Flags of the World Series: Saba

Saba is a Caribbean island which is the smallest special municipality of the Netherlands. It consists largely of the potentially active volcano Mount Scenery, which at 887 metres is the highest point of the entire Kingdom of the Netherlands. Saba has a land area of 13 square kilometres. As of 2017, the population was 2,010 inhabitants, with a population density of 150 inhabitants per square kilometre. It is the smallest territory or sovereign state by permanent population in the Americas. Its towns and major settlements are The Bottom (the capital), Windwardside, Zion's Hill and St. Johns. I already receive same card earlier, so i probably forgot that and arranged swap twice! lol

Stamp on postcard is from set Butterflies and Flowers, issued on 20.7.2018.



Thank you, Anu!

Flags of the World Series: Kuwait

Kuwait is a country in Western Asia. Situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, it shares borders with Iraq and Saudi Arabia. As of 2016, Kuwait has a population of 4.5 million people: 1.3 million are Kuwaitis and 3.2 million are expatriates. Expatriates account for approximately 70% of the population. Kuwait is very rich country, but with very poor and highly unreliable postal system. If you manage to arrange some mail from Kuwait, there's a big chance you'll never receive it. I've finally had success and received this card sent on 5th January 2019 and received at the end of January 2020! More than a year!

Thank you so much, Robert, for helping me to get this country of my missing countries list!

Flags of the World Series: Panama

Panama is a transcontinental country in Central America and South America, bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The capital and largest city is Panama City, whose metropolitan area is home to nearly half the country's 4 million people.

Panama was inhabited by indigenous tribes before Spanish colonists arrived in the 16th century. It broke away from Spain in 1821 and joined the Republic of Gran Colombia, a union of Nueva Granada, Ecuador, and Venezuela. After Gran Colombia dissolved in 1831, Panama and Nueva Granada eventually became the Republic of Colombia. With the backing of the United States, Panama seceded from Colombia in 1903, allowing the construction of the Panama Canal to be completed by the US Army Corps of Engineers between 1904 and 1914. The 1977 Torrijos–Carter Treaties led to the transfer of the Canal from the United States to Panama on December 31, 1999.

Stamp on postcard is Basílica of Don Bosco in Panama City, from set World Youth Day 2019, an international event organized by the Catholic Church in Panama City and it was the first of its kind celebrated in Central America.


Thank you so much, Joanna and Cass!

Flags of the World Series: Suriname

Suriname  is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north, French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west and Brazil to the south. At just under 165,000 square kilometers, it is the smallest sovereign state in South America. Suriname was long inhabited by various indigenous people before being invaded and contested by European powers from the 16th century, eventually coming under Dutch rule in the late 17th century. As the chief sugar colony during the Dutch colonial period, it was primarily a plantation economy dependent on African slaves and, following the abolition of slavery in 1863, indentured servants from Asia. Suriname was ruled by the Dutch-chartered company Society of Suriname between 1683 and 1795. In 1954, Suriname became one of the constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. On 25 November 1975, the country of Suriname left the Kingdom of the Netherlands to become an independent state, nonetheless maintaining close economic, diplomatic, and cultural ties to its former colonizer.

Interesting bird stamps are used. Smaller one is Yellow-green Grosbeak (Caryothraustes canadensis), issued on 15.8.2008. But stamps with Caica Parrot (Pionopsitta caica) are more interesting. Stamp is originally issued on 27.4.1977, but they overprinted this stamps with words "Port Payé", which means "postage paid". Overprinted stamps are issued on 11.4.1994.



Thank you so much, Joanna and Cass!

Flags of the World Series: Guatemala

Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, Belize and the Caribbean to the northeast, Honduras to the east, El Salvador to the southeast and the Pacific Ocean to the south. With an estimated population of around 17.2 million, it is the most populated country in Central America. Guatemala is a representative democracy; its capital and largest city is Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción, also known as Guatemala City.

There's no postal service in Guatemala last few years, but is possible there to get postmark like this one.


Thank you so much, William!

Flags of the World Series: Saint Lucia

Saint Lucia is a sovereign island country in the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. The island was previously called Iyonola, the name given to the island by the native Amerindians and later, Hewanorra, the name given by the native Caribs. Part of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent, northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique. It covers a land area of 617 km2 and reported a population of 165,595 in the 2010 census. Its capital is Castries.

The French were the island's first European settlers. They signed a treaty with the native Island Caribs in 1660. England took control of the island from 1663 to 1667. In ensuing years, it was at war with France fourteen times, and the rule of the island changed frequently (it was ruled seven times each by the French and British). In 1814, the British took definitive control of the island. Because it switched so often between British and French control, Saint Lucia was also known as the "Helen of the West Indies" after the Greek mythological character, Helen of Troy.

Two big postmark on stamps showing Vermillion Saddlebags (8.4.2013.) and Hog plum (5.12.2005.)


Thank you, Camille!

Flags of the World Series: Saba

Saba is a Caribbean island which is the smallest special municipality of the Netherlands. It consists largely of the potentially active volcano Mount Scenery, which at 887 metres is the highest point of the entire Kingdom of the Netherlands. Saba has a land area of 13 square kilometres. As of 2017, the population was 2,010 inhabitants, with a population density of 150 inhabitants per square kilometre. It is the smallest territory or sovereign state by permanent population in the Americas. Its towns and major settlements are The Bottom (the capital), Windwardside, Zion's Hill and St. Johns.

Stamp on postcard is from set Butterflies and Flowers, issued on 20.7.2018.


Thank you, Anna!

Flags of the World Series: Jersey

Jersey is a British Crown dependency located near the coast of Normandy, France. It is the second closest of the Channel Islands to France, after Alderney. Jersey was part of the Duchy of Normandy, whose dukes went on to become kings of England from 1066. After Normandy was lost by the kings of England in the 13th century, and the ducal title surrendered to France, Jersey and the other Channel Islands remained attached to the English crown, until 1965, when Jersey gained independence.

Perfect clean postmark and interesting stamp from set  150th anniversary of the JSPCA.


Thank you, Nathanial!

Flags of the World Series: Sint Maarten

Sint Maarten is an island in the northeast Caribbean Sea, approximately 300 km  east of Puerto Rico. The 87-square-kilometre island is divided roughly 60/40 between the French Republic (53 km2) and the Kingdom of the Netherlands (34 km2). On this postcard you see Flag of Sint Maarten. The red symbolizes solidarity and courage, the blue peace and assurance of pardon, and the white purity and faith and there is also coat of arms of Sint Maarten.

Nice stamp from set Birds of Sint Maarten (issued on 31.8.2017.) and cancellation from capital city Philipsburg.


Thank you, Anna!

Flags of the World Series: Vatican City

Vatican City is an independent city-state enclaved within Rome, Italy. Established with the Lateran Treaty (1929), it is distinct from yet under "full ownership, exclusive dominion, and sovereign authority and jurisdiction" of the Holy See. With an area of 44 hectares, and a population of about 1,000, it is the smallest sovereign state in the world by both area and population. The Vatican City is an ecclesiastical or sacerdotal-monarchical state ruled by the pope who is the bishop of Rome and head of the Roman Catholic Church. Since the return of the popes from Avignon in 1377, they have generally resided at the Apostolic Palace within what is now Vatican City, although at times residing instead in the Quirinal Palace in Rome or elsewhere.

Stamp on postcard:
Pontificate of Pope Francis (from set of four), issued on 6.2.2018.
European Year of Cultural Heritage (from set of four), issued on 3.5.2018.


Thank you, Margarita!

Flags of the World Series: Denmark

Denmark is a sovereign state in Northern Europe. Denmark proper consists of a peninsula, Jutland, and an archipelago of 443 named islands, with the largest being Zealand, Funen and the North Jutlandic Island. The islands are characterized by flat, arable land and sandy coasts, low elevation and a temperate climate. The southernmost of the Scandinavian nations, Denmark lies southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and is bordered to the south by Germany. The Kingdom of Denmark also comprises two autonomous constituent countries in the North Atlantic Ocean: the Faroe Islands and Greenland. Denmark has a total area of 42,924 km2, land area of 42,394 km2, and the total area including Greenland and the Faroe Islands is 2,210,579 km2, and a population of 5.8 million.

Stamps on postcard:
Winter Tales, issued on 26.10.2010.
Black Grouse (from set Wild animals), issued on 20.10.1994.
Save the Child, issued on 2.1.2014.
Wavy Lines & Hearts definitive stamp, issued on 2.1.2019.
Wavy Lines definitive stamp, issued on 28.4.2010.


Thank you, Rune!

Flags of the World Series: Jordan

Jordan is an Arab country in Western Asia, on the East Bank of the Jordan River. Jordan is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south and the east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and Israel and Palestine (West Bank) to the west. The Dead Sea is located along its western borders and the country has a small coastline to the Red Sea in its extreme south-west, but is otherwise landlocked. Jordan is strategically located at the crossroads of Asia, Africa and Europe. The capital, Amman, is Jordan's most populous city as well as the country's economic, political and cultural center.

On the back of postcard is nice postmark related to Petra and two definitive stamps dedicated to Arch of Hadrian. Left one is issued on 15.5.1996, and right one is overprinted stamp from 2003, and reissued on 20.7.2017. I received this postcard in April 2019, one year after sending.


Thank you, Lisa!

Flags of the World Series: Macedonia

Macedonia is a country in the Balkan Peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia. It recently changed name to North Macedonia, but i managed to swap this card before new changed card arrive. The country became a member of the United Nations in April 1993, but as a result of a dispute with Greece over the name "Macedonia", it was admitted under the provisional description the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. In June 2018, Macedonia and Greece resolved the conflict with an agreement that the country should rename itself Republic of North Macedonia. This renaming came into effect in February 2019, with a several-months-long transition for passports, license plates, currency, customs, border signs, and government websites, among other things.

Sender used two definitive stamps which depicts city Struga. Stamp is part of set issued on 11.11.2009.



Thank you, Marko!

Flags of the World Series: São Tomé and Príncipe

São Tomé and Príncipe is an island country in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial coast of Central Africa. It consists of two archipelagos around the two main islands of São Tomé and Príncipe, about 140 kilometres apart and about 250 and 225 kilometres off the northwestern coast of Gabon. The islands were uninhabited until their discovery by Portuguese explorers in the 15th century. Gradually colonised and settled by the Portuguese throughout the 16th century, they collectively served as a vital commercial and trade center for the Atlantic slave trade. The rich volcanic soil and close proximity to the Equator made São Tomé and Príncipe ideal for sugar cultivation, followed later by cash crops such as coffee and cocoa; the lucrative plantation economy was heavily dependent upon imported African slaves. Cycles of social unrest and economic instability throughout the 19th and 20th centuries culminated in peaceful independence in 1975. São Tomé and Príncipe has since remained one of Africa's most stable and democratic countries.

Very nice matching flag stamp, but i didn't found info when is released.

And here you can see location of this smallest African country.

Thank you, Robert!

Flags of the World Series: Maldives

The Maldives is a country in South Asia, located in the Arabian Sea of the Indian Ocean. It lies southwest of Sri Lanka and India, about 1,000 kilometers from the Asian continent. The chain of 26 atolls stretches from Ihavandhippolhu Atoll in the north to Addu Atoll in the south. Comprising a territory spanning roughly 298 square kilometers, the Maldives is one of the world's most geographically dispersed sovereign states as well as the smallest Asian country by land area and population, with around 427,756 inhabitants. Malé is the capital and the most populated city, traditionally called the "King's Island" for its central location.

Stamp on postcard is from set Marine fauna, issued on 25.5.2018.


Thank you, Kiran!

Flags of the World Series: Peru

Peru is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the west by the Pacific Ocean. Peru is a megadiverse country with habitats ranging from the arid plains of the Pacific coastal region in the west to the peaks of the Andes mountains vertically extending from the north to the southeast of the country to the tropical Amazon Basin rainforest in the east with the Amazon river.

This is my second postcard from Peru, but first with hand cancellation, even though it's a bit pale and unreadable. Stamp on postcard is Christmas stamp, issued on 8.1.2017!


Thank you, Adolf!

Flags of the World Series: French Southern and Antarctic Lands - Kerguelen

The Kerguelen Islands, also known as the Desolation Islands, are a group of islands in the Antarctic constituting one of the two exposed parts of the Kerguelen Plateau, a large igneous province mostly submerged by the southern Indian Ocean. They are among the most isolated places on Earth, located 450 km northwest of the uninhabited Heard Island and McDonald Islands and more than 3,300 km from Madagascar, the nearest populated location (excluding the Alfred Faure scientific station in Île de la Possession, about 1,340 km from there, and the non-permanent station located in Île Amsterdam, 1,440 km mi away). The islands, along with Adélie Land, the Crozet Islands, Amsterdam and Saint Paul Islands, and France's Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean, are part of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands and are administered as a separate district.

Stamps on card:
First two stamps are from set Logos of French South and Antarctic Territory, issued on 30.3.2016.
TAAF Flag (from set of five), issued on 1.1.2008.
Refuge in the Canyon of the Black-Browed Albatross - Kerguelen, issued on 2.1.2018.


Thank you Marie!

Afghanistan: Postcard sent from Bagram base, missent to Rammstein base

This is my first postcard from the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, war-torn country in Asia. As a result of most recent war, there's a several American and NATO bases, and most famous is Bagram Air Base, largest U.S. military base in Afghanistan. It is located next to the ancient city of Bagram, 11 kilometres southeast of Charikar in the Parwan Province of Afghanistan. It has a dual runway capable of handling any size military aircraft, including Lockheed Martin C-5 Galaxy and Antonov An-225. Bagram Air Base is occupied by the Afghan Armed Forces and the US-led Resolute Support Mission.

Postcard is sent from Bagram Air Base, but unfortunately it's not cancelled there. But there's nice "missent" cancellation from APO AE 09012, and that's Rammstein Air Base in Germany.


Thank you Uly!

Flags of the World Series: Ethiopia

Ethiopia is a country in the northeastern part of Africa, popularly known as the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, and Somalia to the east, Sudan and South Sudan to the west, and Kenya to the south. With over 102 million inhabitants, Ethiopia is the most populous landlocked country in the world and the second-most populous nation on the African continent.

Some of the oldest skeletal evidence for anatomically modern humans has been found in Ethiopia. Tracing its roots to the 2nd millennium BC, Ethiopia's governmental system was a monarchy for most of its history. Oral literature tells that the monarchy was founded by the Solomonic dynasty of the Queen of Sheba, under its first king, Menelik I. In the first centuries AD, the Kingdom of Aksum maintained a unified civilization in the region, followed by the Ethiopian Empire circa 1137. During the late 19th-century Scramble for Africa, Ethiopia was one of two nations to retain its sovereignty from long-term colonialism by a European colonial power.

Stamps on postcard:
Menelik's Bushbuck, issued on 12.12.2002.
The 60th Anniversary of the Haramaya University, issued on 21.4.2016.


Thank you Julie!

Flags of the World Series: French Polynesia

French Polynesia is an overseas collectivity of the French Republic. It is composed of 118 geographically dispersed islands and atolls stretching over an expanse of more than 2,000 kilometers in the South Pacific Ocean. Following the Great Polynesian Migration, European explorers visited the islands of French Polynesia on several occasions. Traders and whaling ships also visited. In 1842, the French took over the islands and established a French protectorate they called Etablissements des français en Océanie (EFO). In 1946, the EFOs became an overseas territory under the constitution of the French Fourth Republic, and Polynesians were granted the right to vote through citizenship. In 1957, the EFOs were renamed French Polynesia. Since 28 March 2003, French Polynesia has been an overseas collectivity of the French Republic.

Stamps on postcard:
First and third stamps are from set The 60th Anniversary of D'Air Tahiti, issued on 11.1.2018.
Second stamp is Aviation in French Polynesia, issued on 17.2.2017.


Thank you Ismael.