POLAND

POLAND / POLSKA.

25th anniversary of the Antarctic Treaty, 1961-1986.
Antarctica map and potrait of Henryk Arctowski.
First stamp in a set of 2, issued on 23.06.1986.
Face value: 40 złotych.
Design: Stefan Małecki (1924-2012).
Printing: Offset lithography.
Printed by PWPW (Polska Wytwórnia Papierów Wartościowych), Warszawa.
Print: 3,519,000 copies.
Size: 40 x 27 mm.

Catalogues
- AFA No. 2923.
- Fischer No. 2886.
- Michel No. 3034.
- Scott No. 2734.
- StampWorld No. 3037.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 3048.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 2844.

On December 1, 1959, the twelve countries that had carried out scientific activities in and around Antarctica during the 1957-1958 International Geophysical Year signed the Antarctic Treaty in Washington. The Treaty entered into force on June 23, 1961, and has been accepted by many other nations. The Treaty recognizes, among other things, the interest of all humankind that Antarctica continue to be used exclusively for peaceful purposes and shall not become the scene or object of international discord. The signatory countries were: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Chile, France, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Henryk Arctowski (Warsaw, July 15, 1871 - Bethesda, Maryland, United States, February 21, 1958), born Henryk Artzt, was a Polish scientist and explorer. He participated in the Belgian Antarctic Expedition, led by Adrien de Gerlache between 1897 and 1899, which was the first to winter on that continent. He lived in exile for much of his life, first in Belgium and later in the United States, and became an internationally renowned meteorologist. A Polish Antarctic station on King George Island is named after him, and every two years the Polish Academy of Sciences awards the Arctowski Medal (established by his widow) for studies of solar physics and of the relationships between the Sun and the Earth.

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Thanks to Kazimierz R. Leszczyński for his contribution (http://leszkarozdub.blogspot.com).