Leo Terram Propriam Protegat (Latin) ("May the Lion Protect His Land") | ||||||
Capital (and largest city) |
Grytviken | |||||
Other Cities | King Edward's Town | |||||
Language | English | |||||
Religion | Protestantism | |||||
Demonym | South Georgian | |||||
Established | 5 June 1843 |
South Georgia is an insular colony of Great Britain, consisting of an archipelago in the southern Atlantic Ocean, about 1,390 kilometers to the southwest of the other British possession in the region, the Falkland Islands: it includes South Georgia proper, a relatively large island, the Sandwich Islands, and a few other minor islands and islets. The archipelago, uninhabited upon discovery, was claimed by the United Kingdom as early as the late 18th century, but it was settled only during the 19th cenutry.
The islands of South Georgia are volcanic in origin, and thus mountainous and hilly: tall vegetation is limited to sparse forests. The population of the islands was much increased after the Great War, when a number of Britons from the Shetland Islands (now known as Hjaltland) chose not to become citizens of Scandinavia. The largest economic sectors of the colony are whaling and fishing: tourism is also on the rise, thanks to the stunning landscapes and nature of the islands.