The present name of the Joffre Peninsula was given by the French
Naval Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service. Previously it had been named "Jeanne d'Arc Peninsula" by
Raymond Rallier du Baty in 1922, and the peninsula now known as
Jeanne d'Arc Peninsula was named Joffre Peninsula in honor of the
Maréchal Joffre. However, owing to the proximity of the latter to
Port Jeanne d'Arc, the Hydrographic Service decided to swap the names in 1937 to prevent confusing mariners in the future. Initially, in 1874, the peninsula had been named
Bismarck Halbinsel (Bismarck Peninsula) by the German scientists of the
Gazelle expedition who visited Kerguelen to observe the
transit of Venus.
Edgar Aubert de la Rüe visited the peninsula on 8 January 1929 and wrote: "I have rarely seen shores as craggy and sinister-looking as those fringing the southern limit of this peninsula." ==Geography==