A postcard from each corner of the World
List of countries I received postcards from.
Ivory Coast or Côte d’Ivoire is African country with beach resorts and rainforests, and it is world’s largest exporter of cocoa beans. Prior to its colonization by Europeans, Ivory Coast was home to several states. It was colonized by France in 1893, and achieved independence in 1960.
Fun fact: Abidjan, Ivory Coast’s largest city, is the city with the third largest French speaking population anywhere in the world.
Turin is the in northern Italy, known for its refined architecture and cuisine. It was first capital city of Italy (1861 to 1865). Turin is the home of the Juventus F.C. football team, the headquarters of automobile manufacturers FIAT, Lancia and Alfa Romeo, and it was the host of the 2006 Winter Olympics.
Israel, a Middle Eastern country on the Mediterranean Sea, is regarded by Jews, Christians and Muslims as the biblical Holy Land. Its most sacred sites are in Jerusalem. Within its Old City, the Temple Mount complex includes the Dome of the Rock shrine, the historic Western Wall, Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Wexford is a town in Ireland. The town was founded by the Vikings in about 800 AD, and for about three hundred years it was a Viking town, a city state, independent from Irish king. Today Wexford is known for its medieval lanes and the opera festival held in the modern National Opera House.
Fun fact: The food of Wexford is distinct from the rest of Ireland, due to the local cultivation of seafood, smoked cod, mussels and rissoles being token dishes in the region.
During ancient times, lands that now constitute Iraq were known as Mesopotamia (“Land Between the Rivers”), a region whose extensive alluvial plains gave rise to some of the world’s earliest civilizations. Pictured on this card is Al Abbas Holy Shrine, which is located in the center of the old city of Karbala in Iraq. Tens of millions of people who visit it annually during pilgrimage.
The ancient city of Persepolis (“the city of the Persians”) was the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire (late 6th century to early 5th century BC). It is located in Fars Province, Iran. Pictured on the card is part of the Ruins of the Gate of All Nations. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Borobudur is a 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist temple in Central Java, Indonesia. The temple consists of nine stacked platforms, six square and three circular, topped by a central dome. It is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. The central dome is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues, each seated inside a perforated stupa. It is the world’s largest Buddhist temple, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Bellary Fort is situated in the historic city of Bellary in India. It consists of two parts: the Upper Fort and the Lower Fort. The Upper Fort was build first, in 16th century, and the Lower Fort was built in the 18th century. Today this historical site is a major attraction.
Similar to Guernsey, the Isle of Man (also known as Mann) is a self-governing British Crown dependency. It is located in the Irish Sea between England and Ireland. Interesting fact: island’s currency is Sterling – but the island prints its own notes and coins which are not acceptable in the UK, although Pounds Sterling are accepted on the island.
Iceland is an island country, and it is defined by its dramatic landscape with volcanoes, geysers, hot springs and lava fields. Iceland has around 130 active and inactive volcanoes! The eruption under Eyjafjallajökull in 2010 is most remembered one today because the volcanic ash disrupted air travel in Europe for several weeks.
