17; national service obligation is one year; figures include the so-called
homelands not recognized by the US
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $3.5 billion, about 3% of GDP (FY92)

:South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Geography

Total area:
4,066 km2
Land area:
4,066 km2; includes Shag and Clerke Rocks, South Georgia, Bird Island, South
Sandwich Islands
Comparative area:
slightly larger than Rhode Island
Land boundaries:
none
Coastline:
undetermined
Maritime claims:
Territorial sea:
12 nm
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
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

:South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands 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

:South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Government

Long-form name:
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (no short-form name)
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)
Constitution:
3 October 1985
Legal system:
English common law
National holiday:
Liberation Day, 14 June (1982)
Executive branch:
British monarch, com