_#_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: 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
_#_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 on South Georgia is the garrison 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 (1990)
_*_Communications
_#_Highways: NA
_#_Ports: Grytviken on South Georgia
_#_Airports: 5 total, 5 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways;
1 with runway 2,440-3,659 m
_#_Telecommunications: coastal radio station at Grytviken; no
broadcast stations
_*_Defense Forces
_#_Note: defense is the responsibility of the UK
_%_
_@_Soviet Union
_*_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 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation;
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;