With South America as this week's theme I thought I should start with the alphabet.
'A' is for Argentina, and it so happens that this country has a stamp that shows the whole continent.
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| Argentina |
The second largest country in South America, Argentina gained its independence in 1816 and issued its first stamps in 1858.
'B' is for Brazil, the largest country in the continent; independent in 1822 Brazil became a republic in 1889. The Amazon flows from its source in the Peruvian Andes 4000 miles through Brazil to the Atlantic.
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| Brazil |
'C' is for Chile which lies between the Andes and the South Pacific. Chile's Juan Fernandez Islands are supposed to be where Robinson Crusoe was shipwrecked.
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| Chile (my one and only stamp) |
'E' is for Ecuador which became independent in 1822. Ecuador includes the Galapagos Islands so I'm pleased that I have a stamp of its fauna, a splendidly named bird on a 1977 stamp.
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| Ecuador |
If like me you don't know Spanish, the bird is a Red-legged Boobie.
I had only one stamp from other countries on the continent and so had to give Guyana (formerly British Guiana), Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela a miss and settle for the letter 'U'.
'U' is for Uruguay, the smallest of the South American republics which borders on the Atlantic; its first stamps were issued in 1856.
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| Uruguay |
I understand that 'encomiendas' means 'parcels'
For other stamps from down South America way you need to visit Viridian at
Sunday Stamps 36
