KIRIBATI

This is the only card I have ever acquired from the Pacific island nation of Kiribati (pronounced Ki-ri-bass) and shows a man cutting toddy from the crown of a coconut palm. Cutting toddy is almost a ritual in the Pacific, becoming an artful form of producing the beverage from the sap of tender palm stems.

Kiribati: butterfly stamp

50c This butterfly stamp (from definitive series of 1980) graced the card above, postmarked in the capital, Betio, on the island of Tarawa

Lebanon

This lovely card shows views ranging from the cedar and snow-covered peaks to the rocky coast and a subterranean grotto, a true panoply of this rugged country.

Kuwait

This lovely card shows the Jahra Gate, a principal entrance to the city. This card was printed before the invasion of 1990, so this part of the city probably looks very different today.

Maldives

This card shows the Minaret of Juma, a notable mosque located in the capital, Male

Mauritius

This recent card shows a coastal scene with clear water and a beach framed by a Royal Ponciana tree. It is easy to see why tourism thrives in the Mascarene Islands!

Nigeria

This card, now some 30 years old, shows a traditional rural activity: indigo dyeing, from the Kano region

Nigeria: stamps

This stamp shows a pride of cheetahs in Yankari Game Reserve in N. Nigeria, which is now a national park