South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (dependent territory of the UK)
_South_Georgia_and_the_South_Sandwich_Islands.jpg)
See regional map IV
Geography
Total area: 4,066 km²; land area: 4,066 km²; includes Shag and Clerke Rocks
Comparative area: slightly larger than Rhode Island
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: undetermined
Maritime claims:
- Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation
- Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
- Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: administered by the UK, claimed by Argentina
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
Natural resources: fish
Land use: 0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 100% other; largely covered by permanent ice and snow with some sparse vegetation consisting of grass, moss, and lichen
Environment: reindeer, introduced early in this century, live on South Georgia; weather conditions generally make it difficult to approach the South Sandwich Islands; the South Sandwich Islands are subject to active volcanism
Note: the north coast of South Georgia has several large bays, which provide good anchorage
People
Population: no permanent population;
there is a small military garrison on South
Georgia and the British Antarctic Survey
has a biological station on Bird Island; the
South Sandwich islands are uninhabited
Government
Long-form name: South Georgia and the
South Sandwich Islands (no short-form
name)
Type: dependent territory of the UK
Capital: Grytviken Harbour on South Georgia is the chief town
Administrative divisions: none (dependent territory of the UK)
Independence: none (dependent territory of the UK)
Constitution: 3 October 1985
Legal system: English common law
National holiday: Liberation Day, 14 June (1982)
Executive branch: British monarch, commissioner
Legislative branch: none
Judicial branch: none
Leaders: Chief of State—Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Commissioner William Hugh FULLERTON (since 1988; resident at Stanley, Falkland Islands)
Economy
Overview: Some fishing takes place in adjacent waters. There is a potential source of income from harvesting fin fish and krill. The islands receive income from postage stamps produced in the UK.
Budget: revenues $291,777; expenditures $451,011, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY88 est.)
Electricity: 900 kW capacity; 2 million kWh produced, NA kWh per capita (1989)
Communications
Highways: NA
Ports: Grytviken Harbour on South Georgia
Airports: none
Telecommunications: coastal radio station at Grytviken; no broadcast stations
Defense Forces
Note: defense is the responsibility of the
UK
Soviet Union
_Soviet_Union.jpg)
See regional maps VIII and XI
Geography
Total area: 22,402,200 km²; land area: 22,272,000 km²
Comparative area: slightly less than 2.5 times the size of US
Land boundaries: 19,933 km total; Afghanistan 2,384 km, Czechoslovakia 98 km, China 7,520 km, Finland 1,313 km, Hungary 135 km, Iran 1,690 km, North Korea 17 km, Mongolia 3,441 km, Norway 196 km, Poland 1,215 km, Romania 1,307 km, Turkey 617 km
Coastline: 42,777 km
Maritime claims:
- Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation
- Extended economic zone: 200 nm
- Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: bilateral negotiations are under way to resolve four disputed sections of the boundary with China (Pamir, Argun, Amur, and Khabarovsk areas); US Government has not recognized the incorporation of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania into the Soviet Union; Habomai Islands, Etorofu, Kunashiri, and Shikotan islands occupied by Soviet Union since 1945, claimed by Japan; Kuril Islands administered by Soviet Union; maritime dispute with Norway over portion of Barents Sea; has made no territorial claim in Antarctica (but has reserved the right to do so) and does not recognize the claims of any other nation; Bessarabia question with Romania; Kurdish question among Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and the USSR
Climate: mostly temperate to arctic continental; winters vary from cool along Black Sea to frigid in Siberia; summers vary from hot in southern deserts to cool along Arctic coast
Terrain: broad plain with low hills west of Urals; vast coniferous forest and tundra in Siberia, deserts in Central Asia, mountains in south
