island arc system consisting of the submarine Scotia Ridge, mountainous south Atlantic islands (clockwise from the north, the South Georgia, South Sandwich, and South Orkney islands), and the Antarctic Peninsula. This arc trends northward along the Antarctic Peninsula, then swings eastward to form a hairpin curve that returns to connect with Tierra del Fuego and the Andes of South America. The entire arc is about 2,700 miles (4,350 km) in length and is one of the few island arcs that does not border the Pacific Ocean. The arc encloses the Scotia Sea and is terminated at its eastern end by the South Sandwich Trench.