Franz Joseph Land (Zone 40):   This was my first contact with Franz Joseph made on 20M SSB in February 1980.  Located 600 miles from the North Pole, the station was located on Hays Island at a polar research/weather station.  This DXCC entity was a rare one at that time, much rarer than it is today (circa 2000s).  The QSL arrived via the bureau many years after the contact was made.