Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico, officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the northeast Caribbean Sea, approximately 1.600 km southeast of Miami, Florida.

An archipelago among the Greater Antilles, located between the Dominican Republic and the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico includes the eponymous main island and several smaller islands, such as Mona, Culebra, and Vieques. The capital and most populous city is San Juan. The territory's total population is approximately 3,4 million. Spanish and English are the official languages of the executive branch of government, though Spanish predominates.

Originally populated by the indigenous Taíno people, Puerto Rico was colonized by Spain following the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1493. It was contested by the French, Dutch, and British, but remained a Spanish possession for the next four centuries. The island's cultural and demographic landscapes were shaped by the displacement and assimilation of the native population, the forced migration of African slaves, and settlement from the Canary Islands and Andalusia. In the Spanish Empire, Puerto Rico played a secondary but strategic role compared to wealthier colonies like Peru and New Spain. Spain's distant administrative control continued up to the end of the 19th century, producing a distinctive creole Hispanic culture and language that combined indigenous, African, and European elements. On 23 September 1868, Ramón Emeterio Betances unleashed a revolt against Spanish rule, declaring for the first time the idea of Puerto Ricans as a distinct people, with right to sovereignty. This revolt, known as El Grito de Lares, was eventually put down by Spanish forces, but the movement continued. In 1898, following the Spanish-American War, the United States acquired Puerto Rico under the terms of the Treaty of Paris. Since then, Puerto Rico has remained an unincorporated territorial possession, making it the world's oldest colony.

Puerto Ricans have been citizens of the United States since 1917, and can move freely between the island and the mainland. As it is not a state, Puerto Rico does not have a vote in the United States Congress, which governs the territory with full jurisdiction under the Puerto Rico Federal Relations Act of 1950. However, Puerto Rico does have one non-voting member of the House called a Resident Commissioner. As residents of a U.S. territory, American citizens in Puerto Rico are disenfranchised at the national level and do not vote for the president or vice president of the United States, and only some residents pay federal income tax. Like other territories and the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico does not have U.S. senators. Congress approved a local constitution in 1952, allowing U.S. citizens of the territory to elect a governor. Puerto Rico's future political status has consistently been a matter of significant debate.

Since Puerto Rico does not issue stamps, I chose four US stamps with a Puerto Rico theme. First the flag from the Flags of our Nation series, two stamps from the tropical birds issue from 1998 and the stamp for the 250th anniversary of San Juan from 1971. The envelope came back from the San Juan main post office in just under a month, but again with a machine cancellation that ruined the two bird stamps.

Date sent: 6 June 2017

Date postmark: 29 June 2017

Date received: 4 July 2017

Number of days: 28

Envelope in collection: 209

United States of America - South Dakota

In my World envelope collection I do not just want to have envelopes from stamp-issuing countries and territories, but also from other regions. This includes the 50 states of the United States of America. This envelope comes from the state of South Dakota, lying in the Midwestern region of the United States. It was the 40th state, admitted in 1889.

South Dakota is a U.S. state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who compose a large portion of the population and historically dominated the territory. South Dakota is the seventeenth largest by area, but the fifth smallest by population and the 5th least densely populated of the 50 United States. As the southern part of the former Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on 2 November 1889, simultaneously with North Dakota. Pierre is the state capital and Sioux Falls, with a population of about 187.200, is South Dakota's largest city.

South Dakota is bordered by the states of North Dakota (to the north), Minnesota (to the east), Iowa (to the southeast), Nebraska (to the south), Wyoming (to the west), and Montana (to the northwest). The state is bisected by the Missouri River, dividing South Dakota into two geographically and socially distinct halves, known to residents as "East River" and "West River".

Eastern South Dakota is home to most of the state's population, and the area's fertile soil is used to grow a variety of crops. West of the Missouri River, ranching is the predominant agricultural activity, and the economy is more dependent on tourism and defense spending. Most of the Native American reservations are in West River. The Black Hills, a group of low pine-covered mountains sacred to the Sioux, are in the southwest part of the state. Mount Rushmore, a major tourist destination, is there. South Dakota has a temperate continental climate, with four distinct seasons and precipitation ranging from moderate in the east to semi-arid in the west. The state's ecology features species typical of a North American grassland biome.

Humans have inhabited the area for several millennia, with the Sioux becoming dominant by the early 19th century. In the late 19th century, European-American settlement intensified after a gold rush in the Black Hills and the construction of railroads from the east. Encroaching miners and settlers triggered a number of Indian wars, ending with the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890. Key events in the 20th century included the Dust Bowl and Great Depression, increased federal spending during the 1940s and 1950s for agriculture and defense, and an industrialization of agriculture that has reduced family farming.

The stamps were affixed by me and come from the Flags of our nation, State birds and Greetings series and the stamp commemorating the 100th anniversary of statehood. I sent the envelope to the post office in the capital Pierreto be postmarked. It arrived back in over two months with a nice datestamp, but again with a terrible black machine postmark.

Date sent: 2 May 2017

Date postmark: 28 June 2017

Date received: 4 July 2017

Number of days: 63

Envelope in collection: 207

Palau

Palau, officially the Republic of Palau, is an island country located in the western Pacific Ocean. The country contains approximately 340 islands, and together with parts of the Federated States of Micronesia, forms the western chain of the Caroline Islands. Its area is 466 km². The most populous island is Koror. The capital Ngerulmud is located on the nearby island of Babeldaob, in Melekeok State. Palau shares maritime boundaries with the Philippines, Indonesia, and Micronesia.

The country was originally settled approximately 3.000 years ago by migrants from Insular Southeast Asia. The islands were first explored by Europeans in the 16th century, and were made part of the Spanish East Indies in 1574. Following Spain's defeat in the Spanish-American War in 1898, the islands were sold to Imperial Germany in 1899 under the terms of the German-Spanish Treaty, where they were administered as part of German New Guinea. After World War I the islands were made a part of the Japanese-ruled South Pacific Mandate by the League of Nations. During World War II, skirmishes, including the major Battle of Peleliu, were fought between American and Japanese troops as part of the Mariana and Palau Islands campaign. Along with other Pacific Islands, Palau was made a part of the United States-governed Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands in 1947. Having voted against joining the Federated States of Micronesia in 1979, the islands gained full sovereignty in 1994 under a Compact of Free Association with the United States.

Politically, Palau is a presidential republic in free association with the United States, which provides defence, funding, and access to social services. Legislative power is concentrated in the bicameral Palau National Congress. Palau's economy is based mainly on tourism, subsistence agriculture and fishing, with a significant portion of gross national product (GNP) derived from foreign aid. The country uses the United States dollar as its currency. The islands' culture mixes Micronesian, Melanesian, Asian, and Western elements. Ethnic Palauans, the majority of the population, are of mixed Micronesian, Melanesian, and Austronesian descent. A smaller proportion of the population is descended from Japanese. The country's two official languages are Palauan (a member of the Austronesian language family) and English, with Japanese, Sonsorolese, and Tobian recognized as regional languages.

For this envelope I first emailed Palau Post to ask what the rate was for a letter from Palau to the Netherlands and if older Palau stamps were still valid. I mailed on Friday and on Monday I got an answer from Edwin of the ROP Postal Service. Older stamps were still valid and the tariff was US$ 1,20. Online I bought a block of four stamps from 2016 with 'Rare birds of Palau'. Each stamp was US$ 1,50. I used the one with the Palau flycatcher. After one month it returned with perfect postmarks. There was a machine cancellation from Honolulu (Hawaii), but that was only a small one that did not touch the stamp.

Website of the Republic of Palau Postal Service: palaupost.pw.

Date sent: 31 May 2017

Date postmark: 19 June 2017

Date received: 1 July 2017

Number of days: 31

Envelope in collection: 204

Guam

Guam is an unincorporated and organized territory of the United States in Micronesia in the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States, along with the Northern Mariana Islands. The capital city of Guam is Hagåtña and the most populous city is Dededo. The inhabitants of Guam are called Guamanians, and they are American citizens by birth. The indigenous Guamanians are the Chamorros, who are related to other Austronesian natives of Eastern Indonesia, the Philippines, and Taiwan. Guam has been a member of the Pacific Community since 1983.

In 2016, 162.742 people resided on Guam. Guam has an area of 540 km². In Oceania, it is the largest and southernmost of the Mariana Islands and the largest island in Micronesia. Since the 1960s, the economy has been supported by two industries: tourism and the United States Armed Forces.

The indigenous Chamorros settled the island approximately 4.000 years ago. Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, while in the service of Spain, was the first European to visit the island, on 6 March 1521. Guam was colonized by Spain in 1668 with settlers, including Diego Luis de San Vitores, a Catholic Jesuit missionary. Between the 16th century and the 18th century, Guam was an important stopover for the Spanish Manila Galleons. During the Spanish-American War, the United States captured Guam on 21 June 1898. Under the Treaty of Paris, Spain ceded Guam to the United States on 10 December 1898. Guam is among the 17 non-self-governing territories listed by the United Nations.

On7 December 1941, hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Guam was captured by the Japanese, who occupied the island for two and a half years. During the occupation, Guamanians were subjected to beheadings, forced labour, rape, and torture. American forces recaptured the island on 21 July 1944; Liberation Day commemorates the victory.

An unofficial but frequently used territorial motto is "Where America's Day Begins", which refers to the island's proximity to the International Date Line.

For the envelope from Guam I used the flag stamp from the Flags of our nation series and the 2007 air mail stamp with a view of Hagåtña Bay. The envelope arrived back in one month with two nice datestamps but also with a machine cancellation. Although different than earlier cancellations, it still ruined the beautiful stamps.

Date sent: 2 June 2017

Date postmark: 18 June 2017

Date received: 1 July 2017

Number of days: 29

Envelope in collection: 203

United States of America - Oklahoma

In my World envelope collection I do not just want to have envelopes from stamp-issuing countries and territories, but also from other regions. This includes the 50 states of the United States of America. This envelope comes from the state of Oklahoma, lying in the South Central region of the United States. It was the 46th state, admitted in 1907.

Oklahoma is bordered by the state of Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New Mexico on the west, and Colorado on the northwest. It is the 20th-most extensive and the 28th-most populous of the 50 United States. The state's name is derived from the Choctaw words okla and humma, meaning "red people". It is also known informally by its nickname "The Sooner State", in reference to the non-Native settlers who staked their claims on land before the official opening date of lands in the western Oklahoma Territory or before the Indian Appropriations Act of 1889, which increased European-American settlement in the eastern Indian Territory. Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory were merged into the State of Oklahoma when it became the 46th state to enter the union on 16 November 1907. Its residents are known as Oklahomans (or colloquially "Okies"), and its capital and largest city is Oklahoma City.

A major producer of natural gas, oil, and agricultural products, Oklahoma relies on an economic base of aviation, energy, telecommunications, and biotechnology. Both Oklahoma City and Tulsa serve as Oklahoma's primary economic anchors, with nearly two-thirds of Oklahomans living within their metropolitan statistical areas.

With ancient mountain ranges, prairie, mesas, and eastern forests, most of Oklahoma lies in the Great Plains, Cross Timbers, and the U.S. Interior Highlands, a region prone to severe weather. More than 25 Native American languages are spoken in Oklahoma, ranking third behind Alaska and California.

Oklahoma is on a confluence of three major American cultural regions and historically served as a route for cattle drives, a destination for Southern settlers, and a government-sanctioned territory for Native Americans.

The stamps were affixed by me and come from the Flags of our nation and Greetings series and the stamp commemorating the 100th anniversary of statehood. I sent the envelope to the post office in the capital Oklahoma City to be postmarked. It arrived back in three weeks with a perfect datestamp inside a transparent cover to protect it from the sorting machine.

Date sent: 6 June 2017

Date postmark: 19 June 2017

Date received: 27 June 2017

Number of days: 21

Envelope in collection: 201

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in South Asia, located in the Indian Ocean to the southwest of the Bay of Bengal and to the southeast of the Arabian Sea. The island is geographically separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait. The legislative capital, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, is a suburb of the commercial capital and largest city, Colombo.

Sri Lanka's documented history spans 3.000 years, with evidence of pre-historic human settlements dating back to at least 125.000 years. It has a rich cultural heritage and the first known Buddhist writings of Sri Lanka, the Pāli Canon, date back to the Fourth Buddhist council in 29 BC. Its geographic location and deep harbours made it of great strategic importance from the time of the ancient Silk Road through to the modern Maritime Silk Road.

Sri Lanka was known from the beginning of British colonial rule as Ceylon. A nationalist political movement arose in the country in the early 20th century to obtain political independence, which was granted in 1948; the country became a republic and adopted its current name in 1972. Sri Lanka's recent history has been marred by a 26-year civil war, which ended decisively when the Sri Lanka Armed Forces defeated the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2009.

The current constitution stipulates the political system as a republic and a unitary state governed by a semi-presidential system. It has had a long history of international engagement, as a founding member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), and a member of the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations, the G77, and the Non-Aligned Movement. Along with the Maldives, Sri Lanka is one of only two South Asian countries rated "high" on the Human Development Index (HDI), with its HDI rating and per capita income the highest among South Asian nations. The Sri Lankan constitution accords Buddhism the "foremost place", although it does not identify it as a state religion. Buddhism is given special privileges in the Sri Lankan constitution.

The island is home to many cultures, languages and ethnicities. The majority of the population are from the Sinhalese ethnicity, while a large minority of Tamils have also played an influential role in the island's history. Moors, Burghers, Malays, Chinese, and the indigenous Vedda are also established groups on the island.

For this envelope I bought a series of stamps online. It was from 2016 featuring animals from Kumana National Park. I used three out of six that made up the tariff of 75 rupees. It arrived back in only 27 days with a nice postmark from the Headquarters P.O. in Colombo.

Website of the Philatelic Bureau of Sri Lanka: stamps.gov.lk.

Date sent: 31 May 2017

Date postmark: 12 June 2017

Date received: 27 June 2017

Number of days: 27

Envelope in collection: 199

United States of America - District of Columbia

In my World envelope collection I do not just want to have envelopes from stamp-issuing countries and territories, but also from other regions. This includes the 50 states of the United States of America. This envelope is not from a state, but from the capital of the United States, known as the District of Columbia.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington; D.C.; or the district, is the capital of the United States. Founded after the American Revolution as the seat of government of the newly independent country, Washington was named after George Washington, the first president of the United States and a Founding Father. As the seat of the United States federal government and several international organizations, Washington is an important world political capital. The city, located on the Potomac River bordering Maryland and Virginia, is one of the most visited cities in the world, with more than 20 million tourists annually.

The signing of the Residence Act on 16 July 1790, approved the creation of a capital district located along the Potomac River on the country's East Coast. The U.S. Constitution provided for a federal district under the exclusive jurisdiction of the U.S. Congress, and the District is therefore not a part of any U.S. state. The states of Maryland and Virginia each donated land to form the federal district, which included the pre-existing settlements of Georgetown and Alexandria. The City of Washington was founded in 1791 to serve as the new national capital. In 1846, Congress returned the land originally ceded by Virginia, including the city of Alexandria; in 1871, it created a single municipal government for the remaining portion of the District.

Washington had an estimated population of 702.455 as of July 2018. Commuters from the surrounding Maryland and Virginia suburbs raise the city's daytime population to more than one million during the workweek.

All three branches of the U.S. federal government are centered in the District: Congress (legislative), the president (executive), and the Supreme Court (judicial). Washington is home to many national monuments, and museums, primarily situated on or around the National Mall. The city hosts 177 foreign embassies as well as the headquarters of many international organizations, trade unions, non-profits, lobbying groups, and professional associations, including the World Bank Group, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Organization of American States.

A locally elected mayor and a 13‑member council have governed the District since 1973. However, Congress maintains supreme authority over the city and may overturn local laws. D.C. residents elect a non-voting, at-large congressional delegate to the House of Representatives, but the District has no representation in the Senate. District voters choose three presidential electors in accordance with the Twenty-third Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified in 1961.

The stamps were affixed by me and come from the Flags of our nation series, a stamp commemorating the 200th anniversary of the foundation of the district, a commemorative stamp from 2003 and one from 2011 with the portrait of George Washington. I sent the envelope to the Washington main post office to be postmarked. It arrived back in just over a month with a perfect datestamp. Fortunately the envelope went through the American sorting machine back to front to the terrible wavy postmark was put on the back.

Date sent: 22 May 2017

Date postmark: 20 June 2017

Date received: 27 June 2017

Number of days: 36

Envelope in collection: 198

Mustique

Mustique is a small private island that is one of the Grenadines, a chain of islands in the West Indies, and like most of these it is part of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The island is located within Grenadines Parish, an administrative area of the country. The closest nearby island is Petite Mustique, located 1 mile south of Mustique, which is uninhabited and was the centre of a real estate scam in the early 2000s. Ferry service is provided to the island from St. Vincent on the M/V Endeavour.

The island covers 5,7 km² and it has several coral reefs. The land fauna includes tortoises, herons, iguanas, and many other species. Its year-round population of about 500 mostly live in the villages of Lovell, Britannia Bay and Dover. The population rises to 1.200 in peak season.

The island is owned by the Mustique Company, a private limited company which is in turn owned by the island's home owners. The island has approximately 100 private villas, many of which are rented out through the Mustique Company. In addition, there are two hotels. The Cotton House with 20 rooms and Beach Café is owned by the Mustique Company. The seven room, privately owned guest house, Firefly, has a restaurant and a bar. A separate restaurant also operates, the Veranda.

The history of the island of Mustique, and of the Grenadines in general, dates back to the 15th century, when Spanish sailors first sighted this more or less linear group of small rocky islands and named them "Los Pájaros" or "the birds", because they resembled a small flock of birds scattered across the sea in flight. During the 17th century the islands were renamed the Grenadines by pirates, who used the sheltered bays to hide their ships and treasure.

The Islands were originally inhabited by people who probably arrived from South America, and later by the Arawaks and finally by the Caribs. They were ousted by European planters in the 1740's who found they could grow sugar there in abundance. The Grenadines passed from France to the British in 1763. The British built three forts.

The name Mustique comes from the French moustique, "mosquito". The sugar industry lasted until the 19th century. Mustique's seven plantations were abandoned. The island was mostly abandoned in the 1800s but in 1835, two plantations were reopened after ownership of the island passed to the Hazell family. They grew crops and raised sheep and goats on two plantations; they maintained a school for the island locals. In 1865 the two were merged into one estate by the family.

Mustique was purchased from the Hazell family in 1958 by Colin Tennant. He initially planned to start farming, "sea island cotton, beef and mutton" but then decided to develop the island into a hideaway for the wealthy, after forming The Mustique Company in 1968. Significant improvements would be made over the subsequent years. In 1979, Mustique Island was transformed into a private limited company with the 104 homeowners as shareholders.

For this envelope I bought a Mustique souvenir sheet from 2011 from the Birds of the Caribbean series on eBay. I took the stamp out and sent the envelope to the Mustique post office. After 39 days it came back with two beautiful postmarks.

Date sent: 16 May 2017

Date postmark: 30 May 2017

Date received: 24 June 2017

Number of days: 39

Envelope in collection: 194

United States of America - Hawaii

In my World envelope collection I do not just want to have envelopes from stamp-issuing countries and territories, but also from other regions. This includes the 50 states of the United States of America. This envelope comes from the state of Hawaii, lying in the Pacific Ocean. It was the 50th state, admitted in 1959. Until now it is the last state to be admitted to the union.

The state encompasses nearly the entire Hawaiian archipelago, 137 islands spread over 2.400 km. The volcanic archipelago is physiographically and ethnologically part of the Polynesian subregion of Oceania. At the southeastern end of the archipelago, the eight main islands are, in order from northwest to southeast: Niʻihau, Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, Kahoʻolawe, Maui, and Hawaiʻi. The last is the largest island in the group; it is often called the "Big Island" or "Hawaiʻi Island" to avoid confusion with the state or archipelago.

Hawaii is the 8th smallest geographically and the 11th least populous, but the 13th most densely populated of the 50 states. It is the only state with an Asian American plurality. Hawaii has over 1,4 million permanent residents, along with many visitors and U.S. military personnel. The state capital and largest city is Honolulu on the island of Oʻahu. The state's ocean coastline is about 1.210 km long, the fourth longest in the U.S., after the coastlines of Alaska, Florida, and California. Hawaii is the most recent state to join the union, on 21 August 1959. It was an independent nation until 1898.

Hawaii's diverse natural scenery, warm tropical climate, abundance of public beaches, oceanic surroundings, and active volcanoes make it a popular destination for tourists, surfers, biologists, and volcanologists. Because of its central location in the Pacific and 19th-century labor migration, Hawaii's culture is strongly influenced by North American and East Asian cultures, in addition to its indigenous Hawaiian culture.

The stamps were affixed by me and come from the Flags of our nation and Greetings series and the stamp commemorating the 50th anniversary of statehood. I sent the envelope to the post office in the capital Honolulu to be postmarked. It arrived back in just under a month with two perfect datestamps, inside another cover. This protected my cover from sorting machines with automatic postmarks.

Date sent: 26 May 2017

Date postmark: 15 June 2017

Date received: 23 June 2017

Number of days: 28

Envelope in collection: 193

Norway - Svalbard - Hopen

With postmark and cover collectors the polar regions have always been very popular. A collection is not complete without mail from bases in Antarctica. On the other side of the world post offices above the Arctic Circle exist in Norway, Greenland, Finland, Alaska, Canada and Russia.

In Norway there are post offices above the Arctic Circle on the mainland. Also the island of Jan Mayen has a post office. The region of Svalbard has four post offices on the largest island Spitsbergen and two on the islands of Hopen and Bear Island (Bjørnøya).

Hopen is an island in the southeastern part of the Svalbard archipelago (Norway). Hopen was discovered in 1596 by Jan Cornelisz Rijp during the third expedition by Willem Barentsz, trying to find the Northeast Passage. Later, in 1613, its name was given by Thomas Marmaduke of Hull, who named it after his former command, the Hopewell.

The Norwegian Meteorological Institute operates a manned weather station on the island with a staff of four persons. For the welfare of the crew, there are three cabins available on the island for their use.

During World War II, the Luftwaffe placed a meteorological team there under cover of Operation Zitronella.

On 28 August 1978 an early model Tupolev Tu-16 of the Soviet Air Force crashed on the island. All seven crew were killed in the accident. It was discovered two days later by the four-man Norwegian weather forecasting team. The USSR refused to admit the loss of an aircraft until the bodies of the crew were given to them. Norway transcribed the contents of the flight recorder over the objections of the Soviet government.

Although the island is small and isolated and have a small staff there is a functioning postal service at the weather station since 1986, although it closed from 2002 and 2005. The original postmark showed a walrus, but that is no longer in use. A normal Norwegian datestamp is used. Fortunately they still use the old postmark without a date as a cachet. On the card inside the envelope the staff put an extra print. As stamps I bought the most recent Norwegian Svalbard stamps from 1996. Although the postal rate for an international letter at that time was only NOK 17, I used the complete series because they look very nice on the envelope.

Date sent: 28 April 2017

Date postmark: 24 May 2017

Date received: 23 June 2017

Number of days: 56

Envelope in collection: 191

United States of America - Mississippi

In my World envelope collection I do not just want to have envelopes from stamp-issuing countries and territories, but also from other regions. This includes the 50 states of the United States of America. This envelope comes from the state of Mississippi, lying in the Southeastern region of the United States. It was the 20th state, admitted in 1817.

The stamps were affixed by me and come from the Flags of our nation and Greetings series and the stamp commemorating the 200th anniversary of statehood. I sent the envelope to the post office in the capital Jackson to be postmarked. It arrived back in just seventeen days with very nice datestamps, but unfortunately there was a terrible machine cancellation put over my stamps.

Date sent: 6 June 2017

Date postmark: 16 June 2017

Date received: 23 June 2017

Number of days: 17

Envelope in collection: 190

Curaçao

Curaçao is a Lesser Antilles island in the southern Caribbean Sea and the Dutch Caribbean region, about 65 km north of the Venezuelan coast. It is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The country was formerly part of the Curaçao and Dependencies colony in 1815-1954 and later the Netherlands Antilles in 1954-2010, as "Island Territory of Curaçao" and is now formally called the Country of Curaçao. It includes the main island of Curaçao and the much smaller, uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao ("Little Curaçao"). Curaçao has a population of 149.600 (July 2017 est.) and an area of 444 km². Its capital is Willemstad, which is now designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

I sent an envelope with an international reply coupon to Curaçao in the hope they would return it. After waiting for two months I got it back inside a larger envelope. A perfect service of CPost International.

CPost has a website with an online shop: cpostinternational.com/shop-landing/. Most stamps from 2011 are still available.

Date sent: 17 April 2017

Date postmark: 12 June 2017

Date received: 23 June 2017

Number of days: 67

Envelope in collection: 189