| Geography and Climate |
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands in Southern South America, are islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, east of the tip of South America. Area comparatively slightly larger than Rhode Island.
Climate is variable, with mostly westerly winds throughout the year, interspersed with periods of calm; nearly all precipitation falls as snow. Terrain consists 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 extreme has a lowest point in Atlantic Ocean 0 m and highest point in Mount Paget 2,915 m. Major natural resources are fishes.
Natural hazard in the South Sandwich Islands have prevailing weather conditions that generally make them difficult to approach by ship; they are also subject to active volcanism.
Geography—note: the north coast of South Georgia has several large bays, which provide good anchorage; reindeer, introduced early in this century, live on South Georgia.
Ref. Anonymous, 1999 |