110 ITALY - Lake Como

Lake Como is a lake of glacial origin in Lombardy, Italy. It has an area of 146 square kilometres (56 sq mi), making it the third largest lake in Italy, after Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore. At over 400 metres (1,300 feet) deep, it is one of the deepest lakes in Europe, and the bottom of the lake is more than 200 metres (660 ft) below sea-level. The lake is shaped much like the character "Y". The northern branch begins at the town of Colico, while the towns of Como and Lecco sit at the ends of the southwestern and southeastern branches respectively. The small towns of Bellagio, Menaggio, and Varenna are situated at the intersection of the three branches of the lake: a triangular boat service operates between them. Lake Como is fed in large part by the Adda River, which enters the lake near Colico and flows out at Lecco. This geological conformation makes the southwestern branch a dead end, and so Como, unlike Lecco, is often flooded.

The mountainous pre-alpine territory between the two southern arms of the lake—between Como, Bellagio, and Lecco—is known as the Larian Triangle, or Triangolo lariano. The source of the river Lambro is here. At the centre of the triangle, the town of Canzo is the seat of theComunità montana del Triangolo Lariano, an association of the 31 municipalities that represent the 71,000 inhabitants of the area.Lake Como weather is generally mild. It is known for its Mediterranean-like climate where tropical and sub-tropical plants can grow year-round. In the winter, the lake helps to maintain a higher temperature in the surrounding region. Average daily temperatures range from about 2 °C (36 °F) in January to 30 °C (86 °F) in July Water temperatures can reach an average of 24 °C (75 °F) during the month of July. Snowfall is erratic and primarily affects the higher elevations. Rainfall is heaviest in May and lowest during the winter months.

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Sent by my parents from Lago di Como (Italy)

085 CANADA - Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks, Mt. Robson (WHS)

Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks comprises Banff National Park, Hamber Provincial Park, Jasper National Park, Kootenay National Park, Mount Robson Provincial Park, Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park and Yoho National Park. The Canadian Rocky Mountains are oriented in a south-eastern to north-western direction along the Continental Divide and consist of the Western Ranges, the Main Ranges, the Front Ranges and the Foothills, all of which are represented within the parks. Active glaciers and ice fields still exist throughout the region, particularly in the Main Ranges. The most significant is the Columbia ice field, the largest in North America's subarctic interior. Covering 325 km2 , the ice field spans the Continental Divide and the boundary between Jasper and Banff National Parks. The Columbia ice fields of Jasper National Park are regarded as the hydrographic apex of North America and are the headwaters to three major river systems: the North Saskatchewan River, the Athabasca River and the Columbia River. The park waters of Yoho flow to the Pacific along Kicking Horse. Mount Robson Park encompasses the headwaters of Fraser River while Hamber Park encompasses Fortress Lake watershed. There are numerous lakes in Mount Assiniboine Park, most of which are located in broad alpine valleys and plateaus where they occupy glacially scoured depressions in the limestone bedrock.

The Rockies have been divided into three life zones or ecoregions: montane, subalpine and alpine. Montane vegetation occurs in major valley bottoms, on the foothills and sun-exposed slopes of lower mountain sides, especially in the front ranges. Forest is generally found between 1,200 m and 1,800 m and typical species include Douglas fir, white spruce, aspen and poplar. Montane wetlands and meadows occupy areas adjacent to major rivers. The subalpine ecoregion occupies mountainsides between 1,800 m and 2,100 m, and valley bottoms of high elevations. This is the most extensive ecoregion in the Rockies and can be subdivided into lower and upper subalpine. The alpine ecoregion occurs above the timberline. It is characterized by diminutive and hardy vegetation such as low-growing willow and dwarf birch, heath, mountain avens and sedge. A total of 56 mammalian species have been recorded. Characteristic species found in alpine meadows include Rocky Mountain goat, bighorn sheep, northern pika and hoary marmot. Forest mammals include moose, mule deer, white-tailed deer, caribou, red deer and red squirrel. Carnivores include grey wolf, grizzly bear, black bear, wolverine, lynx and puma. Some 280 avifaunal species have been noted, including northern three-toed woodpecker, white-tailed ptarmigan, grey jay, mountain bluebird, Clark's nutcracker, golden eagle, mountain chickadee and rock pipit. Other recorded fauna includes one species of toad, three species of frog, one species of salamander and two species of snake.

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Katie Leung (direct swap) sent from Toronot (Canada) on 21.11.2013

077 CHINA - Snowscape in Ganhaizi

It's very hard to find something about this postcard: I only figured out that this postcard shows the Ganhaizi Area. There is no moving water in Ganhaizi but it is full of charme of snow and ice. Ganhaizi is located in Central China. I think that's all! Sorry!

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Vongola (postcrossing) sent from Chengdu (China) on 18.06.2013

051 MACEDONIA - Natural and Cultural Heritage of the Ohrid region (WHS)

Ohrid is a city in the Republic of Macedonia and the seat of the Ohrid Municipality. It is the largest city on the Lake Ohrid and the eighth-largest city in the country with over 42 000 inhabitants. Ohrid is notable for once having had 365 churches, one for each day of the year and has been referred to as a "Jerusalem of the Balkans". The city is rich in picturesque houses and monuments, and tourism is predominant. The earliest inhabitants of the widest Lake Ohrid region were the Dassaretae, an ancient Greek tribe and the Enchelei, an Illyrian tribe. According to the recent excavations by Macedonian archaeologists it was a town way back at the time of king Phillip II of Macedon. The South Slaves began to arrive in the area during the 6th century AD. By the early 7th century it was colonized by a Slavic tribe known as the Berziti. The Bulgars conquered the city in 867. Between 990 and 1015, Ohrid was the capital and stronghold of the Bulgarian Empire. After the Byzantine reconquest of the city in 1018 by Basil II, the Bulgarian Patriarchate was downgraded to an Archbishopric and placed under the authority of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.

Lake Ohrid, straddles the mountainous border between southwestern Macedonia and eastern Albania. It is one of Europe's deepest and oldest lakes, preserving a unique quatic ecosystem that is of worldwide importance with more than 200 endemic species. Lake Ohrid belongs to a group of Dessaret basins that originated from geotectonic depression during the Pliocene epoch up to five million years ago on the western side of the Dinaric Alps. Worldwide, there are only a few lakes with similarly remote origins. The water at the surface of Lake Ohrid moves predominantly in a counter-clockwise direction along the shore, as a result of wind forcing and earth rotation. However in an average winter only the top 150-200 meters of the lake are mixed, whereas the water below is stably stratified by salinity.

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Stefani Tabakovska (direct swap) sent from Skopje (Macedonia) on 07.10.2013

049 NEW ZEALAND - Tongariro National Park (WHS)

Tongariro National Park is the oldest national park in New Zealand, located in the central North Island. It was the fourth national park established in the world. The active volcanic mountains Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro are located in the centre of the park. There are a number of Maori religious sites within the park and the summits of Tongariro, including Ngauruhoe and Ruapehu, are tapu (sacred). Like the whole of New Zealand, Tongariro National Park is situated in a temperate zone. In 1886 in order to prevent the selling of the mountains to European settlers, the local Ngati Tuwharetoa iwi had the mountains surveyed in the Native Land Court and then set aside as a reserve in the names of certain chiefs one of whom was Te Heuheu Tukino IV, the most significant chief of Maori Ngati Tuwharetoa iwi. Later the peaks of Mount Tongariro, Mount Ngauruhoe and parts of Mount Ruapehu, were conveyed to The Crown on 23 September 1887, on condition that a protected area was established there

The postcard shows the beautiful Emerald Lakes at the Tongariro Crossing. The Emerald Lakes are three small crater lakes at Mount Tongariro. The Emerald Lakes fill explosion craters. Their brilliant colours are partly caused by dissolved minerals, washed down from the thermal area of nearby Red Crater, so it's impossible to go swimming in the lake.

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Susan Coughey (direct swap) sent from Auckland (New Zealand) on 19.10.2013