A postcard from each corner of the World
Guyana is the only South American nation in which English is the official language. The name of the country means “land of many waters”. Guyana is defined by its dense rain forest, some parts of which are inaccessible by humans. Pictured on the card is Demerara river. It’s currents are so powerful, that they carry the massive quantities of silt from upriver (making it’s water of deep brown color) to considerable distance out to sea.
Guernsey is an island in the English Channel, and is a self-governing British Crown dependency, but is not part of the UK or of the EU. One of the interesting things about Guernsey is it’s large tidal range – one of the largest in the world. Tides transform the coastline roughly every six hours. High tide is perfect for swimming, while children love to explore the rock pools for marooned sea life when the tide retreats.
Guam is an unincorporated territory of the USA (which means it’s controlled by US, but is not part of it) in the Pacific Ocean. The original inhabitants of Guam were the Chamorro people.
The Two Lovers Point, a cliff line towering over Tumon Bay in northern Guam, is pictured on this postcard and take it’s name from the legend of the Chamorro people. The same one you can probably find in any other culture’s – beautiful girl, chiefs daughter, runs away from the arranged marriage plans, falls in love with another guy, and they eventually jump of a cliff together. Today, the Two Lovers Point is a park, and a a popular location for weddings.
Guadeloupe is an island group in the southern Caribbean Sea. Administratively, Guadeloupe is a French overseas region with population of around 400,000. It is an integral part of France, a territory of the European Union and the Eurozone (the euro is its official currency). However, it is not part of the Schengen Area. Guadeloupe islands are a popular vacation spot for French sun seekers.
Grenada is a Caribbean country comprising a main island, also called Grenada, and six smaller islands. Grenada is one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of nutmeg and mace crops, for which it is also known as the “Island of Spice”. It was inhabited by the indigenous Arawaks, then by the Island Caribs; European colonization began in 1650 by French, in 1763 Grenada was ceded to the British, and it finally gained independence in 1974. The origin of the name “Grenada” is not clear, but it is likely that Spanish sailors named the island for the Spanish city of Granada.
Greenland is the world’s largest island, and it is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark. Sisimiut (which literally means “the people at the fox burrows”), is the second-largest city in Greenland with population of around 5600. Fishing is the main industry in there. Sisimiut has been a settlement site for around 4500 years, originally inhabited by the people of the Saqqaq culture who came from Arctic Canada. Today city’s population is a mix of the Inuit and Danish peoples. This postcard shows women in traditional suits.
I received this awesome postcard in envelope, and still looking for stamped postcard from Greenland.
Corfu (Kerkyra in Greek) is Greece’s island in Ionian Sea. The name Corfi is an Italian version of the Byzantine Koryphō (“city of the peaks”), denoting the two peaks of Palaio Frourio. Corfu has many museums, monuments and cultural centers, and the first modern Greek university was established here. Unlike the rest of Greece, Corfu never fell under the Ottoman rule, and was dominated by the Venetians, the French and the British over the centuries, which greatly influenced it’s culture.
Gibraltar, aka The Rock, is a British Overseas Territory located at the bottom of Spain. It is small, but it has huge strategic importance, because navy can control shipping in and out of the Mediterranean. The UK has a naval and military base there for this reason.
I received several awesome postcards in the envelope, and still looking for stamped postcard from Gibraltar.
Ghana is a country located in West Africa. It was the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to gain her independence from colonialism, which happened in 1957. Another cool fact: The currency unit in Ghana is called the cedi, which means cowry shell. Cowry shells (from sea snails) were once used as money in Ghana. Akwaaba – the word on the postcard – means Welcome, and the boy is wearing traditional clothes.
This week I received a very special postcard from Sovereign Military Order of Malta. The Order is based in Rome, so it actually came from Italy. The Order of Malta is a Roman Catholic lay religious order founded circa 1099 in Jerusalem. The Order maintains diplomatic relations with 106 states (Russia included). It has United Nations permanent observer status, enters into treaties, and issues its own passports, coins, and postage stamps. Its two headquarters buildings in Rome enjoy extraterritoriality, similar to embassies, and it maintains embassies in other countries.
Wow, the things you learn while postcrossing 🙂 Thank’s for the card, Irene!
