TURKMENISTAN - Türkmenistan

Turkmenistan ; Turkmen: Türkmenistan/Түркменистан,) is a sovereign country in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north and east, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the south and southwest and the Caspian Sea to the west. Ashgabat is the capital and largest city of the country. The population of the country is 6 million, the lowest of the Central Asian republics. Turkmenistan is one of the most sparsely populated nations in Asia. Citizens of Turkmenistan are known as Turkmenistanis. Turkmenistan has been at the crossroads of civilizations for centuries. In medieval times, Merv was one of the great cities of the Islamic world and an important stop on the Silk Road, a caravan route used for trade with China until the mid-15th century. Annexed by the Russian Empire in 1881, Turkmenistan later figured prominently in the anti-Bolshevik movement in Central Asia. 

In 1925, Turkmenistan became a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic (Turkmen SSR); it became independent after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.Turkmenistan possesses the world's fourth largest reserves of natural gas. Most of the country is covered by the Karakum (Black Sand) Desert. From 1993 to 2017, citizens received government-provided electricity, water and natural gas free of charge. The sovereign state of Turkmenistan was ruled by President for Life Saparmurat Niyazov (also known as Turkmenbashi) until his death in 2006. Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow was elected president in 2007 (he had been vice-president and then acting president previously). According to Human Rights Watch, "Turkmenistan remains one of the world’s most repressive countries. The country is virtually closed to independent scrutiny, media and religious freedoms are subject to draconian restrictions, and human rights defenders and other activists face the constant threat of government reprisal." After the suspension of the death penalty, the use of capital punishment was formally abolished in the 2008 constitution.

The first stamps of Turkmenistan were issued on 26 April 1992. Before then, Turkmenistan used stamps of the Soviet Union. Unlike other ex-Soviet republics, Turkmenistan did not overprint Soviet stamps to meet their postal needs after independence, although a number of overprints were carried out on Turkmenistan stamps in 1992 and 1993. All postal activity is done with the state-owned corporation Turkmenpochta which is under the rule of the Ministry of Communications. The Turkmenistan government exercises close control over postal communications. Parcels and letters are routinely opened by customs officials and delivery is unreliable. Businesses tend to use international couriers such as Federal Express and DHL, although in 2005 these firms were shut down by the government.

These covers sent back my very good friend Lola from Turkmenistan. It is one of the rare countries and the postal service will not allow irregular sized covers to be posted. Need to get special permission, or to put the covers inside the Govt. provided one after postmarking. I was trying to get a stamped and postmarked covers from Turkmenistan for a long time, but failed. The covers posted on October 22, 2016 and I received them on November 22, 2016.

The cover posted on 22 september 2016 and I received them  on November 21, 2016.

MALDIVES - Republic of Maldives / Dhivehi Raa'jeyge Jumhooriyya

The Maldives (Dhivehi: ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ Dhivehi Raajje), officially the Republic of Maldives, is a small island nation in South Asia, located in the Arabian Sea of the Indian Ocean. It lies southwest of Sri Lanka and India, about 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) from the Asian continent. The chain of 26 atolls stretches from Ihavandhippolhu Atoll in the north to Addu Atoll in the south to the equator. Comprising a territory spanning roughly 298 square kilometres (115 sq mi), the Maldives is one of the world's most geographically dispersed sovereign states as well as the smallest Asian country by land area and population, with around 515,696 inhabitants. Malé is the capital and the most populated city, traditionally called the "King's Island" where the ancient royal dynasties ruled for its central location. The Maldives archipelago is located on the Chagos-Laccadive Ridge, a vast submarine mountain range in the Indian Ocean; this also forms a terrestrial ecoregion, together with the Chagos Archipelago and Lakshadweep.

The Maldives consists of 1,192 coral islands grouped in a double chain of 26 atolls, that stretch along a length of 871 kilometers north-south direction, spread over roughly 90,000 square kilometres (35,000 sq mi), only 298 square kilometers of that is dry land, making this one of the world's most dispersed countries. Maldives is the lowest country in the world, with maximum and average natural ground levels of only 2.4 metres (7 ft 10 in) and 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) above sea level, respectively. In areas where construction exists, however, this has been increased to several metres. More than 80 per cent of the country's land is composed of coral islands which rise less than one metre above sea level. As a result, the Maldives are at high risk of being submerged due to rising sea levels.

The largest ethnic group is Dhivehin, i.e. the Maldivians, native to the historic region of the Maldive Islands comprising today's Republic of Maldives and the island of Minicoy in Union territory of Lakshadweep, India. They share the same culture and speak the Dhivehi language. They are principally an Indo-Aryan people, having traces of Middle Eastern, South Asian, Austronesian and African genes in the population. In the past there was also a small Tamil population known as the Giraavaru people. This group have now been almost completely absorbed into the larger Maldivian society but were once native to the island of Giraavaru (Kaafu Atoll). This island was evacuated in 1968 due to heavy erosion of the island.

The first stamps used in the islands were overprinted stamps of Ceylon issued on 9 September 1906. When those ran out, un-overprinted stamps of Ceylon were used. The first stamps inscribed "Maldives" were issued on 15 May 1909. On 26 July 1965, the sultanate gained independence from the United Kingdom. In 1968, the Republic of Maldives was established.

The covers posted on October 17, 2016 and I received in my hands on October 30, 2016.

The cover sent on March 19 20017 and I received on April 06, 2017.