PALAU

BELARUS

UN VIENNA

This cover from UNO Vienna depicts 2 stamps of the same type, celebrating the Gochang, Hwasun and Ganghwa Dolmen Sites. The Gochang, Hwasun and Ganghwa Dolmen Sites are the location of hundreds of stone dolmens which were used as grave markers, and for ritual purposes during the first millennium BCE when the Megalithic Culture was prominent on the Korean Peninsula. The sites were designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2000. The Korean Peninsula is home to over 35,000 dolmens, accounting for approximately 40% of the world's total; the Gochang, Hwasun, and Ganghwa sites are themselves home to over 1,000 dolmens.

THAILAND

P. R. CHINA

FRENCH POLYNESIA

My 1st cover from French Polynesia and a new country/postal authority in my collection. French Polynesia (French: Polynésie française) is an overseas collectivity of France and its sole overseas country. It comprises 121 geographically dispersed islands and atolls stretching over more than 2,000 kilometres in the South Pacific Ocean. The total land area of French Polynesia is 3,521 square kilometres, with a population of abouth 280,000, of which at least 205,000 live in the Society Islands and the remaining population lives in the rest of the archipelago. Among its 121 islands and atolls, 75 were inhabited at the 2017 census. Tahiti, which is in the Society Islands group, is the most populous island, being home to nearly 69% of the population of French Polynesia as of 2017. Papeete, located on Tahiti, is the capital of French Polynesia.

BRAZIL

This cover from Brazil features a stamp issued in 2024 celebrating the Lençois Maranhenses National Park, a national park in Maranhão state in northeastern Brazil, just east of the Baía de São José. Protected on June 2, 1981, the 155,000 ha park includes 70 km of coastline, and an interior composed of rolling sand dunes. During the rainy season, the valleys among the dunes fill with freshwater lagoons, prevented from draining by the impermeable rock beneath. The park is home to a range of species, including four listed as endangered, and has become a popular destination for ecotourists. In July 2024 the site was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its exceptional beauty and the fact that it is a unique natural aspect in the world.

P. R. CHINA

SRI LANKA

This cover from Sri Lanka depicts 3 different stamps, including a 35.00 stamp (on the right corner) celebrating the Sacred City of Kandy. Kandy is a major city located in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. It was the last capital of the Sinhalese monarchy from 1469 to 1818, under the Kingdom of Kandy. The city is situated in the midst of hills in the Kandy plateau, which crosses an area of tropical plantations, mainly tea. Kandy is both an administrative and religious city and the capital of the Central Province. Kandy is the home of the Temple of the Tooth Relic (Sri Dalada Maligawa), one of the most sacred places of worship in the Buddhist world. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988. Historically the local Buddhist rulers resisted Portuguese, Dutch, and British colonial expansion and occupation.

UN VIENNA

Another cover from UNO Vienna, depicting 2 stamps of the same type celebrating the World Heritage Site Jongmyo Shrine. Jongmyo is a Confucian royal ancestral shrine in the Jongno District of Seoul, South Korea. It was originally built during the Joseon period (1392–1397) for memorial services for deceased kings and queens. According to UNESCO, the shrine is the oldest royal Confucian shrine preserved and the ritual ceremonies continue a tradition established in the 14th century. Such shrines existed during the Three Kingdoms of Korea period (57–668), but these have not survived. The Jongmyo Shrine was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1995.

UN VIENNA

This cover from UNO Vienna depicts 2 stamps of the same type celebrating the World Heritage Site Hwaseong Fortress, a Korean fortress surrounding the centre of Suwon, the provincial capital of Gyeonggi Province. It was built from 1794 to 1796 by King Jeongjo of the Joseon dynasty to house and honour the remains of his father, Prince Sado. Sado had been executed by being locked alive inside a rice chest by his own father King Yeongjo after failing to obey a command to commit suicide. Located 30 kilometres south of Seoul and enclosing much of central Suwon, the fortress includes King Jeongjo's palace Haenggung. The fortress and enclosed palace were designated as a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1997. It comprises among many other features the palace, a perimeter wall, four main gates, and two sluicegates over the Suwoncheon, Suwon's main stream, which flows through the centre of the fortress.

AUSTRIA

This cover from Austria depicts 2 stamps, including the 0,95€ stamp (on the right corner), celebrating the Benedictine Abbey of Melk, a part of the World Heritage Site Wachau Cultural Landscape. The Wachau is an Austrian valley with a picturesque landscape formed by the Danube river. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations of Lower Austria, located midway between the towns of Melk and Krems that also attracts "connoisseurs and epicureans" for its high-quality wines. A well-known place and tourist attraction is Dürnstein, where King Richard I of England was held captive by Leopold V, Duke of Austria. The architectural elegance of its ancient monasteries (Melk Abbey and Göttweig Abbey), castles and ruins combined with the urban architecture of its towns and villages, and the cultivation of vines as an important agricultural produce are the dominant features of the valley. The Wachau was inscribed as Wachau Cultural Landscape in the UNESCO List of World Heritage Sites in recognition of its architectural and agricultural history, in December 2000.