View source for South Shetland Islands

[[File:South Shetland Islands, labelled.svg|thumb|300px|Map of the South Shetland Islands.]]
[[File:Location map of the South Shetland islands, BAT.svg|230px|thumb|right|Location of the South Shetlands]]
{{territory|British Antarctic Territory}}
The '''South Shetland Islands''' are a group of islands, lying about 75 miles north of the Antarctic Peninsula,<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.ndsu.edu/subantarctic/south_shetland_islands.htm| title=South Shetland Islands| publisher=North Dakota State University| accessdate=2009-08-21}}</ref> with a total area of 1,424 square miles.

The islands form part of the [[United Kingdom]]'s claims in Antartica, the [[British Antarctic Territory]].  However the islands are uninhabited and by the Antarctic Treaty of 1959, all claims to sovereignty of the Islands are suspended, though treaty signatories (including Britain) are free to use the islands for non-military purposes.

The United Kingdom has claimed the Islands since 1908.  Also Chile has claimed them since 1940 and Argentina since 1943.

Several countries maintain research stations on the Islands.  Most of them are situated on [[King George Island (South Shetland Islands)|King George Island]], benefitting from the airfield of the Chilean base ''Eduardo Frei''.

[[File:Elephant island cape wild.JPG|left|thumb|230px|Cape Wild, Elephant Island]]
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==References==
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[[Category:British Antarctic Territory]]
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