ROLL. 2 euro 2020 Estonia – 200th aniversary of the discovery of Antarctica.

Issue limit 750 000 pcs

The first Russian Antarctic expedition of 1819-1821, led by Thaddeus Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev into the waters of the Southern Ocean, was intended to prove or disprove the assumption of the existence of the sixth continent – Antarctica. Under the command of Bellingshausen was the sloop “Vostok”, and Lazarev – the sloop “Peace”, the number of teams reached 190 people. Due to the extreme haste of equipment, it was not possible to assemble a scientific detachment, and almost all scientific observations, both in the field of geography and ethnography and natural sciences, were carried out by officers.

The Russian Antarctic expedition ended in complete success, becoming the second (after James Cook), which went around the entire Antarctic. Of the 751 days of the expedition, 527 were carried out under sail. The team approached the shores of Antarctica 9 times, including four times at a distance of 3-15 km. On the map of Antarctica 28 objects were plotted, 29 islands were discovered and named in the high southern latitudes and tropics.