Portugal

Yet again the postmark and date are obscured, but the card arrived on 28 June 2008.

The message on the card, in the exact words of the sender, because I found it charming:

About my country, half of it is in contact with the sea, and Algarve also. Algarve is the south region of Portugal. It is very peacefully living here, but being a little chaotic in the summer because of the tourism. We have a Mediterranean climate, having a coast full of sandy beaches. Our country is little and in one day you can travel from one side to the other, having a diversified landscape and flora. It is a country with a long history, since 1143. In every corner we can see the remains. The name Algarve comes due to the Moorish occupation of much of Iberia, "Al-Gharb" means the country of the west. They left in the 12th but we kept the name.

Portugal, as is probably known by anyone who frequents pub quizzes or who learnt history in the same era as I did, is England's oldest ally.