#1327 Jõhvi, Estonia

Aitäh !

Sent on: July 10, 2017

Received on: July 12, 2017

#1236 Riga, Latvia

For more info, see received card #605.

Property No #852

Date of Inscription on the List of UNESCO WHS: 1997

Sent on: March 16, 2017

Received on: March 20. 2017

#1140 Taiwan | TW-2022072

For more information about Taipei City, see received card #58.

Thank you, Eric (Eric3272) !

Received on: August 17, 2016

Travel time: 8 days

Distance: 7974 km

#821 Vilnius, Lithuania

Marijampolė is an industrial city and the capital of the Marijampolė County in the south of Lithuania, bordering Poland and Russian Kaliningrad oblast and Lake Vištytis. The population of Marijampolė is 48,700 (2003). It is the Lithuanian center of the Suvalkija region.

Marijampolė is the seventh largest city in Lithuania, and has been its regional center since 1994. The city covers an area equal to 205.07 square kilometres (79.18 sq mi). The Šešupė River divides the city into two parts which are connected by six bridges.

Wikipedia.org 

1. Monument to "The Nation and Language. To commemorate 1000 years anniversary of the name of Lithuania."

2. Monument to commemorate the Tauras District partisans, their supporters and liaisons.

3. St. Vincent of Paula Church.

Date of Issue: September 7, 2013 - Red Book of Lithuania

Thank you, Ilona !

 

Sent on: February 24, 2015

Received on: February 26, 2015

#800 Denmark

From left to right: Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark; Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark; Margrethe II; Henrik, Prince Consort of Denmark; Prince Joachim of Denmark; Princess Marie of Denmark.

The Danish Royal Family consists of the dynastic family of the monarch All members of the Danish Royal Family, except Queen Margrethe II, hold the title of Prince/Princess of Denmark. Dynastic children of the monarch and of the heir apparent are accorded the style of His/Her Royal Highness, while other members of the dynasty are addressed as His/Her Highness. The Queen is styled Her Majesty.

The Queen and her siblings belong to the House of Glücksburg, which is a branch of the Royal House of Oldenburg The Queen's children and male-line descendants belong agnatically to the family de Laborde de Monpezat, and were given the concurrent title Count/Countess of Monpezat by royal decree in April 2008.

The Danish Royal Family enjoys remarkably high approval ratings in Denmark, possibly ranging from somewhere between 82% and 92%.

Wikipedia.org 

Thank you, August !

Sent on: February 9, 2015

Received on: February 11, 2015

#798 Padua, Italy

Venice (Italian: Venezia, alternative obsolete form: Vinegia; Venetian: Venexia; Latin: Venetiae; Slovene: Benetke) is a city in northeastern Italy sited on a group of 117 small islands separated by canals and linked by bridges. It is located in the marshy Venetian Lagoon which stretches along the shoreline, between the mouths of the Po and the Piave Rivers. Venice is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture, and its artworks. The city in its entirety is listed as a World Heritage Site, along with its lagoon.

Wikipedia.org 

Piazza San Marco (Often known in English as the St Mark's Square), is the principal public square of Venice, Italy, where it is generally known just as "the Piazza" (la Piazza). All other urban spaces in the city (except the Piazzetta and the Piazzale Roma) are called "campi" (fields). The Piazzetta (the 'little Piazza') is an extension of the Piazza towards the lagoon in its south east corner. The two spaces together form the social, religious and political centre of Venice and are commonly considered together.

A remark usually attributed to Napoleon calls the Piazza San Marco "the drawing room of Europe" (the attribution to Napoleon is unproven).

Wikipedia.org

Property No #394

Date of Inscription on the List of UNESCO WHS: 1987

Date of Issue: 2002 - Europa 2002 'The Circus'

Thank you, Andrea !

Sent on: February 2, 2015

Received on: February 5, 2015

#749 Hong Kong

The Tsing Ma Bridge is a bridge in Hong Kong It is the world's ninth-longest span suspension bridge, and was the second longest at time of completion. The bridge was named after two of the islands at its ends, namely Tsing Yi and Ma Wan. It has two decks and carries both road and rail traffic, which also makes it the largest suspension bridge of this type. The bridge has a main span of 1,377 metres (4,518 ft) and a height of 206 metres (676 ft). The span is the largest of all bridges in the world carrying rail traffic.

The 41-metre (135 ft) wide bridge deck carries six lanes of automobile traffic, with three lanes in each direction. The lower level contains two rail tracks and two sheltered carriageways, used for maintenance access and traffic lanes when particularly severe typhoons strike Hong Kong and the bridge deck is closed to traffic.

Wikipedia.org

Date of Issue: July 24, 2014 - Definitive - Landscape

Date of Issue: December 31, 2006 - Scarlet Minivet

Thank you, Michelle!

Sent on: November 15, 2014

Received on: November 24, 2014

#733 Paramaribo, Suriname

Suriname, officially known as the Republic of Suriname (Dutch: Republiek Suriname) , is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west and Brazil to the south.

Suriname was colonized by the British and the Dutch in the 17th century. In 1667 it was captured by the Dutch, who governed Suriname as Dutch Guiana until 1954. At that time it was designated as one of the constituent countries (Dutch: landen) of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, next to the Netherlands and the Netherlands Antilles (dissolved in 2010). On 25 November 1975, the country of Suriname left the Kingdom of the Netherlands to become independent. A member of CARICOM, it is frequently considered a Caribbean country and has had frequent trade and cultural exchange with the Caribbean nations.

At just under 165,000 km2 (64,000 sq mi), Suriname is the smallest sovereign state in South America. (French Guiana, while less extensive and populous, is an overseas department of France.) Suriname has a population of approximately 566,000,[3] most of whom live on the country's north coast, where the capital Paramaribo is located. Suriname is a mostly Dutch-speaking country; Sranang, an English-based creole language, is a widely used lingua franca. It is the only independent entity in the Americas where Dutch is spoken by a majority of the population.

Wikipedia.org

Thank you, Cheryll for adding country #94 !

Sent on: October 8, 2014

Received on: October 22, 2014

#674 China

Thank you, Cui Mu Liang !

Sent on: June 16, 2014

Received on: July 3, 2014

#623 Brussels, Belgium

The Hotel Tassel (French: Hôtel Tassel, Dutch: Hotel Tassel) is a town house built by Victor Horta in Brussels for the Belgian scientist and professor Emile Tassel in 1893-1894. It is generally considered as the first true Art Nouveau building, because of its highly innovative plan and its ground breaking use of materials and decoration. Together with three other town houses of Victor Horta, including Horta's own house and atelier it was put on the 'UNESCO World Heritage List' in 2000. It is located at 6, Rue Paul-Emile Jansonstraat in Brussels.

Wikipedia.org

Property No #1005

It's in the List of UNESCO WHS as a part of Major Town Houses of the Architect Victor Horta.

Date of Inscription on the List of UNESCO WHS: 2000

Left: ?? | Right: Date of Issue: May 12, 2010 - Birds

Aitäh, Mk !

Sent on: May 26, 2014

Received on: May 30, 2014

#596 Riga, Latvia

The hoopoe /ˈhuːpuː/ (Upupa epops) is a colorful bird that is found across Afro-Eurasia, notable for its distinctive 'crown' of feathers. It is the only extant species in the family Upupidae. One insular species, the Saint Helena Hoopoe, is extinct, and the Madagascar subspecies of the Hoopoe is sometimes elevated to a full species. Like the Latin name upupa, the English name is an onomatopoeic form which imitates the cry of the bird.

Wikipedia.org

Thank you, Svetlana !

Sent on: May 16, 2014

Received on: May 21, 2014

#595 Riga, Latvia

The Jack Snipe (Lymnocryptes minimus) is a small stocky wader. It is the smallest snipe and the only member of the genus Lymnocryptes. Features such as its sternum make it quite distinct from other snipes or woodcocks.

Wikipedia.org

Thank you, Svetlana !

Sent on: May 16, 2014

Received on: May 21, 2014

#576 Brooklyn, New York, New York, USA

Charging Bull, which is sometimes referred to as the Wall Street Bull or the Bowling Green Bull, is a 3,200-kilogram (7,100 lb) bronze sculpture by Arturo Di Modica that stands in Bowling Green Park near Wall Street in Manhattan, New York City. Standing 11 feet (3.4 m) tall and measuring 16 feet (4.9 m) long, the oversize sculpture depicts a bull, the symbol of aggressive financial optimism and prosperity, leaning back on its haunches and with its head lowered as if ready to charge. The sculpture is both a popular tourist destination which draws thousands of people a day, as well as "one of the most iconic images of New York" and a "Wall Street icon" symbolizing "Wall Street" and the Financial District.

Wikipedia.org

Date of Issue: April 5, 2014 - Songbirds

Thank you, Y. Wu !

Sent on: April 27, 2014

Received on: May 5, 2014

#575 Brooklyn, New York, New York, USA

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual parade presented by the U.S. chain store business Macy's. The tradition started in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States along with America's Thanksgiving Parade in Detroit, with both parades four years younger than the 6abc Dunkin' Donuts Thanksgiving Day Parade in Philadelphia. The three-hour Macy's event is held in New York City starting at 9:00 a.m. EST on Thanksgiving Day, and has been televised nationally on NBC since 1952.

Wikipedia.org

Date of Issue: April 5, 2014 - Songbirds

Thank you, Y. Wu !

Sent on: April 27, 2014

Received on: May 5, 2014

#574 Iraq

Iraq (Arabic: العراق‎), officially the Republic of Iraq (Arabic: جمهورية العراق; Kurdish: كۆماری عێراق), is a country in Western Asia encompassing the Mesopotamian alluvial plain, the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, and the eastern part of the Syrian Desert.

Iraq borders Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, Kuwait to the southeast, Saudi Arabia to the south, Jordan to the southwest and Syria to the west. Iraq has a narrow section of coastline measuring 58 km (36 mi) on the northern Persian Gulf. The capital city, Baghdad, is in the center-east of the country. Two major rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates, run through the center of Iraq, flowing from northwest to southeast. These provide Iraq with agriculturally capable land and contrast with the steppe and desert landscape that covers most of Western Asia.

Iraq has been known by the Greek toponym 'Mesopotamia' (Land between the rivers) and has been home to continuous successive civilizations since the 6th millennium BC. The region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers is often referred to as the cradle of civilization and the birthplace of writing. At different periods in its history, Iraq was the center of the indigenous Akkadian, Sumerian, Assyrian, and Babylonian empires. It was also part of the Median, Achaemenid, Hellenistic, Parthian, Sassanid, Roman, Rashidun, Umayyad, Abbasid, Mongol, Safavid, Afsharid and Ottoman empires, and under British control as a League of Nations mandate. Iraq is home to two of the world's holiest places among Shias: Najaf and Karbala.

Iraq's modern borders were mostly demarcated in 1920 by the League of Nations when the Ottoman Empire was divided by the Treaty of Sèvres. Iraq was placed under the authority of the United Kingdom as the British Mandate of Mesopotamia. A monarchy was established in 1921 and the Kingdom of Iraq gained independence from Britain in 1932. In 1958, the monarchy was overthrown and the Republic of Iraq was created. Iraq was controlled by the Ba'ath Party (Iraqi-led faction) from 1968 until 2003. After an invasion led by the United States of America including multinational forces, the Ba'ath Party was removed from power and multi-party parliamentary elections were held. The American presence in Iraq ended in 2011.

Wikipedia.org

Sāmarrā (Arabic: سامَرّاء‎) is a city in Iraq. It stands on the east bank of the Tigris in the Salah ad-Din Governorate, 125 kilometers (78 mi) north of Baghdad and, in 2003, had an estimated population of 348,700. Sunni Arab majority in the heart of the Sunni Triangle.

The official name as referenced by coins was the Arabic phrase “Surra man ra’a” (Arabic: سر من رأى‎), which translates to “who sees it rejoices”. But in vernacular it was always called Samarra.
Wikipedia.org

Property No #276

Date of Inscription on the List of UNESCO WHS: 2007
Date of Inscription on the List of World Heritage in Danger: 2007

FIFA World Cup 2010 in South Africa.

Thank you, Zaid !

Sent on: April 13, 2014

Received on: May 5, 2014

#566 Greenville, South Carolina, USA

South Carolina is a state in the Southeastern United States. It is bordered to the north by North Carolina; to the south and west by Georgia, located across the Savannah River; and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was the first of the 13 colonies that declared independence from the British Crown during the American Revolution.

South Carolina was the first state to ratify the Articles of Confederation, and the 8th state to ratify the US Constitution on May 23, 1788. South Carolina later became the first state to vote to secede from the Union which it did on December 20, 1860. It was readmitted to the United States on June 25, 1868.

South Carolina is the 40th most extensive and the 24th most populous of the 50 United States. South Carolina comprises 46 counties. The capital and largest city of the state is Columbia, while the largest MSA is Greenville.

Wikipedia.org

State Capital: Colombia

Largest City: Greenville

Admission to Union: May 23, 1788 (8th)

Highest Point: Sassafras Mountain - 3,560 ft (1085 m)

Lowest Point: Atlantic Ocean - sea level

Thank you, Kathy !

Sent on: April 14, 2014

Received on: April 21, 2014

#546 Windhoek, Namibia

The Namib is a coastal desert in southern Africa. The name Namib is of Nama origin and means "vast place". According to the broadest definition, the Namib stretches for more than 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) along the Atlantic coasts of Angola, Namibia, and South Africa, extending southward from the Carunjamba River in Angola, through Namibia and to the Olifants River in Western Cape, South Africa. The Namib's northernmost portion, which extends 450 kilometres (280 mi) from the Angola-Namibia border, is known as Moçâmedes Desert, while its southern portion approaches the neighboring Kalahari Desert. From the Atlantic coast eastward, the Namib gradually ascends in elevation, reaching up to 200 kilometres (120 mi) inland to the foot of the Great Escarpment. Annual precipitation ranges from 2 millimetres (0.079 in) in the most arid regions to 200 millimetres (7.9 in) at the escarpment, making the Namib the only true desert in southern Africa. Having endured arid or semi-arid conditions for roughly 55–80 million years, the Namib may be the oldest desert in the world.

The desert geology consists of sand seas near the coast, while gravel plains and scattered mountain outcrops occur further inland. The sand dunes, some of which are 300 metres (980 ft) high and span 32 kilometres (20 mi) long, are the second largest in the world after the Badain Jaran Desert dunes in China. Temperatures along the coast are stable and generally range between 9–20 °C (48–68 °F) annually, while temperatures further inland are variable - summer daytime temperatures can exceed 45 °C (113 °F) while nights can be freezing. Fogs that originate offshore from the collision of the cold Benguela Current and warm air from the Hadley Cell create a fog belt that frequently envelops parts of the desert. Coastal regions can experience more than 180 days of thick fog a year. While this has proved a major hazard to ships - more than a thousand wrecks litter the Skeleton Coast - it is a vital source of moisture for desert life.

The Namib is almost completely uninhabited by humans except for several small settlements and indigenous pastoral groups, including the Ovahimba and Obatjimba Herero in the north, and the Topnaar Nama in the central region. Owing to its antiquity, the Namib may be home to more endemic species than any other desert in the world. Most of the desert wildlife is arthropods and other small animals that live on little water, although larger animals inhabit the northern regions. Near the coast, the cold ocean water is rich in fishery resources and supports populations of brown fur seals and shorebirds, which serve as prey for the Skeleton Coast's lions. Further inland, the Namib-Naukluft National Park, the largest game park in Africa, supports populations of African Bush Elephants, Mountain Zebras, and other large mammals. Although the outer Namib is largely barren of vegetation, lichens and succulents are found in coastal areas, while grasses, shrubs, and ephemeral plants thrive near the escarpment. A few types of trees are also able to survive the extremely arid climate.

Wikipedia.org

It's in the List of UNESCO as a Namib Sand Sea.

Property No #1430

Date of Inscription on the List of UNESCO WHS: 2013

Thank you, Nadia !

Received on: March 21, 2014