General information: According to Itypejob.com, the islands lie about 1,000 km east of the Falkland Islands. Grytviken on the island of South Georgia in the 19th and early 20th centuries. was a whaling base. Renowned explorer Ernst SHACK-LETON stopped here in 1914 before his ill-fated attempt to cross Antarctica on foot. He returned here 20 months later with several companions in a small boat and organized a successful operation to rescue the rest of the expedition members, who were stranded on the Antarctic Peninsula. He died in 1922 during the next expedition and was buried in Grytvik-ne. Today there is a small garrison settlement here. There are many birds and seals on the islands and, realizing the importance of preserving marine life in the surrounding waters, the UK in 1993.

Geography

Location: Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic Ocean east of the tip of South America.
Geographic coordinates: 54° 30′ S latitude, 37° 00′ W e.
Reference map: Antarctic region.
Area: total: 3,903 km2; land surface area: 3,903 km2; water surface area: 0 km2; note: includes Shag and Clerk Rocks and Bird Island.
Comparative area: slightly larger than the state of Rhode Island.
Land borders: 0 km.
Coastline: no data.
Maritime claims: fishery exclusive zone: 200 nautical miles; territorial waters: 12 nautical miles.
Climate: changeable, mainly throughout the year westerly winds with periods of calm, almost all precipitation falls in the form of snow.
Relief: most of the islands, rising steeply above the sea, are uneven and rocky; South Georgia is mostly barren and consists of steep, glacier-covered mountains; The South Sandwich Islands are of volcanic origin and have several active volcanoes.
Maximum and minimum heights: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m; highest point: Mount Page (South Georgia) 2,934 m.
Natural resources: fish.
Land use: arable land: 0%; cultivated land: 0%; pastures: 0%; forests and plantations: 0%; others: 100% (most covered with non-melting ice and snow, the rest with sparse vegetation consisting of grasses, mosses and lichens).
Irrigated land: 0 sq. km. (1993).
Natural Hazards: Weather conditions prevail in the South Sandwich Islands area, which usually make it difficult for ships to approach them; on the islands – volcanic activity. Current environmental issues: No data available.
Actual problems of the environment:
International agreements on environmental protection:
Note to the section “Geography”: the north coast of South Georgia has several large bays that are good anchorages; South Georgia is home to reindeer introduced at the beginning of the 20th century.

Population

Population: no local residents; note: a small military garrison left South Georgia in March 2001 to be replaced by the British Antarctic Committee’s permanent group of scientists for geology, surveying and mapping, which also maintains a biological station on Bird Island; The South Sandwich Islands are uninhabited (July 2001 est.). State Name:

Politics

Common long form: South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands;
Common short form: no. Affiliation: overseas territory of Great Britain, also claimed by Argentina; administered from the Falkland Islands by a civilian commissioner, Donald A. LAMONT, representing Queen Elizabeth II; Grytviken, formerly a whaling base on South Georgia, is now a garrison.
State structure:
Capital city:
Administrative divisions:
Independence:
National holiday: Liberation Day, June 14 (1982).
Constitution: adopted 3 October 1985
Legal system: relevant UK laws apply.
Suffrage:
head of state:
head of government:
government:
Legislature:
Judiciary:
Political parties and leaders:
Political influence groups and their leaders:
Participation in international organizations:
Diplomatic representation in the United States: none (overseas territory of Great Britain, also claimed by Argentina ).
US Diplomatic Representation: None (overseas territory of Great Britain, also claimed by Argentina).
Flag Description: The flag of Great Britain is used

Economics

Economic overview: Fishing occurs in coastal waters. There is a potential source of income from mining minke whales and krill. The islands receive income from postage stamps issued in the UK.