• Index to The World FactBook 1995
• UMSL Government Documents
• UMSL Libraries

 Match 222   DB Rec# - 7,674  Dataset-WOFACT



Title         :South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands 
Text          : 
                  South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands 
 
                                     Header 
 
Affiliation: 
    (dependent territory of the UK) 
 
                                    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 
 
                                    Geography 
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
 
 
                                     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 
 
                                   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) 
 
                                 Transportation 
 
Highways: 
  total: 
    NA 
  paved: 
    NA 
  unpaved: 
    NA 
Ports: 
    Grytviken 
Airports: 
    none 
 
                                 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 
 
                                 Defense Forces 
 
Note: 
    defense is the responsibility of the UK 

This publication is also available online from the CIA (http://www.odci.gov/cia) as 1995 World Factbook (http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/95fact/index.html).

The printed version of this item can be found under the title:
The World Factbook 1995,
SuDoc No: PREX 3.15:995

Select this link for contact information about the
UM-St. Louis Librarians maintaining this site. 
Updated: March 12, 1996