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King Penguins at the beach, wide angle shot against the high snow mountains
South Georgia Island
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South Georgia Vacation Packages and Tours

Overview

Take a trip to South Georgia on your Polar vacation.

Located in the southern extremes of the Atlantic Ocean, South Georgia is a British Overseas Territory with large colonies of Antarctic sea birds and marine mammals, and no permanent human population. It offers an ecologically rich extension to a Falkland Islands or Antarctica cruise itinerary.

At 165 kilometres (103 mi) long and 35 kilometres (22 mi) wide, South Georgia is one of the largest islands in the southern Atlantic. It has been administered by the United Kingdom since 1775, along with the South Sandwich Islands which were claimed in 1908. The nearest of the South Sandwich Islands, Zavodovski Island, is located some 550 kilometres (340 mi) to the southeast. The island’s population rarely exceeds 30 people, none of whom are considered native, nor permanent residents.

South Georgia was a major centre of commercial sealing until 1964, and remnants of this industry remain scattered around the island. Through much of April 1982, the island was briefly annexed by Argentina during the Falklands War, only to be retaken by Britain on April 25 as part of Operation Paraquet. Since then, South Georgia has been a haven for wildlife including large colonies of king penguins, albatross, elephant and fur seals, and whales.


Wildlife

South Georgia’s remote location, rugged tundra geography and lack of human settlement make it ideal for a wide variety of Antarctic life. With no native land mammals, polar sea birds including albatross and an estimated 7 million individual penguins, almost half of which are macaroni penguins, thrive in South Georgia. Large colonies of king penguins also make for impressive photos, but they are only a fraction of the 10 million birds – spread over 78 known species – believed to call the island home.

Since sealing ended in the 1960s, fur seals have returned to South Georgia in large numbers, with 95% of the world’s 2 million-strong population returning here each summer to breed, and fiercely protect the shoreline. They’re joined by approximately half the world’s southern elephant seals. Up to 400,000 of these massive animals return to South Georgia each summer breeding season.

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