Flag of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
Encyclopedia
The Flag of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands is a British overseas territory and overseas territory of the European Union 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...

was granted on 3 October 1985, when the Territory was created. Previously the Territory was a part of the Falkland Islands Dependency
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...

 and used the same flag
Flag of the Falkland Islands
The first flag of the Falkland Islands was adopted on 29 September 1948. It was a Blue Ensign with the Union Flag in the canton and the coat-of-arms superimposed upon a white disc...

.

The flag is a blue ensign
Blue Ensign
The Blue Ensign is a flag, one of several British ensigns, used by certain organisations or territories associated with the United Kingdom. It is used either plain, or defaced with a badge or other emblem....

, with the Union Flag
Union Flag
The Union Flag, also known as the Union Jack, is the flag of the United Kingdom. It retains an official or semi-official status in some Commonwealth Realms; for example, it is known as the Royal Union Flag in Canada. It is also used as an official flag in some of the smaller British overseas...

 in the canton, defaced with the coat-of-arms
Coat of arms of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
The coat of arms of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands was granted in 1985, upon the creation of the territory. Prior to 1985, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands were a dependency of the Falkland Islands, and used their coat of arms...

. The flag flies over the main government settlements on South Georgia Island, and the scientific bases of the British Antarctic Survey
British Antarctic Survey
The British Antarctic Survey is the United Kingdom's national Antarctic operation and has an active role in Antarctic affairs. BAS is part of the Natural Environment Research Council and has over 400 staff. It operates five research stations, two ships and five aircraft in and around Antarctica....

. The original flag had a smaller version of the coat-of-arms displayed in a white disc, but this was changed to the current flag between 1999 and 2002.

There is also a flag to represent the Civil Commissioner of the Territory
Commissioner for South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
The Commissioner for South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands is the representative of the British monarch in the United Kingdom's overseas territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...

, a Union Flag defaced with the coat-of-arms. As the Civil Commissioner is also the Governor of the Falkland Islands
Governor of the Falkland Islands
The Governor of the Falkland Islands is the representative of the British Crown in the Falkland Islands, acting "in Her Majesty's name and on Her Majesty's behalf" as the islands' de facto head of state in the absence of the British monarch...

, the flag is only in use when the Commissioner visits the Territory. The original version of the commissioner's flag just displayed the shield-of-arms, it was changed in 1999.

Gallery




See also

  • List of flags of the United Kingdom



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