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: 0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 100% other; largely covered by permanent ice and snow with some sparse vegetation consisting of grass, moss, and lichen
Environment: reindeer, introduced early in this century, live on South
Georgia; weather conditions generally make it difficult to approach the South
Sandwich Islands; the South Sandwich Islands are subject to active volcanism
Note: the north coast of South Georgia has several large bays, which provide good anchorage
- People
Population: no permanent 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 Long-form name: South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (no short-form name)
Type: dependent territory of the UK