South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

South Georgia and the South Sandwich 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, which was 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. Recognizing the importance of preserving the marine stocks in adjacent waters, the UK extended the exclusive fishing zone in 1993, from 12 nm to 200 nm around each island.

land

3,903 sq km

note

note: includes Shag Rocks, Black Rock, Clerke Rocks, South Georgia Island, Bird Island, and the South Sandwich Islands, which consist of 11 islands

total

3,903 sq km

water

0 sq km

slightly larger than Rhode Island

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

NA

highest point

Mount Paget (South Georgia) 2,934 m

lowest point

Atlantic Ocean 0 m

54 30 S, 37 00 W

the north coast of South Georgia has several large bays, which provide good anchorage

0 sq km (2022)

total

0 km

other

100% (2018 est.)

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

Antarctic Region

exclusive fishing zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

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

fish

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

note

note: the small military garrison on South Georgia withdrew in March 2001 and was replaced by a permanent group of scientists from the British Antarctic Survey, which also has a biological station on Bird Island; the South Sandwich Islands are uninhabited

total

(July 2021 est.) no indigenous inhabitants

abbreviation

SGSSI

conventional long form

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

conventional short form

South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands

etymology

South Georgia was named "the Isle of Georgia" in 1775 by Captain James COOK in honor of British King GEORGE III; the explorer also discovered the Sandwich Islands Group that year, which he named "Sandwich Land" after John MONTAGU, the Earl of Sandwich and First Lord of the Admiralty; the word "South" was later added to distinguish these islands from the other Sandwich Islands, now known as the Hawaiian Islands

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 King CHARLES III

none (administered by the UK, claimed by Argentina)

none (administered by the UK, claimed by Argentina)

blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the South Georgia and 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 rampant, holding a torch; the shield is supported by a fur seal on the left and a Macaroni penguin on the right; a reindeer appears above the crest, and below the shield on a scroll is the motto LEO TERRAM PROPRIAM PROTEGAT (Let the Lion Protect its Own Land); the lion with the torch represents the UK and discovery; the background of the shield, blue and white estoiles, are found in the coat of arms of James Cook, discoverer of the islands; all the outer supporting animals represented are native to the islands

UPU

the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply

1 (2024)

key ports

Grytviken, Prince Olav Harbor, Stromness Harbor

ports with oil terminals

1

total ports

3 (2024)

very small

3

defense is the responsibility of the UK

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

reindeer - introduced to the islands in the 20th century - devastated the native flora and bird species; some reindeer were translocated to the Falkland Islands in 2001, the rest were exterminated (2013-14); a parallel effort (2010-15) eradicated rats and mice that came to the islands as stowaways on ships as early as the late 18th century

other

100% (2018 est.)