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South Georgia
Overseas dependency of the UK also claimed by Argentina
Location - 1290 km (800miles) south east of the Falkland
Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, part of
the "Scotia Arc"
Territory - 3755sq.km. total
Capital - Small settlement at Grytviken
Population - Permanently manned British Antarctic Survey
base of up to 18 people
Highest Point - Mt. Paget 2934m (9535ft) |
South Sandwich Islands
Overseas dependency of the UK also claimed by Argentina
Location - 750 km (470 miles) south east of South Georgia
in the South Atlantic Ocean, part of
the "Scotia Arc"
Territory - 337sq.km. total
Capital - N/A
Population - None.
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South Georgia and the South Sandwich are
sub-Antarctic islands. They are usually grouped together because they are
governed together as a British overseas dependency.
The South Sandwich Islands are isolated and
are not often visited other than by survey ships on scientific excursions.
The prevailing weather conditions usually make the approach difficult,
they rise very steeply out of the sea and are subject to active volcanism.
South Georgia on the other hand is one
of the most visited locations in Antarctica. It is spectacularly
picturesque and is frequently described as being "The Alps in the
mid-ocean". Over half the island is permanently glaciated, wildlife
is abundant, approaches by sea usually straightforward and it is steeped
in the history of Antarctic exploration and of Antarctic whalers and
sealers.
The only access to South Georgia or the South Sandwich Islands is by sea.
King Penguins in a
Mating Ritual March, South Georgia Island
Photographic Print
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Southwards, a
magnificent Alpine country, illuminated by the rising sun,
rose slowly from the sea; there were mighty fells with snowy
crowns and with sharp, uncovered teeth, around the valleys
through which enormous, broad rivers of ice came flowing to
the sea.
J. Gunnar Andersson, 1902
Overlooking Grytviken and King Edward Point, South Georgia
Photographic Print
Captain James Cook arrived at South Georgia
in 1775, in his report, he mentioned the large numbers of elephant and
fur seals. This soon came to the attention of the sealing industry and
so started what was to become a bloody period in the history of South
Georgia, but also the driving force for much of the early exploration of
Antarctica.
 Early
sealers were very secretive in order not to alert other competitive
sealing crews of the whereabouts or abundance of seals.
They even went as far on occasion to "let
slip" details of made-up islands in the hope that other crews would
waste their time looking for them (and on occasion it worked) instead of
working the known sealing grounds.
Records of early activities are
therefore rather scant, but it seems that sealers were certainly
active on South Georgia from 1786 onwards. The ship Aspasia,
collected 57,000 fur seal skins in the 1800/1801 season alone.
Sealing continued unabated until eventually (but too late) attempts
were made to limit catches, 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.
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| Grytviken and King Edward Point |
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Grytviken and abandoned whaling
station
Picture courtesy NOAA |
Whaling was the next industry to come to
South Georgia when a whaling station was established in what was to become
called Grytviken in King Edward Cove in 1904.
From then until the mid
1960's South Georgia was one of the most important places in the world for
the whaling industry. Whaling stations were established in seven harbours
on the island and thirteen floating factory ships were also used during
this time. The whaling stations were abandoned in 1965 and never reopened.
They now stand as derelict reminders to the inglorious past. In recent
years many of the buildings have collapsed or become damaged to such an
extent that they are now closed to all visitors.
Grytviken is the one place on South Georgia
still occupied today by the scientists and crew of the British Antarctic
Survey. The name Grytviken means 'Pot Cove' after the sealers trypots
(used for recovering the blubber from seals) which were discovered there.
It is the best harbour on the island, being a bay within a bay.
South Georgia has strong historical links
to the early days of Antarctic exploration. It was visited by Sir
Ernest Shackleton and his ship at the start of his attempt to be the first
expedition to cross the Antarctic continent from coast to coast. It was also the place where
he and four other crew members arrived a year and a half after their
ship had been sunk in the Antarctic pack ice in an attempt to rescue the
remainder of the crew, left on Elephant Island while Shackleton and his
party went for help.
Some tour operators offer the chance to
follow in Shackleton's footsteps to trek across South Georgia from King
Haakon Bay to Stromness over the towering peaks of the islands back-bone,
though with rather better modern resources!
Grytviken is today the home of a museum to
the history of the island and is also the final resting place of
Shackleton who died here onboard his ship Quest in King Edward Cove
on January 5 1922 en-route to Antarctica. The grave is an often visited
site for many passing ships.
As well as its fascinating history, and stunning
scenery, South Georgia has some of the greatest concentrations of wildlife
on earth.
Despite the historical massacre of numbers, more than 2
million southern fur seals - 95 percent of the world's population arrive
at South Georgia each summer. Half the world's population of southern
elephant seals also come here to breed.
Six penguin species can be found on South Georgia,
Macaronis, regal and impressive Kings, cheeky Gentoos and relatively rare
(here at least) Adelie, Chinstraps and Rockhoppers. The penguins that live
on the island number in the millions, sometimes totally covering entire
hillsides.
250 000 albatrosses of a variety of species return here each
year, including the bird that has the largest wingspan of all at 3m+, the
spectacular wandering albatross.
An estimated 10 million other seabirds such as various
petrels and prions that nest underground are are nocturnal in habit to avoid
predators.
Two native species only found on South Georgia are the
South Georgia pipit, the only songbird in Antarctica, and the South
Georgia pintail, the world's only known carnivorous duck.
King Penguins,
Gold Harbor, South Georgia Island
Photographic Print
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A
Must Visit Place.........
South Georgia may not be Antarctica
proper, but it is an absolutely fantastic place, whether for the
history, wildlife or the exhilaration of being in such an unspoiled and
spectacular environment.
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A chain of islands, connected by a low
submarine ledge, forming an island arc. They were discovered by Captain
James Cook, in HMS Resolution, who first sighted the southernmost
island later called Southern Thule on the 30th of January 1775. From North
to South, the islands are:
| Zavodovski Island
 A single volcanic
cone, approximately 14.5 km (9 miles) in circumference and 550m (1780 ft)
in height. Constantly erupting with hot smoke issuing from the cone.
There
are around a million breeding pairs of chinstrap penguins on
Zavodovski Island, making it one of the world's largest penguin colonies.
Zavadovski island is an occasional call on tourist itineraries. The
penguins appear
as white dots against the black volcanic earth. Every spare patch of land
is covered and the penguins disappear up the mountainside frequently lost
in the mist.
The Russian
explorer Fabian von Bellinghausen landed on Zavodovski in 1819. |
Leskov Island: The smallest of the
group, a flat summit and precipitous on all sides.
Visokoi Island: Another single
volcanic cone.
Candlemass Island and Vindication
Island: These two lie about two miles apart and are separated by the
Nelson Channel. Candlemass has two peaks, Mount Andromeda and Mount
Perseus, there is also a volcanic cone, known as Lucifer Hill.
Saunders Island: Roughly crescent
shaped. In the middle of the island there is Mount Michael, a glaciated
but active volcanic cone.
Bristol Island: First sighted by
James Cook and is separated by the Forster Passage from;
Bellingshausen, Southern Thule and Cook
Islands: These form the most southerly of the group.
If you pass by
the South Sandwich Islands then make sure you remember the event
- if only to win a game of one-up-manship one day!
If you land on one of the islands you're either a
scientist, hopelessly lost, in a state of some desperation, or possibly a
fortunate traveller come to see the extraordinary sight of the penguins on
Zavadovski Island
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Tell
me more about a trip to Antarctica!
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2008/09 Itinerary
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Antarctic
Peninsula, Falklands, South Georgia cruises
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Antarctica
Cruise - The Peninsula
from $3,500 |
Antarctica
Cruise
Possibly the best overall trip, kayaking and scuba |
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Falklands, South Georgia, & Antarctic Peninsula |
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South Georgia
and the Falkland Islands |
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Antarctic Peninsula
-climbing, kayaking |
Antarctica
Cruise
Comfortable expedition ship at half capacity |
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Emperor
Penguin Safari, ice-breaker trip to the Weddell Sea |
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Antarctica
Cruise - The Peninsula (Active Adventure) |
Antarctic Circle
optional scuba |
| Antarctic
Circle Kayaking, Camping |
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Antarctic
Peninsula - Hiking Voyage |
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Cruises in Eastern Antarctica
- Ross Sea Region |
Historic
Huts & Antarctic Heroes
Ross Ice Shelf, McMurdo Sound |
Epic Semi-Circumnavigation of Antarctica
31 days, icebreaker |
Antarctica the Ross Sea Region
Ross Ice Shelf, Cape Adare, Shackleton, Scott's Hut,
26 days |
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Whale watching cruises |
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Galapagos cruises |
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Lonely Planet travel guide to
Antarctica
Buy
USA
Buy
UK
Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage, Alfred Lansing
Antarctic Oasis: Under the Spell of South Georgia, Pauline Carr
and Tim Carr
The Worst Journey in the World, Apsley Cherry-Garrard
Terra Incognita: Travels in Antarctica, Sara Wheeler
The Crystal Desert, David Campbell |
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Antarctic Oasis
After 25 years of cruising the world's oceans, Pauline and Tim Carr
spent five years as the only civilian inhabitants of South Georgia.
Buy USA
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UK
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