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Location: Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic
Ocean, east of the tip of South America
Geographic coordinates: 54 30 S, 37 00 W
Map references: Antarctic Region
Area:
total: 4,066 sq km
land: 4,066 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Shag Rocks, Clerke Rocks, Bird Island
Area - comparative: slightly larger than Rhode Island
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: NA km
Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
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
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Paget (South Georgia) 2,915 m
Natural resources: fish
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests 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 (1993)
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
Environment - current issues: 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
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