South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (SGSSI) is a British Overseas Territory in the southern Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote and inhospitable collection of islands,consisting of South Georgia and a chain of smaller islands known as the South Sandwich Islands. South Georgia is 165 kilometres (103 mi) long and 35 kilometres (22 mi) wide and is by far the largest island in the territory. The South Sandwich Islands lie about 700 kilometres (430 mi) southeast of South Georgia. The territory's total land area is 3,903 km2 (1,507 sq mi). The Falkland Islands are about 1,300 kilometres (810 mi) west from its nearest point.
The British Overseas Territories (BOTs) are the fourteen territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom that,while not forming part of the United Kingdom itself,are part of its sovereign territory. The permanently inhabited territories are delegated varying degrees of internal self-governance,with the United Kingdom retaining responsibility for defence,foreign relations,and internal security,and ultimate responsibility for governance. Three of the territories are chiefly or only inhabited by military or scientific personnel,the rest hosting significant civilian populations. All fourteen have the British monarch as head of state. These UK government responsibilities are assigned to various departments of the Foreign,Commonwealth and Development Office and are subject to change.
The Commissioner for the British Antarctic Territory,is the head of government of the British Antarctic Territory,a British Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom. The commissioner is appointed by the monarch of the United Kingdom on the advice of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
The Chagos Archipelago or Chagos Islands is a group of seven atolls comprising more than 60 islands in the Indian Ocean about 500 kilometres (310 mi) south of the Maldives archipelago. This chain of islands is the southernmost archipelago of the Chagos–Laccadive Ridge,a long submarine mountain range in the Indian Ocean. In its north are the Salomon Islands,Nelsons Island and Peros Banhos;towards its south-west are the Three Brothers,Eagle Islands,Egmont Islands and Danger Island;southeast of these is Diego Garcia,by far the largest island. All are low-lying atolls,save for a few extremely small instances,set around lagoons.
The Chagossians are an Afro-Asian ethnic group originating from freed African slaves brought to the Chagos Islands,specifically Diego Garcia,Peros Banhos,and the Salomon island chain,in the late 18th century as well as people of Asian descent. Under international law,they are the indigenous people of the Chagos archipelago. Most Chagossians now live in Mauritius,Seychelles,and the United Kingdom after being forcibly removed by the British government in the late 1960s and early 1970s so that Diego Garcia,the island where most Chagossians lived,could serve as the location for a United States military base. Today,no Chagossians are allowed to live on the island of Diego Garcia or anywhere in the Chagos archipelago,despite many of the islands they used to inhabit being over 160 kilometres (99 mi) away from Diego Garcia.
The British Indian Ocean Territory is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom. It is administered by a Commissioner,located at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London. There is no Governor appointed to represent the King in the territory as there are no permanent inhabitants.
Howard John Stredder Pearce,CVO is an English diplomat who served as the Governor of the Falkland Islands and Civil Commissioner of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (SGSSI) until July 2006. He assumed both positions on 3 December 2002. Before his appointment,Pearce was High Commissioner to Malta from 1999 to 2002. He joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in 1972.
The United Kingdom,at the request of the United States,began expelling the inhabitants of the Chagos Archipelago in 1968,concluding its forced deportations on 27 April 1973 with the expulsion of the remaining Chagossians on the Peros Banhos atoll. The inhabitants,known at the time as the Ilois,are today known as Chagos Islanders or Chagossians.
Sovereignty over the Falkland Islands is disputed by Argentina and the United Kingdom. The British claim to sovereignty dates from 1690,when they made the first recorded landing on the islands,and the United Kingdom has exercised de facto sovereignty over the archipelago almost continuously since 1833. Argentina has long disputed this claim,having been in control of the islands for a few years prior to 1833. The dispute escalated in 1982,when Argentina invaded the islands,precipitating the Falklands War.
The British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) is an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom situated in the Indian Ocean,halfway between Tanzania and Indonesia. The territory comprises the seven atolls of the Chagos Archipelago with over 1,000 individual islands,many very small,amounting to a total land area of 60 square kilometres. The largest and most southerly island is Diego Garcia,27 square kilometres,the site of a Joint Military Facility of the United Kingdom and the United States. Official administration is remote from London,though the local capital is often regarded as being on Diego Garcia.
Richard Peter Ralph CMG CVO is an English former diplomat who was ambassador to Peru and then chairman of a mining company that operates in Peru.
Nigel Robert Haywood is a British diplomat,who served as British ambassador to Estonia from 2003 until 2008 and Governor of the Falkland Islands from 2010 until 2014.
Sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago is disputed between Mauritius,Maldives and the United Kingdom. Mauritius has repeatedly stated that the Chagos Archipelago is part of its territory and that the United Kingdom claim is a violation of United Nations resolutions banning the dismemberment of colonial territories before independence. On 22 May 2019,the United Nations General Assembly adopted a non-binding resolution declaring that the archipelago was part of Mauritius;116 countries voted in favour of Mauritius while six opposed it.
The Chagos Marine Protected Area,located in the central Indian Ocean in the British Indian Ocean Territory of the United Kingdom,is one of the world's largest officially designated marine protected areas,and one of the largest protected areas of any type on Earth. It was established by the British government on 1 April 2010 as a massive,contiguous,marine reserve,it encompasses 640,000 square kilometres (250,000 sq mi) of ocean waters,including roughly 70 small islands and seven atolls of the Chagos Archipelago.
David Tatham is an English former ambassador and Governor of the Falkland Islands,1992–1996. He was also editor of The Dictionary of Falklands Biography.
Air Commodore Nigel James Phillips, is a British diplomat,former Royal Air Force officer and former Governor of the Falkland Islands and Commissioner of the South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. He has served as Governor of Saint Helena,Ascension and Tristan da Cunha since 13 August 2022.
Same-sex marriage has been legal in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands since 13 March 2014,in accordance with the law in force in England and Wales,although the Foreign and Commonwealth Office only updated its travel advice website page to include a note about it in January 2018. South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands,despite having no permanent population,was the first British Overseas Territory to recognise same-sex marriage.
Alison Mary Blake,is a British diplomat who is currently serving as Governor of the Falkland Islands and Commissioner of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. She previously served as High Commissioner to Bangladesh and Ambassador to Afghanistan.
Toothfish Day is a public holiday celebrated in the British Overseas Territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. It is annually on 4 September,but if that falls on a weekend it may be observed on a weekday. It is one of eleven public holidays in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands,appointed by the Governor in Council.
