| GEOGRAPHY |
| Country name: |
conventional long form: South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
conventional short form: none |
| Capital: |
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| 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 |
| 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 |
| Area
Comparative: |
slightly larger than Rhode Island |
| Land
Boundaries: |
0 km |
| Coastline: |
NA km |
| 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, 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 |
| Elavation
Extremes: |
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Paget (South Georgia) 2,934 m |
| Natural
Resources: |
fish |
| GOVERNEMENT |
| Governement
Type: |
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| Administratives
Divisions: |
Dependency status: 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 |
| Independence |
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| National
Holiday: |
Liberation Day, 14 June (1982) |
| Constitution: |
adopted 3 October 1985 |
| Legal
System; |
the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply; the senior magistrate from the Falkland Islands presides over the Magistrates Court |
| Suffrage |
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| Executive
Branch: |
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Branch: |
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Branch: |
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parties and Leaders: |
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| PEOPLE |
| 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 2005 est.) |
| Age structure: |
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| COMUNICATIONS |
| Telephones - main
lines in use: |
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| Telephones - mobile
cellular: |
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| Telephone system: |
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: coastal radiotelephone station at Grytviken |
| Radio broadcast
stations: |
0 (2003) |
| Television broadcast
stations: |
0 (2003) |
| Internet country
code: |
.gs |
| Internet hosts: |
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| Internet users: |
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| TRANSPORT |
| Railways: |
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| Highways: |
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| Waterways: |
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| Pipelines: |
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| Ports and harbors: |
Grytviken |
| Merchant marine: |
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| Airports: |
none (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with
paved runways: |
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unpaved runways: |
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| Heliports: |
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