Malta - Iceland Joint Issue 2011 "Fishing Villages"

Iceland and Malta are the northernmost and southernmost islands in Europe.  Fishing has been the main source of revenue for centuries on these two islands.
Iceland Post and Malta Post has been collaborating on a joint stamp issue occasioned by this relationship with fishing towns as the motif, featuring 'Fishing Villages' .  This set was issued on 15 September 2011.

 

The town of Húsavík is the motif of the Icelandic mini-sheet while the Maltese one depicts the town of Mgarr, Gozo. 

The Republic of Malta is a small and densely populated country on an island by the same name and some smaller islands in the Mediterranean. The islands are located between Italy in the north and the north-coast of Africa. The official languages are English and Maltese. Malta joined the European Union in 2004 and is now the smallest EU country both as regards size and population. Only three of the biggest islands are populated: Malta, Gozo and Comino.

Nordia 2009

The Nordic Philatelic Exhibition, Nordia 2009 held in Hafnarfjörður Iceland 29th-31st May 2009. The motif on the souvenir sheet which Iceland Post issued on this occasion is the puffin.

The Puffin (Fratercula arctica) is a pelagic bird belonging to the Auk family. The latin term Fratercula means „little brother“ and indicates the colours of the feathers which is reminiscent of the robes of monks. The bird has also been called a “dean” or a “priest” in Icelandic. The puffin’s beak is multicolored during the mating season. The puffin is a resident bird. They lay their eggs in holes, dug into the ground, in big colonies. During winter the puffin stays at sea. The motif shows the puffin in Vestmannaeyjar island with the glacier Eyjafjallajökul in the background.

Blogger Tags: Puffin, Fratercula arctica, Iceland, Nordia 2009