From the mountains on high to the animals below, the United Nations has depicted a wide variety of subjects for its latest stamp issues.

A rushed addition to the U.N. Postal Administration stamp program is a set of six new stamps a tribute to the independence of East Timor on May 2.

Depicted are a mask used for rituals to protect against evil spirits, a decorative door panel used on traditional homes in East Timor, a male statue, a container used to hold lime powder, a native container with stopper and a weaving loom used to produce traditional Timor cloth for all important events.

The United Nations has also declared the year 2002 as the “International Year of the Mountains.” The main objective is to increase awareness of the global importance of mountain ecosystems.

In this theme, the U.N. Postal Administration has issued a set of 12 commemorative stamps showing famous mountains throughout the world.

Illustrated are: Khan Tengri in Kyrgyzstan, Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Mount Foraker in Alaska, Paine Grande in Chile, Weisshorn in Switzerland, Mount Fuji in Japan, Vinson Massif in Antarctica, Kamet in India, Mount Cook in New Zealand, Mount Robson in Canada, Rakaposhi in Pakistan and Sagarmatha in Nepal.