Cover from McMurdo Station in Antarctica

The McMurdo Station is a United States Antarctic research center on the south tip of Ross Island, which is in the New Zealand-claimed Ross Dependency on the shore of McMurdo Sound in Antarctica. It is operated by the United States through the United States Antarctic Program, a branch of the National Science Foundation. 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. All personnel and cargo going to or coming from Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station first pass through McMurdo. All US mail from Antarctica is processed by United States Air Force, and you can see on postmark military postcode APO AP 96599. And of course, standard US stamps are used, Greetings from South Carolina, issued on 4.4.2002, and Year of the Rooster, issued on 30.12.1992.


Thank you so much, Li Ming, for this great surprise!

Cover from Scott Base in Ross Dependency

The Ross Dependency is a region of Antarctica defined by a sector originating at the South Pole, passing along longitudes 160° east to 150° west, and terminating at latitude 60° south. It is claimed by New Zealand. The Dependency takes its name from Sir James Clark Ross, who discovered the Ross Sea, and includes part of Victoria Land, and most of the Ross Ice Shelf. Ross Island, Balleny Islands and the small Scott Island also form part of the Dependency, as does the ice-covered Roosevelt Island.

This cover was sent from Scott Base, research facility located at Pram Point on Ross Island near Mount Erebus. The research facility was named in honor of Captain Robert Falcon Scott, leader of two British expeditions to the Ross Sea area of Antarctica. The base was set up as support to field research and the center for research into earth sciences, and now conducts research in many fields, operated by Antarctica New Zealand. By road, the base is 3 kilometers from the larger U.S. McMurdo Station.

First two stamps on cover are from set Life in Antarctica, issued on 20.1.1982. Third stamp is Cape Adare, issued on 21.11.2012.


Thank you so much, Trevor!