King Vulture (Sarcoramphus papa)

Native to Central and South America, King Vultures have mostly featherless heads with a rainbow of colors including orange, pink, yellow, purple, grey, and black.

Sent by TS from Charlotte in North Carolina, USA.

The king vulture (Sarcoramphus papa) is a large bird found in Central and South America. It is a member of the New World vulture family Cathartidae. This vulture lives predominantly in tropical lowland forests stretching from southern Mexico to northern Argentina. It is the only surviving member of the genus Sarcoramphus, although fossil members are known.

Large and predominantly white, the king vulture has gray to black ruff, flight, and tail feathers. The head and neck are bald, with the skin color varying, including yellow, orange, blue, purple, and red. The king vulture has a very noticeable orange fleshy caruncle on its beak. This vulture is a scavenger and it often makes the initial cut into a fresh carcass. It also displaces smaller New World vulture species from a carcass. King vultures have been known to live for up to 30 years in captivity.

King vultures were popular figures in the Mayan codices as well as in local folklore and medicine. Although currently listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, they are decreasing in number, due primarily to habitat loss (read more).

Timber Wolf (Gray Wolf)

Timber Wolf (Gray Wolf)

After nearing extinction in much of the U.S., nowprotected, the timber wolf is steadily increasing its range, especially in the Great Lakes region in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. During the mating season a wolf pair establish a den, usually in a cave or underground burrow, in which they raise the young. A pair is believed to remain mated for life.

Sent by Mark from Wisconsin, USA.

The eastern wolf (Canis lycaon or Canis lupus lycaon), also known as the timber wolf, Algonquin wolf and eastern timber wolf, is a canine of debated taxonomy native to the Great Lakes region and southeastern Canada. It is considered either a unique subspecies of gray wolf, or red wolf, or a separate species from both. Many studies have found the eastern wolf to be the product of ancient and recent genetic admixture between the gray wolf and the coyote, while other studies have found some or all populations of the eastern wolf, as well as coyotes, originally separated from a common ancestor with the wolf over 1 million years ago and that these populations of the eastern wolf may be the same species as or a closely related species to the red wolf (Canis lupus rufus or Canis rufus) of the Southeastern United States. Regardless of its status, it is regarded as unique and therefore worthy of conservation with Canada citing the population in eastern Canada (also known as the "Algonquin wolf") as being the eastern wolf population subject to protection.

There are two forms, the larger being referred to as the Great Lakes-boreal wolf, which is generally found in Minnesota, Wisconsin, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, southeastern Manitoba and northern Ontario, and the smaller being the Algonquin wolf, which inhabits eastern Canada, specifically central and eastern Ontario and southwestern Quebec, with some overlapping and mixing of the two types in the southern portions of northeastern and northwestern Ontario. The eastern wolf's morphology is midway between that of the gray wolf and the coyote. The fur is typically of a grizzled grayish-brown color mixed with cinnamon. The nape, shoulder and tail region are a mix of black and gray, with the flanks and chest being rufous or creamy. It primarily preys on white-tailed deer, but may occasionally hunt moose and beavers (read more).

Germany - Saxony-Anhalt - Meisterhouse

Greetings from Dessau-Roßlau

View of one of the famous Masters' House.

Sent by Lene and Diemo from Düsseldorf, Germany.

Between 1919 and 1933 the Bauhaus movement revolutionized architectural and aesthetic thinking and practice in the 20th century. The Bauhaus buildings in Weimar, Dessau and Bernau are fundamental representatives of Classical Modernism, directed towards a radical renewal of architecture and design. This property, which was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1996, originally comprised buildings located in Weimar (Former Art School, the Applied Art School and the Haus Am Horn) and Dessau (Bauhaus Building, the group of seven Masters' Houses). The 2017 extension includes the Houses with Balcony Access in Dessau and the ADGB Trade Union School in Bernau as important contributions to the Bauhaus ideas of austere design, functionalism and social reform (read more).

Germany - Mecklenburg-Vorpommern - Mapcard

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania

Warm greetings from Mecklenburg-Verpommern.

Sent by Fabrice from Neubrandenburg, Germany.

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (MV; German: [ˌmeːklənbʊʁkˈfoːɐ̯pɔmɐn] or [ˌmɛk-]; Low German: Mäkelborg-Vörpommern), also known by its anglicized name Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania, is a state in the north-east of Germany. Of the country's sixteen states, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern ranks 14th in population; it covers an area of 23,300 km² (9,000 sq mi), making it the sixth largest German state in area; and it is 16th in population density. Schwerin is the state capital and Rostock is the largest city. Other major cities include Neubrandenburg, Stralsund, Greifswald, Wismar, and Güstrow. It was named after the two regions of Mecklenburg and Western Pomerania (German: Vorpommern).

The state was established in 1945 after World War II through the merger of the historic regions of Mecklenburg and Prussian Western Pomerania by the Soviet military administration in Allied-occupied Germany. It became part of the German Democratic Republic in 1949, but was dissolved in 1952 during administrative reforms and its territory divided into the districts of Rostock, Schwerin, and Neubrandenburg. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern was re-established in 1990 following German reunification and became one of the new states of the Federal Republic of Germany (read more).

Japan - "Double Diamond Fuji"

"Double Diamond Fuji" is a phenomenon wherethe morning sun overlaps the summit of Mt. Fuji and its reflection is cast on the surface of the lake.

Sent by Eriko from Kanagawa, Japan.

As a spiritual symbol of Japan, Mt. Fuji is one of only three sacred mountains of the country and its tallest at 3,776 meters. Its designation as a UNESCO world heritage site further exemplifies its importance to not only the people of Japan but to the world as well.

When my wife and I went to Japan in the Spring of 2017, I had the opportunity to capture a widely known event called diamond Fuji — the time when the sun rises behind the apex of Mt. Fuji, creating a sparkle on top, much like a diamond would on top of a ring.

The term double diamond Fuji refers to this event and its reflection caught in a body of water in the foreground. This happens around April 20 and August 20 of every year (give or take a few days) at Lake Tanuki (read more).

USA - California - Mapcard (3)

California

The Golden State!

Sent by Angela from Los ANgeles in California, USA.

This is my third mapcard of California, my other two are here and here.

USA - Washington - Mapcard (3)

WASHINGTON

Sent by Tom from Spokane in Washington, USA.

This is myy third mapcard of Washington, the other two are here and here.

Japan - Kyoto - Kyoto Tower

Kyoto Tower - Located at the entrance to Kyoto Miyako Tower Building has 3 basement floors, 9 floors above ground, and a rooftop. There is a candlestick-shaped observation tower131 meters above ground. The observation room can accomodate about 400 peopleand offers a panoramic view of the ancient capital.

Sent by Erina from Matsue, Japan.

Kyoto Tower (京都タワー, Kyōto-tawā) is an observation tower located in Kyoto, Japan. The steel tower is the tallest structure in Kyoto with its observation deck at 100 metres (328 ft) and its spire at 131 metres (430 ft). The 800-ton tower stands atop a 9-story building, which houses a 3-star hotel and several stores. The entire complex stands opposite Kyōto Station.

Kyoto Tower was proposed in the early 1960s, and it was planned to be constructed and completed in time to correspond with the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Construction began in 1963 on the former site of Kyoto's central post office and was completed near the end of 1964. Unlike many other towers (such as Tokyo Tower) that are constructed using metal lattice frames, Kyoto Tower's interior structure consists of many steel rings stacked on top of each other. The structure was then covered with lightweight steel sheets with a thickness of 12–22 mm (0.47–0.87 in). The sheets were then welded together and painted white. The intended overall effect was for the tower to resemble a Japanese candle (read more).

Taiwan - Yunlin People

Yunlin People.

Sent by Alzoe from Sanchong, Taiwan.

Yunlin is a county in western Taiwan. Yunlin County borders the Taiwan Strait to the west, Nantou County to the east, Changhua County to the north at the Zhuoshui River, and Chiayi County to the south at the Beigang River. It has a population of 664,963 as of 2022.

Yunlin is part of the Chianan Plain, a flat land known for its agriculture. Agricultural products of Yunlin County include pomelo, tea leaves, suan cai, papaya and melon. Yunlin's rivers give it potential for hydroelectricity. Douliu is the largest and capital city of Yunlin. It is the only county on the main island of Taiwan where no city with the same name exists. Yunlin is one of the least developed counties on the West coast, and suffers from emigration (read more).

Finland - Karkkila Church

Wooden Karkkila Church.

Sent by Mervi from Karkkila, Finland.

Karkkila (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈkɑrkːilɑ]; Swedish: Högfors) is a town and a municipality of Finland.

Neighboring municipalities are Lohja, Loppi, Tammela and Vihti.

Karkkila is located in the Uusimaa region. The municipality has a population of 8,434 (31 March 2025) and it covers an area of 255.32 square kilometres (98.58 sq mi) of which 12.95 square kilometres (5.00 sq mi) is inland water (2018-01-01). The population density is 35 inhabitants per square kilometre (91/sq mi) (31 March 2025).

The municipality is unilingually Finnish (read more).

Finland - Verla Groundwood and Board Mill

The World Heritage Verla.

Sent by Anu from Kouvola, Finland.

The Verla groundwood and board mill and its associated residential area is an outstanding, remarkably well-preserved example of the small-scale rural industrial settlements associated with pulp, paper and board production that flourished in northern Europe and North America in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Only a handful of such settlements survive to the present day (read more).

Germany - Berlin - Brandenburg Gate

BERLIN - BRANDENBURG GATE

Sent by Ines from Berlin, Germany.

The Brandenburg Gate (German: Brandenburger Tor [ˈbʁandn̩ˌbʊʁɡɐ ˈtoːɐ̯]) is an 18th-century neoclassical monument in Berlin. One of the best-known landmarks of Germany, it was erected on the site of a former city gate that marked the start of the road from Berlin to Brandenburg an der Havel, the former capital of the Margraviate of Brandenburg. The current structure was built from 1788 to 1791 by orders of King Frederick William II of Prussia, based on designs by the royal architect Carl Gotthard Langhans. The bronze sculpture of the quadriga crowning the gate is a work by the sculptor Johann Gottfried Schadow.

The Brandenburg Gate is located in the western part of the city centre within Mitte, at the junction of Unter den Linden and Ebertstraße. The gate dominates the Pariser Platz to the east, while to the immediate west it opens onto the Platz des 18. März beyond which the Straße des 17. Juni begins. One block to the north stands the Reichstag building, home to the German parliament (Bundestag), and further to the west is the Tiergarten inner-city park. The gate also forms the monumental entry to Unter den Linden, which leads directly to the former City Palace of the Prussian monarchs (now housing the Humboldt Forum museum), and Berlin Cathedral (read more).

Spain - Catalonia - Girona

Girona, Catalonia, SPAIN.

Sent by Sandra from Girona, Spain.

Girona (Catalan pronunciation: [ʒiˈɾonə]; Spanish: Gerona [xeˈɾona]) is the capital city of the Province of Girona in the autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain, at the confluence of the Ter, Onyar, Galligants, and Güell rivers. The city had an official population of 106,476 in 2024, but the population of the Girona–Salt urban area is estimated to be about 156,400 (2020). Girona is also capital of the comarca of the Gironès and the vegueria of Girona. Since much of the old quarter of this ancient city has been preserved, Girona is a popular tourist destination. The city is located 99 km (62 mi) northeast of Barcelona.

The first historical inhabitants in the region were Iberians; Girona is the ancient Gerunda, a city of the Ausetani. Later, the Romans built a citadel there, which was given the name of Gerunda. The Visigoths ruled in Girona until it was conquered by the Moors in 715. Charlemagne reconquered it in 785 and made it one of the fourteen original counties of Catalonia. It was sacked by the Moors in 827, 842, 845, 935, and 982. Wilfred the Hairy incorporated Girona into the County of Barcelona in 878 (read more).

Indonesia - Batik Indonesia

Batik Indonesia.

Sent by Dinda from Jawa Barat, Indonesia.

The techniques, symbolism and culture surrounding hand-dyed cotton and silk garments known as Indonesian Batik permeate the lives of Indonesians from beginning to end: infants are carried in batik slings decorated with symbols designed to bring the child luck, and the dead are shrouded in funerary batik. Clothes with everyday designs are worn regularly in business and academic settings, while special varieties are incorporated into celebrations of marriage and pregnancy and into puppet theatre and other art forms. The garments even play the central role in certain rituals, such as the ceremonial casting of royal batik into a volcano. Batik is dyed by proud craftspeople who draw designs on fabric using dots and lines of hot wax, which resists vegetable and other dyes and therefore allows the artisan to colour selectively by soaking the cloth in one colour, removing the wax with boiling water and repeating if multiple colours are desired. The wide diversity of patterns reflects a variety of influences, ranging from Arabic calligraphy, European bouquets and Chinese phoenixes to Japanese cherry blossoms and Indian or Persian peacocks. Often handed down within families for generations, the craft of batik is intertwined with the cultural identity of the Indonesian people and, through the symbolic meanings of its colours and designs, expresses their creativity and spirituality (read more).

Malaysia - Malacca - Dutch Square

Tourists gathered around the Dutch Square where the major Malacca landmarks are located; the Christ Church, the Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee Fountain, the Malacca Art Gallery and the biggest of them all, the Stadthuys.

Sent by myself during my recent trip to Malacca City.

The focal point of the Unesco Heritage zone, this attractive and elegant square is surrounded by Dutch-era buildings that have been painted crimson, shady trees and a mass of kitschly decorated trishaws waiting for customers. Take a moment to admire the pretty fountain erected in 1904 in memory of Queen Victoria and decorated with four bas-relief images of the monarch (read more).

Malaysia - Malacca - Proclamation of Independence Memorial

Proclamation of Independence Memorial, Malacca City.

Sent by myself during my recent trip to Malacca City.

The Proclamation of Independence Memorial (Malay: Memorial Pengisytiharan Kemerdekaan) is a museum in Malacca City, Melaka, Malaysia.

The memorial building was established in 1912. The building used to house the Malacca Club which was used as the social centre of the British people in British Malaya. The memorial was set up and officiated by former Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman on 31 August 1985, 28 years after the independence of the country (read more).

Malaysia - Malacca - Masjid Kampung Kling

Masjid Kampung Kling which features Sumatran architecture with strong Hindu flavour and minarets, structured like a Pagoda wa completed in 1748, making it one of the oldest mosques in the country.

Sent by myself during my recent trip to Malacca City.

Kampong Kling Mosque (sometimes also spelt Kampong Keling Mosque; Malay: Masjid Kampung Kling; Jawi: مسجد كامڤوڠ كليڠ) is an old mosque in Malacca City, Malacca, Malaysia. It is situated at Jalan Tukang Emas (Goldsmith Street), also known as "Harmony Street" because of its proximity to the Sri Poyatha Moorthi Temple and Cheng Hoon Teng Temple.

The original structure built by Indian Muslim traders in 1748 was a wooden building and in 1872, it was rebuilt with bricks. The mosque is one of the traditional mosques in Malacca, which still retains its original design. The architectural design of the mosque is a cross between Sumatran, Chinese, Hindu, and the local Malays. The minaret (resembles a pagoda), ablution pool and entrance arch were built at the same time with the main building. The Kampung Kling Mosque is named based on a village which Indian traders dwell called Kampung Kling.

The mosque also has a blend of English and Portuguese glazed tiles, Ionic columns with symmetrical arches in the main prayer hall, a Victorian chandelier, a wooden pulpit with Hindu and Chinese-style carvings, and Moorish cast iron lamp-posts in the place of ablution for pre-prayer cleansing. The Department of Museums and Antiquities completed conservation works on the mosque in the 1990s (read more).

Malaysia - Malacca - Malacca Zoo

Malacca Zoo.

Sent by myself during my recent trip to Malacca City.

Malacca Zoo (Malay: Zoo Melaka), officially known as the Melaka Zoo and Night Safari, is a 54-acre (22 ha) zoological park located beside Ayer Keroh Highway (Federal Route 143, also known as Tun Abdul Razak Road) in Ayer Keroh, Malacca, Malaysia, which hosts more than 1200 animals including 215 species of birds, amphibians, reptiles, mammals. It is the second-largest zoo in Malaysia behind the National Zoo of Malaysia, both were established in 1963. The zoo acts as both a rescue base and an animal sanctuary and was initially owned by the Malacca State Government, but its management was taken over by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks of Malaysia in 1979 and later opened to the public by the then Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad on 13 August 1987 (read more).

Malaysia - Malacca - Melaka Islamic Museum

Melaka Islamic Museum.

Sent by myself during my recent trip to Malacca City.

The establishment of the Malacca Islamic Museum aims to make it a centre for the collection, research, conservation and exhibition of Islamic-oriented collections of materials in line with Melaka's role as one of the centres for the spread of Islam in the archipelago in the past and the development of Islam in Malaysia today.

The Malacca Islamic Museum is located in the old building of the Malacca Islamic Religious Council (MAIM) Office, Jalan Kota, Melaka . The interior design of this museum is conceptualized as a reflection of the glorious atmosphere of Islam in Melaka and the archipelago by displaying a combination of the identity of Islamic art globally and Islamic art in the archipelago, especially Melaka .
The exhibition and information presentation method is developed through eight main exhibition spaces with a clear sequence with specific themes. This is to make it easier for visitors to understand the message, historical journey and experience that is being conveyed.

Among the collections on display are replicas of the earliest Al-Quran , the history of the mosque and replicas of the sword of Prophet Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH).

Malaysia - Malacca - Flor de la Mar Maritime Museum

Flor de la Mar Maritime Museum (Muzium Samudera).

Sent by myself during my recent trip to Malacca City.

Maritime Museum (Malay: Muzium Samudera) is a museum about maritime activities in Malacca City, Malacca, Malaysia. It was officially opened to the public by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on 13 June 1994, began with phase one. The phase two of the museum is housed in the old Guthrie building and was opened by State Committee for Tourism, Culture and Environment Chairman Poh Ah Tiam on 23 May 1998.

The museum main exhibits the replica of Flor de la Mar with 34 metres high, 36 metres long and 8 metres wide; houses exhibits, artifacts and documents from the golden era of Malacca and shows how political control of Malacca was essential to the establishment of maritime dominance in the region and also displays the trading link of Malacca from the early time through the colonial era until independence (read more).

Malaysia - Malacca - Taming Sari Tower

Menara Taming Sari (Taming Sari Tower).

Sent by myself during my recent trip to Malacca City.

Taming Sari Tower is a 24-story, 110-meter-tall gyro tower in Malacca City, Malacca, Malaysia. It is the first and tallest gyro tower in Malaysia. The tower was opened to the public on 18 April 2008 and officiated by then Chief Minister of Malacca, Mohd Ali Rustam on 17 May 2008. Its design was taken from the eponymous legendary keris which belonged to Hang Tuah. The tower offers a 360-degree panoramic view of Malacca City and beyond, and is able to accommodate 80 people per viewing session, which lasts about 7 minutes (read more).

Malaysia - Malacca - Malacca River Walk

The Malacca River Walk is a path that runs on both sides of the Malacca River in the historic centre of Malacca City, Malaysia.

Sent by myself during my recent trip to Malacca.

Malaysia - Selangor - Klang Royal Town Mosque

Klang Royal Town Mosque
Completed in 2009 and was officially opened by Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah on 11 December 2009. The mosque is located on the banks of the Klang River, Selangor, giving the image of a floating mosque.

Sent by Afiza from Seremban, Negeri Sembilan.

The mosque was built on the site of a smaller mosque known as "Masjid Klang Utara" (Northern Klang Mosque). In 2003, the new mosque was started to be constructed due to bigger crowd faced by nearby mosques, Masjid India and Sultan Sulaiman Mosque. The current mosque was completed in 2009 and was officially opened by Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah on 11 December 2009 in conjunction with his birthday celebration.

The mosque is equipped with facilities such as the main prayer hall, offices, lecture rooms, outdoor prayer halls, funeral management rooms and catering rooms (read more).