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South Georgia And The South Sandwich IslandsSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom, also claimed by Argentina as part of Tierra del Fuego province (because of that, some of the islands have also Spanish names). They are administered from the Falkland Islands by UK civil commissioner Howard Pearce, representing Queen Elizabeth II. Defence is the responsibility of the United Kingdom. Since 1982, the territory celebrates Liberation Day on June 14. A constitution was adopted October 3, 1985. The legal system is based on English Common Law. The territory measures 4066 km2 in area. The main base is King Edward Point, near the former Norwegian whaling station of Grytviken, with a maximum accomodation of 18 persons (the winter population is lower). There is a second base, Bird Island, on the namesake island 4 km off the western tip of the main island, which can accommodate up to 8 persons but is not continuously occupied. 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. The territory has revenues of less than $300,000 against expenditures of nearly $500,000. The territory uses data code SX, and has the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) .gs. Geography The territory consists of two separate island groups, South Georgia, and the South Sandwich Islands. South Georgia Group South Georgia lies in the South Atlantic Ocean, about 1390 km south by east of the Falkland Islands, in 54-55°S, 36-38°W. It has a land area of 3756 km², including satellite islands, but excluding the South Sandwich Islands which form a separate island group. The main island itself, also called Pepys Island, or San Pedro in Spanish, has an area of 3528 km2. It is mountainous, with 11 peaks over 2,000 m high, their slopes furrowed with deep gorges filled with glaciers (Fortuna Glacier being the largest). Geologically, it consists of gneiss and argillaceous schists, with no trace of fossils, showing that the island is, like the Falkland Islands, a surviving fragment of some greater land-mass now vanished, most probably indicating a former extension of the Andean system. The German expedition sent out to observe the transit of Venus was stationed at Royal Bay, on the south-east side of the island in 1882. The island group consists of the main island of South Georgia, some satellite islands (including Bird Island, Annekov Island, Cooper Island, Pickersgill Islands, Welcome Islands, Willis Islands), as well as the Shag rocks, including Black Rock, 250 km to the West, and the Clerke rocks 74 km in the Southeast. The climate in the islands is variable, with mostly westerly winds throughout the year interspersed with periods of calm; nearly all precipitation falls as snow. 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. Mount Paget on South Georgia is 2,934 m high. The islands have prevailing weather conditions that generally make them difficult to approach by ship; they are also subject to active volcanism. 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. South Sandwich Islands There are 11 mostly volcanic islands forming an island arc, from north to south: | No. | Island (Spanish Name) | Area (km2) | Height (m) | Name of Peak | Location |
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| 1 | Zavodovski | 25 | 551 | Mount Curry | 5618' S, 2734' W | | 2 | Leskov | 0.3 | 190 | | 5640' S, 2808' W | | 3 | Visokoi | 35 | 1005 | Hodson | 5642' S, 2712' W | | 4 | Candlemas (Candelaria) | 14 | 550 | Mount Andromeda | 5705' S, 2640' W | | 5 | Vindication (Vidicacin) | 5 | 550 | | 5706' S, 2642' W | | 6 | Saunders | 40 | 990 | Mount Michael | 5747' S, 2627' W | | 7 | Montagu (Jorge) | 110 | 1375 | Mount Belinda | 5826' S, 2620' W | | 8 | Bristol (Blanca) | 46 | 1100 | Mount Darnley | 5902' S, 2631' W | | 9 | Bellingshausen | 1 | | | 5925' S, 2703' W | | 10 | Cook | 20 | | Mount Harmer | 5927' S, 2710' W | | 11 | Thule or Morrell Island (Tule del Sur) | 14 | 1075 | Mount Larsen | 5927' S, 2722' W | | SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS (ISLAS SANDWICH DEL SUR) | 310 | 1375 | Mount Belinda | | The South Sandwich Islands are uninhabited. Subgroups History South Georgia (Pepys Island) Anthony de la Roche, a London merchant sighted the island in 1675 and it was named Pepys Island by William Dampier in 1684. It was rediscovered in 1775 by Captain James Cook. Throughout the nineteenth century it was a sealers' base and, in the following century, a whalers' base until whaling ended mid-century. Whaling stations included, all on the North coast, starting in the West: - Prince Olav Harbour
- Leith Harbour
- Stromness
- Husvik
- Grytviken
- Godthul
- Ocean Harbour
During World War II (Autumn 1943 - Autumn 1944) the island housed a small (14 people) Norwegian military garrison to protect the island from Japanese invasion. The Falklands War was precipitated on 19 March 1982 when a group of Argentineans, posing as scrap metal merchants, occupied South Georgia at an abandoned whaling station at Leith Harbor . The commander of the Argentinian Garrison was Alfredo Astiz, a Captain in the Argentine Navy who, years later, was convicted of felonies commited during the Dirty War in Argentina. He renamed the island Isla San Pedro when he proclaimed Argentine authority over South Georgia on April 2. The island was recaptured by British forces on 25 April (Operation Paraquet). The research station at King Edward Point, near the former Norwegian whaling station of Grytviken, became a small military garrison after the Falklands War. This returned to civilian use in 2001 and is operated by the British Antarctic Survey. The British Antarctic Survey also has a biological station on Bird Island, off the northwest end of South Georgia. Sandwich Islands The islands were initially named "South" Sandwich Islands to distinguish them from the then "Sandwich Islands" now known as "Hawaii". The southern eight islands were discovered by James Cook in 1775. The northern three by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen in 1819. Argentina's claim over South Georgia (Pepys Island) and the South Sandwich Islands was based on the fact that these dependencies were administered by the Falkland Islands. However, this was done purely as a form of convenience. Geographically speaking, the Falklands are not a part of either dependency. The Sandwich Islands are highly volcanic with the very deep Sandwich Trench along their eastern rim. Port Faraday, in the lee of Morrell Island, Southern Thule, was occupied by Argentina from 1976 to 1982, in the guise of a research base named Corbeta Uruguay. This base was the last Argentinian Presence to be removed at the end of the Falklands War. See also External links *
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