Airports [time series]

5 total, 5 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runway 2,440-3,659 m

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

NA

Ports [time series]

Grytviken on South Georgia

Telecommunication systems (Telecommunications) [time series]

coastal radio station at Grytviken; no broadcast stations

Note [time series]

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Budget [time series]

revenues $291,777; expenditures $451,011, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY88 est.)

Electricity [time series]

900 kW capacity; 2 million kWh produced, NA kWh per capita (1990)

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

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.

Climate [time series]

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

Coastline [time series]

undetermined

Area - comparative (Comparative area) [time series]

slightly larger than Rhode Island

Disputes - international (Disputes) [time series]

administered by the UK, claimed by Argentina

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

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

Area (Land area) [time series]

4,066 km2; includes Shag and Clerke Rocks, South Georgia, Bird Island, South Sandwich Islands

Land boundaries [time series]

none

Land use [time series]

arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 0%; other 100%; largely covered by permanent ice and snow with some sparse vegetation consisting of grass, moss, and lichen

Maritime claims [time series]

Territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural resources [time series]

fish

Note [time series]

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

Terrain [time series]

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

Area (Total area) [time series]

4,066 km2

Administrative divisions [time series]

none (dependent territory of the UK)

Capital [time series]

none; Grytviken on South Georgia is the garrison town

Constitution [time series]

3 October 1985

Executive branch [time series]

British monarch, commissioner

Independence [time series]

none (dependent territory of the UK)

Judicial branch [time series]

none

Executive branch (Leaders) [time series]

Chief of State: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Commissioner William Hugh FULLERTON (since 1988; resident at Stanley, Falkland Islands)

Legal system [time series]

English common law

Legislative branch [time series]

none

Country name (Long-form name) [time series]

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (no short-form name)

National holiday [time series]

Liberation Day, 14 June (1982)

Government type (Type) [time series]

dependent territory of the UK

Population [time series]

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