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) 2,934 m

Natural resources:
fish

Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (largely covered by permanent ice and snow with some
sparse vegetation consisting of grass, moss, and lichen) (2001)

Irrigated land:
0 sq km (1998 est.)

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 the 20th
century, live on South Georgia

People South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Population:
no indigenous inhabitants
note: the small military garrison on South Georgia withdrew in March
2001, to be replaced by a permanent group of scientists of the
British Antarctic Survey, which also has a biological station on
Bird Island; the South Sandwich Islands are uninhabited (July 2005
est.)

Government South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Country name:
conventional long form: South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
conventional short form: none

Dependency status:
overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina;
administered from the Falkland Islands by a commissioner, who is
concurrently governor of the Falkland Islands, representing Queen
ELIZABETH II; Grytviken, formerly a whaling station on South
Georgia, is a scientific base

Legal system:
the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply; the senior magistrate
from the Falkland Islands presides over the Magistrates Court

Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina)

Flag description:
blue, with the flag of the UK in