South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

• The territory's Ordinances and orders, made by the Commissioner
• English law, applied to the extent suitable
• Rules on fishing, the environment and visitors, which make up much of the local law

• There are no standing local courts, because no one lives there permanently
• Legal matters are handled by officials linked to the Falkland Islands
• Because no one lives there permanently, there is almost no litigation

There is no resident legal profession.

• Most of its law concerns fishing, visitors and protecting wildlife.
• The same person governs both this territory and the Falkland Islands.
• Sovereignty is disputed between the United Kingdom and Argentina.

Falkland Islands, Saint Helena, United Kingdom, Argentina, Chile

The University of Ottawa’s JuriGlobe database lists South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands as: Common law. It names the systems in order of importance.

The map colours a country by the first-named system, and shows both civil-law and common-law countries as “mixed”. It is a simplification, and real systems are rarely pure.

Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Cook Islands, Dominica, Fiji, Ghana, Grenada, India, Ireland, Jamaica.

• JuriGlobe: world legal systems (University of Ottawa)

Sources last reviewed: October 2026.