Location: Southern South America, in the South Atlantic Ocean, off the south Argentine coast, southeast of the Falkland Islands

Map references: Antarctic Region

Area:
total area: 4,066 sq km
land area: 4,066 sq km
comparative area: slightly larger than Rhode Island
note: includes Shag Rocks, Clerke Rocks, Bird Island

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: NA km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm

International disputes: administered by the UK, claimed by Argentina

Climate: variable, with mostly westerly winds throughout the year, interspersed with 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

Natural resources: fish

Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
meadows and pastures: 0%
forest and woodland: 0%
other: 100% (largely covered by permanent ice and snow with some sparse vegetation consisting of grass, moss, and lichen)

Irrigated land: 0 sq km

Environment:
current issues: NA
natural hazards: the South Sandwich Islands are subject to active volcanism
international agreements: NA

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; weather conditions generally make it difficult to approach the South Sandwich Islands

NOTE: The information regarding South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands on this page is re-published from the 1995 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 1995 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Geography 1995 should be addressed to the CIA.