The Scotia Sea Islands tundra is a tundra ecoregion (WWF AN1103) which includes several island groups – South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, South Shetland Islands, and Bouvet Island – in the Scotia Sea, where the South Atlantic Ocean meets the Southern Ocean. Most of the terrain is covered with snow and permanent ice, with tundra vegetation - moss, lichen, and algae - on the remainder. The islands support important rookeries for seals, seabirds, and penguins. The islands have no permanent human habitation, and the cold, harsh climate and ending of seal hunting and whaling has prevented settlement.