DE-7860749 Rapid Transit / Regional Rail Route Map of HVV Hamburg

This great rapid transit / regional rail route map of HVV Hamburg came from Wiebke (Postcrossing, January 2019).

The Hamburger Verkehrsverbund (HVV) (English: "Hamburg Transport Association") is a company coordinating public transport in and around Hamburg, Germany. Its main objectives are to provide a unified fare system, requiring only a single ticket for journeys with transfers between different operating companies, and to facilitate and speed up travel by harmonising the individual companies' schedules. At its inception in 1965, HVV was the first organisation of this kind worldwide.

In 2010 HVV provides rail, bus and ferry transportation for an area of 8,616 square kilometres with approximately 3.6 million inhabitants in the states of Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony. HVV has approximately 1.95 million customers on an average working day.

The HVV organised 27 rapid transit rail lines with a length of 881 km, with the following operators:

AKN Eisenbahn (AKN) 
S-Bahn Hamburg GmbH, part of Deutsche Bahn group, operating the Hamburg S-Bahn
DB Regio AG (Region Niedersachsen/Bremen), part of Deutsche Bahn group
DB Regionalbahn Schleswig-Holstein GmbH (RBSH)
Eisenbahnen und Verkehrsbetriebe Elbe-Weser, operating rail and bus services
Hamburger Hochbahn, operating the U-Bahn and many bus services in Hamburg
metronom Eisenbahngesellschaft
NBE nordbahn Eisenbahngesellschaft mbH & Co. KG 
Nord-Ostsee-Bahn GmbH 

Crete, largest of the Greek islands

Crete (Κρήτη) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Crete and a number of surrounding islands and islets constitute the region of Crete, one of the 13 top-level administrative units of Greece. The capital and the largest city is Heraklion. As of 2011, the region had a population of 623,065.

Crete forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece, while retaining its own local cultural traits (such as its own poetry and music). It was once the centre of the Minoan civilisation (c. 2700–1420 BC), which is the earliest known civilisation in Europe.

Crete is mountainous, and its character is defined by a high mountain range crossing from west to east, formed by three different groups of mountains. These mountains lavished Crete with valleys, such as Amari valley, fertile plateaus, such as Lasithi plateau, Omalos and Nidha; caves, such as Gourgouthakas, Diktaion, and Idaion and a number of gorges.

The economy of Crete is predominantly based on services and tourism. However, agriculture also plays an important role and Crete is one of the few Greek islands that can support itself independently without a tourism industry. As in many regions of Greece, viticulture and olive groves are significant; oranges and citrons are also cultivated. 

This very interesting postcard came from Bibiana and Mike who were touring Greece in May/June 2018.

NL-3850600 Map of the Netherlands

The Netherlands also known informally as Holland, is a densely populated country in Western Europe. It borders Germany to the east, Belgium to the south, and the North Sea to the northwest, sharing maritime borders in the North Sea with Belgium, the United Kingdom, and Germany.

The four largest cities in the Netherlands are Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht. Amsterdam is the country's capital, while The Hague holds the Dutch seat of parliament and government. The port of Rotterdam is the largest port in Europe and the world's largest outside east Asia. Utrecht is a central node for road and railway communications, commerce, and cultural events.
"Netherlands" literally means "lower countries", influenced by its low land and flat geography, with only about 50% of its land exceeding one metre above sea level. Most of the areas below sea level are artificial. (Wikipedia)

This postcard came from Emily (27 July 2017).

US-3595921 The United States of America

The United States of America (USA) is a federal republic composed of 50 states, a federal district, five major territories and various possessions. The 48 contiguous states and Washington, D.C., are in central North America. The state of Alaska is located in the northwestern part of North America and the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. At 3.8 million square miles (9.842 million km²) and with over 320 million people, the country is the world's fourth-largest by total area and the third most populous. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many countries.The geography and climate of the United States are also extremely diverse, and the country is home to a wide variety of wildlife.

This postcard shows the map of the USA - insets show Alaska and (partially) Hawaii.  It came from Laura L. (24 September 2015) Postcrossing.

South Korea

South Korea officially the Republic of Korea (Hangul: 대한민국) and commonly referred to as Korea, is a sovereign state in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula. The name Korea is derived from the Kingdom of Goryeo, also spelled as Koryŏ. South Korea shares land borders with North Korea to the north, and oversea borders with Japan to the east and China to the west. Roughly half of the country's 50 million people reside in the metropolitan area surrounding its capital, Seoul.

This map postcard came from Sehan Kim (27 July 2015) Direct Swap Postcrossing.

US-3314319 South Carolina

South Carolina is a state in the Southeastern United States. It is bordered to the north by North Carolina; to the south and west by Georgia, located across the Savannah River; and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean.

South Carolina was the 8th state to be admitted into the Union on May 23, 1788. It later became the first state to vote to secede from the Union which it did on December 20, 1860. After the end of the American Civil War, the state was readmitted into the United States on June 25, 1868.

South Carolina is the 40th most extensive and the 24th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. The capital and largest city of the state is Columbia.

This postcard from Joseph (24 April 2015) Postcrossing shows the flag and map of South Carolina.  Information on the flag of South Carolina can be found here.

SINGAPORE 新加坡

Singapore 新加坡is a sovereign city-state and island country in Southeast Asia. It is 137 kilometres (85 mi) north of the equator. The country's territory consists of the main island and more than 60 significantly smaller islets. Total area is 718.3 km²  (277 sq mi). The country is highly urbanised, and little of the original vegetation remains. The country's territory has consistently expanded through land reclamation.

Singapore has a population of about 5.5 million people.  The majority of the population is of Chinese descent. Singapore is one of the world's major commercial hubs, with the fourth-biggest financial centre and one of the five busiest ports. Its globalised and diversified economy depends heavily on trade which represented 26 percent of Singapore's GDP in 2005.

This postcard came from Kaye (28 January 2015) Swap-bot and it shows a map of Singapore.  This map is rather dated - some examples: (i) the Second Link bridge connection with Malaysia is not there (ii) an established township like ‘Serangoon’ is still marked as ‘Serangoon New Town’ and (iii) the large built-up area of Punggol - Sengkang is still shown on the map as not built up.

SW ER-369 Bulgaria - Република България

Bulgaria (България) is a country in southeastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south and the Black Sea to the east. The capital and largest city is Sofia.  Bulgaria has a territory of 110,994 square kilometres (42,855 sq mi).

Bulgaria's population of 7.4 million people is predominantly urbanised and mainly concentrated in the administrative centres of its 28 provinces. Most commercial and cultural activities are centred in Sofia. The strongest sectors of the economy are heavy industry, power engineering and agriculture, all of which rely on local natural resources.

This postcard shows the outline of Bulgaria with the colours of its flag - white, green and red. This postcard came from Irina (10 December 2014) Postcrossing.

SW DK-276 & NL-2653355 Noord-Brabant (North Brabant)

North Brabant is a province of the Netherlands, located in the south of the country.  The capital is 's-Hertogenbosch (a shorter name is Den Bosch) and the largest city of this province is Eindhoven.  Eindhoven is a big industrial city.

Why is the name of the province ‘North’ when it is in the south of the country?

Historically there was a large province called Brabant.  After the fall of Napoleon, the United Kingdom of the Netherlands was created which incorporated Belgium and Luxemburg. The historical province of Brabant was divided into North and South. When Belgium separated from the Netherlands in 1830, only the province of North Brabant remained with the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Today North Brabant is one of the biggest and most populated Dutch provinces. With big cities like Eindhoven, Breda, Tilburg, and Den Bosch, with several important industries like electronic giant Phillips, big truck company DAF, textile and shoe factories and food processing industries, North Brabant is a vital area for the Dutch economy.

Location of North Brabant

The city of ’s-Hertogenbosch (or Den Bosch) is beautiful, old and busy with shops and restaurants. Den Bosch has several interesting buildings like the Town Hall (Stadhuis), Saint John (Sint-Jan) Cathedral and interesting contemporary art galleries.  Outside of Den Bosch, the surrounding countryside offers interesting vistas of small villages, windmills (near Heusden) and castles.

This postcard came from Marieke (2 September 2014) Swap-bot.  An identical postcard came from Heleen (12 September 2014) Postcrossing.

RU-2835691 RU-4077807 RU-4157419 Russia Россия

Russia (Россия) also officially known as the Russian Federation at 17,075,400 square kilometres (6,592,800 sq mi) is the largest country in the world, covering more than one-eighth of the Earth's inhabited land area. Russia is also the world's ninth most populous nation with 143 million people as of 2012. It extends across the entire northern Asia and much of Eastern Europe.  There are nine time zones in Russia.

 

Russia is one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council and therefore plays a major role in maintaining international peace and security.

Russia is made up of 85 Federal subjects including the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol.  These 85 Federal subjects are categorised into:

46 oblasts (provinces)

 

22 republics: nominally autonomous.  They have their own constitution, direct-elected head of republic and parliament. Republics are allowed to establish their own official language alongside Russian but are represented by the federal government in international affairs. Republics are meant to be home to specific ethnic minorities.

9 krais (territories): essentially the same as oblasts.

4 autonomous okrugs (autonomous districts): originally autonomous entities within oblasts and krais created for ethnic minorities, their status was elevated to that of federal subjects in the 1990s.

1 autonomous oblast (the Jewish Autonomous Oblast)

3 federal cities (Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and Sevastopol): major cities that function as separate regions.

This postcard shows a hypsometric map of the Russian Empire, 1912.  A hypsometric map is a map that shows relief, whether by contours, hachures, shading, or tinting.  I have received two copies of this postcard.  The first one came from Irina on 18 July 2014 Postcrossing and the second one came from Kalua (20 November 2015) Postcrossing.
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The postcard of the crest and flag came from Svetlana (23 October 2015) Postcrossing.

SW BM-108 Thailand ประเทศไทย

Thailand ประเทศไทย was formerly known as Siam. It is located in Southeast Asia. Thailand has a total area of approximately 513,000 km2 (198,000 sq mi) making it the world's 51st-largest country. The capital and largest city is Bangkok, which is Thailand's political, commercial, industrial, and cultural hub.

Thailand is the 21st-most-populous country in the world, with around 65 million people. About 75–95% of the population is ethnically Thai, which includes four major regional groups: Central Thai (Khon Pak Klang): 30%; Northeastern Thai (Khon [Lao] Isan): 22%; Northern Thai (Khon Lanna): 9%; and Southern Thai (Khon Tai): 7%. Thai Chinese, those of significant Chinese heritage, are 14% of the population, while Thais with partial Chinese ancestry  comprise up to 40% of the population. Thai Malays represent 3% of the population, with the remainder consisting of Mons, Khmers and various "hill tribes".

The country's official language is Thai and the primary religion is Buddhism, which is practised by around 95% of the population.                                                                       

I received this interesting postcard from tmarlo (28 May 2014) Swap-bot.

SW AT-067 The 10 flags of ASEAN

This postcard shows a map of Southeast Asia and the flags of the 10 members of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations).  The postcard carries the slogan “Malaysia, Truly Asia”.

In 1999, the Malaysian Tourism Promotion Board launched this worldwide marketing campaign called “Malaysia, Truly Asia” which was largely successful in bringing in over 7.4 million tourists. The extra revenue recently generated by tourism helped the country’s economy during the economic crisis of 2008. In recent years however tourism has been threatened by the negative effects of the growing industrial economy. Due to the large amounts of air and water pollution along with deforestation, tourism has decreased in affected areas.

This postcard was sent by Aileen Chang (7 May 2014) Swap-bot.

Short notes on ASEAN

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations ASEAN is a political and economic organisation of ten countries located in Southeast Asia, which was formed on 8 August 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Since then, membership has expanded to include Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. Its aims include accelerating economic growth, social progress, sociocultural evolution among its members, protection of regional peace and stability, and opportunities for member countries to discuss differences peacefully.

 

DE-3008404, SW DW-312 Louisiana, USA

Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its capital is Baton Rouge and the largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana became a U.S. State on April 30, 1812 and it is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties.

Louisiana was named after Louis XIV, King of France from 1643 to 1715. When René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle claimed the territory drained by the Mississippi River for France, he named it La Louisiane, meaning "Land of Louis”. Once part of the French Colonial Empire, the Louisiana Territory stretched from present-day Mobile Bay to just north of the present-day Canadian border, and included a small part of what is now southwestern Canada.  When Napoleon decided to sell this territory, it was bought by the United States in 1803.
 

Louisiana has a dark history with regards to slavery in the early days of its existence.  Even after slavery was abolished, Louisiana still had issues with discrimination and violence against Blacks and other minority groups.  These days of course, human rights are protected by legislation.

Oak Valley Plantation located New Orleans / Baton Rouge



Louisiana is often affected by tropical cyclones and is very vulnerable to strikes by major hurricanes, particularly the lowlands around and in the New Orleans area. The unique geography of the region, with the many bayous, marshes and inlets, can result in water damage across a wide area from major hurricanes. The area is also prone to frequent thunderstorms, especially in the summer.  In 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck and devastated southeastern Louisiana, where it breached and undermined levees in New Orleans, causing 80% of the city to flood. Most people had been evacuated, but the majority of the population became homeless. The city was virtually closed until October. It is estimated that more than two million people in the Gulf region were displaced by the hurricane and that more than 1,500 fatalities resulted in Louisiana alone.

The first postcard of the map of Louisiana came from Germany (26 March 2014) Postcrossing.  The second postcard shows a beautiful plantation mansion and came from Bootsmom (9 October 2014) Swap-bot.

US-2666527 & SW GB-533 Map of California, the Golden State

I always like map postcards especially this type of  well illustrated touristy postcard which shows the various towns in a state.  I have received (so far) two postcards of California.  One is from Sherry (14 March 2014) Postcrossing and the other is from Sybil (21 October 2015) Swap-bot.

 

California on the West Coast of the United States is the most populous U.S. state and is the third largest state by area (after Alaska and Texas).  It was the 31st state to be admitted to the Union on 9 September 1850.  Sacramento is the capital city and Los Angeles is the largest city in California.

Massachusetts, USA

Massachusetts officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. Massachusetts is the 7th smallest, but the 14th most populous and the 3rd most densely populated of the 50 United States. Massachusetts features two separate metropolitan areas: Greater Boston in the east and the Springfield metropolitan area in the west.

Massachusetts has played a significant historical, cultural, and commercial role in American history. Plymouth was the site of the colony founded in 1620 by the Pilgrims, passengers of the Mayflower.

There are 50 cities and 301 towns in Massachusetts, grouped into 14 counties.

Boston is the state capital and largest city in Massachusetts. Other cities with a population over 100,000 include Worcester, Springfield, Lowell, and Cambridge. Plymouth is the largest municipality in the state by land area.

 

This interesting postcard which shows the map of Massachusetts as well as the State Flag (both interesting items for me) came from Carolann Hinds. (7 March 2014).

Ortsschild of Nürnberg

To speak truthfully, I don’t understand a postcard such as this.  I understand that some people actually collect this specific type of postcards.  This type of postcard depicts an “Ortsschild” which in German means “Placename”.
 
I would have preferred a touristy card of Nuremberg (Nürnberg).  It would have brought back some memories of this city that I visited in 2004.
 

 

Nuremberg (Nürnberg) is a city in the German state of Bavaria. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about 170 kilometres north of Munich. It is the second-largest city in Bavaria (after Munich).