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 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

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Paget (South Georgia) 2,934 m

Natural resources:

fish

Land use:

arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (largely covered by permanent ice and snow with some sparse vegetation consisting of grass, moss, and lichen) (2005)

Irrigated land:

0 sq km

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: