Tromelin Island (2003) | South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (2006) | |
Airports | 1 (2002) | - |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2002) |
- |
Area | total: 1 sq km
land: 1 sq km water: 0 sq km |
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 eleven islands |
Area - comparative | about 1.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC | slightly larger than Rhode Island |
Background | First explored by the French in 1776, the island came under the jurisdiction of Reunion in 1814. At present, it serves as a sea turtle sanctuary and is the site of an important meteorological station. | The islands, which have large bird and seal populations, 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. 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. 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. |
Climate | tropical | variable, with mostly westerly winds throughout the year interspersed with periods of calm; nearly all precipitation falls as snow |
Coastline | 3.7 km | NA km |
Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Tromelin Island local long form: none local short form: Ile Tromelin |
conventional long form: South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
conventional short form: none abbreviation: SGSSI |
Dependency status | possession of France; administered by a high commissioner of the Republic, resident in Reunion | 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) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | - | none (overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina) |
Disputes - international | claimed by Mauritius | Argentina, which claims the islands in its constitution and briefly occupied the islands by force in 1982, agreed in 1995 to no longer seek settlement by force |
Economy - overview | no economic activity | Some fishing takes place in adjacent waters. There is a potential source of income from harvesting finfish 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. |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 7 m |
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Paget (South Georgia) 2,934 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | NA |
Flag description | the flag of France is used | blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands coat of arms centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms features a shield with a golden lion centered; the shield is supported by a fur seal on the left and a penguin on the right; a reindeer appears above the shield, and below it on a scroll is the motto LEO TERRAM PROPRIAM PROTEGAT (Let the Lion Protect its Own Land) |
Geographic coordinates | 15 52 S, 54 25 E | 54 30 S, 37 00 W |
Geography - note | climatologically important location for forecasting cyclones; wildlife sanctuary (seabirds, tortoises) | 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 |
Irrigated land | 0 sq km (1998 est.) | 0 sq km |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (grasses; scattered bushes) (1998 est.) |
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) (2005) |
Legal system | the laws of France, where applicable, apply | the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply; the senior magistrate from the Falkland Islands presides over the Magistrates Court |
Location | Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar | Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, east of the tip of South America |
Map references | Africa | Antarctic Region |
Maritime claims | continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of France | defense is the responsibility of the UK |
Natural hazards | NA | 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 | fish |
Population | uninhabited, except for visits by scientists (July 2003 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 2006 est.) |
Ports and harbors | none; offshore anchorage only | - |
Radio broadcast stations | - | 0 (2003) |
Telephone system | - | general assessment: NA
domestic: NA international: coastal radiotelephone station at Grytviken |
Television broadcast stations | - | 0 (2003) |
Terrain | low, flat, and sandy; likely volcanic | 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 |
Waterways | none | - |