Category: Antartica

Dumont d’Urville, TAAF

Dumont d’Urville is a French scientific research station in Antarctica, located on Île des Pétrels, in the Pointe Géologie Archipelago. It falls under the administration of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands (TAAF). Established in 1956, it was named after Jules Dumont d’Urville, a French explorer who charted the area in 1840. The base operates year-round, serving as a hub for various scientific programs, . It also acts as a logistical point for convoys to the inland Franco-Italian Concordia Station. The station is known for its harsh climate, but also for its abundant wildlife, particularly the large colonies of Adélie penguins and emperor penguins that breed nearby.

Antarctica TAAF postcard

Antarctica TAAF stamps

Antarctica TAAF postmark

South Georgia Island

South Georgia Island, a remote British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic, was discovered in 1675 and claimed by Britain in 1775. It played a key role in early Antarctic exploration and the whaling industry. South Georgia is known for its massive penguin colonies, seals, glaciers, and as a haven for scientists, adventurers, and nature lovers. King Edward Point is a British research station located on South Georgia Island. It was established in 1909 and named after King Edward VII.

South Georgia Island postcard

South Georgia Island stamp postmark

South Pole Station – USA Antarctic Territory

There is a US Post office at the South Pole. It’s located at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. And today I received a postcard from there! Well, like the one from McMurdo Station it’s the one I sent there myself, asking to be sent to me postmarked. But I got more than that — they also added a Antarctica stamp, and their postmark is awesome! The travel time from NYC to the South Pole to St. Petersburg, Russia took just over 5 months.

The Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station is a United States scientific research station at the South Pole, the southernmost place on the Earth. It is at the only place on the land surface of the Earth where the sun is continuously up for six months and then continuously down for six months. (The only other such place is at the North Pole, on the sea ice in the middle of the Arctic Ocean.) During the summer the station population is typically around 150. Most personnel leave by the middle of February, leaving a few dozen (45 in 2015) “winter-overs”, mostly support staff plus a few scientists, who keep the station functional through the months of Antarctic night. Research at the station includes glaciology, geophysics, meteorology, upper atmosphere physics, astronomy, astrophysics, and biomedical studies.

Antarctica postcard

Antarctica stamp postmark

Antartica – USA Antarctic Territory

My first, and so far the only postcard from Antarctica is from USA Antarctic Territory, from McMurdo Station.

The McMurdo Station is a United States Antarctic research center on the south tip of Ross Island. It is operated by the United States through the United States Antarctic Program. The station is the largest community in Antarctica, capable of supporting up to 1,258 residents, and serves as one of three United States Antarctic science facilities.

It is actually not very difficult to receive a postcard from Antarctica! The National Science Foundation has a procedure to support philately at a level not to interfere with the science mission. Here is what you need to do, to receive a postcard with McMurdo Station postmark:

  1. Get a hold of mint US stamp, that’s good for sending a postcard to wherever you are: domestic stamp if you’re in USA or one of US territories, or international for all other countries.
  2. Get an appropriate postcard, address it to yourself, and put the US stamp(s) you got in the first step.
  3. Place it in an envelope, and sent it to the following address:

Philatelic Mail Clerk
McMurdo Station,Antarctica
PSC 769
APO AP 96599-1035
Philatelic Mail Clerk
USA

Wait for your postcard to arrive, now with McMurdo Station postmark. They will not add any text to it, so feel free to sign it as well 🙂

Travel times: I sent it from New York mid-September, and received it stamped in Russia mid-November.