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| Location: |
Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, east of the tip of South America
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| Geographic coordinates: |
54 30 S, 37 00 W
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| Map references: |
Antarctic Region
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| 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 some nine islands
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| Area - comparative: |
slightly larger than Rhode Island
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| Maritime claims: |
exclusive fishing zone:
200 NM
territorial sea:
12 NM
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| Climate: |
variable, with mostly westerly winds throughout the year interspersed with periods of calm; nearly all precipitation falls as snow
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| 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
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| Elevation extremes: |
lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point:
Mount Paget (South Georgia) 2,934 m
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| Land use: |
arable land:
0%
permanent crops:
0%
permanent pastures:
0%
forests and woodland:
0%
other:
100% (largely covered by permanent ice and snow with some sparse vegetation consisting of grass, moss, and lichen)
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| Irrigated land: |
0 sq km (1993)
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| 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
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| Environment - current issues: |
NA
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| 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
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