South Georgia And The South Sandwich Islands - Wikivoyage

Understand

The American Cordillera is the line of mountain ranges that spans half the world, from Alaska through the Rockies to central America and the Andes. Until 30 million years ago this line continued east and south in the "Scotia Arc" from Tierra del Fuego through the Falklands, South Georgia, the South Sandwich and South Orkney Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula. Then the mountains sank, and by 23 million years ago the rift was complete. Antarctica became a separate continent, encircled by a circumpolar ocean current that kept out warmer winds and waters, and a climate that was already chilly became exceptionally cold. All that was left between Antarctica and the Andes was the loop of mountainous islands. These repeatedly submerged and rose again as plate tectonics distorted the region, while the eastern arc became volcanic, a frigid replica of the Caribbean chain.

The Antarctic Convergence is the zone where the very cold circumpolar current meets the milder sub-Antarctic ocean. It's about 40 km wide, fairly static, and defines a climatic boundary. This zone is well north of South Georgia, but south of the Falkland Islands, so the latter's climate is much less harsh though they're at similar latitude. The mixing and upwelling of water along the Convergence creates a food chain: it fosters the growth of plankton, which are eaten by krill, which are eaten by whales and other large species. These in turn became hunted by humans.

South Georgia and the other islands were discovered (or with the Aurora Islands, imagined) in the 18th and 19th centuries. They were uninhabited, with no mineral wealth, and their main value was as bases for ships hunting whales and seals. In this remote dangerous ocean, any cove was welcome if it had sheltered anchorage, dry level ground for camping, fresh water, and wildlife to eat. A cluster around Grytviken on South Georgia became year-round settlements, with others as summer camps. For similar reasons South Georgia was also a staging post for explorers heading to Antarctica – and famously for Ernest Shackleton, it was a forlorn-hope refuge on his way back.

Sea-faring nations made claims on these islands, as on the Antarctic mainland, in hopes of deep-sea oil or other lucre, and for the usual flag-waving reasons: "It's the frozen pits, but we're damned if we'll let the commies claim it". In Antarctica all these claims were waived in the Treaty, created in 1959 and coming into force in 1961, but it doesn't apply north of the 60th parallel. South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands are north of that line, and are therefore held and governed by Britain. Argentina also claims them, and the 1982 Falklands or Malvinas War was triggered by Argentine landings on South Georgia. Forty years on, you need British permission to land, but that's chiefly to protect wildlife and the fragile habitat.