2025 Edition Primary

Background

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands lie approximately 1,000 km east of the Falkland Islands and have been under British administration since 1908 -- except for a brief period in 1982 when Argentina occupied them. Grytviken, on South Georgia, was a 19th- and early 20th-century whaling station. Famed explorer Ernest SHACKLETON stopped there in 1914 en route to his ill-fated attempt to cross Antarctica on foot. He returned some 20 months later with a few companions in a small boat and arranged a successful rescue for the rest of his crew, which was stranded off the Antarctic Peninsula. He died in 1922 on a subsequent expedition and is buried in Grytviken. Today, the station houses scientists from the British Antarctic Survey. Recognizing the importance of preserving the marine stocks in adjacent waters, the UK extended the exclusive fishing zone in 1993, from 12 nm to 200 nm around each island.

Area

Land

3,903 sq km

Note

<strong>note:</strong> includes Shag Rocks, Black Rock, Clerke Rocks, South Georgia Island, Bird Island, and the South Sandwich Islands, which consist of 11 islands

Total

3,903 sq km

Water

0 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly larger than Rhode Island

Climate

variable, with mostly westerly winds throughout the year interspersed with periods of calm; nearly all precipitation falls as snow

Coastline

NA

Continent

North America

Elevation

Highest point

Mount Paget (South Georgia) 2,934 m

Lowest point

Atlantic Ocean 0 m

Geographic coordinates

54 30 S, 37 00 W

Geography - note

the north coast of South Georgia has several large bays, which provide good anchorage

Irrigated land

0 sq km (2022)

Land boundaries

border countries

MAF

number of neighbors

1

Total

0 km

Land use

forest

10.88%

Other

100% (2018 est.)

Landlocked

No

Location

Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, east of the tip of South America

Map links

Google Maps

https://goo.gl/maps/DjvcESy1a1oGEZuNA

OpenStreetMap

https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/1231790

Map references

Antarctic Region

Maritime claims

Exclusive fishing zone

200 nm

Territorial sea

12 nm

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

Natural resources

fish

Subregion

Caribbean

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

Time zone

UTC-04:00

number of time zones

1

Age structure

0-14 years

15.14%

15-64 years

70.92%

65 years and over

13.94%

Birth rate

9 births/1,000 population

Death rate

8 deaths/1,000 population

adult female

62 per 1,000

adult male

111 per 1,000

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

19.66%

total dependency ratio

41%

youth dependency ratio

21.34%

Education expenditures

4 % of GDP

Languages

languages

English, French, Dutch

number of languages

3

Life expectancy at birth

female

80 years

male

74 years

total population

76 years

Mother's mean age at first birth

17 births/1,000 women 15-19

Nationality

adjective

St. Maartener

noun

St. Maartener

Net migration rate

530 migrants

Population

Total

no permanent inhabitants

Population growth rate

1.4%

Total fertility rate

1 children born/woman

Urbanization

urban population

100%

Capital

geographic coordinates

18.02, -63.03

name

Philipsburg

Country name

Abbreviation

SGSSI

alternative spellings

SX, Sint Maarten (Dutch part)

Conventional long form

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Conventional short form

South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands

Etymology

Captain James COOK originally named it "the Isle of Georgia" in 1775 in honor of British King GEORGE III; the word "South" was later added to distinguish these islands from the other Sandwich Islands, now known as the Hawaiian Islands

local long form (eng)

Sint Maarten

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 the British monarch

Diplomatic representation from the US

none (administered by the UK, claimed by Argentina)

Diplomatic representation in the US

none (administered by the UK, claimed by Argentina)

Flag

<strong>description:</strong> blue with the UK flag in the upper-left quadrant; the islands' coat of arms is centered on the right half of the flag and has a green shield with a golden lion holding a torch; a fur seal is to the left of the shield and a Macaroni penguin to the right; a reindeer appears above the crest, and below the shield on a scroll is the motto LEO TERRAM PROPRIAM PROTEGAT (Let the Lion Protect its Own Land)<br><br><strong>meaning:</strong> the lion represents the UK and discovery; the seal, penguin, and reindeer are native to the islands

Flag description

The flag of Sint Maarten features two equal horizontal bands of red and blue, with a white isosceles triangle based on the hoist side. The center of the triangle displays the national coat of arms with an orange-bordered blue shield that prominently displays a white courthouse, as well as yellow sage in the upper left and the silhouette of a monument in the upper right. Over the shield is a yellow rising sun and a brown pelican in flight. A yellow scroll below the shield has the Latin motto "SEMPER PROGREDIENS" (Always Progressing).

Flag image

svg

https://flagcdn.com/sx.svg

Independence

No

International organization participation

UPU

Legal system

the laws of the UK apply

Start of week

Monday

UN Member

No

Currency

code

ANG

name

Netherlands Antillean guilder (ANG) [ƒ]

Current account balance

$-116,692,860

Foreign direct investment

net inflows

$37.11 million

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

industry

6.03%

services

89.34%

GDP (official exchange rate)

$1.8 billion

GDP per capita (nominal)

$41,473

GNI (gross national income)

$1.74 billion

GNI per capita

$38,950

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

$2.33 billion

Real GDP growth rate

3%

Real GDP per capita

$53,769

Remittances

$48.42 million

Electricity generation sources

fossil fuels

100%

hydroelectric

0%

nuclear

0%

renewable

0%

Renewable energy consumption

0%

Internet country code

.sx

Telephone calling code

+1721

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100

205 per 100

total subscriptions

86,542 subscriptions

Driving side

Right

Heliports

1 (2025)

Ports

Key ports

Grytviken, Prince Olav Harbor, Stromness Harbor

Large

0

Medium

0

Ports with oil terminals

1

Small

0

Total ports

3 (2024)

Very small

3

Vehicle registration code

SX

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Environmental issues

damage to native wildlife from imported animals

Protected areas

5 % of total land area

Renewable electricity output

0 % of total