Compare Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) (2006) - South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (2002)

Compare Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) (2006) z South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (2002)

	Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) (2006)	South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (2002)

Administrative divisions	none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina)	-
Age structure	0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA (2006 est.)	-
Agriculture - products	fodder and vegetable crops; sheep, dairy products	-
Airports	5 (2006)	none (2001)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006)	-
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 3 under 914 m: 3 (2006)	-
Area	total: 12,173 sq km land: 12,173 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes the two main islands of East and West Falkland and about 200 small islands	total: 3,903 sq km land: 3,903 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Shag Rocks, Black Rock, Clerke Rocks, South Georgia Island, Bird Island, and the South Sandwich Islands, which consist of some nine islands
Area - comparative	slightly smaller than Connecticut	slightly larger than Rhode Island
Background	Although first sighted by an English navigator in 1592, the first landing (English) did not occur until almost a century later in 1690, and the first settlement (French) was not established until 1764. The colony was turned over to Spain two years later and the islands have since been the subject of a territorial dispute, first between Britain and Spain, then between Britain and Argentina. The UK asserted its claim to the islands by establishing a naval garrison there in 1833. Argentina invaded the islands on 2 April 1982. The British responded with an expeditionary force that landed seven weeks later and after fierce fighting forced Argentine surrender on 14 June 1982.	The islands lie approximately 1,000 km east of the Falkland Islands and have been under British administration since 1908 except for a brief period in 1982 when Argentina occupied them. Grytviken, on South Georgia, was a 19th and early 20th century whaling station. The famed explorer Ernest SHACKLETON stopped there in 1914 en route to his ill-fated attempt to cross Antarctica on foot. He returned some 20 months later with a few companions in a small boat and arranged a successful rescue for the rest of his crew, stranded off the Antarctic Peninsula. He died in 1922 on a subsequent expedition and is buried in Grytviken. Today, the station houses scientists from the British Antarctic Survey. The islands have large bird and seal populations and, recognizing the importance of preserving the marine stocks in adjacent waters, the UK, in 1993, extended the exclusive fishing zone from 12 NM to 200 NM around each island.
Birth rate	NA births/1,000 population (2006 est.)	-
Budget	revenues: $66.2 million expenditures: $67.9 million; including capital expenditures of $23.2 million (FY98/99 est.)	-
Capital	name: Stanley geographic coordinates: 51 42 S, 57 41 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in September; ends third Sunday in April	-
Climate	cold marine; strong westerly winds, cloudy, humid; rain occurs on more than half of days in year; average annual rainfall is 24 inches in Stanley; occasional snow all year, except in January and February, but does not accumulate	variable, with mostly westerly winds throughout the year interspersed with periods of calm; nearly all precipitation falls as snow
Coastline	1,288 km	NA km
Constitution	3 October 1985; amended 1997 and 1998	adopted 3 October 1985
Country name	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)	conventional long form: South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands conventional short form: none
Death rate	NA deaths/1,000 population	-
Debt - external	$NA	-
Dependency status	overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina	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
Diplomatic representation from the US	none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina)	none (overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina)
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina)	none (overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina)
Disputes - international	Argentina, which claims the islands in its constitution and briefly occupied them by force in 1982, agreed in 1995 to no longer seek settlement by force; UK continues to reject Argentine requests for sovereignty talks	South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands occupied briefly by Argentina in 1982; islands continue to be claimed by Argentina
Economic aid - recipient	$0 (1997 est.)	-
Economy - overview	The economy was formerly based on agriculture, mainly sheep farming, but today fishing contributes the bulk of economic activity. In 1987 the government began selling fishing licenses to foreign trawlers operating within the Falkland Islands' exclusive fishing zone. These license fees total more than $40 million per year, which goes to support the island's health, education, and welfare system. Squid accounts for 75% of the fish taken. Dairy farming supports domestic consumption; crops furnish winter fodder. Exports feature shipments of high-grade wool to the UK and the sale of postage stamps and coins. The islands are now self-financing except for defense. The British Geological Survey announced a 200-mile oil exploration zone around the islands in 1993, and early seismic surveys suggest substantial reserves capable of producing 500,000 barrels per day; to date, no exploitable site has been identified. An agreement between Argentina and the UK in 1995 seeks to defuse licensing and sovereignty conflicts that would dampen foreign interest in exploiting potential oil reserves. Tourism, especially eco-tourism, is increasing rapidly, with about 30,000 visitors in 2001. Another large source of income is interest paid on money the government has in the bank. The British military presence also provides a sizeable economic boost.	Some fishing takes place in adjacent waters. There is a potential source of income from harvesting fin fish and krill. The islands receive income from postage stamps produced in the UK, sale of fishing licenses, and harbor and landing fees from tourist vessels. Tourism from specialized cruise ships is increasing rapidly.
Electricity - consumption	20.68 million kWh (2003)	NA kWh
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2003)	-
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2003)	-
Electricity - production	22.23 million kWh (2003)	NA kWh
Electricity - production by source	-	fossil fuel: NA% hydro: NA% nuclear: NA% other: NA%
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Usborne 705 m	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Paget (South Georgia) 2,934 m
Environment - current issues	overfishing by unlicensed vessels is a problem; reindeer were introduced to the islands in 2001 for commercial reasons; this is the only commercial reindeer herd in the world unaffected by the Chornobyl disaster	NA
Ethnic groups	British	-
Exchange rates	Falkland pounds per US dollar - 0.55 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002), 0.6947 (2001) note: the Falkland pound is at par with the British pound	-
Executive branch	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Governor Alan HUCKLE (since 25 August 2006); Chief Executive Chris SIMPKINS (since March 2003); Financial Secretary Derek F. HOWATT (since NA) cabinet: Executive Council; three members elected by the Legislative Council, two ex officio members (chief executive and the financial secretary), and the governor elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch	-
Exports	NA bbl/day	-
Exports - commodities	wool, hides, meat	-
Exports - partners	Spain 81.9%, US 6%, UK 4.5% (2005)	-
Fiscal year	1 April - 31 March	-
Flag description	blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Falkland Island coat of arms centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms contains a white ram (sheep raising was once the major economic activity) above the sailing ship Desire (whose crew discovered the islands) with a scroll at the bottom bearing the motto DESIRE THE RIGHT	the flag of the UK is used
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 95% industry: NA% services: NA%	-
GDP - real growth rate	NA%	-
Geographic coordinates	51 45 S, 59 00 W	54 30 S, 37 00 W
Geography - note	deeply indented coast provides good natural harbors; short growing season	the north coast of South Georgia has several large bays, which provide good anchorage; reindeer, introduced early in the 21st century, live on South Georgia
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%	-
Imports	NA bbl/day	-
Imports - commodities	fuel, food and drink, building materials, clothing	-
Imports - partners	UK 72.5%, US 15.1%, Netherlands 8.5% (2005)	-
Independence	none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina)	-
Industrial production growth rate	NA%	-
Industries	fish and wool processing; tourism	-
Infant mortality rate	total: NA male: NA female: NA	-
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	3.6% (1998)	-
International organization participation	ICFTU, UPU	-
Irrigated land	NA	0 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	Supreme Court (chief justice is a nonresident); Magistrates Court (senior magistrate presides over civil and criminal divisions); Court of Summary Jurisdiction	-
Labor force	1,724 (est.)	-
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture: 95% (mostly sheepherding and fishing) industry and services: 5%	-
Land boundaries	0 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (99% permanent pastures, 1% other) (2005)	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) (1998 est.)
Languages	English	-
Legal system	English common law	the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply; the senior magistrate from the Falkland Islands presides over the Magistrates Court
Legislative branch	unicameral Legislative Council (10 seats - two ex officio, eight elected by popular vote, members serve four-year terms); presided over by the governor elections: last held 17 November 2005 (next to be held November 2009) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 8	-
Life expectancy at birth	total population: NA male: NA female: NA	-
Literacy	NA	-
Location	Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, east of southern Argentina	Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, east of the tip of South America
Map references	South America	Antarctic Region
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: 200 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm	exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of the UK	defense is the responsibility of the UK
Military branches	no regular military forces	-
Military expenditures - dollar figure	NA	-
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	NA	-
National holiday	Liberation Day, 14 June (1982)	Liberation Day, 14 June (1982)
Nationality	noun: Falkland Islander(s) adjective: Falkland Island	-
Natural hazards	strong winds persist throughout the year	the South Sandwich Islands have prevailing weather conditions that generally make them difficult to approach by ship; they are also subject to active volcanism
Natural resources	fish, squid, wildlife, calcified seaweed, sphagnum moss	fish
Net migration rate	NA migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)	-
Political parties and leaders	none; all independents	-
Political pressure groups and leaders	none	-
Population	2,967 (July 2006 est.)	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 2002 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	-
Population growth rate	2.44% (2006 est.)	-
Ports and harbors	-	Grytviken
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 7, shortwave 0 note: British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides Radio 1 (FM) and Radio 2 (AM) service (2006)	0 (2003)
Religions	primarily Anglican, Roman Catholic, United Free Church, Evangelist Church, Jehovah's Witnesses, Lutheran, Seventh-Day Adventist	-
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	-
Telephone system	general assessment: NA domestic: government-operated radiotelephone and private VHF/CB radiotelephone networks provide effective service to almost all points on both islands international: country code - 500; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) with links through London to other countries	general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: coastal radiotelephone station at Grytviken
Telephones - main lines in use	2,400 (2002)	-
Telephones - mobile cellular	0 (2001)	-
Television broadcast stations	2 (British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides multi-channel satellite service to members of UK Forces as well as islanders) note: cable television is available in Stanley (2006)	0 (2003)
Terrain	rocky, hilly, mountainous with some boggy, undulating plains	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
Total fertility rate	NA children born/woman	-
Unemployment rate	full employment; labor shortage (2001)	-
Waterways	-	none

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