The South Sandwich Islands consist of 11 islands (from north to south): Zavodovski, Leskov (the smallest), Visokoi, Candlemas, Vindication, Saunders, Montagu (the largest), Bristol, Bellingshausen, Cook and Thule. British Captain James Cook discovered the eight most southerly islands on 30 January 1775 - he named the islands "Sandwich Land" after the 4th Earl of Sandwich. Sealers first landed on the islands in 1818. The Russian Fabian von Bellingshausen became the first to see the three most northerly islands in 1819, and landed on Zavodovski Island, naming it for Lieutenant Ivan Zavodovski (captain of his ship, the "Vostok") on Christmas Eve of 1819. The first tourists landed on the South Sandwich Islands in 1982.

The South Sandwich Islands are 760km south east of South Georgia, and cover 310 sq m. Mt Belinda, the highest point, rises up to 1375m and can be found on Montagu Island. Thule, Cook, Bristol, Montagu, Visokoi, Saunders and Candlemas are almost 80% covered by glaciers, and the remaining four have hardly any at all. Even though these islands are more northerly than the South Shetlands (or even the South Orkneys), they have a much colder climate (due to the cold ocean current coming from the Weddell Sea). The South Sandwiches are claimed by both Britain and Argentina, and about a million breeding pairs of chinstrap penguins can be found on Zavodovski Island alone, making it one of the world's largest penguin colonies.