Majorca

Received from: Spain
Category: Postcrossing - official card
Date: October 2011
Distance: 1994 km
Time of travelling: 8 days

Majorca or Mallorca is an island located in the Mediterranean Sea, one of the Balearic Islands. The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Cabrera Archipelago is administratively grouped with Majorca (in the municipality of Palma). The anthem of Majorca is La Balanguera. Like the other Balearic Islands of Ibiza, Formentera and Minorca, the island is a highly popular holiday destination, particularly for tourists from the United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland and the Scandinavian countries. The name derives from Latin insula maior, "larger island"; later Maiorica, "the larger one" in comparison to Minorca, "the smaller one."

Kiy-Island

Received from: Russia
Category: Slavic Countries RR
Date: October 2011

Kiy-Island is an island in the Onega Bay of the White Sea, 8 km off-shore and 15 km from the town of Onega. The island stretches for 2 kilometres from north-west to south-east, but its width does not exceed 800 meters.The island includes wide and sandy beaches, piny woods rich with berries, and large rocks. It has a remarkably interesting architectural ensemble, and hosts the history of the Kiysky Krestny monastery. Thousands of tourists go and visit the island.

Belarus

Received from: Belarus
Category: Postcrossing - official card
Date: October 2011
Distance: 474 km
Time of travelling: 6 days

Coat of arms of Karol Stanisław Radziwiłł.
Prince Karol Stanisław Radziwiłł (Lithuanian: Karolis Stanislovas Radvila; 1734–90) was a Polish-Lithuanian szlachcic, voivod of Vilnius and starosta of Lwów. He is frequently referred to by his idiolect "Panie Kochanku" ("My Dear Sir") to distinguish him from his earlier namesake (1669–1719).

Holland

Received from: the Netherlands
Category: Choose a country RR
Date: October 2011

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders with Belgium, Germany, and the United Kingdom. It is a parliamentary democracy organised as a unitary state. The country capital is Amsterdam and the seat of government is The Hague. The Netherlands in its entirety is often referred to as Holland, although North and South Holland are actually only two of its twelve provinces (a case of pars pro toto; see terminology of "the Netherlands").

Antalya

Received from: Turkey
Category: Slavic Countries RR
Date: October 2011

Antalya (from Greek: Aττάλεια, "Attalia") is a city on the Mediterranean coast of southwestern Turkey. With a population 1,001,318 as of 2010. It is the eighth most populous city in Turkey and country's biggest international sea resort.

Fort Provintia

Received from: Taiwan
Category: Postcrossing - official card
Date: October 2011
Distance: 8534 km
Time of travelling: 19 days

Chihkan Tower, formerly Fort Provintia in West Central District, Tainan City was built in 1653 by the Dutch during their colonization of Taiwan. The fort was surrendered to Koxinga. Since 1945 the site has been known as 'Red-topped Tower'. This name derives from the Taiwanese aboriginal word Chakam. In addition to the site's architectural and artistic significance, its library of dictionaries and business transactions documents the Siraya language spoken by the native inhabitants of the region during Dutch rule.

Canada

Received from: Canada
Category: Postcrossing - official card
Date: October 2011
Distance: 7528 km
Time of travelling: 13 days

The national flag of Canada, also known as the Maple Leaf, and l'Unifolié (French for "the one-leafed"), is a red flag with a white square in its centre, featuring a stylized 11-pointed red maple leaf. Its adoption in 1965 marked the first time a national flag had been officially adopted in Canada to replace the Union Flag. The Canadian Red Ensign had been unofficially used since the 1890s and was approved by a 1945 Order in Council for use "wherever place or occasion may make it desirable to fly a distinctive Canadian flag".

Shanghai

Received from: China
Category: Postcrossing - official card
Date: October 2011
Distance: 7937 km
Time of travelling: 16 days

The Poland Pavilion is composed of three concepts: Human, Creativity and the City. As a perfect example of the Polish architecture, it mirrors the combination of modernity and folk art, representing the creativity and imagination of Poland. The design of the Poland Pavilion, appearing to be a folded paper box, is inspired by its folk art: paper cut-outs. During daytime, the exhibition hall will be filled with light filtering through paper-cutting patterns; at night, it will shine with different colors and leave a deep impression on its visitors.

Garda

Received from: Italy
Category: Postcrossing - official card
Date: October 2011
Distance: 1084 km
Time of travelling: 8 days

Lake Garda is the largest lake in Italy. It is located in Northern Italy, about half-way between Brescia and Verona, and between Venice and Milan. Glaciers formed this alpine region at the end of the last ice age. The lake and its shoreline are divided between the provinces of Verona (to the southeast), Brescia (southwest), and Trentino (north). Being easily accessible from the north via the Brenner Pass, the lake is a major tourist destination, including a number of exclusive hotels and resorts along its shore.

Oregon

Received from: the USA
Category: Choose a country RR
Date: October 2011

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern boundaries, respectively. The area was inhabited by many indigenous tribes before the arrival of traders, explorers, and settlers who formed an autonomous government in Oregon Country in 1843. The Oregon Territory was created in 1848, and Oregon became the 33rd state on February 14, 1859.

Pittsburgh

Received from: the USA
Category: Slavic Countries RR
Date: October 2011

Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States.The population of the city in 2010 was 305,704, while that of the seven-county metropolitan area stood at 2,356,285. Downtown Pittsburgh retains substantial economic influence, ranking at 25th in the nation for jobs within the urban core and 6th in job density. The characteristic shape of Pittsburgh's central business district is a triangular tract carved by the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, which form the Ohio River. The city features 151 high-rise buildings, 446 bridges, two inclined railways, and a pre-revolutionary fortification. Pittsburgh is known colloquially as "The City of Bridges" and "The Steel City" for its many bridges and former steel manufacturing base.

Tioman Island

Received from: Malaysia
Category: private swap
Date: October 2011

Tioman Island (locally known as Gunung Daik Bercabang Tiga) is a small island located 32 km off the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia in the state of Pahang, and is some 39 km long and 12 km wide. It has eight main villages, the largest and most populous being Kampung Tekek in the north. The densely forested island is sparsely inhabited, and is surrounded by numerous coral reefs, making it a popular scuba diving spot. There are also a lot of resorts and chalets around the island which has duty free status.

Sochi

Received from: Russia
Category: Postcrossing - official card
Date: October 2011
Distance: 1754 km
Time of travelling: 49 days

Sochi is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, situated just north of Russia's border with the de facto independent republic of Abkhazia, on the Black Sea coast. Greater Sochi sprawls for 145 kilometers (90 mi) along the shores of the Black Sea near the Caucasus Mountains. According to the preliminary results of the 2010 Census, the city had a permanent population of 343,285; up from 328,809 recorded in the 2002 Census, making it Russia's largest resort city.

Prague

Received from: Czech Republic
Category: Slavic Countries RR
Date: October 2011

Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million. The city has a temperate oceanic climate with warm summers and chilly winters.
Prague has been a political, cultural and economic centre of Europe and particularly central Europe during its 1,100 year existence. For centuries, during the Gothic and Renaissance eras, Prague was the permanent seat of two Holy Roman Emperors and thus was also the capital of the Holy Roman Empire. Later it was an important city in the Habsburg Monarchy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and after World War I became the capital of Czechoslovakia. The city played major roles in the Protestant Reformation, the Thirty Years' War, and in 20th-century history, during both World Wars and the post-war Communist era.

Croatia

Received from: Croatia
Category: Choose a Country RR
Date: October 2011
Time of travelling: 8 days

The Croatian flag consists of three equal size, horizontal stripes in the pan-Slavic colours red, white and blue. The flag combines the colours of the flags of the Kingdom of Croatia (red and white), the Kingdom of Slavonia (white and blue) and the Kingdom of Dalmatia (red and blue). Those three kingdoms are the historic constituent states of the Croatian Kingdom. In the middle is the Coat of Arms of Croatia.