). Most of Tromsø, including the city centre, is located on the small island of Tromsøya in the county of Troms, 350 kilometres (217 mi) north of the Arctic Circle. Substantial parts of the urban area are also situated on the mainland to the east, and on parts of Kvaløya—a large island to the west. Tromsøya is connected to the mainland by the Tromsø Bridge and the Tromsøysund Tunnel, and to the island of Kvaløya by the Sandnessund Bridge. The city is warmer than most other places located on the same latitude, due to the warming effect of the Gulf Stream. (read further)

United Kingdom - Scotland

SCOTLAND
Queen's View, Loch Tummel Perthshire Pipe Band 
Eilean Donan Castle, Loch Duich, Ross-shire
Statue of Robert The Bruce, Bannockburn highland cow
Kelso Abbey, Borders

Sent by Pip from Glasgow, Scotland.

Scotland (/ˈskɒt.lənd/; Scots: [ˈskɔt.lənd]; Scottish Gaelic: Alba [ˈal̪ˠapə]) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, Scotland shares a border with England to the south, and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean; with the North Sea to the east, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the south-west. In addition to the mainland, the country is made up of more than 790 islands, including the Northern Isles and the Hebrides. (read further)

France - Île-de-France - 78 Yvelines - Palace and Park of Versailles

VERSAILLES (Yvelines).

Sent by Laetitia from Versailles, France.

The Palace of Versailles was the principal residence of the French kings from the time of Louis XIV to Louis XVI. Embellished by several generations of architects, sculptors, decorators and landscape architects, it provided Europe with a model of the ideal royal residence for over a century. (Source)

Sweden - Luleå

Ice road - Snowblower - Crane at South Harbor

Sent by Anna from Luleå, Sweden.

Luleå (Swedish: [ˈlʉːlɛo], Lule Sami Luleju, Finnish Luulaja) is a city on the coast of northern Sweden with 46,607 inhabitants and is the capital of Norrbotten County. (read further)

Sweden - Church Village of Gammelstad, Luleå

Midwinter Lule Gammelstad.

Sent by Anna from Luleå, Sweden.

Luleå Gammelstad is a remarkable example of the traditional church town of northern Scandinavia, and illustrates the adaptation of conventional urban design to the special geographical and climatic conditions of a hostile natural environment. It is a type of milieu that has been shaped by people's religious and social needs rather than economic and geographical forces, being intended for use only during weekends and church festivals (read further)

Tonga - Vava'u

Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga
Humpback Whale Tail, Aerial of Neiafu, Pink Frangapani, Crusing Yacht.

Sent by Mandy from Vava'u, Tonga.

Vavaʻu is the island chain of one large island and 40 smaller ones in Tonga. According to tradition the Maui god fished up both Tongatapu and Vavaʻu but put a little more effort into the former. Vavaʻu rises 204 m above sea level at Mt. Talau. The capital is Neiafu, which is the second largest city in Tonga, situated at one of the best harbours of the world, the Port of Refuge (Puatalefusi or Lolo-ʻa-Halaevalu).

Vavaʻu is a prime fishing destination with its beautiful harbour and untouched seas. (read further)

U.S.A. - Wyoming - State Capitol

State Capitol, Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Sent by Camellia from Cheyenne, Wyoming, USA.

The Wyoming State Capitol is the state capitol and seat of government of the U.S. state of Wyoming. Built between 1886 and 1890, the capitol is located in Cheyenne and contains the chambers of the Wyoming State Legislature and well as the office of the Governor of Wyoming. It was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark during 1987.

The construction of the capitol began prior to Wyoming gaining statehood. Born in 1867 in the path of the transcontinental railroad, the Union Pacific crews arrived as they laid the tracks westward. Cheyenne soon laid claim to a higher status than older Wyoming settlements such as those at Fort Laramie, Fort Bridger, and the mining town of South Pass City, changing Cheyenne from a village to a city in a matter of months. The seat of the new Territorial government was established in Cheyenne in 1869. (read further)

U.S.A. - Wyoming - State Flower

THE INDIAN PAINTBRUSH, Wyoming's State Flower grows wild in the natural setting of the state's prairie and foothill regions.  Red is the predominant color, but shades of yellow and orange are also common.  This wild flower, growing amid sagebrush and cactus, adds great beauty to Wyoming's springtime landscape.

Sent by Camellia from Cheyenne, Wyoming, USA.

Indian paintbrush (Castilleja linariaefolia) was designated the state flower of Wyoming in 1917. Also called prairie fire, Indian paintbrush is a genus of about 200 species of annual and perennial herbaceous plants native to the west of the Americas from Alaska south to the Andes (as well as northeast Asia).

The species of Indian paintbrush adopted as a symbol of Wyoming (Castilleja linariaefolia) occurs on rocky slopes and arid plains and is associated with sagebrush scrub and pinyon pine or juniper woodland. It is native to Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Wyoming. (read further)

U.S.A. - Wyoming - State Bird

WYOMING STATE BIRD
A rural fence post makes an excellent perch to survey the grassy fields that are home to the Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta).

Sent by Camellia from Cheyenne, Wyoming, USA.

Wyoming designated the western meadowlark as offiicial state bird in 1927. The western meadowlark is a familiar songbird of open country across the western two-thirds of the continent.

In the same family as blackbirds and orioles, adults are 8-11 inches long and have a black and white striped head; a long, pointed bill; yellow cheeks; bright yellow throat; and a distinctive black "V" on breast. The western meadowlark is often seen perched on fence-posts in grasslands and agricultural areas singing its distinct 7-10 note melody (their flute-like song usually ends with 3 descending notes). (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)

France - Rhône-Alpes - 01 Ain - Mapcard

Map and views of Ain Department.

Sent by Nadine from Ain, France.

Ain (French pronunciation: ​[ɛ̃]; Arpitan: En) is a department named after the Ain River on the eastern edge of France. Being part of the region Rhône-Alpes and bordered by the rivers Saône and Rhône, the department of Ain enjoys a privileged geographic situation. It has an excellent transport network (TGV, highways) and benefits from the proximity to the international airports of Lyon and Geneva.

Ain is composed of four geographically different areas (Bresse, Dombes, Bugey and Pays de Gex) which – each with its own characteristics – contribute to the diversity and the dynamic economic development of the department. In the Bresse agriculture and agro-industry are dominated by the cultivation of cereals, cattle breeding, milk and cheese production as well as poultry farming. In the Dombes, pisciculture assumes greater importance as does wine making in the Bugey. The high diversification of the department's industry is accompanied by a strong presence of the plastics sector in and around Oyonnax (so-called "Plastics Valley"). (read further)

Falkland Islands - Stanley (3)

Stanley
Cathedral and Whalebone Arch

Sent by Vanessa from Stanley, Falkland Islands.