South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Government

Map showing the location of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (SGSSI) are located in the Atlantic Ocean. The territory is a British Overseas Territory. The territories are not counted as part of the United Kingdom. The Islands are uninhabited with the people residing there being visiting researchers officials only. The government of the territory can be said to be a dependency of a constitutional monarchy as the United Kingdom governs the island.

There are no elections carried out in the territory as it does not have permanent residents. The administration of the territory is under the authority of the minister of state for Europe and the Americas. Queen Elizabeth II of the UK appoints a commissioner to represent her in the territory. The Queen is advised by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on whom to appoint. The Falkland Islands governor also acts as the commissioner of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands territory. The governor takes the role of head of state in a territory.

The territory does not have a parliament house or a presidential palace. The commissioner lives in the Falkland Islands and visits on official duties. The present commissioner is Nigel Phillips. The official residence of the governor in the Falkland Islands is the government house in Stanley. The house was built in 1845. Nigel took office on September 12, 2017. The Queen lives and runs administrative duties in Buckingham Palace in London, UK.

There are no political parties in the territory as there are no residents and no autonomous local government. The territory has an estimated population of 30 people. Martin Collins is the Chief Executive officer of the Islands who deals with policies, and he is also the director of Fisheries in the Islands. Richard McKee is an executive officer, and he deals with the administrative affairs of the Islands. The territory celebrates Independence Day on June 14 every year.

This page was last modified on May 1st, 2018

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Published on 2019-11-06


Capital	Grytviken
Area	3,903.00 km²
Land Area	3,903.00 km²
Location	Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, east of the tip of South America
Climate	Hot with seasonal rainfall influenced by the annual shift of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone; rainfall heaviest in upland areas of the south and diminishes to the north
Terrain	Most of the islands are rugged and mountainous rising steeply from the sea; South Georgia is largely barren with steep, glacier-covered mountains; the South Sandwich Islands are of volcanic origin with some active volcanoes

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Government

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