Åland
ÅLAND - Åland Post Stamps
The stamp shows common eelgrass (Zostera marina), a key species in the Baltic Sea. Eelgrass is an aquatic vascular plant that lives entirely underwater. A major part of the eelgrass meadows in Finland are found in the Åland archipelago. The oldest Finnish bed of cloned eelgrass, said to be over 1 000 years old, is believed to be located in the Åland coastal belt.

Eelgrass forms one the most valued ecosystems on earth. Often referred to as the coral reefs of the Baltic Sea, eelgrass meadows also serve as nurseries for thousands of small fish and crustaceans as well as millions of invertebrates.

Albania
ALBANIA - Albanian Post
Designer: Xhoan Guga

Armenia
ARMENIA - Haypost
The postage stamp of the souvenir sheet with the nominal value of 500 AMD depicts a big eye of a fish in which the underwater fauna and flora of Armenia is reflected. Particularly, the postage stamp reflects the images of a crayfish, a snake, underwater plants as well as different types of fish (i.e. Salmo ischchan gegarkuni, Capoeta capoeta sevangi, Sevan barbel) endemic to the underwater world of freshwater Lake Sevan and rivers of Armenia.

Austria
AUSTRIA - Österreichische Post AG
The lake was created due to a prehistoric landslide down Mount Meßnerin, which now holds back the accumulating water. As the snow melts, the lake fills with water, and it can reach a depth of up to eleven meters. Meadows, benches, hiking trails and jetties are all submerged in the gleaming emerald green lake, but can still be seen and recognized under water. They reemerge as the water level drops in autumn. Swimming in the Grüner See is prohibited to prevent the lake bed from being stirred up and so that the green colour is retained.

Azerbaijan
AZERBAIJAN - State Enterprise "Azerpost"
The blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is a marine mammal and a baleen whale. Reaching a maximum confirmed length of 29.9 meters and weighing up to 199 ton, it is the largest animal known ever to have existed.

The blue whale was once abundant in nearly all the Earth's oceans until the end of the 19th century. It was hunted almost to the point of extinction by whalers until the International Whaling Commission banned all blue whale hunting in 1966. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed blue whales as Endangered as of 2018. It continues to face numerous man-made threats such as ship strikes, pollution, ocean noise, and climate change.

Belgium
BELGIUM - bpost
This year's Europe issue delves into underwater fauna and flora. bpost chooses to put endangered marine life in the spotlight. On the stamps we see the dogfish, an endangered species in our North Sea.
Special effect: Varnish on the fish.

Bosnia and Herzegovina
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA - Croatian Post Mostar
The Acetabularia acetabulum Jadranski klobučić) is a species of green algae from the Polyphysaceae family, which is widespread in the Mediterranean and Adriatic seas. It got its Croatian name (Jadranski klobučić - Adriatic cap) because of the visibly pronounced radial ribs on the white mushroom-like or umbrella-like cap. It consists of three parts: a rhizoid (a protrusion from the lower epidermal cells of mosses and algae), an 8 to 10 cm long stalk and a cap. An interesting fact is that the entire alga is one cell.

Bosnia and Herzegovina
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA - Pošte Srpske a.d. Banja Luka

Bosnia and Herzegovina
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA - Public Enterprise BH POST
Soft trout ,Salmo obtusirostris (Heckel, 1851) is an endemic species of fish in the Zeta (Montenegro) and Buna and Neretva (Bosnia and Herzegovina) rivers. A characteristic feature of the soft-mouthed trout is that the height of its head drops sharply in front of the nostrils, so its muzzle is rounded. Its mouth is smaller than that of other species of salmonid, fleshy and soft, its teeth are almost covered with pulp (it got its folk name from this characteristic). On the flanks there are black spots, irregularly distributed, as well as a smaller number of red or orange spots, which coincide with the red ones.

Bulgaria
BULGARIA - Bulgarska Philatelia & Numismatika
The stamp depicts two kinds of fish and some seaweed.
• Red mullet (Millus surmuletus)
• Starfish (Uranoscopus scaber)

Croatia
CROATIA - Croatian Post
The noble pen shell (Pinna nobilis) is an endemic species of the Mediterranean, the largest bivalve in the Mediterranean Sea and among the largest bivalves in the world. It lives to be around 50 years old. Unfortunately, at the beginning of 2024, only about 20 living specimens were known in the seabed of Croatia due to the disease that spread through the entire Mediterranean Sea.

Cyprus
CYPRUS - Department of Postal Services
The €0.64 stamp depicts the sea anemone. It belongs taxonomically to the anthozoa. There are several species of sea anemone of various colours, most of which are small in size (1.5 – 3 cm), although we can also encounter anemones with a much larger diameter. It owes its name to its overall appearance, which resembles a flower rather than a sea animal. Its body is almost cylindrical; its lower part is wider and with it it rests upright and lives on all types of marine substrate, sand rocks, empty shells and macroalgae.

Czech Republic
CZECH REPUBLIC- Czech Post
Underwater life does not consist of plants and fish only, but also of amphibians, reptiles and a great number of invertebrates. Among the fish, the designers chose the pike – the queen of the native ponds. They added the beautifully coloured perch. Amphibians are represented by the northern crested newt, and crustaceans by the narrow-clawed crayfish. The swan mussel, a typical inhabitant of the native ponds, and the great ramshorn, are members of the Bivalvia and Gastropoda class, respectively, whereas the great diving beetle represents water beetles. The flora is represented by the beauty of native ponds, the white water lily.

Denmark
DENMARK - PostNord Danmark
The Breath of the Sea – Havets åndedræt
In 2024, Post Europ has chosen the joint theme "Underwater Fauna & Flora," which we have translated to "The Breath of the Sea." Fjertang, in Latin Ptilota gunneri, is a worthy representative of the fantastic world found in the seas, fjords, sounds, and straits around our country. The stamp have been designed by Bertil Skov Jørgensen, known for a wide range of our stamps, and they have been created by scanning a dried original plant from Professor Emeritus Ruth Nielsen's own herbarium.

Estonia
ESTONIA - Estonian Stamp
This year, the theme of the EUROPA stamp series is underwater fauna and flora. The stamps depict the well-known fish and flora of our homeland. The zander is a species of predatory fish from the order Perciformes. In Estonia, the zander lives in Lake Võrtsjärv, Lake Peipus, in the lakes of South-Eastern and Southern Estonia, River Emajõgi, and in the desalinated bays of the Baltic Sea. The zander has been chosen as the fish of the year 2024. The Baltic flounder is a fish that belongs to the Pleuronectidae family and the Platichthys genus. It is characterised by a wide and flat body. The flounder is a bottom-dwelling sea fish that prefers to live in shallow seas and highly desalinated places near river mouths. The bladder wrack is the biggest algae in Estonia. It can grow to a length of up to 75 cm. The crisp-leaved pondweed is a plant in the Potamogetonaceae family and the Potamogeton genus.

Faroe Islands
FAROE - Postverk Føroya
This year’s Europa stamp series showcases the captivating underwater photography of Faroese photographic artist, Harald Bjørgvin. The stamp depicts a Nudibranchs (Facelina bostoniensis), a type of sea slug, stand out as some of the most vivid and striking inhabitants of the marine world. These shell-less gastropods move in a manner akin to snails. Their Faroese name, “bertákna,” (bare gills) is inspired by their exposed respiratory organs, the gills, situated towards the back on their spine. . These creatures inhabit every ocean globally, ranging from the surface to depths exceeding 700 meters. To date, over 3,000 species of nudibranchs have been identified. The photo was taken 19th May 2020.

Finland
FINLAND - Posti Ltd.
The animal for the Finnish Europa stamps is the Macroplea pubipennis leaf beetle, which thrives in shallow and sheltered sea bays. The beetle, which is less than a centimeter long, can seldom be found in Finland in the area from Hamina to Oulu and on the Åland Islands.

The gleaming water at the top of stamp emphasizes the fact that the species live underwater. The shape of the upper part of the stamp depicts a wave, and the uneven stamp separation creates an image of air bubbles rising to the surface,” say Susanna Rumpu and Ari Lakaniemi, the stamp’s designers.

France
FRANCE - Philaposte Service Clients
“With a presence in 4 of the world's 5 oceans, and the 2nd largest maritime area in the world, France is committed to ensuring that the marine environment is in good condition, through international, European and national policies to preserve and restore biodiversity.…
…The splendor of gorgonian and coral forests should not blind us to the fact that 50% of coral reefs have disappeared in the last 30 years. Faced with an often endangered fauna, it's more important than ever to take action”.
© La Poste - Fabienne Azire - Tous droits réservés

Georgia
GEORGIA - “Stamp of Georgia”
White-sided dolphins, bottlenose dolphins living in the Black Sea, as top predators, help maintain the balance of the marine ecosystem. They regulate the population size of various species of fish and some invertebrates and prevent the spread of various diseases in their populations. In addition, the populations of these species in the sea It is a good indicator of the health of the ecosystem.

Germany
GERMANY - Deutsche Post AG
The word “underwater” is wavy, as if you could see the letters through water. The animals indicated in the surrounding landscape are assigned to “fauna” and the plants to “flora”. The painterly, abstract forms create atmosphere and refer to the fragility of habitats on and in water.

Gibraltar
GIBRALTAR - Gibraltar Philatelic Bureau Ltd.
The Strait of Gibraltar connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea, home to the Northeastern Atlantic Orca population. These apex predators exhibit intelligence and complex social structures, hunting in coordinated pods. They feed on various marine species, including fish, seals, and dolphins, thriving in the nutrient-rich waters. Their presence as top predators contributes to the ecosystem's balance.

Greece
GREECE - Hellenic Post Philatelic Service
Greece’s contribution for the EUROPA 2024 stamp theme “Underwater Fauna & Flora”, are seashells. Between a gastropod shell and an octopus shell-like “egg case” in these thematic stamps, we choose for the contest the shell-like egg case. This egg case is built by the female octopus Argonauta argo, from the tip of two of their arms, to lay their eggs. Air bubbles are also trapped in this shell to maintain buoyancy in the water column. Argonauta argo is a cosmopolitan species, widely distributed throughout the Mediterranean among other regions.

Greenland
GREENLAND - TELE-POST
A uniform red shrimp that grows up to 20 cm in length. It lives in the most northerly part both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. It is most commonly found on muddy sea floors at depths ranging from 50 to 600 metres, but may also be found at depths well in excess of 1,000 metres.

Deep-sea shrimps feeds on worms, dead organic material, alga and various small animals that they find on the sea floor and in the oceanic water column. Deep-sea shrimp is Greenland’s most important export commodity. Consequently, the shrimp is often referred to as ‘The Red Gold’.

Guernsey
GUERNSEY - Guernsey Philatelic Bureau
The 2024 theme Underwater Fauna and Flora provides the perfect opportunity to showcase some of the rich variety of sea creatures and plants that exist beneath Guernsey’s waves.

Created by Chloe Sarre, the stamps combine Wendy Bramall’s hand drawn illustrations with Sue Daly’s underwater photographs, separated by a paper tear effect.

The Yellow Cluster Anemone (Parazoanthus axinellae) is a colonial anemone. The polyps are up to 1.5 cm tall and 0.5 cm in diameter. The anemone has between 26-34 moderate to long tapering tentacles arranged in two cycles. The column is often encrusted with sand granules or sponge spicules.

Hungary
HUNGARY - Hungarian Post Office
The original homeland of the carp (Cyprinus carpio) is Asia and the eastern half of Europe (Eastern Europe and the Danube basin), but it was also introduced elsewhere for breeding purposes, so today it can be found in the fresh waters of practically every continent. Carp is so well-known and popular in Hungary that many people think of carp when they hear the word "fish".

Ireland
IRELAND - Irish Stamps An Post
The international stamp features the Compass Jellyfish, a common species that is integral to local biodiversity, harbouring juvenile fish among its tentacles, and providing a vital food source for sea turtles and ocean sunfish.

Isle of Man
ISLE OF MAN - Isle of Man Post Office
Our 2024 Europa stamp is taken from Marine Mosaics by Kimmy McHarrie, a local Manx artist who represents our Island’s connection to sea life through mosaic.

Italy
ITALY - Poste Italiane – Filatelia Marketing
The stamp depicts an artistic interpretation of the fauna and flora of the Mediteranean Sea, which is one of the planet’s most diverse area, with thousands of species, many of which are endemic. The stamp represents the “Europa” logo. Completing the stamp the words “FAUNA E FLORA SOTTOMARINA”, “ITALIA” and the category “B Zona1” fee.

Jersey
JERSEY - Jersey Post
The issue features images from around Jersey’s coastline, taken by local underwater photographer and cold water swimmer, Nicola Miskin. Nicola describes her work, “Swimming in the sea all year round, photographing underwater opened my eyes to a beautiful world. The ever-changing sea is a studio of colours, patterns and reflections.”

The stamp issue contains some of the most common underwater fauna and flora found in our bays including Snakelocks anemone, Bladder wrack, Common limpet, Compass jellyfish, Flat periwinkle, Sea lettuce, Carrageen, Great scallop and Velvet Horn featured on the souvenir miniature sheet.

Liechtenstein
LIECHTENSTEIN - Liechtensteinische Post AG
The St. Katrinabrunna nature reserve in the southernmost municipality of Balzers served as the backdrop for the two photographs. The nature and recreation area with two ponds was created by the municipality in 1973. Endangered plant and animal species have found a habitat there.

This includes the fish named “Egli”, known outside the Swiss-speaking world as the river perch. It is found in a wide variety of waters in Liechtenstein. It is easily recognisable thanks to the five to six dark transverse bands on its body and its spiny dorsal fin.

Lithuania
LITHUANIA - PLC Lithuania Post
Astacus astacus known as the European crayfish, noble crayfish or broad-fingered crayfish, immortalized in one of the newest Lithuanian stamps, is found in fresh, clean water bodies, rivers and lakes. It is common throughout Europe, but in Lithuania it is considered an endangered species.

Luxembourg
LUXEMBOURG - POST Philately
This year’s special stamps depict two sea dwellers from the age of the dinosaurs. In Luxembourg, several bone remains of long-extinct species have already been found. They include the discovery of a plesiosaur
fossil in Sanem in the 1990s as well as that of an ichthyosaur in the Cloche d’Or district of the capital in the early 2020s.

These types of underwater creatures lived many millions of years ago, when the southern half of Luxembourg was under the sea.

Malta
MALTA - MaltaPost p.l.c.
The MaltaPost issue consists of two stamps. The first features the smooth starfish (scientific name: Hacelia attenuate), known in Maltese as “Stilla ħamra lixxa”, carries a denomination of €1.50 and was photographed by Prof. Alan Deidun of the University of Malta.

The smooth starfish, commonly found in Maltese waters, is an echinoderm belonging to the class Asteroidea. It is a marine invertebrate with five arms that radiate from a central disc. The upper surface may be smooth or granular and brightly coloured in various shades of red or orange. Starfish possess tube feet operated by a hydraulic system and a mouth at the centre of the lower surface.

Mantle length with arms up to 1 m long. It lives for 1-2 years and may weigh up to 9 kg. At dusk, it hunts crabs, crayfish, and bivalve mollusks and can change its colour to blend in with its surroundings.

Moldova
MOLDOVA - S.E. “Posta Moldovei”
Astacus astacus, is a wide spread species of crayfish in Moldovan rivers and lakes. It is used to be bred also artificially for the alimentation.

Monaco
MONACO - Office des Emissions de Timbres-Poste
Common in the Mediterranean, the octopus, Octopus vulgaris, illustrates this year's Europa stamp, whose theme is focused on underwater fauna and flora. The octopus mainly lives at depths between 1 and 25 meters, and up to 100 meters in winter, among rocks or in coral reefs, but also in seagrass meadows or sandy bottoms, where it hides by covering itself with stones. The Mediterranean octopus has cognitive abilities comparable to those of vertebrates. Camouflage, vision, innovation, deception, learning, memory, are facets of its intelligence.

(In order to better preserve the species, especially during the breeding periods from June to September, its capture is prohibited in certain areas of the Mediterranean.)

Montenegro
MONTENEGRO - Philatelic Bureau
Gold Coral (Savalia savaglia)

Gold coral, or false black coral (Savalia savaglia), is a rare species found in the Mediterranean Sea and eastern Atlantic Ocean. The largest number of colonies in the Mediterranean Sea are located in the Bay of Kotor, near Sopot Spring and Dražin Vrt.

This bushy coral is actually a parasite which often colonises gorgonian corals, which it engulfs by secreting its own protein skeleton, almost black in colour. It has numerous polyps, ranging in colour from pale white to predominantly golden yellow, hence the name “gold coral”.

Netherlands
NETHERLANDS - PostNL
The Underwater Nature stamps depict a chub (fish) and a water gentian (plant). The chub (Rhodeus amarus) is a small plant-loving fish with a highly built, laterally flattened body. The males have a purplish-red glow in the spawning season. For reproduction, the chub seeks out a live freshwater mussel and lures a fertile female to it. She lays her eggs in the gill cavity of the mussel, after which the male releases his roe at the inlet opening. The Dutch name for the chub (bittervoorn) comes from the bitter taste of its flesh, probably a repellent against predatory fish.

Norway
NORWAY - Posten Norge AS
Harbour seal playing with a jellyfish

Poland
POLAND - Poczta Polska S.A.
Being a part of the aquatic ecosystems of European large lowland rivers, the Vistula, Odra and Bug are exceptionally valuable in terms of biodiversity. However, the habitat is systematically threatened with degradation, particularly caused by pollution. One of the environment’s representatives is the barbel (lat. Barbus barbus) depicted on the Polish 2024 EUROPA stamp. The fish usually lives in rivers with a hard, rocky or stony-gravel bottom and fast current. It also features sensitiveness to a decrease in oxygen and pollution in the water. This aspect is symbolically illustrated by the pixelated half of fish’s body and symbols of chemical elements (Fe – iron, Pb – lead, Cd – cadmium, Hg – mercury, Zn – zinc) that suffer the aquatic environment.

Portugal
PORTUGAL - CTT Portugal Post - Philately Department
The Portuguese blubber jelly (Catostylus tagi) is endemic to the Portuguese coast and is most frequently seen around large estuaries such as those of the Tagus and Sado rivers.

In mid-summer, with high tides and favourable winds, they spread out across the ocean, attracting several species of sea turtles to the coast, such as leatherbacks (Dermochelys coriacea), which feed exclusively on gelatinous animals. At an intermediate stage of their life, before they swim
freely in the water column, they anchor themselves to the seabed. As a 2- to 3-mm polyp, they can remain attached to the sea floor for weeks or even months. After breaking free from the depths, the 3- to 4-mm diameter micro-animal soon grows into its familiar form.

Republic of Serbia
SERBIA - Public Enterprise Post of Serbia
White water-lily belongs to the water-lily family (Nymphaeaceae), a group of aquatic plants called hydrophytes. It inhabit stagnant and slow-flowing waters, such as ponds, moors, along rivers and canals. The leaves are large, round with a deep cut, on long petioles, and can be submerged or float on the surface of the water. The flowers are above the surface of the water, large and individual, white, sometimes pink. The plant blooms from June to September.

Romania
ROMANIA - ROMFILATELIA
The stamp illustrates the wels catfish captured in their natural habitat by the passionate diver photographer Cristian Mitrofan. The charm of the image is amplified by the presence of plants, visible only under the water mirror. Water thus presents itself as an environment of symbiosis between underwater fauna and flora. The wels catfish (Silurus glanis) is a species of freshwater fish from the Siluridae family, spread in Europe and Asia Minor, where it lives mainly in running waters, but also in clean stagnant waters with a sandy bottom.

Underwater flora brings together aquatic plants that live and grow under water.

San Marino
Poste San Marino – Philatelic and Numismatic Division
San Marino presents a value featuring the Triturus carnifex, crested newt, an urodelo amphibian about 15 centimeters long whose males, in breeding season, are characterized by a dorsal crest and conspicuously colorful livery. Larvae sometimes suspend metamorphosis by becoming adults but retaining "neotenic" features such as gills.

Slovak Republic
SLOVAK - Slovenská pošta

Slovenia
SLOVENIA - Posta Slovenije d.o.o.
The noble pen shell (Pinna nobilis) is a Mediterranean endemic species and the largest bivalve mollusc in the Mediterranean Sea. Its shell rate growth is among the fastest of any species and its shell can reach a length of more than a metre. It is generally found in sedimentary seabed habitats, most frequently in areas of seagrass, since the survival rate of fragile young shells is highest when they are hidden among grasses. Pinna nobilis plays a key ecological role by filtering water and retaining organic matter, which contributes to water clarity. By offering a habitat to numerous organisms, it also increases biodiversity. It is also important in human culture, since it is a source of sea silk and pearls and its shell is used as a receptacle. Its flesh is also prized.
The noble pen shell population began to recover significantly after 2000 when the species was listed as endangered and granted protected status. In 2016 mass mortality events were recorded in the western Mediterranean, mainly caused by the parasite Haplosporidium pinnae, which in 2020 also arrived in the Gulf of Trieste. Today the noble pen shell is listed among critically endangered species.

Spain
SPAIN - Grupo Correos
A photograph of the underwater forest of the Posidonia oceanica meadows in the Spanish Ses Salines Natural Reserve (Ibiza) illustrates the Spanish Europa stamp in 2024.

The purity of the Pitiusas waters (Ibiza and Formentera) is a product of the extensive Posidonia meadows and their good state of conservation, favouring the diversity of exceptionally well-preserved biological communities.

Located between the surface level and up to 30-40 meters deep, they occupy large areas of the Mediterranean coast. Unlike algae, they have leaves, stem and roots. They are an endemic species to the Mediterranean Sea that cannot be found anywhere else in the world.

Sweden
SWEDEN - PostNord Sweden
The Baltic Sea is home to over 4 000 species, among them the porpoise Phocoena Phocoena – the only whale in this sea. The condition of the sea is of most importance for the inhabitants and contributions such as water treatment plants are crucial to maintain a healthy sea and home.

Switzerland
SWITZERLAND - Post CH AG
The two Swiss EUROPA stamps immerse themselves in two Swiss rivers and standing waters, which flow together symbolically to form a common habitat on the sheet of 16: the stamp taking part in the competition shows the underwater world of Lake Thun, represented by the common Lake Thun Balchen, a species of whitefish found only in Lakes Thun and Brienz. It is seen swimming past stoneworts and freshwater mussels hiding in the sediment. The second stamp depicts two causes for concern, species that live in the Doubs: the endangered white-clawed crayfish and the Zingel asper, the rarest fish in Switzerland.

Türkiye
TÜRKIYE - The Republic Of Türkiye, Post and Telegraph Corporation
Türkiye is home to approximately 5,000 plant and animal species along its coastline, which exceeds 9,000 km. Diversity in underwater creatures is observed in the Black Sea, Mediterranean, Aegean and Marmara seas due to differences in water temperature, salinity ratio, depth, light intensity, currents. Türkiye, which has charming underwater images, is among the indispensable addresses of diving tourism.

Ukraine
UKRAINE - USEP "Ukrposhta"
Ukrposhta dedicated its issue to the rich and diverse underwater world of the Black Sea, the ecology of which is currently suffering from the scrap metal of the russian military fleet.

The postage stamp depicts a bright green-bellied sardine (Symphodus tinca) - a marine reef fish that lives at depths from 1 to 50 m. The color of the fish depends on the habitat/ Off the coast of Crimea, individuals with a length of no more than 10.5-14 cm are usually found.
The second stamp shows the largest representative of its species in the Black Sea - the stone crab (Eriphia verrucosa). For life, the crab chooses deep-water areas - up to 30 m, with stony soil. The species is listed in the Red Book of Ukraine. It is protected in the Mys Martyan and Karadazsky nature reserves.

The issue sketches also feature one of the most beautiful sea creatures - the horse sea anemone (a group of soft-bodied animals that belong to the class of coral polyps).

Vatican City
VATICAN - Ufficio Filatelico e Numismatico - Governatorato
With an area of just 44 hectares, the Vatican City State is the smallest independent state in the world. Yet despite the limitations dictated by its territorial boundaries, the Vatican offers with its Gardens a natural, architectural and artistic space of great beauty made up of plants, pleasant nooks and crannies and fountains, stretching some 23 hectares over much of the Vatican Hill. Certainly counted among the most emblematic spots, the Casina Pio IV and the Aquilone Fountain also offered us the cue and subjects for the annual issue with the Europe theme “Underwater Fauna and Flora.”