South Georgia (redirected from South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands)

South Georgia, island, c.1,450 sq mi (3,760 sq km), S Atlantic Ocean, c.1,200 mi (1,930 km) E of Cape Horn. A dependency of the Falkland Islands from 1908 to 1985 (along with the South Sandwich Islands, a group of nine small, volcanic islets c.450 mi/724 km SE of South Georgia), it and the South Sandwich Islands are a dependency of Great Britain and, like the Falklands, are claimed by Argentina. The number of people on the island fluctuates seasonally; there is no permanent population, but a scientific station is located at Grytviken. Capt. James Cook took possession of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands in 1775. Ernest Shackleton visited the South Georgia on his expeditions and is buried there, and sealers or whalers were based on the island from the late 1700s to the mid-1900s. Since the 1990s the island's penguins, seals, and other wildlife have made it a minor tourist attraction.

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South Georgia

Mountainous, barren island, southern Atlantic Ocean. It is located about 800 mi (1,300 km) east-southeast of the Falkland (Malvinas) Islands. Together with the South Sandwich Islands, some 500 mi (800 km) to the southeast, it constitutes a British overseas territory. With an Antarctic climate, it has perpetual snow covering three-fourths of the island. It is home to reindeer, several penguin and seal species, and abundant marine life. Capt. James Cook claimed it for Britain in 1775, and Ernest Shackleton first crossed it in 1916 while in search of aid for his ill-fated expedition; Shackleton died on the island on a later expedition and was buried there. Formerly a whaling base, it is now the site of an Antarctic research station.

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South Georgia

an island in the S Atlantic, about 1300 km (800 miles) southeast of the Falkland Islands, part of the UK Overseas Territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; no permanent population. Area: 3755 sq. km (1450 sq. miles)