#1247 Ghana

The national flag of Ghana was designed and adopted in 1957 and was flown until 1962, and then reinstated in 1966. It consists of the Pan-African colours of red, yellow, and green, in horizontal stripes, with a black five-pointed star in the centre of the gold stripe. The Ghanaian flag was the second African flag after the flag of the Ethiopian Empire to feature these colours. The flag's design influenced that of the flag of Guinea-Bissau (1973). It was designed by Theodosia Okoh.

The red represents the blood of those who died in the country's struggle for independence from the Great Britain, the gold represents the mineral wealth of the country, the green symbolises the country's rich forests and natural wealth, and the black star is the symbol of African emancipation. The black star was adopted from the flag of the Black Star Line, a shipping line incorporated by Marcus Garvey that operated from 1919 to 1922. It is where the Ghana national football team draw their nickname, the Black Stars, from.

Wikipedia.org

Thank you, Linda !

Sent on: March 7, 2017

Received on: March 27, 2017

#1078 Estonia - Singapore - Taiwan - New Zealand

Thank you all !

Sent from Estonia to Singapore: March 30, 2016

From Singapore to Taiwan: April 12, 2016

From Taiwan to New Zealand: ?

From New Zealand to Estonia: April 28, 2016

Received from New Zealand: May 10, 2016

#1068 Hong Kong

For more info about Victoria Harbour, see received card #829.

Date of Issue: 2013 | Year of the Snake

Thank you, Katie !

Sent on: April 19, 2016

Received on: April 27, 2016

#1061 Taiwan

New Taipei City (Chinese: 新北市; pinyin: Xīnběi Shì; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Sin-pak-chhī) is a special municipality and the most populous city in Taiwan. Located in northern Taiwan, the city includes a substantial stretch of the island's northern coastline and surrounds the Taipei Basin, making it the second largest special municipality by area, behind Kaohsiung. New Taipei City is bordered by Keelung to the northeast, Yilan County to the southeast, and Taoyuan to the southwest. It completely surrounds Taipei. Banqiao District is its municipal seat and biggest commercial area.

Wikipedia.org

The Tamsui River (formerly romanized as Danshui River, Chinese: 淡水河; pinyin: Dànshǔi Hé; Wade–Giles: Tan⁴-shui³ Ho²; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tām-súi Hô; literally: ""Freshwater River"") is a river in northern Taiwan. It begins at the confluence of Xindian Creek and Dahan Creek at the western boundary of Taipei and New Taipei City, just north of Banqiao District, and flows northward and northwestward, passing the eponymous Tamsui District, then emptying into the Taiwan Strait. Formerly known as the "Dolatok River", it is one of the few rivers in the island that flows along a north-south direction.

Wikipedia.org

Date of Issue: 2013 | Year of the Snake

Thank you, Yvonne !

Sent on: April 14, 2016

Received on: April 19, 2016

#867 Jakarta, Indonesia

More info about Indonesia, see received card #337.

About some facts on the postcard:

Sukarno (6 June 1901 – 21 June 1970) was the first President of Indonesia, serving in office from 1945 to 1967.

 Wikipedia.org

Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie (born 25 June 1936) was President of Indonesia from 1998 to 1999. His presidency was the third, and the shortest, after independence.

Wikipedia.org

Lucia Francisca Susi Susanti (Chinese: 王蓮香, born in Tasikmalaya, West Java on 11 February 1971) is a retired Indonesian badminton player. Relatively small of stature, she combined quick and graceful movement with elegant shotmaking technique, and rates among the most successful players in the history of the women's game. Sometimes her name is also spelled Susy Susanti.

Wikipedia.org 

 The volcanoes in Indonesia are among the most active of the Pacific Ring of Fire. They are formed due to subduction zones of three main active tectonic plates namely the Eurasian Plate, Pacific Plate and the Indo-Australian Plate.

Wikipedia.org 

Puncak Jaya or Carstensz Pyramid (4,884 m) is the highest summit of Mount Carstensz in the Sudirman Range of the western central highlands of Papua Province, Indonesia (within Puncak Jaya Regency). Other summits are East Carstensz Peak (4,808 m), Sumantri (4,870 m) and Ngga Pulu (4,863 m). Other names include Nemangkawi in the Amungkal language, Carstensz Toppen and Gunung Sukarno.

Wikipedia.org

The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), also known as the Komodo monitor, is a large species of lizard found in the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Motang and Padar. A member of the monitor lizard family Varanidae, it is the largest living species of lizard, growing to a maximum length of 3 metres (10 ft) in rare cases and weighing up to approximately 70 kilograms (150 lb).

Wikipedia.org 

Bhinneka Tunggal Ika is the official national motto of Indonesia. The phrase is Old Javanese translated as "Unity in Diversity". It is inscribed in the Indonesian national symbol, Garuda Pancasila (written on the scroll gripped by the Garuda's claws), and is mentioned specifically in article 36A of the Constitution of Indonesia. The Garuda is a mythical bird and the mount of Lord Vishnu.

Wikipedia.org

Date of Issue: 2013 | Year of the Snake

Thank you, Sherly !

Sent on: April 9, 2015

Received on: April 24, 2015

#528 Santa Barbara, California, USA

Sleeping Beauty Castle is the fairy tale structure castle at the center of Disneyland Park and Hong Kong Disneyland. It is based on the late-19th century Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, Germany, with some French inspirations (especially Notre Dame de Paris and the Hospices de Beaune).

Opened July 17, 1955, the castle is the oldest of all Disney castles. Though it reaches a height of only 77 feet (23 m), it was designed to appear taller through a process known as forced perspective; design elements are larger at the foundation and smaller at the turrets. The castle initially featured an empty upper level that was never intended to house an attraction, but Walt Disney was not satisfied with what he viewed as wasted space, and challenged his Imagineers to find some use for the space.

Beginning April 29, 1957, visitors were able to walk through the castle and view several dioramas depicting the story of Sleeping Beauty. The original dioramas were designed in the style of Eyvind Earle, production designer for Disney's 1959 film Sleeping Beauty, and were then redone in 1977 to resemble the window displays on Main Street, U.S.A.. The walkthrough was closed for unspecified reasons in October 2001; popular belief claims the September 11th attacks and the potential danger that ensued played a major factor in the closing.

On July 17, 2008, Disney announced that the Sleeping Beauty Castle walkthrough would reopen in the style of the original Earle dioramas, enhanced with new technology not available in 1957. The walkthrough reopened on November 27, 2008 at 5:00 PM, drawing long lines going as far back as the Hub. Unlike previous incarnations, visitors who are unable to climb stairs or navigate the passageways of the Castle can still experience the walkthrough "virtually" in a special room on the Castle's ground floor. This room is lavishly themed, and presents the closed-captioned CGI walkthrough recreation on a high-definition TV. This same virtual recreation is included on the Sleeping Beauty 50th Anniversary Platinum Edition DVD.

Wikipedia.org

Date of Issue: January 16, 2013 | Year of the Snake

Date of Issue: November 19, 2013 | Harry Potter

Thank you, Michelle !

Sent on: March 4, 2014

Received on: March 11, 2014

#394 Taiwan

All these cards are showing Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan.

Sun Moon Lake is the largest body of water in Taiwan as well as a tourist attraction. Situated in Yuchi, Nantou, the area around the Sun Moon Lake is home to the Thao tribe, one of aboriginal tribes in Taiwan. Sun Moon Lake surrounds a tiny island called Lalu. The east side of the lake resembles a sun while the west side resembles a moon, hence the name.

Wikipedia.org 

Date of Issue: 2013 | Year of the Snake

Thank you, Ling Yi !

Sent on: October 7, 2013
Received on: October 30, 2013

#215 Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Grand-Pré National Historic Site is a park set aside to commemorate the Grand-Préarea of Nova Scotia as a centre of Acadian settlement from 1682 to 1755, and the deportation of the Acadians which began in 1755 and continued to 1762. The original village of Grand Pré extended four kilometres along the ridge between present-day Wolfville and Hortonville (where the British fort Fort Vieux Logis was located). Grand-Pré is listed as a World Heritage Site and is the main component of two National Historic Sites of Canada. 
Wikipedia.org

Property No #1404

Date of Inscription on the List of UNESCO: 2012

Date of Issue: January 10, 2012 | Year of the Dragon

Date of Issue: January 8, 2013 | Year of the Snake

Date of Issue: March 21, 2011

Thank you, Pen !

Sent on: March 5, 2013
Received on: March 30, 2013

#202 Taiwan | TW-833076

The Ridderzaal (Knights' Hall) is the main building at the Binnenhof in The Hague, Netherlands, which is used for the state opening of Parliament on the third Tuesday in September, Prinsjesdag, when the Dutch monarch drives to Parliament in the Golden Carriage and delivers the speech from the throne. It is also used for official royal receptions, and interparliamentary conferences.

Wikipedia.org

Date of Issue: 2013 | Year of the Snkae

Thank you, Sophia (lovesone0215) !

Received on: March 13, 2013
Travel time: 8 days
Distance: 8029 km (4,989 miles)

#189 Bois-d'Arcy, France | FR-263555

Paris  is the capital and largest city of France. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region. Its metropolitan area is one of the largest population centres in Europe, with more than 12 million inhabitants.

Wikipedia.org 

The Pont Alexandre III is an arch bridge that spans the Seine, connecting the Champs-Élysées quarter and the Invalides and Eiffel Tower quarter, widely regarded as the most ornate, extravagant bridge in Paris. It is classified as a historical monument.

The bridge, with its exuberant Art Nouveau lamps, cherubs, nymphs and winged horses at either end, was built between 1896 and 1900. It is named after Tsar Alexander III, who had concluded the Franco-Russian Alliance in 1892. His son Nicholas II laid the foundation stone in October 1896. The style of the bridge reflects that of the Grand Palais, to which it leads on the right bank.
 Wikipedia.org

Property No #600

It's in the List of UNESCO as a part of Paris, Banks of the Seine.

Date of Inscription on the List of UNESCO: 1991

Date of Issue: 2013 | Year of the Snake

Thank you, Sachiko (Sacha73) !

Received on: February 16, 2013

Travel time: 6 days

Distance: 1891 km (1,175 miles)