Save Type Region & Island Usage Russian Scripts Земля Франца-Иосифа(Russian) Pronounced Pron. /zɪm-lɪ-jah frɔ́n-tza jos-ifa/ [key·simplify] Other Forms FormsPhranz, Frans, Eosef, Jocef Meaning & History A group of islands discovered in 1872-1874, Named in honour of Franz Josef I.