Highway and Railway Bridges across Ob River.
Sent by Fedor who lives in Surgut, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, Russia. Terima kasih (thanks) for the beautiful stamps.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Russia - Surgut (2)
Highway and Railway Bridges across Ob River.
Sent by Fedor who lives in Surgut, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, Russia. Terima kasih (thanks) for the beautiful stamps.
Russia - Surgut (1)
Griboedov Street Road Junction in Surgut.
Sent by Fedor who lives in Surgut, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, Russia. Terima kasih (thanks) for the beautiful stamps.
This is from Wikipedia : Surgut (Russian: Сургу́т) is a city in Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, Russia, located on the Ob River near its junction with the Irtysh River, the largest in the autonomous okrug and the second largest in Tyumen Oblast. Population: 306,703 (2010 Census preliminary results); 285,027 (2002 Census); 247,823 (1989 Census).
It was founded in 1594 by order of Tsar Feodor I and is one of the oldest in Siberia. The name of the city, according to one tradition, originates from the Khanty words "sur" (fish) and "gut" (hole, pit).
The urbanization of Surgut took place in the 1960s, when it became a center of oil and gas production. On June 25, 1965 the work settlement of Surgut was granted town status. The city's holiday is celebrated annually on June 12. The current mayor is Dmitry Valeryevich Popov (since 2010). Ex-mayor Alexander Sidorov (since 1996) oversaw the construction of the Surgut Bridge, the longest one-tower cable-stayed bridge in the world.
Surgut's economy is tied to oil production (the city is known as "The Oil Capital of Russia") and the processing of natural gas. The most important enterprises are the oil firm Surgutneftegaz (often known as Surgut) and Surgutgazprom (a unit of Gazprom). Surgut electric plants GRES-1 and GRES-2 produce over 7200 megawatts and supply most of the region with relatively cheap electricity.
The city is served by Surgut Airport, which offers flights to Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Dubai, Irkutsk, and a number of other cities.
The Tyumen–Novy Urengoy railway line passes near the city. Going towards Tyumen, the next station is Salym, where Royal Dutch Shell has a substantial development. This section of the route takes about six hours. Road P-404 connects Surgut with Tyumen.
There is a port on the Ob river.
Russia - Reindeer Race
Race of reindeer, a celebration of indigenous people in Khanty-Mansi, Russia.
Sent by Fedor who lives in Surgut, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, Russia. Terima kasih (thank you).
Germany - Akademie Mont-Cenis
Akademie Mint-Cenis in Herne, Germany.
Sent by Mecki, a postcrosser from Herne in Germany.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
United Kingdom - England - Shropshire Mapcard
A map of Shropshire County.
Sent by Phillippa, a postcrosser from Wales, United Kingdom.
This is from Wikipedia : Shropshire ( /ˈʃrɒpʃər/ or /ˈʃrɒpʃɪər/; alternatively Salop; abbreviated, in print only, Shrops) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county (less the unitary district of Telford and Wrekin) is a NUTS 3 region (code UKG22) and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west. Shropshire is one of England's most rural and sparsely populated counties with a population density of 91/km2 (337/sq mi). The shire county and its districts were replaced by a unitary authority on 1 April 2009. The borough of Telford and Wrekin, included in Shropshire for ceremonial purposes, has been a unitary authority since 1998.
The county is centred on six main towns starting with the county town of Shrewsbury, which is culturally and historically important, although Telford, which was constructed around a number of older towns, most notably Wellington, Dawley and Madeley, is today the most populous. The other main towns are Oswestry in the north-west, Newport to the east, Bridgnorth in the south-east, and Ludlow to the south. Whitchurch and Market Drayton in the north of the county are also of notable size.
The Ironbridge Gorge area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, covering Ironbridge, Coalbrookdale and a part of Madeley. There are, additionally, other notable historic industrial sites located around the county, such as Broseley, Snailbeach and Highley as well as the Shropshire Union Canal.
The Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty covers about a quarter of the county, mainly in the south. The Wrekin is one of the most famous natural landmarks in the county, though the highest hills are the Clee Hills, Stiperstones and the Long Mynd. Wenlock Edge is another significant geographical and geological landmark. In the low-lying northwest of the county (and overlapping the border with Wales) is the Fenn's, Whixall and Bettisfield Mosses National Nature Reserve, one of the most important and best preserved bogs in Britain. The River Severn, Great Britain's longest river, runs through the county, exiting into Worcestershire via the Severn Valley. Shropshire is landlocked, and with an area of 3,197 square kilometres (1,234 sq mi), is England's largest inland county.
The County flower is the round-leaved sundew.
South Korea - The Royal Azalea Blossom of Hallasan
The Royal Azalea Blossom of Hallasan. It is a part of Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Sent by Chang, a postcrosser from Taiwan.
This is from UNESCO : Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes together comprise three sites that make up 18,846 ha. It includes Geomunoreum, regarded as the finest lava tube system of caves anywhere, with its multicoloured carbonate roofs and floors, and dark-coloured lava walls; the fortress-like Seongsan Ilchulbong tuff cone, rising out of the ocean, a dramatic landscape; and Mount Halla, the highest in Korea, with its waterfalls, multi-shaped rock formations, and lake-filled crater. The site, of outstanding aesthetic beauty, also bears testimony to the history of the planet, its features and processes.
New Zealand - Mapcard (3)
NEW ZEALAND consists of three main islands in the South Pacific Ocean, the North, SOuth and Stewart Islands, covering an area of approximately 268,000 square kilometres and having a population of over 4 million people of mainly European, Maori and Polynesian blood. For all its small size however, New Zealand is a land full of contrasting scenic beauty which makes it unique in the world. High mountains, low plains, fiords, forests, glaciers and roaring rivers abound, most within a short distance of the town and cities. It is a sportsman's paradise in which any outdoor sport can be accomodated. As New Zealander's say it "God's Own Country".
Sent by Györgyi, a postcrosser from New Zealand.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Panama - Panama City
View of Panama City.
Sent by Christina from Panama.
This is from Wikipedia : Panama (Spanish: Panamá) is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Panama. It has a population of 880,691, with a total metro population of 1,272,672, and it is located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, in the province of the same name. The city is the political and administrative center of the country, and a hub for international banking and commerce. It is considered a Beta World City.
With an average GDP per capita of $11,700, Panama has been among the top five places for retirement in the world, according to International Living magazine. Panama City has a dense skyline of mostly highrise buildings, and it is surrounded by a large belt of tropical rainforest. It has an advanced communications system; and Panama's Tocumen International Airport, the largest and busiest airport in Central America, offers daily flights to major international destinations.
Panama City was chosen to be the American Capital of Culture for 2003 (jointly, with Curitiba, Brazil).
Portugal - Azores - Central Zone of the Town of Angra do Heroismo in the Azores (3)
Cerrados
Terceira, Azores.
Sent by Silvia from Azores, Portugal.
Italy - Mapcard of Tuscany Region
A map of Tuscany Region.
Sent by Lisa, a postcrosser from Tuscany, Italy.
This is from Wikipedia : Tuscany (Italian: Toscana, pronounced [tosˈkaːna]) is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres (8,900 sq mi) and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (Firenze).
Tuscany is known for its gorgeous landscapes, its rich artistic legacy and its vast influence on high culture. Tuscany is widely regarded as the true birthplace of the Italian Renaissance, and has been home to some of the most influential people in the history of arts and science, such as Petrarch, Dante, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo Galilei, Amerigo Vespucci, Luca Pacioli and Puccini. Due to this, the region has several museums (such as the Uffizi, the Pitti Palace and the Chianciano Museum of Art). Tuscany has a unique culinary tradition, and is famous for its wines (most famous of which are Chianti, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Morellino di Scansano and Brunello di Montalcino).
Six Tuscan localities have been designated World Heritage Sites: the historic centre of Florence (1982), the historical centre of Siena (1995), the square of the Cathedral of Pisa (1987), the historical centre of San Gimignano (1990), the historical centre of Pienza (1996) and the Val d'Orcia (2004). Furthermore, Tuscany has over 120 protected nature reserves. This makes Tuscany and its capital city Florence very popular tourist destinations, attracting millions of tourists every year. Florence itself receives an average of 10 million tourists a year by placing the city as one of the most visited in the world (in 2007, the city became the world's 46th most visited city, with over 1.715 million arrivals).
Portugal - Azores - Central Zone of the Town of Angra do Heroismo in the Azores (2)
Marina de Angra do Heroísmo (Angra do Heroísmo's Marina). It is a part of Central Zone of the Town of Angra do Heroismo in the Azores, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Sent by Silvia from Angra do Heroísmo in Azores, Portugal.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
USA - Nevada/California - Death Valley National Park
Death Valley Natural History Association
Death Valley, CA 92328
Impressive Manly Beacon and the distant Panamin Range as seen from Zabriskie Point.
I couldn't figure out who sent this postcard. Terima kasih banyak-banyak (thank you very much).
This is from Wikipedia : Death Valley National Park is a national park in the U.S. states of California and Nevada located east of the Sierra Nevada in the arid Great Basin of the United States. The park protects the northwest corner of the Mojave Desert and contains a diverse desert environment of salt-flats, sand dunes, badlands, valleys, canyons, and mountains. It is the largest national park in the lower 48 states and has been declared an International Biosphere Reserve. Death Valley National Park is visited annually by more than 825,000 visitors who come to see its diverse geologic features, desert wildlife, historic sites, scenery, and clear night skies.
It is the hottest and driest of the national parks in the United States. The second-lowest point in the Western Hemisphere is in Badwater Basin, which is 282 feet (86 m) below sea level. The park is home to many species of plants and animals that have adapted to this harsh desert environment. Some examples include creosote bush, Bighorn Sheep, Coyote, and the Death Valley Pupfish, a survivor of much wetter times. The park covers an area of 5,270 square miles (13,649 km2) of which 5,194 square miles (13,452 km2) is federal land. Approximately 95% of the park is a designated wilderness area, which covers 4,774 square miles (12,360 km2), making it the largest in the contiguous 48 states, and the sixth largest in the United States overall.
A series of Native American groups inhabited the area from as early as 7000 BCE, most recently the Timbisha around 1000 AD who migrated between winter camps in the valleys and summer grounds in the high mountain ridges. The first documented non-Native Americans to enter Death Valley did so in the winter of 1849 looking for a shortcut to the gold fields of California. They were stuck for weeks and in the process gave the valley its name, even though only one of their group actually died there.
Mining was the primary activity in the area before it was protected. Several short-lived boom towns sprang up during the late 19th and early 20th centuries to exploit minor local bonanzas of gold. The only long-term profitable ore to be mined, however, was borax, a mineral used to make soap and an important industrial compound. Today, borax is an essential component of high-temperature resistant boro-silicate glass products, for example some Pyrex glass products. Twenty-mule teams were used to transport ore out of the valley; helping to make it famous and the subject of books, radio programs, television series, and movies.
Tourism blossomed in the 1920s, when resorts were built around waters sources at Stovepipe Wells and Furnace Creek. Pacific Coast Borax, a major landowner, and others like Death Valley Scotty promoted the region. Death Valley National Monument was declared a U.S. National Monument in 1933, placing the area under federal protection. In 1994, the monument was redesignated a national park, as well as being substantially expanded to include Saline and Eureka valleys.
The natural environment of the area has been shaped largely by its geology. The valley itself is actually a graben. The oldest rocks are extensively metamorphosed and at least 1.7 billion years old. Ancient warm, shallow seas deposited marine sediments until rifting opened the Pacific Ocean. Additional sedimentation occurred until a subduction zone formed off the coast. This uplifted the region out of the sea and created a line of volcanoes. Later the crust started to pull apart, creating the current Basin and Range landform. Valleys filled with sediment and, during the wet times of glacial periods, with lakes, such as Lake Manly.
The park covers 5,262 square miles (13,630 km2), encompassing Saline Valley, a large part of Panamint Valley, almost all of Death Valley, and parts of several mountain ranges. The bulk of the park is in southern Inyo County and northern San Bernardino County in Eastern California. A small triangular extension near Rhyolite, Nevada of approximately 400 square kilometres (150 sq mi) is part of southwestern Nye County and extreme southern Esmeralda County in Nevada. In addition, there is an exclave (Devil's Hole) in southern Nye County administered by the Park.
Australia - Koala
KOALA
The Koala is a nocturnal, tree dwelling marsupial mammal, which feeds almost exclusively on the leaves of a few species of eaucalypt. It consumes up to 1 kg of leaves daily, peak feeding being at sunset.
Sent by Kevin, a postcrosser from Australia.
This is from Wikipedia : The koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia, and the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae.
The koala is found in coastal regions of eastern and southern Australia, from Adelaide to the southern part of Cape York Peninsula. Populations also extend for considerable distances inland in regions with enough moisture to support suitable woodlands. The koalas of South Australia were largely exterminated during the early part of the 20th century, but the state has since been repopulated with Victorian stock. The koala is not found in Tasmania or Western Australia.
The word koala comes from the Dharuk gula. Although the vowel /u/ was originally written in the English orthography as "oo" (in spellings such as coola or koolah), it was changed to "oa" possibly due to an error. The word is erroneously said to mean "doesn't drink".
The scientific name of the koala's genus, Phascolarctos, is derived from Greek phaskolos "pouch" and arktos "bear". Its species name, cinereus, is Latin and means "ash-coloured".
Although the koala is not a bear, English-speaking settlers from the late 18th century first called it koala bear due to its similarity in appearance to bears. Although taxonomically incorrect, the name koala bear is still in use today outside Australia – its use is discouraged because of the inaccuracy in the name. Other descriptive English names based on "bear" have included monkey bear, native bear, and tree-bear.
Moldova - Monumente Arhitechturale Din Moldova
Monumente Arhitechturale Din Moldova
Sent by Vladimir, a postcrosser from Moldova. Thanks for the beautiful stamps.
Portugal - Historic Centre of Guimarães
Guimarães
Nossa Senhora da Oliveira Church (Colegiada)
Sent by Paula, a postcrosser from Portugal.
The early history of Guimarães is closely associated with the establishment of Portuguese national identity and the Portuguese language in the 12th century. Guimarães is of considerable significance by virtue of the fact that specialized building techniques developed there in the Middle Ages were transmitted to Portuguese colonies in Africa and the New World, becoming their characteristic feature. It is an exceptionally well-preserved town illustrating the evolution of particular building types from the medieval settlement to the present-day city, and particularly in the 15th-19th centuries.
Guimarães dominates the fertile plain that extends towards the sea. It is situated on the most important medieval communication routes connecting Monçao and Braga with Viseu and Caminha, the seat of the Portuguese Counts from the 10th century. This urban settlement developed as a result of two forces, a monastery in the south valley, and a fort on the north hill, surrounded by two rivers, until they were brought together within a single enclosure.
The historic centre is formed by a large number of stone constructions (950-1498). The period from Renaissance to neoclassicism is characterized by noble houses and the development of civic facilities, city squares, etc. The eclectic and industrial periods and modern expansion (1926 until today) include some changes, although the town has maintained its medieval urban layout. The systems and building types have evolved over time. The residential buildings are characterized by the use of two construction techniques, one dating from before the 16th century (taipa de rodízio ), a half-timbered structure, which mixed granite with a structure in timber and a filling of sun-dried brick, using clay mortar. The other (taipa de fasquio ), which came into use in the 19th century and is still practised today, was entirely in timber. From here this technology was exported to other parts of the world.
The monuments include the medieval castle, built on the site of the first fort of the 10th century. The present construction was built from stone, begun at the time of Afonso I and continued with various modifications in the following centuries. The building is an austere crenellated structure with towers, designed for defence. Part of it was demolished in the 18th century and since then it has been subject to restorations. Close to the castle, there is a small Romanesque church, São Miguel do Castelo, ruined in the 19th century and restored in the 1920s. The church of Nossa Senhora da Oliveira was founded in the 12th century on the site where the first monastery had existed some three centuries earlier. It was completely renovated from 1387 to 1413, with three naves and a wooden roof structure, according to the Portuguese Gothic model. The cloister was added in the 16th century and the present sanctuary to the church in the 17th.
The Palace of the Dukes of Bragança is a large complex built from stone down the hill from the castle. The first construction dates from 1420-22, most probably under French influence. The building was conceived as a symbol of the pride of the Bragança family. The building underwent various vicissitudes, serving as a military headquarters in the late 19th century. The Town Hall, in the square in front of the church of Nossa Senhora, dates mainly from the 16th and 17th centuries. The palace, primarily in stone, has one main floor with large doors opening to a balcony along the main facade. The ground floor is characterized by open arcades. In the same square, in front of the church, there is also a 14th-century Gothic arch, a monument commemorating the victory of Dom Afonso IV in the battle of Padrão do Salado.
The bourgeois houses of the 16th century have a ground floor in granite and the upper floors are built using the half-timbered structure of taipa de rodízio . The houses of noble families have often been an modification of a previous structure, and generally have their elevations built from granite as a sign of distinction. The typical houses of the 17th century continued using the same construction technique (granite in the ground floor and half-timbered structure in the upper floors - usually three). Another type of house of the same century was built with a peristyle and arcaded ground floor, and is usually found in public squares. (Source)
Urpiainen (Common Redpoll)
Urpiainen or Common Redpoll.
Sent by Päivi, a postcrosser from Peräseinäjoki, Finland.
This is from Wikipedia : The Common Redpoll (Carduelis flammea) is a species in the finch family. It breeds somewhat further south than the Arctic Redpoll, also in habitats with thickets or shrubs. Nominate C. f. flammea (Mealy Redpoll) breeds across the northern parts of North America and Eurasia. There is also an Icelandic subspecies, Icelandic Redpoll (C. f. islandica), and one that breeds in Greenland and Baffin Island called the Greenland Redpoll (C. f. rostrata). Together the Iceland and Greenland forms are sometimes known as "Northwestern Redpolls". All forms migrate south into Canada, northern USA, or Eurasia. These birds are remarkably resistant to cold temperatures and winter movements are mainly driven by the availability of food. The common redpoll is smaller, browner and more streaked than the Arctic Redpoll. There are two distinct populations (one lighter, one darker) united in islandica, the relationships of which are unresolved.
Germany - Mapcard of Saxony-Anhalt
A mapcard of Saxony-Anhalt.
Sent by Manuela from Halle in Germany.
This is from Wikipedia : Saxony-Anhalt (German: Sachsen-Anhalt, pronounced [ˌzaksən ˈanhalt]) is a landlocked state of Germany. Its capital is Magdeburg and it is surrounded by the German states of Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia.
Saxony-Anhalt covers an area of 20,447.7 square kilometres (7,894.9 sq mi). It has a population of 2.34 million (more than 2.8 million in 1990).
Saxony-Anhalt should not be confused with Saxony or Lower Saxony, also German states.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Mongolia - Welcome to Mongolia
Inquisitive horses cooling off in the lake.
Sent by Aya from Ulanbataar in Mongolia.
Mongolia - Greetings From Mongolia
The land is covered with nature's green carpet and the Mongolia's white gers are like mushrooms after the rain.
Sent by Aya from Ulanbataar in Mongolia.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Seychelles - Mahe - Anse Royale
Anse Royale, Mahe. It is an administrative district of Seychelles located on the island of Mahé.
Sent by Yves from Seychelles.
Australia - Aboriginal Children
A group of Aboriginal Children in Alice Springs, Northern Territory.
Sent by Vikki, a postcrosser from Sydney, Australia.
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