South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (2001) | Ashmore and Cartier Islands (2002) | |
Airports | none | - |
Area | 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 |
total: 5 sq km
land: 5 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Ashmore Reef (West, Middle, and East Islets) and Cartier Island |
Area - comparative | slightly larger than Rhode Island | about eight times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC |
Background | The islands lie approximately 1,000 km east of the Falkland Islands. 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 a small military garrison. 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 miles to 200 miles around each island. | These uninhabited islands came under Australian authority in 1931; formal administration began two years later. Ashmore Reef supports a rich and diverse avian and marine habitat; in 1983 it became a National Nature Reserve. Cartier Island, a former bombing range, is now a marine reserve. |
Budget | revenues:
$291,777 expenditures: $451,000, including capital expenditures of $NA (1988 est.) |
- |
Climate | variable, with mostly westerly winds throughout the year interspersed with periods of calm; nearly all precipitation falls as snow | tropical |
Coastline | NA km | 74.1 km |
Constitution | adopted 3 October 1985 | - |
Country name | conventional long form:
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands conventional short form: none |
conventional long form: Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands
conventional short form: Ashmore and Cartier Islands |
Dependency status | overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina; administered from the Falkland Islands by UK civil commissioner Donald A. LAMONT, representing Queen ELIZABETH II; Grytviken, formerly a whaling station on South Georgia, is the garrison town | territory of Australia; administered by the Australian Department of Transport and Regional Services |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina) | none (territory of Australia) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina) | none (territory of Australia) |
Disputes - international | claimed by Argentina | - |
Economy - overview | 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. | no economic activity |
Electricity - consumption | 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 Paget (South Georgia) 2,934 m |
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 3 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | NA |
Flag description | the flag of the UK is used | the flag of Australia is used |
Geographic coordinates | 54 30 S, 37 00 W | 12 14 S, 123 05 E |
Geography - note | the north coast of South Georgia has several large bays, which provide good anchorage; reindeer, introduced early in this century, live on South Georgia | Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve established in August 1983 |
Irrigated land | 0 sq km (1993) | 0 sq km (1998 est.) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
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 vegetation consisting of grass, moss, and lichen) |
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (all grass and sand) (1998 est.) |
Legal system | the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply | the laws of the Commonwealth of Australia and the laws of the Northern Territory of Australia, where applicable, apply |
Location | Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, east of the tip of South America | Southeastern Asia, islands in the Indian Ocean, northwest of Australia |
Map references | Antarctic Region | Southeast Asia |
Maritime claims | exclusive fishing zone:
200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
contiguous zone: 12 NM
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the UK | defense is the responsibility of Australia; periodic visits by the Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force |
National holiday | Liberation Day, 14 June (1982) | - |
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 | surrounded by shoals and reefs that can pose maritime hazards |
Natural resources | fish | fish |
People - note | - | the landing of illegal immigrants from Indonesia's Rote Island has become an ongoing problem |
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 2001 est.) |
no indigenous inhabitants
note: Indonesian fishermen are allowed access to the lagoon and fresh waster at Ashmore Reef's West Island |
Ports and harbors | Grytviken | none; offshore anchorage only |
Radio broadcast stations | none | - |
Telephone system | general assessment:
NA domestic: NA international: coastal radiotelephone station at Grytviken |
- |
Television broadcast stations | 0 (1997) | - |
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 | low with sand and coral |
Waterways | none | none |