Japan World Heritage 2013


Released 24.10.2013

For a better understanding of world heritage in foreign countries Japan Post Corporation continues the series “Overseas World Heritage” having the theme of fascinating natural and cultural heritage sites around the world. The special stamps from the second collection of overseas world heritage depict the Galapagos Islands, the Taj Mahal, Venice and its lagoon, Victoria Falls and Cologne Cathedral.

The Galapagos Islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed on either side of the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, 926 km west of continentalEcuador, of which they are a part.The Galapagos Islands and their surrounding waters form an Ecuadorian province, a national park, and a biological marine reserve.The islands are famed for their vast number of endemic species

The Taj Mahal is a white marble mausoleum located in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj Mahal is widely recognized as “the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world’s heritage”.

Venice is a city in northeastern Italy sited on a group of 118 small islands separated by canals and linked by bridges. It is located in the marshy Venetian Lagoon which stretches along the shoreline, between the mouths of the Po and the Piave Rivers. Venice is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks.The city in its entirety is listed as a World Heritage Site, along with its lagoon.

Victoria is a waterfall in southern Africa on the Zambezi River at the border ofZambia and Zimbabwe.David Livingstone, the Scottish missionary and explorer, is believed to have been the first European to view Victoria Falls on 16 November 1855 from what is now known as Livingstone Island, one of two land masses in the middle of the river, immediately upstream from the falls on the Zambian side.Livingstone named his discovery in honour ofQueen Victoria.

Cologne Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church in Cologne, Germany. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and the administration of the Archdiocese of Cologne. It is a renowned monument of German Catholicism and Gothic architecture and is a World Heritage Site.It is Germany’s most visited landmark, attracting an average of 20,000 people a day.