Icebergs around South Georgia, South Atlantic Ocean Jacques
Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC South Georgia
Island, which sits in the center of this true-color Terra MODIS
image, is covered in snow and glaciers, making it as brightly
white as the huge icebergs that float slowly past. The three
icebergs were likely calved somewhere in Antarctica, and are
being carried toward South America by the currents of the South
Atlantic Ocean. The southern tip of South America, Cape Horn,
lies some 1,200 miles (1,930 km) west of this island. South
Georgia island is not permanently inhabited, as its climate is
too harsh and agriculture is practically nonexistent. Instead,
its population fluctuates with the seasons - during the warmer
months, tourists come to the island to observe its wildlife and
the life in the surrounding waters. A permanent research station
is also manned, but there are no civilian settlements.