South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

§1. South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Introduction

Background:
  The islands lie approximately 1,000 km east of the Falkland Islands and
  have been under British administration since 1908, except for a brief
  period in 1982 when Argentina occupied them. Grytviken, on South Georgia,
  was a 19th and early 20th century whaling station. Famed explorer Ernest
  SHACKLETON stopped there in 1914 en route to his ill-fated attempt to cross
  Antarctica on foot. He returned some 20 months later with a few companions
  in a small boat and arranged a successful rescue for the rest of his crew,
  stranded off the Antarctic Peninsula. He died in 1922 on a subsequent
  expedition and is buried in Grytviken. Today, the station houses scientists
  from the British Antarctic Survey. The islands have large bird and seal
  populations, and, recognizing the importance of preserving the marine
  stocks in adjacent waters, the UK, in 1993, extended the exclusive fishing
  zone from 12 nm to 200 nm around each island.

§2. South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Geography

Location:
  Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, east of the
  tip of South America

Geographic coordinates:
  54 30 S, 37 00 W

Map references:
  Antarctic_Region

Area:
  total: 3,903 kmē
  land: 3,903 kmē
  water: 0 kmē
  note: includes Shag Rocks, Black Rock, Clerke Rocks, South Georgia Island,
    Bird Island, and the South Sandwich Islands, which consist of some nine
    islands

Area - comparative:
  slightly larger than Rhode Island

Land boundaries:
  0 km

Coastline:
  NA km

Maritime claims:
  territorial sea: 12 nm
  exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Climate:
  variable, with mostly westerly winds throughout the year interspersed with
  periods of calm; nearly all precipitation falls as snow

Terrain:
  most of the islands, rising steeply from the sea, are rugged and
  mountainous; South Georgia is largely barren and has steep, glacier-covered
  mountains; the South Sandwich Islands are of volcanic origin with some
  active volcanoes

Elevation extremes:
  lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
  highest point: Mount Paget (South Georgia) 2,934 m

Natural resources:
  fish

Land use:
  arable land: 0%
  permanent crops: 0%
  other: 100% (largely covered by permanent ice and snow with some sparse
    vegetation consisting of grass, moss, and lichen) (2005)

Irrigated land:
  0 kmē (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
  the South Sandwich Islands have prevailing weather conditions that
  generally make them difficult to approach by ship; they are also subject to
  active volcanism

Environment - current issues:
  NA

Geography - note:
  the north coast of South Georgia has several large bays, which provide good
  anchorage; reindeer, introduced early in the 20th century, live on South
  Georgia

§3. South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands People

Population:
  no indigenous inhabitants
  note: the small military garrison on South Georgia withdrew in March 2001,
    to be replaced by a permanent group of scientists of the British
    Antarctic Survey, which also has a biological station on Bird Island; the
    South Sandwich Islands are uninhabited (July 2006 est.)

§4. South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Government

Country name:
  conventional long form: South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
  conventional short form: none

Dependency status:
  overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina; administered from
  the Falkland Islands by a commissioner, who is concurrently governor of the
  Falkland Islands, representing Queen ELIZABETH II; Grytviken - formerly a
  whaling station on South Georgia - is a scientific base

Legal system:
  the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply; the senior magistrate from the
  Falkland Islands presides over the Magistrates Court

Diplomatic representation in the US:
  none (overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
  none (overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina)

Flag description:
  blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the
  South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands coat of arms centered on the
  outer half of the flag; the coat of arms features a shield with a golden
  lion centered; the shield is supported by a fur seal on the left and a
  penguin on the right; a reindeer appears above the shield, and below it on
  a scroll is the motto LEO TERRAM PROPRIAM PROTEGAT (Let the Lion Protect
  its Own Land)

§5. South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Economy

Economy - overview:
  Some fishing takes place in adjacent waters. There is a potential source of
  income from harvesting finfish and krill. The islands receive income from
  postage stamps produced in the UK, sale of fishing licenses, and harbor and
  landing fees from tourist vessels. Tourism from specialized cruise ships is
  increasing rapidly.

§6. South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Communications

Telephone system:
  general assessment: NA
  domestic: NA
  international: coastal radiotelephone station at Grytviken

Radio broadcast stations:
  0 (2003)

Television broadcast stations:
  0 (2003)

Internet country code:
  .gs

Internet hosts:
  213 (2005)

§7. South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Transportation

Airports:
  none (2005)

Ports and terminals:
  Grytviken

§8. South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Military

Military - note:
  defense is the responsibility of the UK

§9. South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:
  Argentina, which claims the islands in its constitution and briefly
  occupied the islands by force in 1982, agreed in 1995 to no longer seek
  settlement by force


<Factbook 2006>
