UNESCO - Island of Gorée, Senegal

The Island of Gorée lies off the coast of Senegal, opposite Dakar. From the 15th to the 19th century, it was the largest slave-trading centre on the African coast. Ruled in succession by the Portuguese, Dutch, English and French, its architecture is characterized by the contrast between the grim slave-quarters and the elegant houses of the slave traders. Today it continues to serve as a reminder of human exploitation and as a sanctuary for reconciliation.

Uhm uhm...not even sure if this qualifies as an Unesco card as it doesn't show any infrastructure; but i'll be cheeky with this one heh xD

African Dancers, Kenya

This is a surprise card from a travel agency! I love it :)))

A few months ago there was a competition arranged by Croatian travel agency Da Da Da, Qatar Airways and Intrepid Travel - the task was to make a motivational video for travelling, using own footage and/or photos. The prize? Trip to Tanzania and Kenya! No greater inspiration possible ;) As I had no experience whatsoever with making videos it was quite a challenge, but in the end I am pretty happy with my 'baby' (although I didn't even enter the first 10 places, but the journey was interesting!) Now let me figure out how to post it here...

UNESCO - Island Of Mozambique

                                    
One country that was missing in the account of Ash's travels thru Africa - beautiful Mozambique. They are oversized cards, I guess I've put them in a different place and forgot about them...These views are so tempting, a hut on a seaside, baobab trees in the background..:)

As I only additionally realised that the 1st card is Unesco WHS, I should add some information about Island of Mozambique (Ilha de Moçambique) - it bears important witness to the establishment and development of the Portuguese maritime routes between western Europe and the Indian subcontinent and thence all of Asia. The town and the fortifications on the island, and on the smaller island of St Laurent, are an outstanding example of an architecture in which local traditions, Portuguese influences, and to a somewhat lesser extent Indian and Arab influences, are all interwoven.

The Republic of Mozambique is a country in southeastern Africa on the Indian Ocean coast, bordering Tanzania to the north and South Africa to the south. It was colonised by Portugal in 1505 and regained independance in 1975. It is rich in natural resources (e.g. aluminium, petroleum) and is becoming more and more popular in tourism. Judging by these images, rightfully so!

Cheetah, Namibia

As it sez on the back of the card 'over 90% of namibia's cheetah, which need a very large range and do not breed well in captivity, are found on commercial farmlands.' such a beautiful, graceful animal! as most people already know, cheetah is the fastest land animal and can achieve speed of 120km/h (75mph)...! another interesting characteristic is that it is the only felid with non-retractable claws, which disallows gripping.

A completely new realisation for me is that there is the subspecies Asian Cheetah, which is critically endangered and can be only spotted in Iran (with reported rare sightseeings in Pakistan). I am always so sad to learn about the dying-out species.....

Big thanks to Anja for her choice of a card from her holiday :)

Ethiopia

Yet another case of a postcard that exhilerated me despite my friend's thinking that it is not my cup of tea! Traditional ethiopian hair styles :) and a handsome bushback on the stamp. Posted on the 31st of October, 2008.

Tis Issat Falls (Smoking Water) near Bahir Dar. The town is one of the leading tourist destinations in Ethiopia, and the falls are also known as Blue Nile Falls.

Nairobi, Kenya

Next stop - Nairobi. With population of over 3 mil it bears an unexpected title of 'Green City in the Sun'! Sent on the 22nd of October, 2008.

Views Of Uganda

Kampala, the capital of Uganda. Big & hectic! Noisy & polluted! And with possibly the best post office in the whole of Africa, yay!

The nature continues to be stunningly beautiful: Rwenzori mountains (permanently snow-capped, with the highest peak at 5109 m - also one of the 3 Unesco sites in Uganda); Virunga Mountains (home to the critically endangered mountain gorillas); fossil rock in Karamoja; Crate lake in Queen Elizabeth National Park; Lake Bunyonyi (safe for swimming!) and Murchison Falls (Uganda's largest national park, spread around the Victoria Nile). Who wouldn't want to see all this?!

The postcard was sent on the 8th of November?

Mountain Gorilla, Rwanda

'The countryside is really beautiful, all hills, rivers, everything green as far as the eye can see'. These are the words used by my friend to describe this lush country, famous for the gorillas and the american zoologist Diane Fossey coming to the forests here to study them. They are more specifically mountain gorillas, the subspecies of the Eastern Gorilla, counting only some 700 individuals in the wild. It costs $500 to spend an hour or less with these animals! But all for a good cause :)

Additionally noticed: a lizard stamp! Chameleon :)

UNESCO - Stone Town of Zanzibar, Tanzania

 Zanzibar was once a separate state; in 1964 it united with Tanganyika to form Tanzania. and is now its semi-autonomous part. Its main industry is spices trade.

I love this unification of both postcard and stamp having the same motive of a dhow, traditional arab sailing vessel :) Sent on the19th of August, 2008.

The Stone Town of Zanzibar is a fine example of the Swahili coastal trading towns of East Africa. It is located on the western coast of Unguja, the main island of the Zanzibar Archipelago. It is a former capital of the Zanzibar Sultanate, and was a flourishing centre of the spice trade as well as the slave trade in the 19th century.

The most well-known feature of Zanzibari houses are the finely decorated wooden doors, with rich carvings and bas-reliefs, sometimes with big brass studs of Indian tradition. Those of Indian style have rounded tops, while those in the Omani Arab style are rectangular. Gorgeous :)

 Monkeys are not my fav animals but this one is really cute! As this postcard arrived with the other two, I am sneaking it in under an Unesco post ... xD

Lake Malawi

To quote my friend: 'Doesn't This Look Like Paradise?' And I nod to confirm! Malawi was definately one of the highlights of his trip as I hear about it so often and wish myself that I was able to fly over there tomorrow :D Memories are of relaxing, taking it easy, meeting friendly locals and...breathing the life into one's lungs. What more is there to ask for?

(After a longish googling session still couldn't discern if this could be Unesco)

UNESCO - Mosi-oa-Tunya / Victoria Falls, Zambia

The superfamous Victoria Falls are certainly one of the Zambia' major sites. Considered to be one of the seven Natural Wonders of the World, they may be the largest waterfalls in the world at the width of 1,708 meters and the hight of 108 meters. The indigenous name is Mosi-oa-Tunya, which translates to 'Smoke that Thunders'.

Sent sometime in July 2008 :)
The Kayowe Dancer on thestamp remains a mystery!

UNESCO - Okavango Delta, Botswana

Beautiful Botswana! Okavango Delta is the world's largest inland delta, and a source of life for countless animal species in the dry winter months. As my friend can testify it looks amazing from above! Herds of elephants and giraffes accross the endless plain...He even met an eagle soaring in the air :) I remember the aeral shots of the delta in the documentary narrated by my favourite author Sir David Attenborough - Planet Earth...something so stunning is impossible to forget.
The area is on the Unesco WHS tentative list since 2010.

Edit: since me posting this, Okavango Delta has moved on to be WHS :)

Windhoek, Namibia

Accross the uncertainties of the Congos and Angola to the tranquil Namibia...

Windhoek is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Namibia, located at its centre in the  Khomas Highland plateau area, at around 1,700 metres above sea level. The population of Windhoek in 2011 was 322,500 and grows continually due to an influx from all over Namibia.

Love the postcard with lionesses! And such a cool story to accompany it - in the Etosha national park many animals were seen during camping; your typical african bunch of lions, elephants, zebra, oryx, springbok, ostrich, giraffes...even a caracal..! And I've never heard of dik-diks before then, but they are immensely cute!!!

This postcard with a leopard stamp was sent on the 27th of May, 2008.

São Tomé and Príncipe

I will shamefully admit that I didn't have a proper notion of São Tomé and Príncipe's geographical position until I got this postcard..! I had no idea it was on the itinerary, in fact it really wasn't but more of a spur-of-the-moment journey :) I am so glad it was made as my friend has told me so many nice things about it - I dare say it was one of the highlights..?

The islands São Tomé and Príncipe are situated some 250 km off the northwestern coast of Gabon, and are also 140 km apart from each other. Both islands are part of an extinct volcanic mountain range.The state gained independance from Portugal in 1975. Its the Africa's second smallest country!

When you receive a postcard from such a rare country (I wonder if I'll ever get another one..!) its great to get a multiview which represents its highlights - very happy!

 

Views Of Gabon

Gabon looks like a looovely country! Libreville was reached after an 'epic 35-hour journey' and proved to be a pleasant city. It was founded by slaves who were carried on a brazilian ship for sale but were freed by the French Army - hence the name.

 

The middle postcard is a riddle...But the last one shows the Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Lambarene - it was founded almost a century ago to study major causes of disease burden in the local population, only to become a leading African research centre. And as it turns out this is one of the seven Gabonaise sites waiting on Unesco's tentative list :)

Unfortunatelly I wasn't very successful in finding out who these stamps show but they are cool aren't they? It would have helped if I understood french...! This postcard was sent on the 9th of May, 2008.

Tribesman From Cameroon

Through Nigeria to Cameroon...this postcard travelled for many months and it was a great surprise! It was funny cos my friend actually apologised for not being able to find a view card - but i explained that the diversity is great and that i loved it..! The photo shows a notable tribesman, I only wish it said more details...This postcard is sent on the27th of March, 2008. I love the stamp with a collage map of Cameroon :)

Niamey, Niger

 

Through Togo and Benin (and its splendid beaches) to Niger...

To my friend's regret he didn't have time to explore many natural wonders of Niger, among them Air and Tenere nature reserve, 2nd largest in Africa. But he found the capital Niamey as friendly and pleasant as most cities and places he visited during his stay in western Africa. The city was founded on the east ("left bank") of the Niger River, here you can see the Kennedy bridge whose construction enabled Niamey to expand onto the right bank of the river to the west.
On the stamp is (former) president of Niger Mamadou Tandja, who was overthrown in a military coup d'etat in February 2010.
(How did I manage to scan this so crookedly..?!)

UNESCO - Forts and Castles, Ghana

Known as The Gold Coast until 1957, when it achieved independance from the United Kingdom and was named after the ancient Ghana Empire (8-13th century) - Ghana meaning the Warrior King. The first Europeans to arrive at the coast were the Portuguese, who built the Elmina Castle in 1482 (top left). Prince's Town (down right) is a fort built by the Brandenburgers in 1683. I was told this photo doesn't do it justice..! Additionaly I've found out this card is Unesco, yay :))

This postcard was sent on the 22nd of February, 2008. This stamp shows the famous Kente designs, which is an Ashanti hand-woven ceremonial cloth. It is normally much more colourful!

Views Of Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso...such an enigmatic country. Up until 1984 it was known as The Republic Of Upper Volta. Then it was renamed into the current meaning 'the land of upright people'. The capital is Ouagadougou (I always found this name cool!) where the 2nd postcard is from - upper left photo shows the Grande Mosque, and the down-right one the cathedral.

This postcard was sent on the 4th of February, 2008. A very cool stamp with traditional BF hat.