Geography People Government Economy Transportation Communications Defense Forces

SOUTH GEORGIA AND THE SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS

 (dependent territory of the UK) 

@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

 Map references: Antarctic Region

 Area:
 total area: 4,066 sq km
 land area: 4,066 sq km
 comparative area: slightly larger than Rhode Island
 note: includes Shag Rocks, Clerke Rocks, Bird Island

 Land boundaries: 0 km

 Coastline: NA km

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

 International disputes: administered by the UK, claimed by Argentina

 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

 Natural resources: fish

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

 Irrigated land: 0 sq km

 Environment:
 current issues: NA
 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
 international agreements: NA

 Note: the north coast of South Georgia has several large bays, which
 provide good anchorage; reindeer, introduced early in this century,
 live on South Georgia

@South Georgia And The South Sandwich Islands:People

 Population: no indigenous population; there is a small military
 garrison on South Georgia, and the British Antarctic Survey has a
 biological station on Bird Island; the South Sandwich Islands are
 uninhabited

@South Georgia And The South Sandwich Islands:Government

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

 Digraph: SX

 Type: dependent territory of the UK

 Capital: none; Grytviken on South Georgia is the garrison town

 Administrative divisions: none (dependent territory of the UK)

 Independence: none (dependent territory of the UK)

 National holiday: Liberation Day, 14 June (1982)

 Constitution: 3 October 1985

 Legal system: English common law

 Executive branch:
 chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
 represented by Commissioner David Everard TATHAM (since August 1992;
 resident at Stanley, Falkland Islands)

 Legislative branch: no elections

 Judicial branch: none

Economy

 Overview: Some fishing takes place in adjacent waters. There is a
 potential source of income from harvesting fin fish and krill. The
 islands receive income from postage stamps produced in the UK.

 Budget:
 revenues: $291,777
 expenditures: $451,000, including capital expenditures of $NA (1988
 est.)

 Electricity:
 capacity: 900 kW
 production: 2 million kWh
 consumption per capita: NA kWh (1992)

@South Georgia And The South Sandwich Islands:Transportation

 Highways:
 total: NA
 paved: NA
 unpaved: NA

 Ports: Grytviken

 Airports: none

@South Georgia And The South Sandwich Islands:Communications

 Telephone system: NA telephones; coastal radio station at Grytviken
 local: NA
 intercity: NA
 international: NA

 Radio:
 broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 0, shortwave 0
 radios: NA

 Television:
 broadcast stations: 0
 televisions: NA

@South Georgia And The South Sandwich Islands:Defense Forces

 Note: defense is the responsibility of the UK


________________________________________________________________________