 Of interest to all
This map is designed to appeal to passengers on adventure cruises that visit the island of South Georgia, but will also appeal to armchair travellers with an interest in far away places. The map reminds us that although colonies are an unfashionable idea nowadays, the United Kingdom still possesses some interesting territorial footholds in other parts of the world.
There are no permanent inhabitants, just two permanently occupied scientific research stations on South Georgia. The Governor of the Falkland Islands also holds the title of Commissioner for South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.
Historical time-line
The South Georgia Travel Map has a historical time-line which covers the history of South Georgia, from its first sighting in 1675, to its final demilitarisation in 2001. For most of its human history, South Georgia has been the scene of massive exploitation, first of its seals, and later of the whales that inhabited the surrounding oceans. Exploitation of marine mammals ceased nearly half a century ago.
 One of the most beautiful places on earth..
The island's economy is now based on science, tourism, carefully regulated commercial fisheries and the sale of postage stamps.
Visitors invariably describe South Georgia as one of the most beautiful places on earth. The few who reach the South Sandwich islands are impressed in a different way. Those islands are windswept, hard to land on, often swathed in mist, and in the case of Zavodovski Island, give off noxious volcanic gases.
The visitors map features illustrated biographies of explorers and other notable people who have shaped South Georgia 's history and development. Sir Ernest Shackleton was probably the most famous visitor, but others, such as the Norwegians C.A. Larsen and Lars Christensen, played important roles in the whaling and sealing industries.
There is a substantial section, illustrated with colour photos, that describes the many wildlife attractions of the present day - from penguins and albatrosses to southern fur seals and elephant seals. Sections of the map explore major incidents in the past, and discuss the islands' geography, climate, political status and economy. A useful feature of the map are thumbnail descriptions of the most interesting visitor sites making it a useful resource and travel guide for those on a south georgia cruise. |
