Country Name
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (SGSSI).
* The South Sandwich Islands have been uninhabited since 1982, but the islands and South Georgia have a combined average population of only 30 people. However, none of these individuals are native-born, and no one is given the status of a permanent resident. Approximately 67 percent of these temporary inhabitants live in Grytviken, South Georgia. The remainder of the people who reside part-time in this area is part of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), and they live at King Edwards Point.
Location
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands is a British Overseas Territory in the southern Atlantic Ocean, it is a remote collection of islands, consisting of South Georgia and a chain of smaller islands known as the South Sandwich Islands. The nearest point is The Falkland Islands.
*No permanent native population lives in the South Sandwich Islands, and a very small non-permanent population resides in 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.
Capital
King Edward Point.
Reason for naming the country
The name was chosen by James Cook in honor of John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, First Lord of the Admiralty. The word "South" was later added to distinguish them from the "Sandwich Islands", now known as the Hawaiian Islands.
Flag
The current flag was first adopted in 1985 at the time it became a British Dependency. Prior to this time, the islands were a part of the Falkland Islands and flew their flag.
The flag of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands is composed of a blue background with the British union jack on the top left corner,
On the right side is the official emblem which features a badge with a raging lion, holding a torch. The badge is held up by a macaroni penguin to the right, and a fur seal to the left. There is a reindeer on top of the crown. Under the badge is the motto of the territory, which translates to, “Let the lion protect its own land.”
The white and blue estoiles seen in the field of the badge are also seen in the symbol of James Cook, who found the territory.
The macaroni penguin, the fur seal, and the reindeer represent the indigenous animals found in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. The lion stands for strength and for the United Kingdom.
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