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The
Kerguelen
Islands are an
archipelago
of
some
300
islands,
islets and reefs, located in the South Indian Ocean, approximately
5310 kilometres
southeast of the southern tip of Africa. They
were discovered in 1772 by the navigator C
Y
J
de Kerguelen-Trémarec, as part of the search for
the
great southern continent. Kerguelen
Island itself is the largest of the island group, a sub-antarctic
island of volcanic origin,
also aptly known as Desolation Island. The
archipelago
is part of the Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises (TAAF)
- the
French
Southern and Antarctic Territories
-
which
also includes the Crozet Archipelago, the tiny islands of
Amsterdam/St-Paul,
and
Terre
Adélie (Adélieland)
on the
Antarctic
mainland.
The coins
of Kerguelen are private pattern fantasy issues minted by
Mr
Fred Zinkann, a
member of the Unrecognised States Numismatic Society
who has
pioneered the striking of coins in many
unconventional
metals. The first
Kerguelen
coins
were minted in 1981, but the dies broke after only three coins were
minted. In 2003
Mr
Zinkann
minted a second
series
for Kerguelen, but was not pleased with the results. This
led to
the minting of a
third series in
2004.
© 2005, USNS
/ G Cruickshank.
Information and scans courtesy of
C Shiboleth,
F Zincann
and G Cruickshank. |
