FRANCE

FRANCE.

50th anniversary of the conquest of Annapurna by Louis Lachenal et Maurice Herzog.
Stamp issued on 05.06.2000.
Face value: 3 French francs / 0.46 euro.
Design: Jean-Paule Cousin (b. 1942)
Engraving: André Lavergne (b. 1946).
Printing: Recess.
Print: 9,434,075 copies.
Size: 26 x 40 mm.

Catalogs
- AFA No. 3565.
- Michel No. 3472.
- Scott No. 2775.
- StampWorld No. 3450.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 3668.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 3331.

Annapurna (Sanskrit and Nepali: अन्नपूर्ण) is a massif in the Himalayas in north-central Nepal that includes one peak over 8,000 m (26,247 ft), thirteen peaks over 7,000 m (22,966 ft), and sixteen more over 6,000 m (19,685 ft). The massif is 55 km (34 mi) long, and is bounded by the Kali Gandaki Gorge on the west, the Marshyangdi River on the north and east, and by Pokhara Valley on the south. At the western end, the massif encloses a high basin called the Annapurna Sanctuary. The highest peak of the massif, Annapurna I Main, is the tenth highest mountain in the world at 8,091 m (26,545 ft) above sea level. The entire massif and the surrounding area are protected within the 7,629 km² (2,946 sq mi) Annapurna Conservation Area, the first and largest conservation area in Nepal. Annapurna I Main was the first 8000 to be climbed: mountaineers Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal, members of a French expedition led by Maurice Herzog, reached the summit on June 3, 1950.