Stamp Glossary

People

Alexander von Humboldt: (1769 - 1859) a Germany polymath, geographer, naturalist, explorer, and proponent of Romantic philosophy and science; traveled extensively in the Americas between 1799 and 1804
Alfonso XIII: (1886 - 1941) (El Africano) King of Spain from his birth in 1886 until April 1931, when the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed
Antonín Novotný: (1904 - 1975) a Czechoslovak politican who served as the President of Czechoslovakia from 1957 to 1968 and as First Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia from 1953 to 1968
Antonín Zápotocký: (1884 - 1957) a Czech communist politician and statesmen who served as the Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia from 1948 to 1953, and then as President of Czechoslovakia from 1953 to 1957
Baudouin of Belgium: (1930 - 1993) King of the Belgians from 1951 until his death in 1993; last Belgian king to be sovereign of the Congo before it became independent in 1960
Carlos Antonio López: (1769 - 1862) the first president of Paraguay; from 1841 to 1862
Charlotte: was the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg from 1919 until 1964; her reign is the longest of any Luxembourgish monarch since 1815
David Thompson: (1770 - 1857) an Anglo-Canadian fur trader, surveyor, and cartographer; known to some native peoples as "Koo-Koo-Sint" or "The Stargazer"
Elizabeth II: (1926 - 2022) the Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms (1952 - 2022)
Farouk I: (1920 - 1965) the tenth ruler of Egypt (1936 - 1952), and the penultimate King of Egypt and Sundan
Frederik IX: (1899 - 1972) the King of Denmark from 1947 to 1972
George VI: (1895 - 1952) the King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth (1936 - 1952)
Han Sai Por: (b. 1943) a Singaporean sculptor
Jára Cimrman: a fictional Czech polymath created by Ladislav Smoljak, Jiři Šebánek and Zdeněk Svěrál; it is presented as a universal genius and one of the greatest Czech playwrights, poets, composers, teachers, travellers, philosophers, inventors, detectives, mathematicians, and sportsmen of the 19th and 20th century; playing along with the pretence of his real exitence is part of his characterization
Josephine Mandamin: (1942 - 2019) an Anishinaabe grandmother, elder, and founding member of the water protectors movement
Karel Kovar̆ovic: (1862 - 1920) a Czech composer and conductor
Lewis Hamilton: (b. 1985) a British racing driver currently competing in Formula 1
Louis Riel: (1844 - 1885) a Canadian politician, founder of the province of Manitoba, and a political leader of the Métis people
Baron Maejima Hisoka: (1835 - 1919) a Japanese statesman, politician, and businessman in Meiji-period Japan; he founded the Japanese postal serivce and is known as Yu̅bin Seido no Chichi, or "Father of the Postal System"
Marianne l'engagée: (Marianne the Engaged; Marianne the Committed) a commonly used French postage stamp created by Yseult Digan
Miroku Bosatsu: (Maitreya Bodhisattva) a bodhisattva regarded as the future Buddha; a camphor wood statue at Chu̅gu̅-ji dates from the Asuka period
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh: (1921 - 2021) the husband of Queen Elizabeth II
Signe Hammarsten-Jansson: (1882 - 1970) a Swedish-Finnish graphic artist who, among other things, designed around 220 Finnish postage stamps during the course of three decades
Thiruvalluvar: an Indian poet and philospher; the author of the Tirukkur̠aḷ

Locations

Ambracia: a city of ancient Greece on the site of modern Arta; the theater is the smallest ever discovered
Basilica of the Holy Trinity, Kraków: a gothic style Catholic basilica in Poland dating from the year 1223
Bezdĕz Castle: a Gothic castle in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic; construction began before 1264 by order of King Ottokar II of Bohemia
Cabot Trail: a 185 mile scenic highway on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Canada; named after the explorer John Cabot who landed in Atlantic Canada in 1497, although modern historians agreen landfall likely took place in Newfoundland
Cartagena de Indias: a city and major port on the northern coast of Colombia; in 1984 its walled city and fortress were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Chu̅gu̅-ji: a temple in Nara Prefecture, Japan founded as a nunnery in the seventh century; immediately to the northeast of Ho̅ryu̅-ji
Chillon Castle: an island medieval castle located on Lake Geneva in Switzerland
Dents du Midi: ("teeth of the south") a three-kilometre-long mountain range in the Chablais Alps in Valais, Switzerland
Eiffel Tower: a wrought-iron lattice tower in Paris, France
Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station: a large radiocommunication site in Cornwall, England
Great Synagogue of Florence: an Orthodox Jewish synagogue in Tuscany, Italy
Ho̅ryu̅-ji: (Temple of the Flourishing Dharma) a Buddhist temple in Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, Japan; it serves as both a seminary and monastery
Kamakura: a city of Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan, located in the Kanto region on the island of Honshu
Kokor̆n Castle: a castle located in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic; it was built in the first half of the 14th century, heavily damaged during the Hussite Wars, and stood in ruins until the reconstruction in 1911-1918
Ma Shi Chau: (lit. "Horse Dung Island") an island of Hong Kong
Mount Parnassus: a mountain range in Central Greece
Narita International Airport: an international airport serving the Great Tokyo Area
National Museum of Archaeology, Anthropology, and History of Peru: the largest and oldest museum in Peru; established 1822
Nikko̅ To̅sho̅-gu̅: a To̅sho̅-gu̅ Shinto shrine located in Nikko̅, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan; among its famous buildings is the Yo̅mei-mon, a glittering gate also known as "higurashi-no-mon," which means that one could look at it until sundown, and not tire of seeing it
Old Parliament House: (National Assembly Building) a Neo-Renaissance building in downtown Sofia used by the Bulgarian parliament for parliamentary debates; it was constructed between 1884 and 1886
Ostrava: a city in the north-east of the Czech Republic; the captial of the Moravian-Silesian Region
Perns̆tejn Castle: a castle in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic; it was founded by the Lords of Medlov between 1270 and 1285
Phou Si: (Phu Si) a high hill in the center of the old town of Luang Prabang in Laos; halfway up the hill is the Buddhist temple Wat Tham Phou Si; at the summit is another Buddhist temple, Wat Chom Si
Port Island: (Chek Chau) an island of Hong Kong
Rottnest Island: a 7.3sq mile (19 kilometre) island off the coast of Western Australia; a sandy, low-lying island formed on a base of aeolianite limestone, it is an A-class reserve, the highest level of protection afforded to public land
Säntis: the highest mountain in the Alpstein massif of northeastern Switzerland
Seealpsee: a lake in the Alpstein range in Appenzell Innerrhoden, Switzerland
Tai Long Wan: a 3 kilometer-wide bay on the east coast of the Sai Kung Peninsula in Sai Kung District, Hong Kong; it is a popular surf destination
Thrace: a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe comprising of present-day southeastern Bulgaria (Northern Thrace), northeastern Greece (Western Thrace), and the European part of Turkey (East Thrace)
Yugoslavia: a country in Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 to 1992
Zakynthos: a Greek island in the Ionian Sea

Fauna

Canada darner: Aeshna canadensis, a common species of dragonfly found throughout southern Canada and the nothern United States
Chicken: Gallus domesticus, a large, round, short-winged bird domesticated from the red junglefowl of Southeast Asia
Common raccoon dog: Nyctereutes procyonoides, a small, heavy-set, fox-like canid native to East Asia; it is named for its raccoon-like face markings, yet is most closely related to foxes; they are unusual among canids in that they hibernated during cold winters and can climb trees
Dogbane beetle: Chrysochus auratus, a leaf beetle primarily found in the eastern United States
Emperor's slit shell: Pleurotomaria hirasei, now known as Mikadotrochus hirasei, a species of large deepwater sea snail found in water between 150 and 300 meters on mud and sand off the coast of the Shima Peninsula in Japan west to the Pacific coast of Shikoku Island, in the East China Sea west of Kyushu to Taiwan, and in the central Philippines
Goldfish: Carassius auratus, a freshwater fish native to China, commonly kept as a pet in indoor aquariums; released into the wild they have become an invasive species in parts of North America and Australia
Greenland shark: Somniosus microcephalus (gurry shark; grey shark), a large shark inhabiting the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans known for the exceptional longevity, although poorly studied due to the depth and remoteness of their natural habitat
Flame Helmet: Cassis flammea, a species of large sea snail found in Florida, the Caribbean and the Bahamas whose abundance has decreased due to overcollection in some areas
Horse: Equus ferus caballus, a domesticated one-toed hoofed mammal adapted to run
Japanese crested ibis: Nipponia nioppon (Asian crested ibis; toki) a large white-plumaged ibis native to eastern Asia; its head is partially bare, showing red skin, and it has a dense crest of white plumes on the nape
Japanese serow: Capricornis crispus, a Japanese goat-antelope found in dense woodlands primarily in northern and central Honshu; it is seen as a national symbol of Japan
Leopard: Panthera pardus, a large strong cat of southern Asia and Africa that is adept at climbing and has yellowish to dark golden fur with dark spots grouped in rosettes
Mandarin duck Aix galericulata, a medium-sized perching duck native to the East Palearctic; closely related to the North American wood duck
Northern gannet: Morus bassanus, the largest species of gannet and seabird in the northern Atlantic
Sea otter: Enhydra lutris, a marine mammal native to the coasts of the northern and eastern North Pacific ocean; the heaviest members of the weasel family but among the smallest marine mammals
Siberian flying squirrel: Pteromys volans, an Old World flying squirrel ranging from the Baltic Sea in the west throughout Northern ASia to the coast of the Pacific Ocean in the east; it is considered vulnerable in the European Union where it occurs only in Estonia and Finland
Siberian tiger: Panthera tigris tigris formerlly Panthera tigris altaica (Amur tiger) subspecies of the largest living cat species native to Asia; lives in the Russian Far East, Northeast China, and possibly North Korea; has long hair, dense fur, a shorter and broader skull, and its color varies widely from ochre-yellow in winter to more reddish and vibrant after molting
Sparkling enope squid: Watasenia scintillans, (firefly squid, hotaru-ika) a tiny bioluminescent squid that lives in deep water between 700 and 1,300 feet (200 and 400 metres); they are found on the shores of Japan in springtime during spawning season
Red-crowned crane: Grus japonensis, (Manchurian crane), a rare large East Asian crane; in some parts it is known as a symbol of luck, longevity, and fidelity
Tokyo bitterling: Pseudorhodeus tanago, a temperature freshwater fish of the carp family, in the wild only found on the Kanto̅ Plain of Japan
Water buffalo: Bubalus bubalis (domestic water buffalo, Asian water buffalo) a large bovid originating in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia; there are two extant types: the river buffalo of the Indian subcontinent and further west to the Balkans, Egypt, and Italy and the swamp buffalo, found from Assam (India) in the west through Southeast Asia to the Yangtze Valley of China in the east

Flora

Canada goldenrod: Solidago canadensis, an herbaceous perenniel plant native northeastern and north-central North America; it forms colonies of upright growing plants with many small yellow flowers in a branching inflorescence held above the foliage
Cherry blossom: (sakura) the flowers of ornamental cherry trees, such as cultivars of Prunus serrulata; it is considered the national flower of Japan and is central to the custom of hanami
Chinese hibiscus: Hibiscus x rosa-sinensis (China rose, Hawaiian hibiscus, rose mallow, shoeblack plant) an artificial hybrid tropical hibiscus, created by cultivation in pre-European times by Polynesians in the west Pacific from the species Hibiscus cooperi and H. kaute
Durian: Durio zibethinus, an edible fruit native to Borneo and Sumatra whose flesh emits a distinctive odor that is strong and penetrating even when the husk is intact, which has led to its banishment from certain hotels and public transportation in Southeast Asia; the odor has been described as pleasantly sweet, but most find the aroma overpowering and revolting
Golden trumpet: Allamanda cathartica (common trumpetvine; yellow allamanda) a species of flowering plant native to Brazil; if not pruned it can sprawl to a height of 20 feet
Hydrangea: (hortensia), a genus of more than 70 species of flowering plants native to Asia and the Americas; many act as natural pH indicators, having blue flowers when the soil is acidic and pink flowers when the soil is alkaline
Ox-eye daisy: Leucanthemum vulgare (dog daisy, marguerite) a flowering perennial herb native to Europe and temperate regions of Asia, and introduced to North America, Australia, and New Zealand
Persian buttercup: Ranunculus asiaticus, a species of buttercup native to the eastern Mediterranean, southwestern Asia, southeastern Europe (Crete, Karpathos, Rhodes), and northeastern Africa
Vanda: a genus in the orchid family, Orchidaceae, commonly cultivated for the marketplace; they are native to India, Himalaya, Southeast Asia, Indonesia, the Philppines, New Guinea, southern China, and northern Australia; they are highly prized in horticulture for their showy, fragrant, long-lasting and intensely colorful flowers

Miscellaenous

1811 Independence Movement/Primer Grito de Independencia: the first of a series of revolts in El Salvador against Spanish rule and dependency on Guatemala
1976 Summer Olympics: held from July 17 to August 1, 1976 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Alice in Wonderland (1951): an American animated film produced by Walt Disney Productions, based on Lewis Carroll's novels Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking-Glass (1871)
Anishinaabe: a group of culturually related Indigenous peoples in the Greak Lakes region of Canada and the United States; they include the Ojibe, Odawa, Potawatomi, MIssissaugas, Nipissing, and Alogonquin peoples
Bambi (1942): an American animated drama film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures, loosely based on Felix Salten's Bambi, a Life in the Woods (1923)
Canadian Coast Guard Ship Labrador: a Wind-class icebreaker, marking the beginning of the CCGS's icebreaker operations in the 1960s and extenstively charted and documented the then-poorly-known Canadian Arctic; it was taken out of service in 1987 and broke up for scrap in 1989
Caribbean Scout Jamboree: a periodic gathering for Boy Scouts in the Caribbean
Deepavali: (Diwali) the Hindu festival of lights
EUROMED: joint stamp issuing program involving countries in the Euro-Mediterranean region; each year a common theme is agreed upon and participating countries create stamps and covers devoted to the topic
Hanami: ('flower viewing') the Japanese traditional custom of enjoying the transient beauty of flowers, in the case almost always referring to those of the cherry (sakura) tree
Hunminjeongeum: (The Correct/Proper Sounds for the Instruction of the People) a 15th century manuscript that introduced the Korean script Hangul; the name of the manuscript is also the original name of the script
International Civil Aviation Organization: (ICAO) a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordingates the principles and techniques oif international air navigation, and fosters the planning and developement of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth
The Little Prince: a novella written and illustrated by French writer and military pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Netherlands East Indies: (Dutch East Indies) a Dutch colony mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which declared independence in August 1945
Palearctic Realm: the largest of eight biogeographic realms of the Earth, stretching across all of Eurasia north of the foothills of the Himalayas and North Africa
Peter Pan (1953): an American animated film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures, based on J.M. Barrie's play Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up (1904)
pillars of Ashoka: a series of monolithic columns dispersed throughout the Indian subcontinent inscribed with edicts by the 3rd Mauryan Emperor Ashoka the Great (c. 268 to 232 BCE)
polichinelle: the little children or clowns in The Nutcracker ballet who emerge from Mother Ginger's enormous hoop skirt to do a shirt dance
Sensay costume: please visit this site for more information: Sensay: History and Social Context by Gregory Rabessess
Sword of Light: (Claíomh Solais; Claidheamh Soluis) a trope object that appears in a number of Irish and Scottish Gaelic folktales
Two Mandarin Ducks: a ukiyo-e by Hiroshige, 1838
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR): (Soviet Union) a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991
water protectors: activists, organizers, and cultural workers focused on the defense of the world's water and water systems
World Meteorological Organization (WMO): a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for promoting international cooperation on atmospheric science, climatology, hydrology, and geophysics