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78-459: The Pickersgill Islands are a small archipelago to the west of the main island of South Georgia . They are 15 miles (24 km) southeast of Annenkov Island and 9 miles (14 km) west-southwest of Leon Head , South Georgia . Annenkov Island was discovered in January 1775 by a British expedition under James Cook , who named it "Pickersgill's Island" after Lieutenant Richard Pickersgill of

156-469: A per capita income of US$ 25,719, the second highest in Argentina, behind Buenos Aires . Manufacturing, despite the province's remoteness, contributes about 20% to output owing partly to generous certain tax incentives to local industry, a policy Buenos Aires has pursued to encourage immigration to less populated areas. A number of sizable factories have opened on Tierra del Fuego Island to take advantage of

234-475: A segment of Antarctica that overlaps with the British and Chilean claims on that continent. Argentina has no effective control in these territories outside its own Antarctic bases . Tierra del Fuego was first settled by indigenous peoples around 12,000 years ago. Discovered by Ferdinand Magellan 's expedition in 1520, he named the area Land of Smokes (later changed to Land of Fire ), likely referring to

312-565: A tundra ( ET ) in Köppen climate classification . Typical daily maximum temperatures in South Georgia at sea level are around 0 °C (32 °F) in winter (August) and 8 °C (46.4 °F) in summer (January). Winter minimum temperatures are typically about −5 °C (23 °F) and rarely dip below −10 °C (14 °F). Annual precipitation in South Georgia is about 1,500 mm (59.1 in), much of which falls as sleet or snow, which

390-510: A group of islands rather than a single body of land. The name was chosen in honour of John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich , who was First Lord of the Admiralty. The word "South" was later added to distinguish them from the "Sandwich Islands", now known as the Hawaiian Islands . Southern Thule , at the south end of the island chain, is the southernmost land on Earth outside the area covered by

468-762: A more active interest in Tierra del Fuego. In 1881, the meridian 68°36'38 W was defined as the boundary between the Chilean and the Argentine portions of the island. In 1884 the Government of Tierra del Fuego was created, and a subprefecture was established at Ushuaia. The southern part of the Beagle Channel was an issue of conflict between both states, which competed for control of three small islands, Picton, Lennox and Nueva . Finally in 1977, these were awarded to Chile by decision of

546-448: A more pleasant climate than the exposed western side. The prevailing weather conditions generally make the islands difficult to approach by ship, though the north coast of South Georgia has several large bays which provide good anchorage. Sunshine, as with many South Atlantic Islands, is low, at a maximum of just 21.5%. This amounts to around 1,000 hours of sunshine annually. The local topography , however, also contributes significantly to

624-486: A new list of three criteria was created for deciding new names within the territory. During British captain James Cook 's navigation of the islands, he set a standard for the adoption of new names in the territory based on four categories: expedition sponsors, the names of officers and crew, notable contemporary events, and descriptive names referring to the physical nature of the place or geographic formation. This standard

702-530: A number of locations have been given Spanish names, including Punta Carbón and Punta Hueca . An Argentine naval station called Corbeta Uruguay was clandestinely built on Thule Island , South Sandwich Islands , on 7 November 1976 before its abandonment by Argentine forces following their defeat in the Falklands War . South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands are a collection of islands in

780-625: A number of short rivers (the Grande , Moneta , Ona , Lasifashaj , etc.), and as a result of the low temperature there are many small glaciers that flow to the sea. Due to its latitude, the island has a cold oceanic climate . The influences from the surrounding ocean and the predominant winds from the west result in the climate being uniform throughout the province. Mean annual temperatures are low, with winter temperatures averaging close to 0 °C (32 °F) and summer temperatures averaging around 10 °C (50 °F). The strong westerly winds from

858-832: A separate territory. The King Edward Point base, which had become a small military garrison after the Falklands War, returned to civilian use in 2001 and is now operated by the British Antarctic Survey . Captain James Cook discovered the southern eight islands of the Sandwich Islands Group in 1775, although he lumped the southernmost three together, and their status as separate islands was not established until 1820 by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen . The northern three islands were discovered by Bellingshausen in 1819. The islands were tentatively named "Sandwich Land" by Cook, although he also commented that they might be

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936-408: A very small non-permanent population resides on South Georgia. There are no scheduled passenger flights or ferries to or from the territory, although visits by cruise liners to South Georgia are increasingly popular, with several thousand visitors each summer. The United Kingdom claimed sovereignty over South Georgia in 1775 and the South Sandwich Islands in 1908. The territory of "South Georgia and

1014-531: A year, most of which is spent on fishery protection and research. All fisheries are regulated and managed in accordance with the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) system. Tierra del Fuego, Ant%C3%A1rtida e Islas del Atl%C3%A1ntico Sur Province Tierra del Fuego ( Spanish for " Land of Fire "; Spanish pronunciation: [ˈtjera ðel ˈfweɣo] ), officially

1092-560: Is Alison Blake , who took the post on 1 July 2022. The executive, based in Stanley, Falkland Islands, is made up of a Chief Executive, three Directors, two managers, and a Business Support Officer. The Financial Secretary and Attorney General of the territory are appointed ex officio similar appointments in the Falkland Islands' government. On the island itself, Government Officers manage vessel visits, fishing and tourism, and represent

1170-607: Is a fragment of some greater land-mass now vanished and was probably a former extension of the Andean system . Smaller islands and islets off the coast of South Georgia Island include: These remote rocks are also considered part of the South Georgia Group: The South Sandwich Islands comprise 11 mostly volcanic islands (excluding tiny satellite islands and offshore rocks), with some active volcanoes. They form an island arc running north–south in

1248-533: Is abundant throughout the island. Much of this island can be classified as within the Magellanic subpolar forests ecoregion. According to the 2022 Argentine national census, the Province of Tierra del Fuego has 190,641 inhabitants. Per Argentine census data, the province's population has grown substantially in recent decades, with an average annual growth rate of 3.3% between 2010 and 2022. The provincial government

1326-845: Is buried at Grytviken. The ashes of another noted Antarctic explorer, Frank Wild , who had been Shackleton's second-in-command on the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, were interred next to Shackleton in 2011. Argentina claimed South Georgia in 1927. The basis of this claim and of a later claim in 1938 to the South Sandwich Islands has been questioned. During the Second World War , the Royal Navy deployed an armed merchant vessel to patrol South Georgian and Antarctic waters against German raiders, along with two four-inch shore guns (still present) protecting Cumberland Bay and Stromness Bay, which were operated by volunteers from among

1404-450: Is carried out by the Tierra del Fuego Provincial Police . The province is divided into five departments (Spanish: departamentos ), only the first three of which are under the effective control of Argentina: Tierra del Fuego has since the 1970s benefited from government subsidies to local industry and from its natural wealth. Its estimated 2006 output of US$ 2.6 billion gave the province

1482-522: Is divided into three branches: the executive, headed by a popularly elected governor, who appoints the cabinet; the legislative ; and the judiciary , headed by the Supreme Court. The Constitution of Tierra del Fuego Province, Argentina forms the formal law of the province. In Argentina, the most important law enforcement organization is the Argentine Federal Police but the additional work

1560-618: Is higher than five other provinces, due to various waves of immigration. Gold fever started in Tierra del Fuego around 1883. Many Croatians from the Dalmatian coast arrived in search of gold. In addition, the gold rush inspired new technologies and innovations, such as the telegraph . Although by 1910 the gold had run out, most of the pioneers stayed. The inauspicious-looking northern plains proved ideal sheep-farming country, and vast ranches were developed. Croatian, Scottish , Basque , Italian , Galician and Chilean immigrants arrived to work on

1638-517: Is mountainous and largely barren. Eleven peaks rise to over 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) high, their slopes furrowed with deep gorges filled with glaciers; the largest is Fortuna Glacier . The highest peak is Mount Paget in the Allardyce Range at 2,934 metres (9,626 ft). Geologically, the island consists of gneiss and argillaceous schists with occasional tuffs and other sedimentary layers from which fossils have been recovered. The island

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1716-443: Is possible the entire year. Inland, the snow line in summer is at an altitude of about 300 m (984 ft). Westerly winds blow throughout the year interspersed with periods of calm—indeed, in 1963, 25% of winds were in the calm category at King Edward Point, and the mean wind speed of around 8 knots (9.2 mph; 15 km/h) is around half that of the Falkland Islands. This gives the eastern side of South Georgia (leeward side)

1794-488: Is the leading source of the province's modest agricultural income (5% of output). It provides wool, mutton and hides throughout the province and the wider Argentine market, whose taste for these products has been growing strongly. As in Patagonia to the north, petroleum and natural gas extraction are important to Tierra del Fuego's economy, generating over 20% of total output. Exploration efforts continue. The government of

1872-654: Is −19.4 °C (−2.9 °F), but Bird Island just −11.4 °C (11.5 °F). The seas surrounding South Georgia are cold throughout the year due to the proximity of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current . They usually remain free of pack ice in winter, though thin ice may form in sheltered bays, and icebergs are common. Sea temperatures drop to 0 °C (32 °F) in late August and rise to around 4 °C (39.2 °F) only in early April. The South Sandwich Islands are much colder than South Georgia, being farther south and more exposed to cold outbreaks from

1950-533: The Antarctic Treaty . Argentina claimed the South Sandwich Islands in 1938, and challenged British sovereignty in the Islands on several occasions. From 25 January 1955 to mid-1956, Argentina maintained the summer station, "Teniente Esquivel" ( es ) at Ferguson Bay on the southeastern coast of Thule Island . Argentina maintained a naval base ( Corbeta Uruguay ) from 1976 to 1982, in the lee (southern east coast) of

2028-470: The Pacific Ocean decrease the perception of the temperature ( wind chill ). In the extreme south in the Beagle Channel which is surrounded by hills rising above 100 m (330 ft), winds can exceed 100 km/h (62 mph). The island averages around 700 mm (28 in) of precipitation per year which is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year with a slight maximum in autumn. Snowfall

2106-540: The Province of Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and South Atlantic Islands ( Spanish : Provincia de Tierra del Fuego, Antártida e Islas del Atlántico Sur ), is the southernmost, smallest (without disputed territories ), and least populous Argentine province . The provincial capital city is Ushuaia , from a native word meaning "bay towards the end". The territory of the current province had been inhabited by indigenous people for more than 12,000 years, since they migrated south of

2184-544: The South Sandwich Islands . South Georgia is 165 kilometres (103 mi) long and 35 kilometres (22 mi) wide and is by far the largest island in the territory. The South Sandwich Islands lie about 700 kilometres (430 mi) southeast of South Georgia. The territory's total land area is 3,903 km (1,507 sq mi). The Falkland Islands are about 1,300 kilometres (810 mi) west from its nearest point. The South Sandwich Islands are uninhabited, and

2262-636: The Thatcher peninsula , was originally given the Swedish name Majviken meaning " May Bay" but was later altered into its current Norwegian spelling. In addition, numerous German placenames were also adopted in recognition of the German International Polar Year Expedition of 1882-1883 and an earlier American whaling voyage in 1877-1878 carrying Austrian painter Heinrich Klutschak , with Klutschak Point and Schrader Glacier commemorating

2340-462: The estancias , with the hope of eventually buying their own land and stock. The Amerindians suffered high fatalities from diseases (including measles and smallpox ) and the outright warfare waged by ranchers and bounty hunters; by 1916 their population on the island had dropped to only 900. In addition, in the late 19th century, ranchers and settlers committed genocide against the Selk'nam. News of

2418-671: The "National Territory of Tierra del Fuego, the Antarctic and the South Atlantic Islands" was declared a province, with its first governor appointed two years later. There are low mountains and sandy beaches at the north of the island, ascending to the south. The north is somewhat similar to the steppe of Santa Cruz Province . In the middle of the island, the end of the Andes mountain system becomes flattened, and its highest peak, Mount Cornú, rises only 1,490 m (4,890 ft). There are

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2496-434: The 1982 Falklands War , during which Argentine forces briefly occupied the island. Argentina continues to claim sovereignty over South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands as part of the Tierra del Fuego, Antártida e Islas del Atlántico Sur Province . Toothfish are vital to the islands' economy; as a result, Toothfish Day is celebrated on 4 September as a bank holiday in the territory. The island of South Georgia

2574-602: The Antarctic continent. They are also surrounded by sea ice from the middle of May to late November (even longer at their southern end). Recorded temperature extremes at South Thule Island have ranged from −29.8 to 17.7 °C (−21.6 to 63.9 °F). Executive power is vested in the monarch of the United Kingdom and is exercised by the Commissioner , a post held by the Governor of the Falkland Islands . The current Commissioner

2652-408: The Falkland Islands has issued exploration licenses within its waters. This competition has caused anger in Argentina. The activity has also intruded into some of the area's lucrative crab and shrimp fishing industry. Tourism is gaining importance on Tierra del Fuego island. The region offers mountains, glaciers, forests, fast rivers, waterfalls, ski centres (the most important is Cerro Castor ), and

2730-514: The King Edward Point meteorological station (often generically and less accurately called Grytviken) on the sheltered eastern side of South Georgia is 28.8 °C (83.8 °F). Conversely, the highest recorded temperature at Bird Island on the windward western side is a mere 14.5 °C (58.1 °F). As one might expect, the sheltered eastern side can also record lower winter temperatures—the absolute minimum temperature for King Edward Point

2808-650: The Norwegian whalers. The base at King Edward Point was expanded as a research facility in 1949–1950 by the British Antarctic Survey , which until 1962 was called the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey. The Falklands War was precipitated on 19 March 1982 when a group of Argentinians (most of them Argentine Marines in mufti ), posing as scrap-metal merchants, occupied the abandoned whaling station at Leith Harbour on South Georgia. On 3 April, Argentine troops attacked and occupied Grytviken . Among

2886-480: The South Atlantic Ocean. Most of the islands, rising steeply from the sea, are rugged and mountainous. At higher elevations, the islands are permanently covered with ice and snow. The South Georgia Group lies about 1,390 kilometres (860 mi; 750 nmi) east-southeast of the Falkland Islands, at 54°–55°S, 36°–38°W. It comprises South Georgia Island itself, by far the largest island in the territory, and

2964-484: The South Sandwich Islands location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands ( SGSSI ) is a British Overseas Territory in the southern Atlantic Ocean . It is a remote and inhospitable collection of islands, consisting of South Georgia and a chain of smaller islands known as

3042-495: The South Sandwich Islands is limited. The territory has revenues of £6.3 million, 80% of which is derived from fishing licences (2020 figures). Other sources of revenue are the sale of postage stamps and coins, tourism, and customs and harbour dues. Fishing takes place around South Georgia and in adjacent waters in some months of the year, with fishing licences sold by the territory for Patagonian toothfish , cod icefish and krill . Fishing licences bring in millions of pounds

3120-564: The South Sandwich Islands" was formed in 1985; previously, it had been governed as part of the Falkland Islands Dependencies . Argentina claimed South Georgia in 1927 and claimed the South Sandwich Islands in 1938. Argentina maintained a naval station, Corbeta Uruguay , on Thule Island in the South Sandwich Islands from 1976 until 1982 when it was closed by the Royal Navy . The Argentine claim over South Georgia contributed to

3198-689: The United Kingdom issued further letters patent that established constitutional arrangements for its possessions in the South Atlantic. The letters covered South Georgia, the South Orkneys , the South Shetlands , the South Sandwich Islands, and Graham Land . The claim was extended in 1917 to include a sector of Antarctica reaching to the South Pole . In 1909, an administrative centre and residence were established at King Edward Point on South Georgia, near

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3276-496: The area. Tierra del Fuego is the most recent Argentine territory to gain provincial status, which occurred in 1990. The effective extent of the province is the eastern part of the island of Tierra del Fuego , Isla de los Estados and adjacent islands. The province nominally includes Argentina's claims to the Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (which are British Overseas Territories ) and to

3354-781: The atrocities and genocide reached the Federal Congress in Buenos Aires . It sent aid and tried to help the Salesian mission, the only institution working in the island to protect the indigenous peoples. With the creation of the Gobernación Marítima de Tierra del Fuego in 1943, construction of naval bases began in Ushuaia and Río Grande . An airport and other infrastructure were also built. These projects attracted immigrants from other countries as well as other parts of Argentina. In 1990

3432-583: The commanding officers of the Argentine garrison was Alfredo Astiz , a captain in the Argentine Navy who was convicted years later of crimes against humanity committed during the Dirty War in Argentina. The island was recaptured by British forces on 25 April, in Operation Paraquet . In 1985, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands ceased to be administered as a Falkland Islands Dependency and became

3510-406: The expedition ship HMS Resolution . It was re-discovered in 1819 by a Russian expedition under Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen , who, thinking he had discovered the island, named it Annenkov Island after Lieutenant Mikhail Annenkov , an officer on the expedition ship. Bellinghausen also discovered an archipelago 15 miles (24 km) to the southeast of Annenkov Island and erroneously charted

3588-588: The first land-based whaling station and first permanent habitation at Grytviken in 1904. It operated through his Argentine Fishing Company , which settled in Grytviken. The station operated until 1965. Whaling stations operated under leases granted by the Governor of the Falkland Islands . The seven stations, all on the north coast with its sheltered harbours, were, from the west to east: The whaling stations' tryworks were unpleasant and dangerous places to work. One

3666-459: The first landing. He claimed the territory for the Kingdom of Great Britain , naming it the "Isle of Georgia" in honour of King George III of the United Kingdom . British arrangements for the government of South Georgia were established under 1843 British letters patent . In 1882–1883 a German expedition for the first International Polar Year set up its base at Royal Bay on the southeast side of

3744-476: The government 'on the ground'. A summer Deputy Postmaster runs the Post Office at Grytviken during the tourism season. As no permanent inhabitants live on the islands, no legislative council and no elections are needed. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) manages the foreign relations of the territory. Since 1982, the territory celebrates Liberation Day on 25 April. The constitution of

3822-513: The historical presence of Norwegian whalers , including Hestesletten ("horse's plain"), Skrap Skerries ("skrapskjaer" or "skrapskjar"), Grytviken ("Pot Bay"), and Elsehul ("Else's hole"), as well as a few whaling stations such as Godthul ("good hollow"). The first person to be born in South Georgia (and south of the Antarctic Convergence ), Solveig Gunbjørg Jacobsen , was also Norwegian. The small cove Maiviken , located in

3900-554: The island and other parts of Patagonia via HMS  Beagle . This included the Falkland Islands , claimed by the British since 1690, though controlled by Argentina since its establishment of a penal colony at Puerto Luis in 1828. In 1833 the British re-established their rule on the Falklands via the deployment of naval task force. The Argentinian representative of the islands, José María Pinedo , and Argentinian forces subsequently left

3978-461: The island. The scientists of this group observed the transit of Venus and recorded waves produced by the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa . Seal hunting at South Georgia began in 1786 and continued throughout the 19th century. The waters proved treacherous and a number of vessels were wrecked there, such as Earl Spencer , in late 1801. South Georgia became a base for whaling beginning in the 20th century. A Norwegian, Carl Anton Larsen , established

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4056-494: The islands that immediately surround it and some remote and isolated islets to the west and east-southeast. It has a total land area of 3,756 square kilometres (1,450 sq mi), including satellite islands, but excluding the South Sandwich Islands which form a separate island group. South Georgia Island lies at 54°15′S 36°45′W  /  54.250°S 36.750°W  / -54.250; -36.750 and has an area of 3,528 square kilometres (1,362 sq mi). It

4134-449: The islands. Luis Piedrabuena installed a base in San Juan de Salvamento on Isla de los Estados . The British South American Mission Society Patagonia Mission , under its superintendent Waite Stirling , founded Ushuaia as an Anglican mission in southern Tierra del Fuego in 1869. Shortly after, Salesian missionaries founded Río Grande . In the 1880s the Argentine government took

4212-573: The largest feature of the group as Pickersgill Island, previously sighted by Cook in 1775. Subsequent charts transferred the name "Pickersgill" from Annenkov Island, to this archipelago 15 miles (24 km) to its southeast. The Pickersgill Islands are home to a small colony of chinstrap penguins (approximately 30 nests). [REDACTED]  This article incorporates public domain material from "Pickersgill Islands" . Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey .   [REDACTED] This South Georgia and

4290-406: The low insolation . A study published during the early 1960s indicated that sunshine recording instruments remained significantly obscured throughout the year and entirely obscured during June. It was estimated that the theoretical sunshine exposure minus obstructions would be around 14% at Bird Island and 35% at King Edward Point – or, in hourly terms, ranging from around 650 hours in

4368-548: The mainland. It was first encountered by a European in 1520 when spotted by Ferdinand Magellan . Even after Argentina achieved independence, this territory remained under indigenous control until the nation's campaign known as the Conquest of the Desert in the 1870s, after which Argentina organised this section in 1885 as a territory. European immigration followed due to a gold rush and rapid expansion of sheep farming on large ranches in

4446-473: The mediating British Crown , revised by Pope John Paul II and ratified by treaty in 1985. When the crews of sailing-ships told of the notoriously dangerous voyage round the tip of South America, Tierra del Fuego became a byword in Europe for an inhospitable land, where life would be impossibly harsh for settlers. But, it is not the most sparsely populated province of Argentina . Its population density of 4.75/ km

4524-479: The region 56°18'–59°27'S, 26°23'–28°08'W, between about 350 and 500 mi (300 and 430 nmi; 560 and 800 km) southeast of South Georgia. The archipelago comprises Candlemas , Vindication , Saunders , Montagu , Bristol , Bellingshausen , Cook and Thule discovered by Cook, and Thule. The northernmost of the South Sandwich Islands form the Traversay Islands and Candlemas Islands groups, while

4602-430: The same island. Although the British discovered the presence of the Argentine base in 1976, protested and tried to resolve the issue by diplomatic means, no effort was made to remove them by force until after the Falklands War . The base was removed on 20 June 1982. The sole official language of the territory is English, which is widely spoken amongst residents currently and used for nearly all administrative functions in

4680-723: The sea, all within short distances. The most visited destinations in Argentine Tierra del Fuego include Ushuaia , the Tierra del Fuego National Park and the Tren del Fin del Mundo , Fagnano Lake , the Museum of the End of the World , the Beagle Channel , the Les Eclaireurs lighthouse, the old jail, and South Staten Island . The Antarctic Peninsula is a tourist destination. Tourists can see wildlife at

4758-431: The smoke emitted by fires produced by the local Fuegian peoples for heating. When the first Europeans arrived, they encountered a population of about 10,000 indigenous people belonging to four tribes: Yámana , Alakaluf (now known by their autonym of Kawésqar), Selk'nam (Ona) and Manek'enk (Haush). European attempts at settling the island began in 1555 by Juan de Alderete and later Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa . Neither

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4836-419: The southernmost make up Southern Thule . The three largest islands – Saunders , Montagu , and Bristol  – lie between the two. The islands' highest point is Mount Belinda (1,370 m or 4,495 ft) on Montagu Island. The fourth highest peak, Mount Michael (990 m or 3,248 ft) on Saunders Island has a persistent lava lake , known to occur at only eight volcanoes in

4914-493: The tax benefits legislated in 1972, mainly home appliance and electronics manufacturers. Recently, in the city of Río Grande , many international and Argentine companies, most notably the Korean company Samsung and the Argentine company Teltron , have set up factories that produce high-definition televisions ( HDTV ), CD-ROM -related articles, and low-cost GSM cell phones, built mainly from Argentine components. Sheep ranching

4992-463: The territory (adopted 3 October 1985), the manner in which its government is directed and the availability of judicial review were discussed in a series of litigations between 2001 and 2005 (see, in particular, Regina v. Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Appellant) ex parte Quark Fishing Limited [2005] UKHL 57 ). Although its government is directed by the FCDO, it was held that, since it

5070-521: The territory include Morrell Point , Wasp Point , Pacific Point , and Comer Crag . Prominent Russian-language names chosen by Bellingshausen include the Traversay Islands , Zavodovski Island , and Visokoi Island ( высокий meaning "high"). There is also a Lowland Scots language presence within the topography of the territory, with some locations being named after notable Scottish individuals, such as Geikie Glacier and Allardyce Range , amongst others . A number of placenames were influenced by

5148-593: The territory. Although English is used in the majority of government functions, the islands' motto Leo Terram Propriam Protegat is in Latin and is translated as "May the Lion protect his own land". The adoption of new placenames was governed by the Place-names Ordinance of 1956 and Place-names Regulation of 1957 until 11 September 2020, when a representative was appointed to the regional Antarctic Place-names Committee and

5226-467: The two others, Tom Crean and Frank Worsley , went on to cover 22 miles (35 km) over the spine of the mountainous island to reach help at Stromness whaling station. The remaining 22 members of the expedition, who had stayed on Elephant Island, were subsequently rescued. In January 1922, during a later expedition , Shackleton died on board ship while moored in King Edward Cove, South Georgia. He

5304-453: The two trips. There has been a Spanish language presence in the territory for a significant amount of time, with the whaling company Compañía Argentina de Pesca operating in the territory for approximately 60 years. However, there are relatively few Spanish names within the territory currently, in part due to ongoing sovereignty dispute over the islands by Argentina, although since the beginning of Argentine Antarctic Expeditions in 1952,

5382-552: The west to 1,500 hours in the east. This illustrates the effect the Allardyce Range has in breaking up cloud cover. Mountain winds rise over the western slopes of the mountains of South Georgia and down the eastern side and become much warmer and drier due to the Föhn effect ; this produces the most pleasant conditions when temperatures can occasionally rise to over 20 °C (68 °F) on summer days. The highest temperature recorded at

5460-556: The whaling industry, the stations were abandoned. Apart from a few preserved buildings such as the South Georgia Museum and Norwegian Lutheran Church at Grytviken , only their decaying remains survive. From 1905, the Argentine Meteorological Office cooperated in maintaining a meteorological observatory at Grytviken under the British lease requirements of the whaling station until these changed in 1949. In 1908,

5538-430: The whaling station of Grytviken. A permanent local British administration and resident magistrate exercised effective possession , enforcement of British law , and regulation of all economic, scientific, and other activities in the territory, which was then governed as the Falkland Islands Dependencies . In about 1912, what is according to some accounts the largest whale ever caught, a blue whale of 110 feet (34 m),

5616-461: The world. The South Sandwich Islands are uninhabited, though a permanently staffed Argentine research station was located on Thule Island from 1976 to 1982. Automatic weather stations are on Thule Island and Zavodovski . To the northwest of Zavodovski Island is the Protector Shoal , a submarine volcano. The climate is classified as polar, and the weather is highly variable and harsh, making

5694-639: Was acting as an agent of the Crown in right of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands rather than in right of the UK, its decisions under that direction could not be challenged as if they were in law decisions of a UK government department; thus the European Convention on Human Rights did not apply. Commercial sealing occurred on the islands between 1817 and 1909. During that period 20 visits are recorded by sealing vessels. Economic activity in South Georgia and

5772-450: Was called "a charnel house boiling wholesale in Vaseline" by an early 20th-century visitor. Tim Flannery wrote that its "putrid vapors [resembled] the pong of bad fish, manure, and a tanning works mixed together", and noted one bizarre peril: "A rotting whale could fill with gas to bursting, ejecting a fetus the size of a motor vehicle with sufficient force to kill a man." With the end of

5850-454: Was first sighted and visited in April 1675 by Anthony de la Roché , a London merchant and (despite his French name) an Englishman, who spent a fortnight in one of the island's bays. The island appeared as Roche Island on early maps. The commercial Spanish ship León , operating out of Saint-Malo , sighted it on 28 June or 29 June 1756. James Cook circumnavigated the island in 1775 and made

5928-421: Was landed at Grytviken. In April 1916, Ernest Shackleton 's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition became stranded on Elephant Island , some 800 miles (1,300 km) southwest of South Georgia. Shackleton and five companions set out in a small boat to summon help, and on 10 May, after an epic voyage, they landed at King Haakon Bay on South Georgia's south coast. While three stayed at the coast, Shackleton and

6006-487: Was mostly followed by later visitors in the region, including by explorers from different countries, such as Russian explorer Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen , who selected six new names within the territory in his 1819-1821 Antarctic expedition. Locations currently bearing names selected by Cook include Clerke Rocks , Possession Bay , and Bay of Isles , amongst others. Additional English names given many years after in recognition of past visits by American whalers in

6084-486: Was successful, however, due to the region's harsh weather and constant attacks by British pirates , who took Sarmiento de Gamboa prisoner. Between the 16th and 19th centuries Spanish , Dutch , British and French explorers visited Tierra del Fuego and the nearby seas. Gabriel de Castilla passed through before exploring the Antarctic islands . In the early 1830s, Commander Robert FitzRoy , and Charles Darwin explored

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