X-Nico

unusual facts about French Antarctic Expedition


French Antarctic Expedition

In 1772, Kerguelen-Trémarec and the naturalist Jean Guillaume Bruguière sailed to Antarctica in search of the fabled Terra Australis. There he took possession of various territories for France including what would later be called the Kerguelen Islands.


Alice Creek

It was discovered by the French Antarctic Expedition, 1903–05, under Jean-Baptiste Charcot, and named by him for the wife of Édouard Lockroy, Vice President of the French Chamber of Deputies who assisted Charcot in obtaining government support for the expedition.

Cape Roux

Discovered by the French Antarctic Expedition, 1903–05, and named by Charcot for Emile Roux, noted French physician and bacteriologist, then Director of the Pasteur Institute, Paris.

Cape Saenz

Discovered by the French Antarctic Expedition under Charcot, 1908–10, and named by him for Dr. Roque Sáenz Peña, President of the Argentine Republic, 1910-13.

Cetacea Rocks

They were charted by the French Antarctic Expedition under Jean-Baptiste Charcot, 1908–10, and named by the UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee in 1960 after the zoological order Cetacea (whales and porpoises); these rocks lie in one of the chief Antarctic whaling areas.

Chavez Island

It was discovered and named by the French Antarctic Expedition, 1908–10, under Jean-Baptiste Charcot, probably for Commandant Alfonso Chaves of Ponta Delgada, Azores, but the spelling Chavez has become established through long usage.

Claude Point

It was discovered by the French Antarctic Expedition, 1903–05, under Jean-Baptiste Charcot, who named it for Monsieur Claude, an associate member of the Bureau des Longitudes.

Curie Island

It was charted by the French Antarctic Expedition, 1949–51, and named by them for the noted French family of physicists and chemists: Pierre Curie and Marie Curie.

Doumer Island

It was resighted and charted by the French Antarctic Expedition, 1903–05, under Jean-Baptiste Charcot, who named it for Paul Doumer, President of the French Chamber of Deputies and later President of France.

Frölich Peak

The peak was charted by the French Antarctic Expedition, 1908–10, under Jean-Baptiste Charcot, and was named by the UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee in 1959 for Theodor C.B. Frölich, a Norwegian biochemist who in 1907, with Axel Holst, first produced experimental scurvy and laid the foundations for later work on vitamins.

Hugo Island

The island was charted by the French Antarctic Expedition, 1903–05, under Dr. J.B. Charcot, who named it for the French poet and novelist Victor Hugo, grandfather of Charcot's first wife, whose maiden name was Jeanne Hugo.

Lippmann Islands

They were originally mapped as a single island by the French Antarctic Expedition, 1903–05, under Jean-Baptiste Charcot, and named by him for French physicist and Nobel Prize winner Gabriel Lippmann.

Mount Cervin

It was charted in 1951 by the French Antarctic Expedition and named by them for the Matterhorn ("Mont Cervin" in French), which it resembles in form.

Mount Velain

It was first charted by the French Antarctic Expedition 1903-05, under Charcot, and named by him for Charles Velain, a French geologist, geographer, and professor of physical geography at the Sorbonne.

Salpetriere Bay

First charted by the French Antarctic Expedition under Dr. Jean-Baptiste Charcot, 1903–05, and named by him after the Hôpital de la Salpêtrière, a Paris hospital where his father, Dr. Jean-Martin Charcot, founded a clinic for the treatment of nervous diseases.


see also

Andersson Island

The island was first named by the French Antarctic Expedition in 1838, who called it le Rosamel in honor of Vice Admiral Claude Charles Marie du Campe de Rosamel, French Naval Minister.

Cape Calmette

It was named by Charcot for Gaston Calmette, editor of Le Figaro, who furnished the French Antarctic Expedition with copies of this newspaper for the two years preceding the expedition.

Janet Rock

It was photographed from the air by U.S. Navy Operation Highjump, 1946–47, was charted by the French Antarctic Expedition, 1952–53, and named by them for Paul Janet, a French spiritualist-philosopher of the 19th century.

Mount Joli

It was charted in 1951 by the French Antarctic Expedition and named by them for a summit of the Alps in the vicinity of Mont Blanc.

Pasteur Island

Named by the French Antarctic Expedition, 1951–52, for Louis Pasteur, famous French chemist who made notable contributions to medical science.