These island groups all sit atop the Scotia Arc, which frames the sea on the north, east, and south.

The most famous traverse of this frigid sea was made near the end of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition in 1916 by Sir Ernest Shackleton and five others in the adapted lifeboat James Caird.

In Argentina, the Scotia Sea is considered part of an area known as the Mar Argentino, and several territories claimed but not occupied by Argentina, such as South Georgia and the Falkland Islands, lie within this region.

These areas support tundra vegetation consisting of mosses, lichens, and algae, while seabirds, penguins, and seals feed in the surrounding waters.

Only five species of birds remain on land on the islands, and these include an endemic race of the yellow-billed pintail duck (Anas georgica) and the endemic South Georgia pipit (Anthus antarcticus).

[2] Although the Scotia Arc islands have a harsh climate and have never been permanently occupied, they have long been used as a base for fishing and seal hunting.