2761 The air route of the Screaming Eagles in D-Day

2761 The air route of the Screaming Eagles in D-Day,
the insignia of the 101st Airborne Division,
and MP4 (a fortification on the Guernsey Island)

The first United States combat operations during Operation Overlord (the invasion of Normandy by the Western Allies on June 6, 1944 during WWII) were the airborne landings. Around 13,100 American paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne and 101st Airborne Divisions made night parachute drops early on D-Day, followed by 3,937 glider troops flown in by day. As the opening maneuver of Operation Neptune (the assault operation for Overlord) the American airborne divisions were delivered to the continent in two parachute and six glider missions.

2760 LAOS - Laotian staff at the Colonial Exhibition in Marseille in 1906

2760 Alfred Raquez and staff of Laotian section
at the Colonial Exhibition in Marseille in 1906

In the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century in many European countries (but also in the United States, Australia, South Africa etc.) were organized colonial exhibitions, intended to show the people of the Metropolis the different facets of the colonies. They gave rise to dramatic reconstructions of natural environments and monuments of Africa, Asia or Oceania. In that period the colonial empire of France was the second, behind that of the Brittish Empire.

2759 ISRAEL - Akhzivland

Achziv is an ancient site on the Mediterranean coast of northern Israel, in Western Galilee, between the border with Lebanon and the city of Acre (15 kilometers north of Acre, within the municipal area of Nahariya). Remnants of ancient Achziv, now known as Tel Achziv, are located on a sandstone mound between two streams, Kziv on the north and Shaal on the south. An ancient port was located on the coast, and another secondary port is located 700 m to the south.

1570, 1586-1587, 1781-1782, 2758 UNITED KINGDOM (Turks and Caicos Islands) - The map and the flag of the Turks and Caicos Islands

1570, 1586 The map of the Turks and Caicos Islands (1)

Posted on 10.05.2015, 17.05.2015, 03.06.2015, 26.07.2015, 17.09.2016
The Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) are a British Overseas Territory consisting of the larger Caicos Islands and smaller Turks Islands, two groups of tropical islands in the Lucayan Archipelago, part of the larger Antilles island grouping, which lie southeast of Mayaguana in the Bahamas island chain and north of the island of Hispaniola. The resident population is about 31,500, of whom 23,769 live on Providenciales. Cockburn Town, the capital since 1766, is situated on Grand Turk Island. TCI are named after the Turk's-cap cactus (Melocactus communis), and the Lucayan term caya hico, meaning string of islands.

2758 The map of the Turks and Caicos Islands (2)

The first inhabitants of the islands were Arawakan-speaking Taíno people, who crossed over from Hispaniola sometime from AD 500 to 800. Soon after the conquistador Juan Ponce de León arrived in 1512, the Spanish began capturing the locals as slaves, so that the islands were completely depopulated a year later, and remained so until the 17th century. During the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, the islands passed from Spanish, to French, and to British control, but none of the three powers ever established any settlements. For several decades around the turn of the 18th century, the islands became popular pirate hideouts.

1781 The map of the Middle Caicos

After the American War of Independence, many Loyalists fled to British Caribbean colonies; in 1783 they were the first settlers on the Caicos Islands. They developed cotton as an important cash crop, but it was superseded by the development of the salt industry, which was a highly important export product until the 19th century. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the islands were either a separate colony, or part of the  Bahamas, or of  Jamaica. In 1973 the Turks and Caicos received their own governor. In 2013 and 2014, interest in annexing the islands to Canada, an idea which previously circulated, was renewed.

1782 The map of the Salt Cay

The eight main islands and more than 299 smaller islands consist primarily of low, flat limestone with extensive marshes and mangrove swamps. The weather is usually sunny and relatively dry, but suffers frequent hurricanes. The islands have limited natural fresh water resources; private cisterns collect rainwater for drinking. Most capital goods and food for domestic consumption are imported. The primary natural resources are spiny lobster, conch and other shellfish. The United States was the leading source of tourists in 1996, accounting for more than half of the 87,000 visitors.

1587 The flag of the Turks and Caicos Islands

The official language of the islands is English and the population also speaks Turks and Caicos Islands Creole, which is similar to Bahamian Creole. Due to its close proximity to Cuba and Hispaniola, large Haitian Creole and Spanish-speaking communities have developed in the territory due to immigration. The Turks and Caicos Islands are a biodiversity hotspot. The islands have many endemic species and others of international importance. Due to this significance, the islands are on the United Kingdom's tentative list for future UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

2757 FRANCE (Saint Barthélemy) - Lesser Antillean Iguana

The Lesser Antillean iguana (Iguana delicatissima) is a large arboreal lizard endemic to the Lesser Antilles. It is one of two species of lizard of the genus Iguana and is in severe decline due to habitat destruction, feral predators, hunting, and hybridization with its sister species the Green Iguana. Another common name for it is the West Indian iguana, though this is more commonly used for species of the genus Cyclura. The species was first officially described by Austrian naturalist Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in 1768.

2756 HUNGARY - Siemens Taurus electric locomotive No. 470 007

At the beginning of the 1990's, Deutsche Bahn AG wanted to replace the aged Einheits-Elektrolokomotiven (standard electric locomotive) with a more modern and efficient model. So appeared the EuroSprinter family of electric locomotives, a modular concept of locomotives for the European market built by Siemens. The internal Siemens product name is ES 64, with ES for EuroSprinter and the number 64 indicating the 6,400 kW power at rail. Additional information is given in the name on the usage (U as universal, P as prototype and F as freight).

2755 GERMANY (Bavaria) - Volkach

Located in Lower Franconia, on the banks of the river Main, the charming town of Volkach was founded in 906 A.D. and celebrated its 1100th anniversary in 2006. This part of Franconia is known for its vineyards, so Volkach's main tourist attraction is its annual wine festival in August (Weinfest), which is the culminating festival for the entire Franconian wine region.

2754 RUSSIA (Republic of Chuvashia) - Chuvash woman in traditional costume

2754 The matchmaker Anastasia,
painting by Nikolai Vassilievich Ovchinnikov, 1978

The Chuvash people are a Turkic ethnic group, native to an area stretching from the Volga Region to Siberia. Most of them live in Republic of Chuvashia and surrounding areas, although Chuvash communities may be found throughout the Russian Federation. The closest ancestors of the Chuvashes seem to be the Volga Bulgars. They have been subjected to much influence, not only from Russian and Turkic peoples, but also from neighboring Finnic tribes. Racially, the Chuvash seem to be a mixed Finnic and Turkic type.

2753 FRANCE (Saint Barthélemy) - Gustaf III Airport

Gustaf III Airport, also known as St. Jean Airport, because is located in the village of St. Jean, was named for King Gustav III of Sweden, under whom Sweden obtained the island from France in 1784 (it was sold back to France in 1878). In 1984, Swedish Minister of Communications, Hans Gustafsson, inaugurated the terminal building. Most visiting aircraft carry fewer than twenty passengers, such as the Twin Otter, a common sight throughout the northern West Indies and as a curiosum, the Canadian-built de Havilland Dash 7 is the largest aircraft ever allowed to operate this airport.

2752 FRANCE (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes) - Feissons-sur-Salins

Feissons-sur-Salins is a small mountain village in central France, located at 60km north-west from Annecy. Its average altitude is 1260m. The 198 residents of the village live on a total area of ​​5 km2.

1269, 2750 FRANCE (Île-de-France) - Basilica of Sacré-Cœur in Paris

1269 The Basilica of Sacré-Cœur

Posted on 05.10.2014, 13.09.2016
Located at the summit of the butte Montmartre, the highest point in  Paris, The Basilica of Sacré-Cœur is a double monument, political and cultural, both a national penance for the defeat of France in the Franco-Prussian War and the socialist Paris Commune of 1871, and an embodiment of conservative moral order, publicly dedicated to the  Sacred Heart of Jesus, which was an increasingly popular vision of a loving and sympathetic Christ. Architect Paul Abadie designed the basilica after winning a competition over 77 other architects, and the foundation stone was finally laid 16 June 1875.

2750 The Basilica of Sacré-Cœur and the Place du Tertre

The overall style of the structure shows a free interpretation of Romano-Byzantine features, an unusual architectural vocabulary at the time. Many design elements of the basilica symbolise nationalist themes: the portico, with its three arches, is adorned by two equestrian statues of French national saints Joan of Arc (1927) and King Saint Louis IX, both executed in bronze by Hippolyte Lefebvre; and the nineteen-ton Savoyarde bell (one of the world's heaviest), cast in 1895 in Annecy, alludes to the annexation of Savoy in 1860.

2749 ROMANIA (Hunedoara) - Peasants from Orăştie in the fields, in 1900

Located near the place where Orăştie River discharges into the Mureş, not far from the heart of the Dacian Kingdom, from which survived until today the ruins of Dacian fortresses, Orăştie was documented for the first time in 1224, but there is archaeological evidence proving that the area was inhabited since Neolithic. The traditional costume in this area congealed as a costume of hilly area, suffering significant changes over time, being influenced by the mountain costume, which presents several pastoral elements.

2748 POLAND (Lesser Poland) - Kalwaria Zebrzydowska: the Mannerist Architectural and Park Landscape Complex and Pilgrimage Park (UNESCO WHS)

With a vision while viewing the neighbouring hills and valleys from the Castle of Lanckorona, on 1 December 1602, Mikołaj Zebrzydowski, the Voivode of Kraków commissioned the construction of a calvary, i.e. Roman Catholic monastery and the trails of the Passion of Christ modeled on the Calvary outside the city walls of Jerusalem. The town takes its name from the monastery and the last name of its founder Zebrzydowski. The town of Zebrzydów was established in 1617 in order to house the growing number of pilgrims visiting the Roman Catholic site of worship.

2747 THAILAND (Bangkok) - Thai Royal Guards parade

Also known as Trooping the Colour, the Thai Royal Guards parade occurs every December 2 since 1953, in celebration of the birthday of the King of Thailand, during which the King's Guard of the Royal Thai Armed Forces perform a military parade and pledge loyalty to the monarch. The venue is the Royal Plaza at Bangkok, in front of the Dusit Palace and its Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall. The ceremony is inspired by the Trooping the Colour performed by regiments of the British and Commonwealth armies.

2746 FRANCE (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes) - Our Lady of La Salette

La Salette-Fallavaux, a commune of less than 100 people located at about 80km south of Grenoble, was the site of apparitions of the Virgin Mary in 1846, reported by two children. After five years of investigation, Pope Pius IX formally approved the public devotion and prayers to Our Lady of La Salette, referring to its messages of apparition as "secrets". In 1852, Pope Pius IX once again mentioned the construction of the altar to La Salette. The same papal bull granted the foundation of the Association of Our Lady of La Salette, formalised on 7 September.

2745 UNITED STATES (New York) - Strand Bookstore

2745 New York City - Strand Bookstore - The store's Central Park kiosk

The Strand Bookstore is an independent bookstore located at 828 Broadway, at the corner of East 12th Street in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. In addition to the main location, the store's Central Park kiosk is open on fair weather days at the corner of Fifth Avenue and East 60th Street. The company's slogan is "18 Miles Of Books". In 2016, The New York Times called The Strand "the undisputed king of the city’s independent bookstores."

2744 THAILAND - Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn

Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, born Princess Sirindhorn Debaratanasuda Kitivadhanadulsobhak on 2 April 1955 is the third child of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit. Her full ceremonial title is Somdech Phra Debaratanarajasuda Chao Fa Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Rathasimagunakornpiyajat Sayamboromrajakumari. Thais commonly refer to her by reducing such title to "Phra Thep", meaning "princess angel". Her title in Thai is the female equivalent of the title held by her brother, Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn.

2743 GERMANY (North Rhine-Westphalia) - Ruhr Valley

 

River Ruhr, an important tributary of the lower Rhine, rises on the north side of Winterberg and flows 235km west past Witten (the head of navigation), Essen, and Mülheim to enter the Rhine at Duisburg. Its functions chiefly as a supplier of water and is dammed in many places to form lakes and reservoirs. Nearby canals carry the bulk of the water traffic. The river has given its name to one of the world’s largest single industrial regions.

1783, 2118, 2224, 2273, 2741 The map and the flags of the countries and territories in Caribbean

1783 The map and the flags of the countries and territories
in Caribbean (1)

Posted on 26.07.2015, 13.12.2015, 17.01.2016, 07.02.2016, 06.09.2016
The Caribbean is a region that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean), and the surrounding coasts. The Caribbean islands, consisting of the Greater Antilles on the north and the Lesser Antilles on the south and east (including the Leeward Antilles), are part of the somewhat larger West Indies grouping, which also includes the Lucayan Archipelago (comprising The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands) north of the Greater Antilles and Caribbean Sea. In a wider sense, the mainland countries with Caribbean coastlines and islands may be included.

2118 The map and the flags of the countries and territories
in Caribbean (2)

Geopolitically, the Caribbean islands are usually regarded as a subregion of North America and are organized into 30 territories including sovereign states, overseas departments, and dependencies. Caribbean societies are very different from other Western societies in terms of size, culture, and degree of mobility of their citizens. The current economic and political problems the states face individually are common to all Caribbean states.

2224 The map of the countries and territories in Caribbean (1)

At the time of European contact, the dominant ethnic groups in the Caribbean included the Taíno and the Island Caribs, and smaller distinct groups such as the Guanajatabey and the Ciguayo, the population being estimated to have been around 750,000. After contact, social disruption and epidemic diseases led to a decline in the Amerindian population. From 1500 to 1800 the population rose as slaves arrived from West Africa as well as immigrants from Europe. Immigrants from India, China, and other countries arrived in the 19th century. The total regional population was estimated at 37.5 million by 2000.

2273 The map of the countries and territories in Caribbean (2)

The Caribbean islands are remarkable for the diversity of their animals, fungi and plants, and have been classified as one of Conservation International's biodiversity hotspots because of their exceptionally diverse terrestrial and marine ecosystems, ranging from montane cloud forests to cactus scrublands. The region also contains about 8% of the world's coral reefs along with extensive seagrass meadows, both of which are frequently found in the shallow marine waters bordering island and continental coasts off the region. Many of the ecosystems of the Caribbean islands have been devastated by deforestation, pollution, and human encroachment.

2741 The map of the countries and territories in Caribbean (3)