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Text File  |  1994-11-29  |  4KB  |  187 lines
  1.                South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
  2.  
  3.  
  4.  
  5.  
  6.                                   Header
  7.  
  8.  
  9. Affiliation:
  10.      (dependent territory of the UK)
  11.  
  12.  
  13.                                  Geography
  14.  
  15.  
  16. Location:
  17.      Southern South America, in the South Atlantic Ocean, off the south
  18.      Argentine coast, southeast of the Falkland Islands
  19. Map references:
  20.      Antarctic Region
  21. Area:
  22. total area:
  23.      4,066 sq km
  24. land area:
  25.      4,066 sq km
  26. comparative area:
  27.      slightly larger than Rhode Island
  28. note:
  29.      includes Shag Rocks, Clerke Rocks, Bird Island
  30. Land boundaries:
  31.      0 km
  32. Coastline:
  33.      NA km
  34. Maritime claims:
  35. territorial sea:
  36.      12 nm
  37. International disputes:
  38.      administered by the UK, claimed by Argentina
  39. Climate:
  40.      variable, with mostly westerly winds throughout the year, interspersed
  41.      with periods of calm; nearly all precipitation falls as snow
  42. Terrain:
  43.      most of the islands, rising steeply from the sea, are rugged and
  44.      mountainous; South Georgia is largely barren and has steep,
  45.      glacier-covered mountains; the South Sandwich Islands are of volcanic
  46.      origin with some active volcanoes
  47. Natural resources:
  48.      fish
  49. Land use:
  50. arable land:
  51.      0%
  52. permanent crops:
  53.      0%
  54. meadows and pastures:
  55.      0%
  56. forest and woodland:
  57.      0%
  58. other:
  59.      100% (largely covered by permanent ice and snow with some sparse
  60.      vegetation consisting of grass, moss, and lichen)
  61. Irrigated land:
  62.      0 sq km
  63.  
  64.  
  65.  
  66.  
  67. Environment:
  68. current issues:
  69.      NA
  70. natural hazards:
  71.      the South Sandwich Islands are subject to active volcanism
  72. international agreements:
  73.      NA
  74. Note:
  75.      the north coast of South Georgia has several large bays, which provide
  76.      good anchorage; reindeer, introduced early in this century, live on
  77.      South Georgia; weather conditions generally make it difficult to
  78.      approach the South Sandwich Islands
  79.  
  80.  
  81.                                   People
  82.  
  83.  
  84. Population:
  85.      no indigenous population; there is a small military garrison on South
  86.      Georgia, and the British Antarctic Survey has a biological station on
  87.      Bird Island; the South Sandwich Islands are uninhabited
  88.  
  89.  
  90.                                 Government
  91.  
  92.  
  93. Names:
  94. conventional long form:
  95. conventional short form:
  96.      none
  97. Digraph:
  98.      SX
  99. Type:
  100.      dependent territory of the UK
  101. Capital:
  102.      none; Grytviken on South Georgia is the garrison town
  103. Administrative divisions:
  104.      none (dependent territory of the UK)
  105. Independence:
  106.      none (dependent territory of the UK)
  107. National holiday:
  108.      Liberation Day, 14 June (1982)
  109. Constitution:
  110.      3 October 1985
  111. Legal system:
  112.      English common law
  113. Executive branch:
  114. chief of state:
  115.      Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by
  116.      Commissioner David Everard TATHAM (since August 1992; resident at
  117.      Stanley, Falkland Islands)
  118. Legislative branch:
  119.      no elections
  120. Judicial branch:
  121.      none
  122.  
  123.  
  124.                                   Economy
  125.  
  126.  
  127.  
  128.  
  129. Overview:
  130.      Some fishing takes place in adjacent waters. There is a potential
  131.      source of income from harvesting fin fish and krill. The islands
  132.      receive income from postage stamps produced in the UK.
  133. Budget:
  134. revenues:
  135.      $291,777
  136. expenditures:
  137.      $451,000, including capital expenditures of $NA (1988 est.)
  138. Electricity:
  139. capacity:
  140.      900 kW
  141. production:
  142.      2 million kWh
  143. consumption per capita:
  144.      NA (1992)
  145.  
  146.  
  147.                               Communications
  148.  
  149.  
  150. Highways:
  151. total:
  152.      NA
  153. paved:
  154.      NA
  155. unpaved:
  156.      NA
  157. Ports:
  158.      Grytviken on South Georgia
  159. Airports:
  160. total:
  161.      5
  162. usable:
  163.      5
  164. with permanent-surface runways:
  165.      2
  166. with runways over 3,659 m:
  167.      0
  168. with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  169.      1
  170. with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  171.      0
  172. Telecommunications:
  173.      coastal radio station at Grytviken; no broadcast stations
  174.  
  175.  
  176.                               Defense Forces
  177.  
  178.  
  179. Note:
  180.      defense is the responsibility of the UK
  181.  
  182.  
  183.  
  184.  
  185.  
  186.  
  187.