More Gems From The Archives

Hello again, good for you for coming back.
This time , I have another bunch of cards from my archives. These are cards that I received before this blog went public. As I have said before they are good cards from good places that I want on the blog record as a place from which I have indeed received a card. All of today's cards are from islands except for the last one, which comes from Africa. My comments on the cards and where they come from may be less than my norm as I want to get in as many as possible. Here we go:

Card # 1 is from Niue, an island nation in the South Pacific Ocean. Though self-governing, Niue is in free association with New Zealand and lacks full sovereignty. All Niueans are New Zealand citizens. Interesting fact about Niue : with a population of about 1900, in 2003 Niue became the world's first WiFi nation, in which free wireless Internet access is provided throughout the country. Niue's tourism motto is "undiscovered unspoiled unbelievable". On the card , on the left we can see a Uga or coconut crab. The stamp is from a 2007 set of 7 definitives. This one shows a humpback whale.

Card # 2 comes from Palau. This Pacific island nation is located 800 km east of the Philippines. It is one of the world's youngest and smallest sovereign states, having just emerged from United Nations trusteeship in 1994. The card from The Airai View Hotel & Spa gives us a look at Long Beach Island. The stamp is from a 2007 set of 18 butterflies definitives.

Next up is a card from Papua New Guinea, a country in Oceania. It is located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, in a region defined as Melanesia. It's capital is Port Moresby. Many people live in extreme poverty, with about one third of the population living on less than US$1.25 per day. Robert sent this card and it shows a scene or face from the Morobe Show 97. This show, held in Lae, is a major tourist attraction. It is the oldest festival in the country and started in 1959. Robert used a butterfly stamp from a 2006 set of 4.

Now we are going to move north from the Pacific to the Irish Sea. The Isle of Man is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, but not a part of the United Kingdom, even though it's head of state is Queen Elizabeth II. Hannah's card shows us Douglas Harbour, while her stamp is from a set of 5 flower stamps issued in 1998.
Sorry but you need to turn your head a little sideways for that one.

It's back to the warm waters again. This time we are going to The Maldives, a nation in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives are the smallest Asian country in both population and land area. It is also the lowest country on the planet, with an average ground level of 1.5 metres above sea level. It is also the country with the lowest highest point in the world at 2.3 metres. The front of the card shows a group of tourists heading for the Maldives. I guess they didn't realize how far away they were. When I go, I'll be sure to book a flight. The stamp- sorry but I couldn't find anything about it. But have a look at it anyway.

Now it's on to New Caledonia, a special collectivity of France, located in the southwest Pacific. It's capital is Noumea. Julie's card is of the typical touristy type card of palm trees, white sandy beaches and calm blue waters. A nice place to visit I think.
The large stamp that Julie used is the 2006 Christmas issue.

The next card is from The Commonwealth of Dominica. This island nation is in the Caribbean Sea. To the north northwest lies Guadeloupe , to the southeast lies Martinique. Christopher Columbus named the island after the day of the week on which he spotted it, a Sunday (dominica in Latin), November 3, 1493 . The picture on the card is entitled Roseau's Treasures and is the Cools-Lartigue Residence on King George V Street ,in Roseau, Dominica. The card was issued by S.H.A.P.E., the Society for Historic Architectural Protection & Enhancement. An Elvis Presley stamp was used , but I haven't been able to determine the year of issue. I looked in all my catalogues and also in the online catalogue that I use, but to no avail. Anyway, it's a great stamp . Many, many Elvis stamps have been issued over the years but this is just the first that I have actually received through the mail.

Finally, the last card for this time. It comes from the west African nation of Ghana. My card shows us 3 brightly colored African masks. These masks are crafts of the Asante, who are Akan people who live predominatly in Ghana and who speak Twi. The stamp which is badly damaged was issued in 1995 as part of a set of 6 definitives featuring butterflies, birds and fish.