Sunday 7 August 2016

Rivers and Lakes

1936 Overprint of Gabon Stamp of 1933
A log raft on the fast flowing River Ogowe (or Ogooué) which is the principal river of Gabon, its dark waters flowing for 1,200km.  What better river to celebrate on the stamp of Gabon, however this overprint is from 1936 when it and the other French colonies of Middle Congo, Ubangi-Shari and Chad were combined into the one entity of French Equatorial Africa (stamp history here). The four countries had originally issued their own stamps and they would do so again but not until independence in 1960.
1941-44 Definitive - Croatian Scenery
A smaller river, Drina, but one of cool clear waters rising in the mountains of Montenegro and weaving for 346km forming a large part of the border between Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia.  The stamp shows it coming through a high sided gorge in Croatia.
1980: Scenes of Xishuang Banna
A peaceful scene, two people enjoying a rainbow by the side of the Lanchang River which flows through China from North to South and when it leaves China changes its name to the Mekong, eventually entering the Pacific south of Ho Che Min City in Vietnam.  Sometimes called the 'Danube of the East'.
1946: Re-conversion to Peacetime
To visit a vastness of water The Great Bear Lake in the Northern Territories is the place to go.  The largest lake located entirely in Canada and its 7 million acres and 26 islands could take you a lifetime to explore, wrap up warm for it is frozen from November to July.  Perhaps a canoe in balmy times would be ideal but for a shorter trip
1991: Tourism
 head for the Åland Islands.  On the reverse of the card it says -  with a canoe you are near nature.


An entry to Sunday Stamps II theme - Rivers and Lakes - go with the flow on See It On A Postcard


4 comments:

Bob Scotney said...

Five fine stamps all of which are new to me if not the country.

Heleen said...

Such different rivers and a variety of stamp designs! Thank you also for your information, I hadn't heard of the term 'Danube of the East', but by this it immediately makes me realize how large and important this river is! (Maybe we could name the Danube also the 'Lanchang/Mekong of the West')

FinnBadger said...

Wonderful selection today. I always think that overprinted stamps give a fascinating glimpse into history.

VioletSky said...

That is some raft going down the River Ogowe!
It's interesting that all these stamps, save the one showing NWT, have people enjoying the water.