Home > Factbook > Countries > South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands
| Location | Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, east of the tip of South America |
| Geographic coordinates | 54 30 S, 37 00 W |
| Map references | Antarctic Region |
| 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 11 islands |
| Area - comparative | slightly larger than Rhode Island |
| Land boundaries | 0 km |
| Coastline | NA |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
| 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 are rugged and mountainous rising steeply from the sea; South Georgia is largely barren with steep, glacier-covered mountains; the South Sandwich Islands are of volcanic origin with some active volcanoes |
| Elevation extremes | mean elevation: NA elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Paget (South Georgia) 2,934 m |
| Natural resources | fish |
| Land use | agricultural land: 0% arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; permanent pasture 0% forest: 0% other: 100% (2011 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 0 sq km (2011) |
| 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 |
| Environment - current issues | reindeer - introduced to the islands on several occasions in the 20th century - devastated the native flora and bird species; some reindeer were translocated to the Falkland Islands in 2001, the rest were exterminated (2013-14) |
| Geography - note | the north coast of South Georgia has several large bays, which provide good anchorage |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on January 20, 2018
