South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Geography 1997

Location Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, east ofthe 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, interspersedwith 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 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 vegetationconsisting of grass, moss, and lichen)

Irrigated land 0 sq km (1993)

Natural hazards the South Sandwich Islands have prevailing weather conditions that generallymake them difficult to approach by ship; they are also subject to active volcanism

Environment - current issues NA

Environment - international agreements
party to : NA
signed, but not ratified: NA

Geography - note the north coast of South Georgia has several large bays, which providegood anchorage; reindeer, introduced early in this century, live on SouthGeorgia

NOTE: The information regarding South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands on this page is re-published from the 1997 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Geography 1997 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Geography 1997 should be addressed to the CIA.