2329 - Taipei, Taiwan

Aka explains on his card about the naming of Taiwan "Formosa" by the Portuguese. This dates back to 1542 when Portuguese sailors sighted an uncharted island and noted it in their maps as Ilha Formost "Beautiful Island." Formosa remained in common usage by English speakers well into the 20th century.

In the 1600s the Dutch East India Company established a commercial port called Fort Zeelandia, where the modern day city of Anping is today. They called the area Tayouan, which Taiwan is derived from.

The official name of Taiwan is the Republic of China. However, the People's Republic of China sees Taiwan as a province of theirs, and not a separate country. Because of this and to keep the People's Republic of China happy, Taiwan uses Chinese Taipei at all international forums, organizations, and at sporting events. The PRC will not have diplomatic relations with countries who establish diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Only 14 countries and the Vatican have diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

Here's a video that might help explain the complicated relationship between China and Taiwan and the rest of the world:

I really like Aka's card. I'm in the middle of watching Peaky Blinders on Netflix right now and it reminds me of that show.

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3584 - Blaine, Minnesota, United States of America

The sender was in Las Vegas recently and bought this card from The Mob Museum. The Mob Museum, officially known as the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, is located in downtown Las Vegas. It open in 2012. It features artifacts, stories, and the history of organized crime in the United States, but also the actions and initiatives by law enforcement to prevent such crimes. The museum is found at the former Las Vegas Post Office and Courthouse, which was built in 1933. The quote on this card was from John Gotti. John Gotti (1940-2002) was the mafioso and boss of the Gambino crime family in New York City. After ordering the killing of Gambino boss Paul Catellano in 1985, he took over the family and led what was the United States' most powerful crime syndicate. He was known as The Teflon Don after three high profile trials in the 1980s resulted in acquittals. Later it was revealed that the trials had been tainted by jury tampering, juror misconduct, and...

3564 - Kassel, Hesse, Germany

A wonderful message on this card that translates to to those wh o can wait, everything comes with time.

2346 - Iwate, Iwate, Japan

Keita is a junior high science teacher in Iwate 岩手町. He sent me a photo of the Tokyo Sky Tower during a fireworks display. The Tokyo Sky Tower is a broadcasting and observation tower in Simide, a special ward in the Tokyo Metropolis. It became the tallest structure in Japan in 2010. In 2011, when it was completed at a height of 634 meters, it became the tallest tower in the world, and the second tallest structure in the world, after Burj Khalifa in Dubai, UAE.

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