This icon serves as a link to download the eSSENTIAL Accessibility assistive technology app for individuals with physical disabilities. It is featured as part of our commitment to diversity. The United States Geological Survey reports a preliminary magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck near Bristol Island, South Sandwich Islands on Tuesday. The quake hit at 12:26 AM local time at a depth of.

SouthGeorgia and the South Sandwich Islands 'The Alps in Mid-Ocean', abundant wildlife, glaciers anda rich history. South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islandsare in the sub-Antarctic, the only access is by sea, there areno flights. South Georgia + AntarcticPeninsula + Falklands - 18-23 days - 56 departuresOctober to March - from $8,990South Georgia +Antarctic Peninsula - 16 or 17 days - 3 departuresDecember to March - from $14,250South Georgia + Falklands - 19or 23 days - 2 departuresOct or March - from $13,160Information: Regions: South Georgia isone of the most visited locations in Antarctica. Thereis a small scientific and governmental presence, though thegreat majority of visitors are tourists who all arrive by seaas there is no air-strip on the island. It is spectacularlypicturesque, over half the island is permanently glaciated,wildlife is abundant, approach by sea is usually straightforwardand it is steeped in the history of Antarctic exploration andthe stories and relics of Antarctic whalers and sealers.

Thereare many landings possible in sheltered baysThe South Sandwich Islandson the other hand are isolated and are not often visited otherthan by survey ships on scientific excursions. Theprevailing weather conditions usually make the approach difficult,they rise very steeply out of the sea and are subject to activevolcanism. The South SandwichIslands.Location - 750 km (470 miles)south east of South Georgia in the South AtlanticOcean, part of the 'Scotia Arc'.Territory - 337 sq.km. Total.Capital - N/A.Population - None.- A panoramicpicture made up of multiple imagesclick the picture to explorethe larger image.

Picture courtesy Ella Derbyshire. South GeorgiaCaptain James Cook arrived here in 1775,in his report, he mentioned the large numbers of elephant andfur seals. This soon came to the attention of the sealing industryand so started what was to become a bloody period in the historyof South Georgia, but also the driving force for much of theearly exploration of Antarctica. Rooms of memory tips. Early sealers were very secretivein order not to alert other competitive sealing crews of thewhereabouts or abundance of seals. They even went as far onoccasion to 'let slip' details of made-up islands in the hopethat other crews would waste their time looking for them (andon occasion it worked) instead of working the known sealinggrounds.

Records of early activities are therefore rather scant,but it seems that sealers were certainly active on South Georgiafrom 1786 onwards.The ship Aspasia, collected 57,000 fur sealskins in the 1800/1801 season alone. Sealing continued unabateduntil eventually (but too late) attempts were made to limitcatches, the sealing industry had all but collapsed by 1830.In 1916 only one single male fur seal was seen on South Georgia,it was duly killed. The Eastern half of South Georgia,glaciers can been seen coming down from the mountains,to the bottom right, icebergs that have calved fromthe glacier can be seen floating away.

The milky appearanceof the sea just offshore is due to fine sediments of'glacial flour' eroded from rock by the islands glaciers.The south coast is towards the top of this picture.The South SandwichIslandsA chain of islands, connected by a low submarine ledge, formingan island arc. Crossy road online. They were discovered by Captain James Cook, inHMS Resolution, who first sighted the southernmost islandlater called Southern Thule on the 30th of January 1775.And at those islands there aremasses of ice floes, the which are amazing hills ofice up to 30 sazhens (55m) above the water, And thoseare truly dangerous places. There are frequent terriblestorms there and terrible cold and frequent snow-squalls.Diary of Able Seaman Yegor Kisilev- Jan 6th1820 - voyage of the Russian explorer Fabian von BellinghausenFrom North to South, the islands are:. Zavodovski IslandA single volcanic cone named Mount Curry, approximately14.5 km (9 miles) in circumference and 550m (1780 ft) inheight. Constantly erupting with hot smoke issuing fromthe cone.There are around a million breeding pairs of chinstrappenguins on Zavodovski Island, making it one of theworld's largest penguin colonies.An occasional call on tourist itineraries.The penguins appear as white dots against the black volcanicearth. Every spare patch of land is covered and the penguinsdisappear up the mountainside frequently lost in the mist.We found three new islands nevervisited by mariners before, except for our two ships.And one island (Zavodovski) the land is on fire andsmoke pours and moves like clouds.

And there at thatisland three officers and four sailors rowed in to takea look around the island. There are masses of variousbirds, especially a penguin with yellow crests. It walkslike a man, calls like a grebe, the wings are smalland it does not fly. A reward was given for thoseislands to who saw them first, five thalers., (about18 months pay) and they were written in the journal.Diary of Able Seaman Yegor Kisilev - December28th 1819.Other islands in theSouth Sandwich Group:. Leskov Island:The smallest of the group, a flat summit and precipitouson all sides.

Visokoi Island:Another single volcanic cone. Candlemass Island andVindication Island:These two lie about two milesapart and are separated by the Nelson Channel. Candlemasshas two peaks, Mount Andromeda and Mount Perseus, thereis also a volcanic cone, known as Lucifer Hill. Saunders Island:Roughly crescent shaped.

In the middle of the islandthere is Mount Michael, a glaciated but active volcaniccone, recently found by satellite to have a persistentlava lake, just one of eight volcanoes worldwide and thesecond in Antarctica after Mount Erebus. Bristol Island:First sighted by James Cook and is separated by theForster Passage from;. Bellingshausen, SouthernThule and Cook Islands:These form the most southerlyof the group.VerdictIf you pass by the South Sandwich Islands then make sureyou remember the event - if only to win a game of one-up-manshipone day! If you land on one of the islands you're either a scientist,hopelessly lost, in a state of some desperation, or possiblya fortunate traveller come to see the extraordinary sight ofthe penguins on Zavadovski Island. 11 days from $8,495Flyover the Drake Passage and join your ship in Antarctica.Flyboth ways or Fly + Sail optionsFrom $4,79524 days from $26,94020 days from $14,070optionalKayaking11 days from $6,999Optional kayaking, camping12 daysfrom $11,995RossIce Shelf, McMurdo Sound30 days from $23,000Ross Sea, Peninsula, Marie-ByrdLand, sub-Antarctic Islands, luxury ship35 days from$49,990Longer cruises across a range of climates18-19 days from $14,80210-23 days from $6,425Including dive supplement.

WorldAtlas.com Privacy PolicyWe respect your privacy and we are committed to safeguarding your privacy while online at our site. South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands are a United Kingdom Overseas Territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. GeographyThe SGSSI are a group of sub-Antarctic islands, located in the South Atlantic Ocean.

This region is located to the east of the southern tip of South America and north of Antarctica. The islands include the Shags Rocks, Clerke Rocks, Black Rocks, South Georgia Island, South Sandwich Islands, and Bird Island. The largest of these islands is the South Georgia Island. The South Sandwich Islands are a chain of smaller islands: Zavodovski Island, Leskov Island, Visokoi Island, Candlemass Island and Vindication Island, Saunders Island, Bristol Island, Bellingshausen, Southern Thule, and the Cook Islands.These islands lie about one thousand kilometers east of the islands of Falkland. The islands are spread over a land area of about 3,903 square kilometers. The land in this islands rises steeply from the sea making the landscape rugged and mountainous.

The highest point in this islands region is the Mount Paget which is about 2,294m. While most of the South Georgia Island is permanently barren with mountains covered in glaciers, the South Sandwich Islands constitute volcanoes, some of which are active.

Brief HistoryIn 1775, an explorer, Captain James Cook named the South Georgia islands “the Isle of Georgia” honoring King George III of Britain. That same year, he came across another group of islands, the Sandwich Islands and named them 'Sandwich Land.” 'South' was added to differentiate the islands from the other Sandwich Islands, now referred to as the Hawaiian Islands.In 1775, The UK claimed supremacy over South Georgia and in 1908; over the South Sandwich Islands. 1985 marked the formation of the territory of 'South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.” Argentina declared rule over South Georgia in 1927, and the South Sandwich Islands in 1938. Argentina’s claim over South Georgia led to the 1982 Falklands War, during which Argentina’s forces shortly occupied the islands. The South Georgie and South Sandwich Islands became an seperate territory from the Falkland Islands in 18Argentina still claims sovereignty over SGSSI. PopulationSGSSI have no indigenous residents. Initially, seal hunters and whalers established settlements on these islands.

Besides there existed a military command post in South Georgia until March 2001, when it was withdrawn. Today very few people are present on the islands. The only permanent settlements are the different research stations at the King Edward point, Grytviken, and the Bird Island. King Edward point is a Seat of Government hosting a British Government Officer and a host of scientists of the British Antarctic Survey.

Some scientists also reside at Bird Island. The occupants of the Grytviken are museum staff. The South Sandwich Islands have no inhabitants today as they are prone to active volcanism.Elephant seal and king penguins on the beach of South Georgia Island.

Flora and FaunaThe islands are host to a variety of endemic plant and animals species. The marine system surrounding the islands is one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on earth leading to the creation of the 410,000 sq mi Marine Protected Area. In addition, the islands were classification as an Important Bird Area. Seals, penguins, and sea birds frequent the islands, including several endemic species of birds including the South Georgia shag, pipit, and pintail species. Land areas without permanent snow or ice cover host the Scotia Sea Islands tundra with almost 500 endemic plant species.