Adélie Land | French Southern and Antarctic Lands

Postcard
Adélie Land (French: Terre Adélie) is a claimed territory on the continent of Antarctica. It is part of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands, an overseas territory of France. In French: Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises, TAAF.

Besides Adélie Land, TAAF consists of:
- Kerguelen Islands (Archipel des Kerguelen), a group of volcanic islands in the southern Indian Ocean
- St. Paul and Amsterdam islands (located north of Kerguelen)
- Crozet Islands (Îles Crozet), a group in the southern Indian Ocean, south of Madagascar
- the Scattered Islands (Îles Éparses), a dispersed group of islands around the coast of Madagascar.

Scott Base | New Zealand

Postcard
The Ross Dependency is a region of Antarctica that is claimed by New Zealand. The Scott Base is an Antarctic research facility located on Ross Island.

The Fiordland Crested Penguin is a penguin species endemic to New Zealand. It currently breeds along the south-western coasts of New Zealand's South Island as well as on Stewart Island/Rakiura and its outlying islands. But not in the Ross Dependency.

Stamp
The Ross Sea seafloor is home to thousands of animals, many of which cannot be found anywhere else. The stamp is part of a set of 5 stamps, only valid for sending mail from Ross Dependency.

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Postcard

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands are a UK overseas territory in the southern Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote and inhospitable collection of islands, consisting of South Georgia and a chain of smaller islands known as the South Sandwich Islands. 

At the height of the whaling period some 2,000 people lived on the island. Now there are no permanent residents - but there are two Research Stations. One of it is King Edward Point where the card was sent from.

 

Around 95% of the world population of Fur Seals breeds at the Island of South Georgia. Another breeding ground is MacquarieIsland.

Stamp

The voyage of the James Cair (a lifeboat). A rescue mission undertaken by Sir Ernest Shackleton and five companions. Surviving a series of dangers, including a near capsizing, the boat reached the southern coast of South Georgia after a voyage lasting 16 days.

Thank you very much Ruben!

Macquarie Island - Australian Antarctic Territory

Postcard

Macquarie Island is a sub-Antarctic island located in the Southern Ocean, half way between Australia and Antarctica. The island is an Unesco World Heritage site.

 

The big belly animals resting on the beach are Southern elephant seals, the largest of all seals. These animals live in sub-Antarctic and Antarctic waters that feature brutally cold conditions but are rich in the fish, squid, and other marine foods these seals enjoy. They take their name from their trunk like inflatable snouts.

Stamp

Part of a set of four stamps, issued 2010, showing the beauty of Macquarie Island.  

Thx Steve!

Detaille Island - British Antarctic Territory

Postcard

Detaille Island is a small island just south of the Antarctic Circle and 11 miles east of Liard Island. It is home to a colony of 1,000 pairs of Adelie penguins. In 1956 a British research station was established on the island. This base was abandoned in 1959.

In 2009 the world's most southerly post office re opened in Antarctica 50 years after it was abandoned.

Stamp

Stamps are produced by the British Antarctic Territory, a separate postal entity. 

Thx Ruben!

Emperor Penguins from Antartica (T.A.A.F.)

Postcard

The Emperor Penguin is the tallest and heaviest of all living penguin species and is endemic to Antarctica. The Emperor Penguin breeds in the coldest environment of any bird species; air temperatures may reach −40 °C. The penguins are well designed to withstand these harsh conditions. They have the highest feather density of any bird, about a hundred feathers per square inch.

The Territory of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands (T.A.A.F.) is an overseas territory of France.  

Stamp

Lyallia Cushion (Lyallia kerguelensis) is a perennial herb that is endemic to the subantarctic Kerguelen Islands, part of T.A.A.F. 

Sunset over Île de la Possesion, Crozet Islands

Postcard

The Crozet Islands are a sub-antarctic archipelago of small islands in the southern Indian Ocean. They form one of the five administrative districts of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands (TAAF).

Île de la Possession, or Possession Island, is one of the Crozet Islands. With an area of 150 km2 it is the largest island of the group and the only inhabited one. Administratively, it is part of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands.

Stamp

Île de la Possession is an important nesting site for seabirds. The Eaton's Pintail is a species of dabbling duck, restricted to the island groups of Kerguelen and Crozet. 

French Austral Lands and Seas is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Territoire des Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises (TAAF)

Postcard

The Territory of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands (T.A.A.F.) is an overseas territory of France.

It consists of Kerguelen (a group of volcanic islands), St. Paul and Amsterdam islands (located north of Kerguelen), Crozet Islands (located south of Madagascar), Adélie Land (the French claim on the Antarctica continent) and the Scattered Islands (located around the coast of Madagascar). 

The Marion Dufresne is a multipurpose vessel. It serves as a supply and logistic vessel for the French sub-Antarctic islands and as an oceanographic research platform on the world’s oceans.

Stamp

Issued in 2011: The 90th anniversary of the Birth of Pierre Bignon, 1921-1990.

The stamp cancellation reads ‘Alfred Faure Crozet’. The Crozet Islands are uninhabited, except for the research station Alfred Faure.

  French Austral Lands and Seas is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

It took almost 7 months for this card to reach its destination. Well Crozet Island is a looong way but…there’s another reason. Our local mailman decided not to deliver all of the mail, but save some in his garage. He was caught recently and some days ago I received 60 postcards in my mailbox. My missing postcards since 2011!