EUROPA 2001 - Rivers - Cyprus 3.5.2001

This FDC sports two stamps in the EUROPA series for 2001 with Rivers as its theme. The rivers depicted on these stams are The Akaki, a river of central Ethiopia. It is a tributary of the Awash River on the right side. Two smaller rivers join the Akaki at the Aba-Samuel reservoir. These two rivers are the Little Akaki and the Great Akaki; the former is on the western side of the Akaki and the latter on the east.

The city of Addis Ababa has made the Akaki its waste disposal site. This puts the rural population living in the fringes of the city at risk since the Akaki is a source of drinking water for them. The Akaki is vital for numerous bird species. The Akaki–Aba-Samuel wetlands have been identified by the Birdlife International as a crucial staging ground for winter migratory bird species. The wetlands have been known to support as many as 20,000 water birds.

The second stamp depicts The Diarizos River. The 4th river in terms of length in Cyprus is Diarizos. From its two sources (where its name comes from), until its mouth, it covers a distance of 42 kilometres.

Its sources are found on the southeastern slopes of Kykkos, one next to the Milikouri village, and one on the slopes of Lemithou. These sources never stop giving their water, thus filling the riverbed all year round.

Diarizos has formed a huge valley. It is called the valley of Diarizos. It begins from the Venetian bride of “Tzielefou” and ends up at the beaches of Paphos. The valley, at its most is cultivable and planted with citrus trees.

Humans lived in this valley from ancient years and today there are 14 villages in total.

From its sources until the Venetian bride of Tzielefos, there is a narrow gorge with a width of 11 kilometres and dense plantation. The pine trees are probably the highest that exist in Cyprus. The sun hardly passes from the dense leafage of the trees. One road, a dirt road follows the river’s route during the whole journey.

A controlled and equipped picnic area offers its visitors the opportunity to prepare food. A little further, towards the river’s source, you will find the waterfall of Chantarra.

Thank you Merja.

McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System

This bright blue, dark blue and black 6c stamp was issued at Little Rock, AR on 1.10.1968 to celebrate the opening of the first portion of the Arkansas River to commercial navigation.  The system has 17 locks and dams.  Twelve of these are located in Arkansas and five in Oklahoma.  In 1971, an Act of Congress designated the official name of the waterway as the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System.  This name is commonly abbreviated as MKARNS.

The MKARNS system is made up of 445 river miles with a minimum water depth of nine feet.  Its benefits include: water supply, navigation, fish and wildlife conservation, recreation, hydroelectric generation, and flood control.  Over the past 30 years, the MKARNS has created 54,000 jobs, generating a payroll of over $1 billion.

Thank you Merja for this nice FDC.

New Zealand Rivers

Four New Zealand rivers featured in the 1981 Scenic Stamp Issue. There are two from the North Island - the Kaiauai and the Mangahao - while the Shotover and the Cleddau are from the South Island. Thank you Maria. These are lovely stamps indeed on the FDC.

Kaiauai River - 30c
The Kaiauai is one of the many streams radiating from Mt Egmont /Taranaki, featured in the background of this stamp.  The actual source of the Kaiauai is between Egmont and one of the two secondary volcanoes, now appearing as much eroded remnants, which form a shoulder on Egmont's northern slopes.

Mangahao River - 35c
Like most large New Zealand rivers and streams, the Mangahao is stocked with trout.  The river rises in the Tararua mountain range, flows down the eastern side of the mountains, then flows north-eastward through farmland into a major North Island river, the Manawatu.  Mangahou and not Mangahao is the correct Maori name for this river.  Many pioneers found difficulty with the pronunciation of Maori place names and in time corrupted pronunciation such as this passed into written form and common usage.

Shotover River - 40c
This stamp depicts the Shotover River flowing south between the Coronet Range (at rear left) and Brown Peak (rear centre) in the Otago Province.  Although unsuitable for fishing, the river attracted thousands of people in the 1860s when gold fever struck.  The Shotover was to yield some fabulous returns, and a tributary of the Shotover, Skippers Creek, became known as the richest creek in the world.

Cleddau River - 60c
Over several mountain ranges to the west of the Shotover lies the Cleddau River which flows north-westward into Milford Sound.  The area is well known for its breathtaking alpine and fiord scenery, attracting tourists from all over the world.