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South Georgia Information South Georgia Related Topics South Georgia Blogs South Georgia Pictures South Georgia Video South Georgia Discussion South Georgia Products Get Your Free Credit Report Right Now! Zip Code: Join our discussion forums! Providers join our directory! General Topics A-Z Conditions Treatments Medications Fitness Nutrition Anatomy Travel/Destinations Other Topics From the West From the East	South Georgia   Article: South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
Motto: Leo Terram Propriam Protegat (Latin: "Let the Lion protect his own land" or "May the Lion protect his own land")
Official language	English
Capital	Grytviken
Commissioner	Howard Pearce
Area  - Total  - % water	not ranked 3,903 km² -
Population  - Total (2006 E)  - Density	not ranked ~20 n/a;
Currency	GBP
Time zone	UTC/GMT -2
National anthem	God Save the Queen
Internet TLD	.gs

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (SGSSI) is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom in the southern Atlantic Ocean. The territory was formed in 1985; previously they were governed as part of the Falkland Islands Dependencies. The territory consists of the island of South Georgia, which is the largest island in the territory, and a group of smaller islands known as the South Sandwich Islands. There is no native population on any of the islands, and the only inhabitants are the British Government Officer, scientists and support staff from the British Antarctic Survey who maintain scientific bases at Bird Island and the capital, King Edward Point, and museum staff at nearby Grytviken.

The British sovereignty of South Georgia dates from 1775, and that of the South Sandwich Islands from 1908. British arrangements for the government of South Georgia were first established under the 1843 British Letters Patent, with permanent local British administration and resident Magistrate since 1909 exercising effective possession, enforcement of British law, and regulation of all economic, scientific and other activities in the territory.

Argentina claimed South Georgia in 1927 and the South Sandwich Islands in 1938. From 1905 the Argentine Meteorological Office cooperated in maintaining the meteorological observatory at Grytviken under the British lease requirements of the whaling station until these changed in 1949. Argentina maintained a naval station on the South Sandwich Islands from 1976 until 1982 when it was closed by the United Kingdom, and briefly occupied South Georgia in 1982. The Argentine claim of SGSSI contributed to the 1982 Falklands War and has remained unresolved until today.

History

Main article: History of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Central South Georgia: Cumberland Bay; Thatcher Peninsula with King Edward Cove (Grytviken); Allardyce Range with the summit Mt. Paget.

South Georgia

The Island of South Georgia was first said to have been sighted in 1675 by Anthony de la Roche, a London merchant, and was named Roche Island on some early maps. It was rediscovered in 1775 by Captain James Cook, who after dismissing his find as "not worth the discovery," went on to survey and map the island, make the first landing, claim the territory for the Kingdom of Great Britain, and name it "the Isle of Georgia" in honour of King George III.

Throughout the 19th century it was a sealers' base and, in the following century, a whalers' base until whaling ended mid-century. The first land-based whaling station, Grytviken, was set up in 1904 and was in operation until 1965. The seven whaling stations, all on the North coast with its sheltered harbours, starting in the West are:

• Prince Olav Harbour (from 1911 factory-ship, land-based station 1916 to 1934)
• Leith Harbour (1909 to 1965)
• Stromness (from 1907 factory-ship, land-based station 1912-1931, repair yard to 1960/1961)
• Husvik (from 1907 factory-ship, land-based station 1910 to 1960, out of operation 1930 to 1945)
• Grytviken (1904 to 1965)
• Godthul (1908 to 1929, only a rudimentary land base, main operations on factory-ship)
• Ocean Harbour (1909 to 1920)

The church at Grytviken.

During WW2, the Royal Navy deployed an armed merchant vessel to patrol South Georgian and Antarctic waters against German raiders, and two four-inch shore guns (still present) protecting Cumberland Bay and Stromness Bay, and manned by volunteers from among the Norwegian whalers.

The Falklands War was precipitated on 19 March 1982 when a group of Argentineans, posing as scrap metal merchants, occupied the abandoned whaling station at Leith Harbour on South Georgia. On April 3 the Argentine troops attacked and occupied Grytviken. Among the commanding officers of the Argentinian Garrison was Alfredo Astiz, a Captain in the Argentine Navy who, years later, was convicted of felonies committed during the Dirty War in Argentina. The island was recaptured by British forces on 25 April (Operation Paraquat).

The research station at King Edward Point, near the former Norwegian whaling station of Grytviken, was originally established as an administrative centre and residence of the British Magistrate in 1909, then expanded as a research facility in 1949/1950 by the British Antarctic Survey (until 1962 called Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey), became a small military garrison after the Falklands war. This returned to civilian use in 2001 and is operated by the British Antarctic Survey.

South Sandwich Islands

The islands were initially named "South" Sandwich Islands to distinguish them from the then "Sandwich Islands" now known as "Hawaii". The southern eight islands were discovered by James Cook in 1775. The northern three by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen in 1819. They were named after the 4th Earl of Sandwich, 1st Lord of the Admiralty.

The United Kingdom claimed South Georgia in 1775 and formally annexed both South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands in 1908, grouping them with other British held territory in Antarctica as the Falkland Islands Dependencies. Argentina later claimed the islands in dispute with the UK (See Sovereignty of the Falkland Islands).

Argentina challenged British sovereignty in the Islands on several occasions. From January 25, 1955 through summer of 1956 Argentina maintained the summer station Teniente Esquivel at Ferguson Bay on the Southeastern coast of Thule Island. From 1976 to 1982, Argentina maintained a naval base named Corbeta Uruguay, at Port Faraday, in the lee (southern East coast) of the same island. Although the British discovered the presence of the Argentine base in 1978, no effort was made to remove them until after the Falklands War. The base was eventually removed on June 20, 1982.

Islands

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands consist of two main groups of islands:

• South Georgia and its associated islands, which consist of the island of South Georgia Island, which is by far the largest island in the territory, the islands that immediately surround the main island of South Georgia and some remote and isolated islets west and east-southeast of the main island of South Georgia Island.
• The South Sandwich Islands

For a more detailed list of the islands of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands than the list provided below, see List of sub-antarctic islands:

South Georgia and its associated islands:

• South Georgia Island, the big main island (54°15′00″S, 36°45′00″W)
  • Bird Island
  • Annenkov Island
  • Cooper Island
  • Pickersgill Islands
  • Welcome Islands
  • Willis Islands
  • Trinity Island
  • Black Rocks
• Shag Rocks 185 km west-northwest of South Georgia Island
• Black Rock 169 km west-northwest of South Georgia Island and 16 km southeast of the Shag Rocks
• Clerke Rocks 56 km east-southeast of South Georgia Island

South Sandwich Islands (57°45′00″S, 026°30′00″W):

Orthographic projection centred on the South Sandwich Islands

• Traversay Islands
  • Leskov Island
  • Visokoi Island
  • Zavodovski Island
• Candlemas Islands
  • Candlemas Island
  • Vindication Island
• Bristol Island
• Montagu Island
• Saunders Island
• Southern Thule
  • Bellingshausen Island
  • Cook Island
  • Thule Island

Politics

Howard Pearce.

Executive power is vested in The Queen, and is exercised by the Commissioner, a post held by the Governor of the Falkland Islands. The current Commissioner is Howard Pearce. An Assistant Commissioner deals with policy matters and is also Director of SGSSI Fisheries, responsible for the issue of fishing licenses. An Operations Manager deals with administrative matters relating to the territory. The Financial Secretary and Attorney General of the territory are appointed and hold similar appointments in the Falkland Islands' Government.

As there are no permanent inhabitants on the islands, there is no legislative council and no elections are held. The UK Foreign Office manages the foreign relations of the territory. Since 1982, the territory celebrates Liberation Day on June 14.

The constitution of the territory, the manner in which its government is directed, and the availability of judicial review were discussed in a series of litigations in 2001 to 2005; see in particular Regina v. Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Appellant) ex parte Quark Fishing Limited [2005] UKHL 57. Although its government is entirely directed by the UK Foreign Office, it was held that its decisions under that direction could not be challenged as if they were in law decisions of a UK government department; thus the European Convention on Human Rights did not apply.

Geography

South Georgia Group

NASA satellite image of South Georgia island covered with snow.

South Georgia is situated in the South Atlantic Ocean, about 1390 km east-southeast of the Falkland Islands, in 54-55°S, 36-38°W. It has a land area of 3756 km², including satellite islands, but excluding the South Sandwich Islands which form a separate island group. The main island itself, also called Pepys Island (San Pedro in Spanish), has an area of 3528 km². It is mountainous, with 11 peaks over 2,000 m high, their slopes furrowed with deep gorges filled with glaciers (Fortuna Glacier being the largest). Geologically, it consists of gneiss and argillaceous schists, with no trace of fossils, showing that the island is, like the Falkland Islands, a surviving fragment of some greater land-mass now vanished, most probably indicating a former extension of the Andean system. The German expedition sent out to observe the transit of Venus was stationed at Royal Bay, on the south-east side of the island in 1882.

The climate in the islands is variable and harsh, with mostly westerly winds throughout the year interspersed with periods of calm; nearly all precipitation falls as snow. Most of the islands, rising steeply from the sea, are rugged and mountainous; South Georgia (Pepys Island) is largely barren and has steep, glacier-covered mountains; the South Sandwich Islands are of volcanic origin with some active volcanoes. Mount Paget on South Georgia is 2,934 m high. The islands have prevailing weather conditions that generally make them difficult to approach by ship; they are also subject to active volcanism. 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.

South Sandwich Islands

CIA map of the Islands

There are 11 mostly volcanic islands (not counting tiny satellite islands and rocks nearby those main islands) forming an island arc, from north to south. As a group, the South Sandwich Islands are located at approximately 57°45′00″S, 026°30′00″W:

Subgroups

• Islands 1 through 3 are collectively known as Traversay Islands
• Islands 4 and 5 are collectively known as Candlemas Islands
• Islands 1 through 5 are collectively known as Traversay Islands (wider sense)
• Islands 9 through 11 are collectively known as Southern Thule

Islands 6 through 8, which are also the three largest islands, are not part of any subgroup.

The South Sandwich Islands are uninhabited, although Thule Island used to have a permanently manned Argentinian research station from 1976 to 1982 (for details, see paragraph on History above).

There are automatic weather stations on Thule (Morrell) Island and Zavodovski.

To the northwest of Zavodovski Island is the Protector Shoal, a submarine volcano.

Economy

This postage stamp depicting a fin whale was issued in 1963.

As there are no native inhabitants, economic activity in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands is limited. The territory has revenues of less than $300,000 against expenditures of nearly $500,000. The main sources of income for the territory include fishing, tourism and sale of postage stamps.

Fishing

Fishing takes place around South Georgia and in adjacent waters in some months of the year, with fishing licences sold by the territory for Patagonian Toothfish, finfish and krill. There is a potential source of income from harvesting fin fish and krill. Fishing licenses bring in a handful of million pounds a year, most of which is spent on fishery protection and research. The three currently exploited commercial fisheries are Patagonian Toothfish, Icefish, and Krill. All fisheries are regulated and managed in accordance with the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources(CCAMLR) system.

Tourism

Tourism has become a larger source of income in recent years, with many cruise ships visiting the islands. The territory gains income from landing charges.

Postage Stamps

A large source of income from abroad also comes from the issue of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands postage stamps which are produced in the UK.

A reasonable policy (few sets of stamps are issued each year) along with attractive subject matter (especially whales) makes them very popular with topical stamp collectors.

See also

• Sub-antarctic islands