ALBANIA

ALBANIA / SHQIPERIA.

Tourism.
Maja e Thatë Peak.
Fifth stamp in a set of 6, issued in 3.1965.
Face value: 5 Albanian lek.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Print: 80,000 copies.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 930.
- Scott No. 805.
- StampWorld No. 939.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 891.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 756.

Maja e Thatë is a 2,406-metre-high (7,894 ft) mountain peak. It lies within the massif of Kolata, in the eastern part of the Albanian Alps, within Valbonë Valley National Park, roughly 2 km (1 mi) northwest of Valbonë, n the municipality of Tropojë, Kukës county (near Montenegro’s border), and rises more than 1,500 m (4,921 ft) above the village. The mountain's southern and western lower slopes are relatively rich in beech and pine forests, while the higher slopes consist of very steep dolomite and limestone rock walls, suitable for mountaineering and rock climbing.

ALBANIA

ALBANIA / SHQIPERIA.

Tourism.
Grunas Canyon near Theth.
Fourth stamp in a set of 6, issued in 3.1965.
Face value: 4 Albanian lek.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Print: 80,000 copies.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 929.
- Scott No. 804.
- StampWorld No. 938.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 890.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 755.

The Grunas Canyon (Albanian: Kanioni i Grunasit) is located in the course of the Theth River (Lumi i Thethit), south of the town of Theth, in the Theth National Park (Parku Kombëtar i Thethit), in northern Albania. It is one of the biggest attractions of the Albanian Alps (the southernmost subrange of the Dinaric Alps). It has become a very popular place for tourism and for those who practice water sports, especially rafting.

ALBANIA

 

ALBANIA / SHQIPERIA.

Tourism.

Maja e Gjarpërit (Valbona).
Second stamp in a set of 6, issued in 03.1965.
Face value: 2.50 Albanian lek.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Print: 80,000 copies.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 927.
- Scott No. 802.
- StampWorld No. 936.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 888.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 753.

Maja e Gjarpërit ("The Serpent's Point") is a peak located north of the Livadhet e Gjarpërit ("Snake Meadows"), in the Valbona Valley National Park (Albanian: Parku Kombëtar i Luginës së Valbonës), Kukës County, embedded in the Dinaric Alps, north of Albania, very close to the border with Montenegro. Its altitude is 2,213 m (7,270 ft) above sea level.

ALBANIA

ALBANIA / SHQIPERIA.

Tourism.
Flowers Lake at Lurë.
Last stamp in a set of 6, issued in 03.1965.
Face value: 9 Albanian lek.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Print: 80,000 copies.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 931.
- Scott No. 806.
- StampWorld No. 940.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 892.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 757.

The Lura Lakes (Albanian: Liqenet e Lurës) in the Lurë-Dejës National Park, have an area of 1280 hectares and are located in the eastern part of the Kunora e Lurës mountain. These are seven glacial lakes, located at an altitude of between 1,350 and 1,720 m (4,429 and 5,643 ft) above the level of the sea. The largest are the Great Lake (Liqeni i Madh), the Lake of Pines (Liqeni i Pishave), the Black Lake (Liqeni i Zi) and the Lake of Flowers (Liqeni i Luleve, represented in the stamp), which It has an area of 4 hectares. In winter the lakes are covered with ice.

ALBANIA

ALBANIA / SHQIPERIA.

Tourism.
Mount Arapi in Theth Valley.
Third stamp in a set of 6, issued in March 1965.
Face value: 3 Albanian lek.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Print: 80,000 copies.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 928.
- Scott No. 803.
- StampWorld No. 937.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 889.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 754.

Mount Arapi (Albanian: Maja e Arapit ot Maja e Harapit) is located in the north of Albania, near the border with Montenegro. It is 2,217 m (7,274 ft) high, with an 800 m (2,600 ft) south wall. It is one of the landmarks of Theth Valley, on the edge of the Theth National Park (Albanian: Parku Kombëtar i Thethit), with an area of 26.3 km² (10.15 sq mi), established in 1966 to protect various ecosystems and the biodiversity and cultural and historical heritage of the region. The park is centered on the Albanian Alps (a subrange of the Dinaric Alps), encompassing the larger portion of Shala Valley. In 2017, Theth has been further declared a Protected Historic Center.

ALBANIA

ALBANIA / SHQIPËRIA.

Albanian Riviera.
Bregdet, Himarë.
Fifth stamp in a set of 8, issued on 10.06.1967.
Face value: 50 Albanian qindarkë.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Size: 55 x 35 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 1165.
- Scott No. 1039.
- StampWorld No. 1174.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 1125.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 989.

Bregdet is a beach belonging to the municipality of Himarë or Himara (Greek: Χειμάρρα), located northwest of this bilingual town on the Albanian Riviera, on the shores of the Ionian Sea. Himarë is a town of about 8,000 inhabitants, most of whom belong to the Greek community of southern Albania, of Christian-Orthodox religion, speaking the Himariote Greek dialect. The area has become an important beach tourism destination. The plant that appears on the stamp is the Mediterranean agave.

ALBANIA

ALBANIA / SHQIPËRIA.

Definitive stamps. 2nd anniversary of accession of King Zog I.
Lake Butrint.
First stamp in a set on 11, issued on 01.09.1930.
Face value: 1 Albanian qindarkë.
Printing: Photogravure.
Size: 24 x 21 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 217.
- Scott No. 250.
- StampWorld No. 247.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 277.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 221.

Lake Butrint (Albanian: Liqeni i Butrintit) is a salt lagoon south of Sarandë, located in direct proximity of the Ionian Sea. It is surrounded by dense forested hills, rocky coast and complemented by saltwater and freshwater marshlands. The lake has a length of 7.1 km (4.4 mi) and a width of 3.3 km (2.1 mi), with a surface area of 16 km² (6.18 sq mi). The maximum depth of the lake is 24.4 m (80 ft). At the south, the Vivari Channel connects the lagoon to the sea. The southern part of the lake is located within the boundaries of the Butrint National Park and has been recognized as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention. The lake has also been identified as an Important Area for the conservation of Birds and Plants.

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Thanks to Dragan Buškulić for his contribution (https://worldofstamp2.wordpress.com/).

ALBANIA

ALBANIA / SHQIPËRIA.

Airmail.
Map of Albania with air routes.
Second stamp in a set of 7, isued on 20.03.1940.
Face value: 15 qindarkë.
Printing: Photogravure.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 314.
- Scott No. C48.
- StampWorld No. 345.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 367.
- Unificato No. A 6.
- Yvert et Tellier No. PA 38.

When this stamp was issued, Albania was occupied by Italy, which had incorporated it into its metropolitan territory and had proclaimed its King Victor Emmanuel II, King of Albania: in effect, the stamp reads MBRETNIJA SHQIPTARE, which means "Kingdom of Albanians ”. Italy established a network of air connections in the country with the Ala Littoria company, which are the ones that appear on the stamp, although few of them operated regularly. These routes stopped operating in September 1944, after German troops, who had replaced the Italians a year earlier, were defeated by Albanian partisans.

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Thanks to Vairo Gregori for his contribution (https://ternifil.org/).

MONTENEGRO

MONTENEGRO / ЦРНА ГОРА - CRNA GORA (Italian occupation).

Landscapes. Airmail.
Lake Skadar.
Fifth stamp in a set of 6, issued in 1943.
Face value: 10 Italian lire.
Printing: Photogravure.
Size: 40 x 30 mm.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 66.
- Sassone No. A 30.
- Scott No. 2NC 22.
- StampWorld No. 97.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 74.
- Unificato No. A 30.
- Yvert et Tellier No. PA 26.

Although the stamp indicates Граб Ријечки (Grab River), Italian catalogs identify the place as Lake Skadar (lago di Scutari), the largest lake in the Balkan Peninsula, shared by Montenegro and Albania (its name in Montenegrin language is Скадарско језеро, and in Albanian, Liqeni i Shkodrës). Its total surface fluctuates seasonally between 370 km² (140 sq mi) and 530 km² (200 sq mi), and the largest inflow of water that feeds it (62%) comes from the Morača river and some sublacustrine sources; the Drin river connects it with Lake Ohrid, and the Bojana river (in Albanian, Buna) connects it with the Adriatic Sea. In the waters of the lake there are some islands, such as Beška, with two churches, and Grmožur, an old fortress and prison. The Montenegrin part of the lake and its surroundings were declared a national park in 1983, and the Albanian part has been designated a Managed Nature Reserve. At its southeastern end is the Albanian city of Shköder.

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Thanks to Vairo Gregori for his contribution (https://ternifil.org/).