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Archipelago

    Scotia SeaUnited Kingdom and South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands

    57°45′S 26°30′W

    South Sandwich Islands

    The South Sandwich Islands are a chain of uninhabited volcanic islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. They are administered as part of the British Overseas Territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.

    Zavodovski Island (South Sandwich Islands) with the volcano Mount Curry, surrounded by icebergs.
    Zavodovski Island (South Sandwich Islands) with the volcano Mount Curry, surrounded by icebergs.

    NASA / Public domain

    Chart

    140 landforms

    Overview

    The South Sandwich Islands are a chain of uninhabited volcanic islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. They are administered as part of the British Overseas Territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. The chain lies in the sub-Antarctic region, about 700 kilometres (430 mi) southeast of South Georgia and 1,700 kilometres (1,100 mi) northeast from the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. The archipelago comprises 11 main islands forming an island arc running north–south, the largest being Montagu at 110 square kilometres (42 sq mi). It is divided into four groups, from north to south: The Traversay, Candlemas and Central Islands (Saunders, Montagu, and Bristol), and Southern Thule. The archipelago is prone to violent earthquakes. Over the previous century, nine M 7+ earthquakes have occurred here, the most recent being the M 8.1 in August 2021. None of these earthquakes are known to have caused fatalities due to their remote location in the Southern Ocean.

    From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

    Census, cataloged

    • Major islands6
    • Minor islands15
    • Islets44
    • Rocks & skerries75

    Major islands

    6
    • Bristol Island

      Bristol Island

      Area
      63.7 km²
      High point
      1,098 m

      Bristol Island is an uninhabited island in the South Sandwich Islands, an archipelago in the Southern Ocean. The island is almost entirely surrounded by ice cliffs and largely covered with ice. It features both the oldest rocks of this archipelago and an active volcano that last erupted in 2016.

    • Saunders Island

      Saunders Island

      Area
      38.4 km²
      High point
      843 m

      Saunders Island is a crescent-shaped island lying between Candlemas Island and Montagu Island in the South Sandwich Islands, a British Overseas Territory in the southern Atlantic Ocean.

    • Visokoi Island

      Visokoi Island

      Area
      28.9 km²
      High point
      1,006 m

      Visokoi Island is an uninhabited volcanic island and one the three Traversay Islands that constitute a subgroup of the South Sandwich Islands, in the Southern Ocean.

    • Montagu Island

      Area
      105 km²
      High point
      1,372 m

      Montagu Island is the largest of the South Sandwich Islands, located in the Scotia Sea off the coast of Antarctica. Almost entirely ice-covered with only sparse rocky outcrops, Montagu consists of a large caldera with a large parasitic cone, Mount Oceanite.

    • Cook Island

      Area
      20 km²
      High point
      1,067 m

      Cook Island is the central and largest island of the Southern Thule island group, part of the South Sandwich Islands in the far south Atlantic Ocean. Southern Thule was discovered by a British expedition under Captain James Cook in 1775.

    • Thule Island

      Area
      16.7 km²
      High point
      745 m

      Thule Island, also called Morrell Island, is one of the southernmost of the South Sandwich Islands, part of the grouping known as Southern Thule. It is named, on account of its remote location, after the mythical land of Thule, said by ancient geographers to lie at the extreme end of the Earth.

    Minor islands

    15

    Islets

    44
    • Vaughan Island4 m · 0.07 km²
    • Proud Island50 m · 0.07 km²
    • Unnamed island13 m · 0.06 km²
    • Unnamed island29 m · 0.05 km²
    • Unnamed island3 m · 0.03 km²
    • Unnamed island16 m · 0.03 km²
    • Unnamed island0.02 km²
    • Unnamed island7 m · 0.02 km²
    • Unnamed island3 m · 0.01 km²
    • Unnamed island9 m · 0.01 km²
    • Unnamed island4 m · 0.01 km²
    • Unnamed island6 m · 0.9 ha

    Rocks & skerries

    75

    Figures

    Comparative heights

    Sea level500 m1,000 m1,500 m1,372 mMontagu1,098 mBristol1,067 mCook1,006 mVisokoi843 mSaunders745 mThule551 mMain550 mZavodovski550 mCandlemas427 mVindication253 mBellingshausen219 mTrinity189 mLeskov86 mAlbatross
    High points by island, metres above sea level.

    Islands by area

    0.000010.00010.0010.010.11101001,000Montagu: 105 km²MontaguBristol: 63.7 km²BristolSaunders: 38.4 km²SaundersVisokoi: 28.9 km²VisokoiCook: 20 km²CookThule: 16.7 km²ThuleZavodovski: 10.3 km²ZavodovskiCandlemas: 9.8 km²CandlemasMain: 4.4 km²MainVindication: 2.3 km²VindicationBellingshausen: 1.6 km²BellingshausenAlbatross: 1.1 km²AlbatrossTrinity: 0.76 km²TrinityLeskov: 0.47 km²LeskovUnnamed island: 0.23 km²Unnamed islandUnnamed island: 0.23 km²Unnamed islandInvisible: 0.21 km²InvisibleUnnamed island: 0.16 km²Unnamed islandHall: 0.13 km²HallMollyhawk: 0.12 km²MollyhawkCrescent: 0.11 km²CrescentVaughan: 0.07 km²VaughanProud: 0.07 km²ProudUnnamed island: 0.06 km²Unnamed islandUnnamed island: 0.05 km²Unnamed islandAcorn Rock: 0.04 km²Acorn RockUnnamed island: 0.03 km²Unnamed islandUnnamed island: 0.03 km²Unnamed islandSeaward Rock: 0.02 km²Seaward RockUnnamed island: 0.02 km²Unnamed islandUnnamed island: 0.02 km²Unnamed islandSaw Rock: 0.01 km²Saw RockLonglow Rock: 0.01 km²Longlow RockCook Rock: 0.01 km²Cook RockRoca Perfil: 0.01 km²Roca PerfilUnnamed island: 0.01 km²Unnamed islandUnnamed island: 0.01 km²Unnamed islandUnnamed island: 0.01 km²Unnamed islandUnnamed island: 0.9 haUnnamed islandUnnamed island: 0.9 haUnnamed island
    km², log scale. 2 without a known area.
    Montagu Island105 km²
    Bristol Island63.7 km²
    Saunders Island38.4 km²
    Visokoi Island28.9 km²
    Cook Island20 km²
    Thule Island16.7 km²
    Zavodovski Island10.3 km²
    Candlemas Island9.8 km²
    Main Island4.4 km²
    Vindication Island2.3 km²
    Bellingshausen Island1.6 km²
    Albatross Island1.1 km²
    Trinity Island0.76 km²
    Leskov Island0.47 km²
    Unnamed island0.23 km²
    Unnamed island0.23 km²
    Invisible Island0.21 km²
    Unnamed island0.16 km²
    Hall Island0.13 km²
    Mollyhawk Island0.12 km²
    Crescent Island0.11 km²
    Vaughan Island0.07 km²
    Proud Island0.07 km²
    Unnamed island0.06 km²
    Unnamed island0.05 km²
    Acorn Rock0.04 km²
    Unnamed island0.03 km²
    Unnamed island0.03 km²
    Seaward Rock0.02 km²
    Unnamed island0.02 km²
    Unnamed island0.02 km²
    Saw Rock0.01 km²
    Longlow Rock0.01 km²
    Cook Rock0.01 km²
    Roca Perfil0.01 km²
    Unnamed island0.01 km²
    Unnamed island0.01 km²
    Unnamed island0.01 km²
    Unnamed island0.9 ha
    Unnamed island0.9 ha
    Pollux Rock0.7 ha
    Unnamed island0.7 ha
    Unnamed island0.7 ha
    Unnamed island0.7 ha
    Unnamed island0.7 ha
    Unnamed island0.5 ha
    Unnamed island0.5 ha
    Unnamed island0.5 ha
    Unnamed island0.5 ha
    Unnamed island0.5 ha
    Unnamed island0.5 ha
    Unnamed island0.4 ha
    Twitcher Rock0.4 ha
    Unnamed island0.4 ha
    Unnamed island0.4 ha
    Coffin Rock0.4 ha
    Unnamed island0.3 ha
    Castor Rock0.3 ha
    Brothers rocks0.3 ha
    Unnamed island0.3 ha
    Unnamed island0.3 ha
    Unnamed island0.3 ha
    Buddha Rock0.3 ha
    Trousers Rock0.3 ha
    Unnamed island0.3 ha
    Unnamed island0.2 ha
    Unnamed island0.2 ha
    Unnamed island0.2 ha
    Unnamed island0.2 ha
    Unnamed island0.2 ha
    Unnamed island0.2 ha
    Unnamed island0.2 ha
    Unnamed island0.1 ha
    Unnamed island0.1 ha
    Boot Rock0.1 ha
    Unnamed island0.1 ha
    Unnamed island0.1 ha
    Unnamed island0.1 ha
    Unnamed island0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Hogs Mouth Rocks<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha
    Unnamed island<0.1 ha

    Groups within

    2

    Overlapping groups

    Sources

    Facts

    • Geometry, areas and high points: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Copernicus GLO-30, via Talus.
    • Wikidata
    • Talus
    • Wikipedia

    Photographs