South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
From Open Encyclopedia
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| Motto: Leo Terram Propriam Protegat (In Latin: The Lion protects his own land) | |||||
| Image:Location of SGSSI.png | |||||
| Official language | English | ||||
| Capital | Grytviken | ||||
| Civil Commissioner | Howard Pearce | ||||
| Area - Total - % water | not ranked 3,093 km² - | ||||
| Population - Total (2006 E) - Density | not ranked ~20 n/a; | ||||
| Currency | GBP | ||||
| Time zone | UTC/GMT -2 | ||||
| National anthem | God Save the Queen | ||||
| Internet TLD | .gs | ||||
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (SGSSI) is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom in the southern Atlantic Ocean. The territory was formed in 1985; previously they were governed as part of the Falkland Islands Dependencies. The territory consists of the island of South Georgia, which is the largest island in the territory, and a group of smaller islands known as the South Sandwich Islands. There is no native population on any of the islands, and the only inhabitants are the British Government Officer, scientists and support staff from the British Antarctic Survey who maintain a base at the capital, King Edward Point, and museum staff at nearby Grytviken.
The sovereignty of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands has been disputed since their discovery. Argentina is the only country to still maintain a claim over the islands, which they call Islas Georgias y Sandwich del Sur. The sovereignty dispute over SGSSI contributed even to the 1982 Falklands War and has remained unresolved until today. Argentina maintained a settlement on the South Sandwich Islands from 1976 until 1982, and occupied South Georgia during the Falklands War (see also below).
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Islands
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands consist of two main groups of islands:
- South Georgia and its associated islands, which consist of the island of South Georgia Island, which is by far the largest island in the territory, the islands that immediately surround the main island of South Georgia and some remote and isolated islets west and east-southeast of the main island of South Georgia Island.
- The South Sandwich Islands
For a more detailed list of the islands of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands than the list provided below, see List of sub-antarctic islands:
South Georgia and its associated islands:
- South Georgia Island, the big main island (54°15′00″S, 36°45′00″W)
- Shag Rocks 185 km west-northwest of South Georgia Island
- Black Rock 169 km west-northwest of South Georgia Island and 16 km southeast of the Shag Rocks
- Clerke Rocks 56 km east-southeast of South Georgia Island
South Sandwich Islands (57°45′00″S, 026°30′00″W): Image:Orthographic projection centred on the South Sandwich Islands.png
History
South Georgia
The Island of South Georgia was first said to have been sighted in 1675 by Anthony de la Roche, a London merchant, and it was named Pepys Island after Samuel Pepys, the Admiralty Secetary. It was rediscovered in 1775 by Captain James Cook, who after dismissing his find as "not worth the discovery," went on to name it "the Isle of Georgia" in honour of King George III
Throughout the 19th century it was a sealers' base and, in the following century, a whalers' base until whaling ended mid-century. The first land-based whaling station, Grytviken, was set up in 1904 and was in operation until 1965. The seven whaling stations, all on the North coast with its sheltered harbours, starting in the West are:
- Prince Olav Harbour (from 1911 factory-ship, land-based station 1916 to 1934)
- Leith Harbour (1909 to 1965)
- Stromness (from 1907 factory-ship, land-based station 1912-1931, repair yard to 1960/1961)
- Husvik (from 1907 factory-ship, land-based station 1960 to 1960, out of operation 1930 to 1945)
- Grytviken (1904 to 1965)
- Godthul (1908 to 1929, only a rudimentary land base, main operations on factory-ship)
- Ocean Harbour (1909 to 1920)
During WW2, a small garrison force of Norwegian soldiers were stationed at South Georgia to protect against a possible invasion by Japanese forces. But due to the remote location of the island, the cold was a worse enemy than the Japanese.[{{fullurl:}}#endnote_jap]
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 Harbour. The commander of the Argentinian Garrison was Alfredo Astiz, a Captain in the Argentine Navy who, years later, was convicted of felonies committed 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 Paraquat).
The research station at King Edward Point, near the former Norwegian whaling station of Grytviken, originally established up in 1949/1950 by the British Antarctic Survey (until 1962 called Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey), became a small military garrison after the Falklands war. This returned to civilian use in 2001 and is operated by the British Antarctic Survey.
South 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. They were named after the 4th Earl of Sandwich, 1st Lord of the Admiralty.
The United Kingdom unilaterally declared sovereignty over the South Sandwich Islands in 1908, grouping them with other British held territory in the South Atlantic under the Falkland Island Dependancy. Argentina also claimed the islands in dispute with the UK (See Sovereignty of the Falkland Islands).
Argentina challenged British sovereignty in the Islands on several occasions. From January 25, 1955 through summer of 1956 Argentina maintained the summer station Teniente Esquivel at Ferguson Bay on the Southeastern coast of Thule Island. From 1976 to 1982, Argentina maintained a research base named Corbeta Uruguay, at Port Faraday, in the lee (southern East coast) of the same island. Although the British discovered the presence of the Argentine base in 1978, no effort was made to remove them until after the Falklands War. The base was eventually removed on June 20, 1982.
Politics
Executive power is vested in The Queen, and is exercised by the Civil Commissioner, a post held by the Governor of the Falkland Islands. The current Civil Commissioner is Howard Pearce. An Assistant Commissioner deals with policy matters and is also Director of SGSSI Fisheries, responsible for the issue of fishing licenses. An Operations Manager deals with administrative matters relating to the territory. The Financial Secretary and Attorney General of the territory are appointed and hold similar appointments in the Falkland Islands' Government.
As there are no permanent inhabitants on the islands, there is no legislative council and no elections are held. The UK Foreign Office manages the foreign relations of the territory. Since 1982, the territory celebrates Liberation Day on June 14.
The constitution of the territory, the manner in which its government is directed, and the availability of judicial review were discussed in a series of litigations in 2001 to 2005; see in particular Regina v. Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Appellant) ex parte Quark Fishing Limited [2005] UKHL 57. Although its government is entirely directed by the UK Foreign Office, it was held that its decisions under that direction could not be challenged as if they were in law decisions of a UK government department; thus the European Convention on Human Rights did not apply.
Geography
South Georgia Group
Image:SouthGeorgiaIsland-EO.JPG South Georgia is situated 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 (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 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 (Pepys Island) 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
Image:250px-South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands.png There are 11 mostly volcanic islands (not counting tiny satellite islands and rocks nearby those main islands) forming an island arc, from north to south. As a group, the South Sandwich Islands are located at approximately 57°45′00″S, 026°30′00″W:
| No. | Island (Spanish Name) | Area (km2) | Height (m) | Highest Peak | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zavodovski | 25 | 550 | Mount Curry | 56°18′S 27°34′W |
| 2 | Leskov | 0.3 | 190 | Rudder Point | 56°40′S 28°08′W |
| 3 | Visokoi | 35 | 915 | Mount Hodson | 56°42′S 27°13′W |
| 4 | Candlemas (Candelaria) | 14 | 550 | Mount Andromeda | 57°05′S 26°39′W |
| 5 | Vindication (Vindicación) | 5 | 430 | Quadrant Peak | 57°06′S 26°47′W |
| 6 | Saunders | 40 | 805 | Mount Michael | 57°48′S 26°28′W |
| 7 | Montagu (Jorge) | 110 | 1370 | Mount Belinda | 58°25′S 26°23′W |
| 8 | Bristol (Blanca) | 46 | 1100 | Mount Darnley | 59°03′S 26°30′W |
| 9 | Bellingshausen | 1 | 255 | Basilisk Peak | 59°25′S 27°05′W |
| 10 | Cook | 20 | 1115 | Mount Harmer | 59°26′S 27°09′W |
| 11 | Thule or Morrell Island (Tule del Sur) | 14 | 710 | Mount Larsen | 59°27′S 27°18′W |
| SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS (ISLAS SANDWICH DEL SUR) | 310 | 1370 | Mount Belinda | 56°18' to 59°27'S, 26°20° to 28°08'W |
Subgroups
- Islands 1 through 3 are collectively known as Traversay Islands
- Islands 4 and 5 are collectively known as Candlemas Islands
- Islands 1 through 5 are collectively known as Traversay Islands (wider sense)
- Islands 9 through 11 are collectively known as Southern Thule
Islands 6 through 8, which are also the three largest islands, are not part of any subgroup.
The South Sandwich Islands are uninhabited, although Thule Island used to have a permanently manned Argentinian research station from 1976 to 1982 (for details, see paragraph on History above).
There are automatic weather stations on Thule (Morrell) Island and Zavodovski.
To the northwest of Zavodovski Island is the Protector Shoal, a submarine volcano.
Economy
Image:Stamp South Georgia 1963 4d.jpg As there are no native inhabitants, economic activity in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands is limited. The territory has revenues of less than $300,000 against expenditures of nearly $500,000. The main sources of income for the territory include fishing, tourism and sale of postage stamps.
Fishing
Fishing takes place around South Georgia and in adjacent waters in some months of the year, with fishing licences sold by the territory for finfish and krill. There is a potential source of income from harvesting fin fish and krill. Fishing licenses bring in a handful of million pounds a year, most of which is spent on fishery protection and research. The three currently exploited commercial fisheries are Patagonian Toothfish, Icefish, and Krill. All fisheries are regulated and managed in accordance with the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources(CCAMLR) system.
Tourism
Tourism has become a bigger source of income in recent years, with many cruise ships visiting the islands. The territory gains income from landing charges.
Postage Stamps
A large source of income from abroad also comes from the issue of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands postage stamps which are produced in the UK.
See also
External links
- detailed map of South Georgia
- King Edward Point research station
- Bird Island research station
- CIA World Factbook entry
- South Georgia official website
- A Postcard from South Georgia by Roderick Eime
- Photos from South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands from Pbase.com
- Gazetteer: Geographic Names of Antarctica and Subantarctic (with coordinates and heights)
- Gazetteer: Geographic Names of South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands
- Information on the whaling stations
- Operation Paraquat
- The Argentine invasion of South Georgia
- Argentine Government Website with a map of SGSSI
- Virtual visitors guide to the cemeteries of South Georgia
References
| | Image:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg |
|---|---|
| Overseas territories: Anguilla | Bermuda | British Antarctic Territory | British Indian Ocean Territory | British Virgin Islands | Cayman Islands | Falkland Islands | Gibraltar | Montserrat | Pitcairn Islands | Saint Helena (Ascension, Tristan da Cunha) | South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands | Turks and Caicos Islands | |
| Crown dependencies: Guernsey | Jersey | Isle of Man | |
| UK Sovereign Base Areas: Akrotiri and Dhekelia (in Cyprus) | |
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