The Kerguelen archipelago, located at 49°15′S, 69°35′E, was discovered by Yves-Joseph de Kerguelen-Trémarec (1734-1797). The main island is Grande Terre, and there are 300 smaller islands in the group.
     The Crozet group of six islands, located at 46°24’S 51°46’E, was discovered in 1772 by Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne (1724-1772), a French explorer, who landed on January 24, 1772 on Île de la Possession, and claimed the archipelago for France. He named the islands after his second-in-command, Jules Crozet.
     The discovery of the islands was commemorated in 1992 with the issue of this stamp by France