First Card From New Country #192 , Madagascar

Today I received my first postcard from Madagascar. It is country number 192 in my collection. By my count I now have 60 more to try and receive a postcard from. Today's card was sent by George S. who is currently living in Antananarivo, the capital. Madagascar is an island nation in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa. It is the fourth largest island in the world and the country has a population , as of July 2007, of just under 19.5 million.

The postcard shows a Verreaux Sifaka. Verreaux sifakas are lemurs and like all lemurs, they are found only on the island of Madagascar. Sifakas are medium sized indrids, reaching a lenght of 45 to 55 cm and a weight of 4 to 6 kg. Their tail is just as long as their body. Their fur is long and silky and the round , hairless face is always black.

George used a 2004 stamp , 1 of a set of 6 definitives , issue for tourism. Thanks George for this card.

I have one other bit of news to write about today. Today, July 14, 2008 is the 3rd annivarsay of Postcrossing. If you love postcards , sending them or receiving them, log on to www.postcrossing.com and join. It's great fun and your mailbox will never be empty for very long. Postcrossing was started three years ago today by Paulo Magalhaes of Portugal. He now lives in China. Let's hear it for Paulo.