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Revision as of 22:24, 12 August 2013 view sourceMarshalN20 (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers15,094 edits See also: Let's start the gradual changes with a culture section.← Previous edit Latest revision as of 00:17, 3 January 2025 view source Widefox (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Page movers, IP block exemptions, New page reviewers, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers107,092 editsm top: proper name - so avoid using and certainly displaying the incorrect capitalisation for it 
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{{short description|Group of islands in the South Atlantic}}
{{Redirect2|Falklands|Malvinas|other uses of Falklands|Falkland (disambiguation)|other uses of Malvinas|Malvinas (disambiguation)}}
{{pp-move}}
<!--Do not edit this article to include or remove any Spanish names without first discussing it on Talk. Any substantial changes without consensus on Talk may result in an immediate block from editing.-->
{{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}}
{{Infobox country
<!-- Do not edit this article to include or remove any Spanish names without first discussing it on Talk. Any substantial changes without consensus on Talk may result in an immediate block from editing. -->
|conventional_long_name = Falkland Islands
{{redirect-multi|2|Falklands|Malvinas}}
|common_name = Falkland Islands
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}}
|demonym = Falkland Islander
{{Use British English|date=December 2024}}
|image_flag = Flag of the Falkland Islands.svg

|image_coat = Coat of arms of the Falkland Islands.svg
{{Infobox dependency
|symbol = Coat of arms of the Falkland Islands
|image_map = Falkland Islands in its region (globe zoom+inset).svg | name = Falkland Islands
| settlement_type = ]
|map_caption = Location of the Falkland Islands.
| linking_name = the Falkland Islands
|national_motto = <!--speechmarks (quotation):-->"]"
| image_flag = Flag of the Falkland Islands.svg
|national_anthem = <!--italics (song/music title):-->'']''{{nbsp|2}}{{small|(official)}}<br/>'']''&nbsp;{{ref label|anthem-note|a|}}
| flag_size = 130px
|official_languages = ]
|capital = ] | flag_link = Flag of the Falkland Islands
| image_seal = Coat of arms of the Falkland Islands.svg
|latd=51 |latm=42 |latNS=S |longd=57 |longm=51 |longEW=W
| seal_size = 65px
|largest_city = ]
| seal_type = Coat of arms
|ethnic_groups =
| seal_link = Coat of arms of the Falkland Islands
|government_type = {{nowrap|]{{ref label|government-type|b|}}}}
| motto = "]"
|ethnic_groups_year = {{lower|0.4em|<ref>{{cite web |author=Joshua Project |url=http://www.joshuaproject.net/countries.php?rog3=FK |title=Ethnic People Groups of Falkland Islands |publisher=Joshua Project |date= |accessdate=28 February 2010}}</ref>}}
| anthem = "]"<br /><div
|leader_title1 = ]
style="display:inline-block;margin-top:0.4em;">]</div>
|leader_name1 = ]
| song_type = Unofficial anthem
|leader_title2 = ]
| song = "]"
|leader_name2 = ]<ref name=HaywoodGovernor/>
| image_map = Location map of the Falklands&nbsp;– Alternative version 4.svg
|leader_title3 = ]
| map_caption = Location of the Falkland Islands
|leader_name3 = ]<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.penguin-news.com/index.php/news/politics/item/278-new-chief-executive~~~~-for-falkland-islands-government |title=New Chief Executive for Falkland Islands Governmen |first=Janet |last=Robertson |authorlink=Janet Robertson |date=6 March 2012 |newspaper=] |publisher= |accessdate=6 March 2012}}</ref>
| mapsize = 255px
|leader_title4 = Responsible Minister (])
| subdivision_type = ]
|leader_name4 = {{nowrap|] ]}}
| subdivision_name = {{flag|United Kingdom}}
|legislature = ]
| established_title = First settlement
|area_rank = 162nd
| established_date = 1764
|area_magnitude = 1 E10
| established_title2 = ]
|area_km2 = 12,173
| established_date2 = 3 January 1833<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Gough |first=Barry M. |date=1990 |title=The British Reoccupation and Colonization of the Falkland Islands, or Malvinas, 1832–1843 |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0095139000031379/type/journal_article |journal=Albion |language=en |volume=22 |issue=2 |pages=261–287 |doi=10.2307/4049600 |jstor=4049600 |issn=0095-1390}}</ref>
|area_sq_mi = 4,700 <!--Do not remove per ]-->
| established_title3 = ]
|percent_water = 0
| established_date3 = 2 April to<br />14 June 1982
|population_estimate = 2,932<ref name=census2012>{{cite web |url=http://www.falklands.gov.fk/assets/Headline-Results-from-Census-2012.pdf|title=Falkland Islands Census 2012: Headline results |date=10 September 2012 |publisher=Falkland Islands Government |accessdate=19 December 2012}}</ref>
| established_title4 = ]
|population_estimate_rank = 220th
| established_date4 = 1 January 2009
|population_estimate_year = 2012
| official_languages = ]
|population_census = |population_census_year = 2012
| demonym = ], Falklander
|population_density_km2 = 0.26
| capital = ]
|population_density_sq_mi = 0.65 <!--Do not remove per ]-->
| coordinates = {{Coord|51|41|43|S|57|50|58|W|type:city}}
|population_density_rank = 241st
| largest_settlement = capital
|GDP_PPP = $75&nbsp;million
| largest_settlement_type = largest settlement
|GDP_PPP_rank = 223rd
| ethnic_groups =
|GDP_PPP_year = 2005
| ethnic_groups_year =
|GDP_PPP_per_capita = $55,400<ref name="CIA">2002 estimate. {{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/fk.html |title=CIA World Factbook 2012 |publisher=cia.gov |date= |accessdate=2013-01-04}}</ref>
| government_type = ] ] ] under a ]
|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 7th
|sovereignty_type = ] | leader_title1 = ]
| leader_name1 = ]
|established_event1 = ]
| leader_title2 = ]
|established_date1 = 1833
|established_event2 = ] | leader_name2 = ]
| leader_title3 = ]
|established_date2 = 1841
| leader_name3 = ]
|established_event3 = ]
| legislature = ]
|established_date3 = 1981{{ref label|establishment-note|c|}}
| national_representation = ]
|established_event4 = ]
| national_representation_type1 = ]
|established_date4 = 2002
| national_representation1 = ]
|established_event5 = {{nowrap|]}}
| area_km2 = 12,173
|established_date5 = 2009
| area_rank = <!-- Area rank should match List of countries and dependencies by area:none -->
|Gini_year = |Gini_change = <!--increase/decrease/steady--> |Gini = <!--number only--> |Gini_ref =
| area_sq_mi = 4,700 <!--Do not remove per ]-->
|HDI_year = 2008
| elevation_max_m = 705
|HDI_change = <!--increase/decrease/steady-->
| percent_water = 0
|HDI = 0.933<!--number only-->
| population_estimate =
|HDI_ref = <ref>, United Nations ESCAP, February 2009</ref>
| population_census = 3,662<ref name="auto2">{{Cite web |url=https://www.falklands.gov.fk/policy/images/2021_Census_-_Preliminary_Data_Tables.xlsx |title=2021 Census Report |year=2022 |publisher=Policy and Economic Development Unit, Falkland Islands Government |format=XLSX}}</ref>
|currency = ]{{ref label|currency-note|d|}}
| population_estimate_year =
|currency_code = FKP
| population_census_rank = not ranked
|iso3166code = FK
| population_census_year = 2021
|time_zone = ]{{ref label|time-note|e|}}
| population_density_km2 = 0.30
|utc_offset = −3
| population_density_rank = not ranked
|drives_on = left
| population_density_sq_mi = 0.72<!--Do not remove per ]-->
|calling_code = 500
| GDP_PPP = $228.5&nbsp;million<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fiassociation.com/shopimages/pdfs/2015%2003%20State%20of%20the%20Falkland%20Islands%20Economy%20Report.pdf |title=State of the Falkland Islands Economy |date=March 2015 |access-date=8 January 2017 |archive-date=9 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160409070208/http://www.fiassociation.com/shopimages/pdfs/2015%2003%20State%20of%20the%20Falkland%20Islands%20Economy%20Report.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
|cctld = ]
| GDP_PPP_year = 2013
|footnote_a = {{note|anthem-note}} '']'' is used as the islands' anthem at sporting events.
| GDP_PPP_per_capita = $96,962
|footnote_b = {{note|government-type}} ] ] ] under ].
| GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 4th
|footnote_c = {{note|establishment-note}} Interrupted by ] in 1982.
| Gini = 36.0 <!--number only-->
|footnote_d = {{note|currency-note}} Fixed to the ].
| Gini_year = 2015
|footnote_e = {{note|time-note}} The Falklands has been on FKST year-round since September 2010.{{big|<ref>{{cite news |url=http://en.mercopress.com/2011/03/31/falkland-islands-will-remain-on-summer-time-throughout-2011 |title=Falkland Islands will remain on summer time throughout 2011 |author= |date=31 March 2011 |newspaper=] |publisher= |accessdate=4 February 2012}}</ref>}}
| Gini_change = increase<!--increase/decrease/steady-->
}}
| Gini_ref =<ref name="wb-gini">{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/gini-index-coefficient-distribution-of-family-income/country-comparison/ |title=Gini Index coefficient |publisher=CIA World Factbook |access-date=16 July 2021 |archive-date=17 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210717071854/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/gini-index-coefficient-distribution-of-family-income/country-comparison |url-status=live }}</ref>
| HDI = 0.874 <!--number only-->
| HDI_year = 2010
| HDI_change = <!--increase/decrease/steady-->
| HDI_ref = {{sfn|Avakov|2013|p=47}}
| HDI_rank = not ranked
| currency = ]<br />] (£)
| currency_code = FKP
| timezone = ]
| utc_offset = – 03:00
| date_format = dd/mm/yyyy
| drives_on = left
| calling_code = ]
| postal_code_type = ]
| postal_code = FIQQ 1ZZ
| iso_code = ]
| cctld = ]
|website={{URL|https://www.falklands.gov.fk/}}}}
<!-- READ THIS FIRST! <!-- READ THIS FIRST!


The first sentence has been established as a compromise consensus between many editors in a long and difficult discussion (see talk page). Trying to change the sentence will be reverted on sight without discussion by many of the editors part of the discussion. If you have overriding NEW arguments, please bring them to the talk page first! The first sentence has been established as a compromise consensus between many editors in a long and difficult discussion (see talk page). Trying to change the sentence will be reverted on sight without discussion by many of the editors part of the discussion. If you have over-riding NEW arguments, please bring them to the talk page first!


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The '''Falkland Islands''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|f|ɔː|l|k|l|ən|d}}; {{lang-es|Islas Malvinas}}) are an ] located in the South ] on the ]. The principal islands are about {{convert|500|km|abbr=off|disp=flip}} east of the ]n coast at a latitude of about 52°S. The archipelago which has an area of {{convert|12173|sqkm|abbr=off|disp=flip}} comprises ], ] and 776 smaller islands. As a ], the islands enjoy a large degree of ] with the ] guaranteeing good government and taking responsibility for their defence and foreign affairs. The islands' capital is ] on East Falkland. The '''Falkland Islands''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|f|ɔː|(|l|)|k|l|ə|n|d|,_|ˈ|f|ɒ|l|k|-}} {{respell|FAW(L)K|lənd|,_|FOLK|-}};<ref>{{cite EPD|18}}</ref> {{langx|es|Islas Malvinas|link=no}} {{IPA|es|ˈislas malˈβinas|}}) is an ] in the ] on the ]. The principal islands are about {{cvt|300|mi|km|abbr=off}} east of South America's southern ]n coast and about {{cvt|752|mi|km|0|abbr=off}} from ] at the northern tip of the ], at a latitude of about 52°S. The archipelago, with an area of {{cvt|4700|sqmi|km2|abbr=off}}, comprises ], ], and 776 smaller islands. As a ], the Falklands have internal ], but the United Kingdom takes responsibility for their defence and foreign affairs. The capital and largest settlement is ] on East Falkland.


Controversy exists over the Falklands' original discovery and subsequent colonisation by Europeans. At various times, the islands have had ], ], ], and ] settlements. Britain ], though the islands continue to be ] by Argentina. In 1982, following Argentina's ], the two-month-long undeclared ] between both countries resulted in the surrender of all Argentine forces and the return of the islands to British administration. The islands are believed to have been uninhabited prior to European discovery in the ]. Controversy exists over the Falklands' discovery and subsequent colonisation by Europeans. At various times, the islands have had French, British, Spanish, and Argentine settlements. Britain ], but ] maintains its claim to the islands. In April 1982, Argentine military forces ]. British administration was restored two months later at the end of the ]. In a ], almost all Falklanders voted in favour of remaining a UK overseas territory. The territory's sovereignty status is part of an ongoing ].


The population, estimated at 2,932 in 2012, primarily consists of native ], the vast majority being of British descent. Other ethnicities include French, ], ], and ]n. Immigration from the United Kingdom, ], and ] has reversed a former population decline. The predominant and official language is English. Under the ], Falkland Islanders are legally ]. The population (3,662 inhabitants in 2021)<ref name="auto2"/> is primarily native-born ], the majority of British descent. Other ethnicities include French, ], and Scandinavians. Immigration from the United Kingdom, the South Atlantic island of ], and Chile has reversed a population decline. The predominant (and official) language is English. Under the ], Falkland Islanders are ].


The islands lie on the boundary of the ] zones with both major islands having mountain ranges reaching to {{convert|700|m|ft|disp=flip}}. The islands are home to large bird populations, although many no longer breed on the main islands because of the effects of introduced species. Major economic activities include ], ], sheep farming with an emphasis on high-quality wool exports, and oil exploration. Oil exploration, licensed by the ], remains controversial as a result of maritime disputes with Argentina. The islands lie at the boundary of the ] and ] zones, and both major islands have mountain ranges reaching {{cvt|700|m|ft|order=flip}}. They are home to large bird populations, although many no longer breed on the main islands due to predation by ]. Major economic activities include fishing, tourism and ], with an emphasis on high-quality wool exports. Oil exploration, licensed by the ], remains controversial as a result of maritime disputes with Argentina.


==Etymology== ==Etymology==
{{see also|List of Falkland Islands placenames}} {{see also|List of Falkland Islands placenames}}


The name "Falkland Islands" comes from ], the ] that separates the two main islands.{{sfn|Jones|2009|p=73}} The name "Falkland" was applied to the channel by ], captain of an English expedition that landed on the islands in 1690. Strong named the strait in honour of ], the ] who sponsored his journey.<ref>See:
The Falkland Islands took their English name from "Falkland Sound", the channel between the two main islands, which was in turn named after ], by Captain ], who landed on the islands in 1690.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Pepper |first=Peter J |title=Port Desire and the Discovery of the Falklands |journal=Falkland Islands Newsletter |edition=78 |year=2001 |month=March |url=http://www.falklands.info/history/histarticle19.html |accessdate=6 March 2010}}</ref> The Spanish name, ''las (Islas) Malvinas'',<ref name="WordReference">{{cite web |url=http://www.wordreference.com/es/translation.asp?tranword=Falklands&B10=Buscar&dict=enes |title=Falklands |publisher=WordReference.com |accessdate=15 March 2010}}</ref> is derived from the French name, ''Îles Malouines'',<ref name="Malouines">{{cite web |url=http://www.falklands.info/history/history2.html |title=Part 2 – Fort St. Louis and Port Egmont |work = A Brief History of the Falkland Islands |publisher=Falkland Islands Information Portal |accessdate=17 August 2011}}</ref> named by ] in 1764 after the first known settlers, mariners and fishermen from the ] port of ] in France.<ref name="Malouines"/> The ] designation is ''Falkland Islands (Malvinas)''<ref name=std_name>{{cite web | url=http://unstats.un.org/unsd/methods/m49/m49alpha.htm | title=Countries or areas, codes and abbreviations | publisher=United Nations Statistics Division | date=December 2012 | accessdate=2013-05-18}}</ref> and its ] two and three-letter codes are ''FK'' and ''FLK'' respectively.<ref name=std_name/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iso.org/iso/country_codes/iso_3166_code_lists/country_names_and_code_elements.htm|title=Country names and code elements |publisher=International Organization for Standardization |accessdate=17 August 2011}}</ref>
*{{harvnb|Dotan|2010|p=165}},
*{{harvnb|Room|2006|p=129}}.</ref> The Viscount's title originates from the town of ], Scotland—the town's name probably comes from a ] term referring to an "enclosure" ({{Lang|gd|lann}}),{{efn-ua|According to researcher Simon Taylor, the exact Gaelic etymology is unclear as the "falk" in the name could have stood for "hidden" (''falach''), "wash" (''failc''), or "heavy rain" (''falc'').{{sfn|Taylor|Márkus|2005|p=158}}}} but it could less plausibly be from the Anglo-Saxon term "folkland" (land held by ]).{{sfn|Room|2006|p=129}} The name "Falklands" was not applied to the islands until 1765, when ] captain ] of the ] claimed them for King ] as "Falkland's Islands".<ref>See:
*{{harvnb|Paine|2000|p=45}},
*{{harvnb|Room|2006|p=129}}.</ref> The term "Falklands" is a standard abbreviation used to refer to the islands.


The common Spanish name for the archipelago, ''Islas Malvinas'', derives from the French ''Îles Malouines''—the name given to the islands by ] explorer ] in 1764.{{sfn|Hince|2001|p=121}} Bougainville, who founded the islands' first settlement, named the area after the port of ] (the point of departure for his ships and colonists).<ref>See:
As a result of the ], the use of many Spanish names is considered offensive in the Falkland Islands, particularly those associated with the ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.falklands.info/background/99agree.html |title=Agreement of 14th July 1999 |publisher=Falklands.info |accessdate=23 July 2007}}</ref> General Sir ] would not allow the use of ''Islas Malvinas'' in the ], dismissing it as a ] term.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.psywar.org/falklands.php |title=PSYOP of the Falkland Islands War |publisher=Psywar.org |accessdate=23 July 2007}}</ref>
*{{harvnb|Hince|2001|p=121}},
*{{harvnb|Room|2006|p=129}}.</ref> The port, located in the ] region of western France, was named after ] (or Maclou), the Christian ] who founded the city.{{sfn|Balmaceda|2011|loc=Chapter 36}}

In 1965, at the 20th session<ref>{{cite web |url=https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/745657?ln=en |title=United Nations General Assembly Twentieth Session |publisher=United Nations Digital Library |date=1967 |access-date=24 January 2023 }}</ref> of the ], the ] determined that, in all languages other than Spanish, all UN documentation would designate the territory as ''Falkland Islands (Malvinas)''. In Spanish, the territory was designated as ''Islas Malvinas (Falkland Islands)''.{{sfn|Foreign Office|1961|p=80}} The nomenclature used by the United Nations for statistical processing purposes is ''Falkland Islands (Malvinas)''.<ref name="std_name">{{cite web |url=http://unstats.un.org/unsd/methods/m49/m49alpha.htm |title=Standard Country and Area Codes Classifications |publisher=United Nations Statistics Division |date=13 February 2013 |access-date=3 July 2013 |archive-date=28 June 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140628144412/http://unstats.un.org/unsd/methods/m49/m49alpha.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>


==History== ==History==
{{Main|History of the Falkland Islands|Timeline of the history of the Falkland Islands}}


Although ] from ] may have visited the Falkland Islands in prehistoric times,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hamley |first1=Kit M. |last2=Gill |first2=Jacquelyn L. |last3=Krasinski |first3=Kathryn E. |last4=Groff |first4=Dulcinea V. |last5=Hall |first5=Brenda L. |last6=Sandweiss |first6=Daniel H. |last7=Southon |first7=John R. |last8=Brickle |first8=Paul |last9=Lowell |first9=Thomas V. |date=29 October 2021 |title=Evidence of prehistoric human activity in the Falkland Islands |journal=Science Advances |language=en |volume=7 |issue=44 |pages=eabh3803 |doi=10.1126/sciadv.abh3803 |pmid=34705512 |pmc=8550247 |bibcode=2021SciA....7.3803H |issn=2375-2548}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=G. Hattersley-Smith |date=June 1983 |title=Fuegian Indians in the Falkland Islands |journal=] |volume=21 |issue=135 |pages=605–06 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |doi=10.1017/S003224740002204X|bibcode=1983PoRec..21..605H |s2cid=129083566 |issn = 0032-2474}}</ref> the islands were uninhabited when Europeans first explored them.{{sfn|Carafano|2005|p=367}} European claims of discovery date back to the 16th century, but no consensus exists on whether early explorers sighted the Falklands or other islands in the South Atlantic.<ref name="M White">{{cite news |first=Michael |last=White |title=Who first owned the Falkland Islands? |newspaper=] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/blog/2012/feb/02/who-first-owned-falkland-islands? |date=2 February 2012 |access-date=3 July 2013 |archive-date=10 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130210011353/http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/blog/2012/feb/02/who-first-owned-falkland-islands |url-status=live }}</ref>{{sfn|Goebel|1971|pp=xiv–xv}}{{efn-ua|Based on his analysis of Falkland Islands discovery claims, historian ] concludes that " number of countries could therefore lay some claim to the archipelago under the heading of first discoverers: Spain, Holland, Britain, and even Italy and Portugal&nbsp;– although the last two claimants might be stretching things a little."{{sfn|Dunmore|2005|p=93}}}} The first undisputed landing on the islands is attributed to English captain John Strong, who, en route to ] and ]'s littoral in 1690, explored the Falkland Sound and noted the islands' water and game.<ref>See:
===Before the Falklands War===
*{{harvnb|Gustafson|1988|p=5}},
{{main|History of the Falkland Islands|Timeline of the history of the Falkland Islands}}
*{{harvnb|Headland|1989|p=66}},
*{{harvnb|Heawood|2011|p=182}}.</ref>


The Falklands remained uninhabited until the 1764 establishment of ] on ] by French captain ] and the 1765 foundation of ] on ] by Captain ]; the latter settlement being expanded by British captain ] a year later.{{efn-ua|In 1764, Bougainville claimed the islands in the name of ]. In 1765, British captain John Byron claimed the islands in the name of ].{{sfn|Gustafson|1988|pp=9–10}}{{sfn|Dunmore|2005|pp=139–40}}}} Whether or not the settlements were aware of each other's existence is debated by historians.<ref>See:
Controversy exists as to who first discovered the Falkland Islands with competing ], Spanish, and British claims dating back to the 16th century.<ref name=FI-H-00>{{cite news |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/blog/2012/feb/02/who-first-owned-falkland-islands? |title=Who first owned the Falkland Islands? |publisher=The Guardian |date= 2 February 2012 |accessdate=11 February 2012}}</ref><ref>], pp.&nbsp;xiv–xv</ref> While ]s from ] could have visited the Falklands,<ref>{{cite journal |author=G. Hattersley-Smith |year=1983 |month=June |title=Fuegian Indians in the Falkland Islands |journal=Polar Record |volume=21 |issue=135 |pages=605–606 |publisher=] |doi=10.1017/S003224740002204X |accessdate=1 February 2012 |url=http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract;jsessionid=C6D4151001DCF6AE8937B936C8FDCC62.journals?fromPage=online&aid=5400340 |quote=}}</ref> the islands were uninhabited when discovered by Europeans.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.everyculture.com/Cr-Ga/Falkland-Islands.html |title=Culture of Falkland Islands – history, people, clothing, beliefs, food, life, immigrants, population, religion |accessdate=17 March 2011}}</ref> The first reliable sighting is usually attributed to the Dutch explorer ] in 1600, who named the archipelago the Sebald Islands, a name they bore on Dutch maps into the 19th century.<ref>], pp.&nbsp;45–46</ref>
*{{harvnb|Goebel|1971|pp=226, 232, 269}},
*{{harvnb|Gustafson|1988|pp=9–10}}.</ref> In 1766, ] surrendered its claim on the Falklands to ], which renamed the French colony ] the following year.{{sfn|Segal|1991|p=240}} Problems began when Spain detected and ] in 1770. ] was narrowly avoided by its restitution to Britain in 1771.{{sfn|Gibran|1998|p=26}}


The British and Spanish settlements coexisted in the archipelago until 1774, when Britain's new economic and strategic considerations led it to withdraw the garrison from the islands, leaving a plaque claiming the Falklands for King George III.{{sfn|Gibran|1998|pp=26–27}} Spain's ] became the only formal presence in the territory. ] was left abandoned, and Puerto Soledad became a penal colony.{{sfn|Gibran|1998|p=27}} Amid the ] during the ] in Europe, the islands' governor evacuated the archipelago in 1806; Spain's remaining colonial garrison followed suit in 1811, except for ]s and fishermen who remained voluntarily.{{sfn|Gibran|1998|p=27}}
In 1690, Captain ] of the ''Welfare'' en route to ] was driven off course and reached the Falkland Islands instead, landing at Bold Cove. Sailing between the two principal islands, he called the passage "Falkland Channel" (now ]), after Anthony Cary, 5th Viscount Falkland, who as Commissioner of the ] had financed the expedition. The island group takes its English name from this body of water.<ref name="Falklands_Info">{{cite web |url=http://www.falklands.info/history/history1.html |title=The Discovery of the Falkland Islands |accessdate=28 March 2011}}</ref>


Thereafter, the archipelago was visited only by fishing ships; its political status was undisputed until 1820, when Colonel ], an American ] working for the ], informed anchored ships about ]' 1816 claim to Spain's territories in the South Atlantic.<ref>See:
In 1764, ] and military commander ] founded the first settlement on Berkeley Sound, in present-day ], ].<ref>], pp.&nbsp;226</ref> In 1765, British captain ] explored and claimed ] on ], where he named the harbour ] and a settlement was constructed in 1766.<ref>], pp.&nbsp;232,269</ref> Unaware of the French presence, Byron claimed the island group for ]. Spain acquired the French colony in 1767, and placed it under a governor subordinate to the ]. In 1770, Spain ] and expelled the British presence, ]. War was avoided by a peace treaty and the British return to Port Egmont.<ref name="briefhistory2">{{cite web |url=http://www.falklands.info/history/history2.html |title=A brief history of the Falkland Islands Part 2 – Fort St. Louis and Port Egmont |publisher=Falklands.info |accessdate=8 September 2007}}</ref>
*{{harvnb|Gibran|1998|p=27}},
*{{harvnb|Marley|2008|p=714}}.</ref>{{efn-ua|According to Argentine legal analyst Roberto Laver, the United Kingdom disregards Jewett's actions because the government he represented "was not recognised either by Britain or any other foreign power at the time" and "no act of occupation followed the ceremony of claiming possession".{{sfn|Laver|2001|p=73}}}} Since the islands had no permanent inhabitants, in 1823 Buenos Aires granted German-born merchant ] permission to conduct fishing activities and exploit feral cattle in the archipelago.{{efn-ua|Before leaving for the Falklands Vernet stamped his grant at the British Consulate, repeating this when Buenos Aires extended his grant in 1828.{{sfn|Cawkell|2001|pp=48–50}} The cordial relationship between the consulate and Vernet led him to express "the wish that, in the event of the British returning to the islands, ] would take his settlement under their protection".{{sfn|Cawkell|2001|p=50}}}} Vernet settled at the ruins of Puerto Soledad in 1826, and accumulated resources on the islands until the venture was secure enough to bring settlers and form a permanent colony.<ref>See:
*{{harvnb|Gibran|1998|pp=27–28}},
*{{harvnb|Sicker|2002|p=32}}.</ref> Buenos Aires named Vernet military and civil commander of the islands in 1829,{{sfn|Pascoe|Pepper|2008|pp=540–46}} and he attempted to regulate sealing to stop the activities of foreign whalers and sealers.{{sfn|Gibran|1998|p=27}} Vernet's venture lasted until a dispute related to fishing and hunting rights led to ] by the ] ] in 1831,{{sfn|Pascoe|Pepper|2008|pp=541–44}}{{efn-ua|The log of the ''"Lexington"'' only reports the destruction of arms and a powder store, but Vernet made a claim for compensation from the US Government stating that the entire settlement was destroyed.{{sfn|Pascoe|Pepper|2008|pp=541–44}}}} when ] commander ] declared the dissolution of the island's government.{{sfn|Peterson|1964|p=106}}


], shepherds and sheep in 1849 (painting by Royal Navy Admiral ])]]
In 1774, economic pressures leading up to the ] forced Great Britain to withdraw from many overseas settlements.<ref name="briefhistory2"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.falklands.info/history/timeline.html |title=Falkland Islands Timeline: A chronology of events in the history of the Falkland Islands |publisher=Falklands.info |accessdate=25 August 2011}}</ref> Upon withdrawal, the British left behind a ] asserting Britain's continued claim. Spain maintained its governor until 1806 who, on his departure, left behind a plaque asserting Spanish claims. The remaining settlers were withdrawn in 1811.<ref name="briefhistory2"/>


Buenos Aires attempted to gain influence over the settlement by installing a garrison in October 1832, which mutinied within a month and was followed the next year by the arrival of British forces, who ].{{sfn|Graham-Yooll|2002|p=50}} The ] (headed by Buenos Aires Governor ]) protested against Britain's actions,{{sfn|Reginald|Elliot|1983|pp=25–26}}{{efn-ua|As discussed by Roberto Laver, not only did Rosas not break relations with Britain because of the "essential" nature of "British economic support", but he offered the Falklands "as a bargaining chip&nbsp;... in exchange for the cancellation of Argentina's million-pound debt with the British bank of ]".{{sfn|Laver|2001|pp=122–23}} In 1850, Rosas' government ratified the ], which put "an end to the existing differences, and of restoring perfect relations of friendship" between the United Kingdom and Argentina.{{sfn|Hertslet|1851|p=105}}}} and Argentine governments have continued since then to register official protests against Britain.{{sfn|Gustafson|1988|pp=34–35}}{{efn-ua|Argentina protested in 1841, 1849, 1884, 1888, 1908, 1927 and 1933, and has made annual protests to the United Nations since 1946.{{sfn|Gustafson|1988|p=34}}}} The British troops departed after completing their mission, leaving the area without formal government.{{sfn|Graham-Yooll|2002|pp=51–52}} Vernet's deputy, the Scotsman ], returned to the islands that year to restore the business, but his efforts ended after, amid unrest at Port Louis, gaucho ] led a group of dissatisfied individuals to murder Brisbane and the settlement's senior leaders; survivors hid in a cave on a nearby island until the British returned and restored order.{{sfn|Graham-Yooll|2002|pp=51–52}} In 1840, the Falklands became a ] and Scottish settlers subsequently established an official pastoral community.{{sfn|Aldrich|Connell|1998|p=201}} Four years later, nearly everyone relocated to Port Jackson, considered a better location for the government, and merchant ] began a venture to encourage British colonisation.<ref>See:
In 1820, storm damage forced the ] '']'' to take shelter in the islands.<ref name="Tatham pp. 308-309">], pp.&nbsp;308–309</ref> Her captain ] raised the flag of the ] and read a proclamation claiming the islands.<ref name="Tatham pp. 308-309"/> This became public knowledge in ] nearly a year later after the proclamation was published in the ''Salem Gazette''.<ref name="Tatham pp. 308-309"/> After several failures, ] established a settlement in 1828 with authorisation from the Republic of Buenos Aires and from Great Britain.<ref name="Tatham">{{cite book |chapter=Luis Vernet |last=Peter Pepper |first=Graham Pascoe |editor=David Tatham |title=The Dictionary of Falklands Biography (Including South Georgia): From Discovery Up to 1981 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=0D0VNAAACAAJ |year=2008 |publisher=D. Tatham |isbn=978-0-9558985-0-1 |pages=540–546}}</ref> In 1829, after asking for help from Buenos Aires, he was instead proclaimed Military and Civil Commander of the islands.<ref name="Tatham"/> Additionally, Vernet asked the British to protect his settlement if they returned.<ref>{{cite book |author=Mary Cawkell |title=The history of the Falkland Islands |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=YG8VAAAACAAJ |year=2001 |publisher=Anthony Nelson |isbn=978-0-904614-55-8 |page=50}} "On this visit he met Woodbine Parish who expressed great interest in his venture and asked Vernet to prepare a full report on the islands to submit to the British government. On his side Vernet expressed the wish that, in the event of the British returning to the islands, HMG would take his settlement under their protection."</ref>
*{{harvnb|Bernhardson|2011|loc=Stanley and Vicinity: History}},
*{{harvnb|Reginald|Elliot|1983|pp=9, 27}}.</ref>


], as Port Jackson was soon renamed, officially became the seat of government in 1845.{{sfn|Reginald|Elliot|1983|p=9}} Early in its history, Stanley had a negative reputation due to cargo-shipping losses; only in emergencies would ships rounding ] stop at the port.{{sfn|Bernhardson|2011|loc=Stanley and Vicinity: History}} Nevertheless, the Falklands' geographic location proved ideal for ship repairs and the "Wrecking Trade", the business of selling and buying shipwrecks and their cargoes.{{sfn|Strange|1987|pp=72–74}} Aside from this trade, commercial interest in the archipelago was minimal due to the low-value hides of the feral cattle roaming the pastures. Economic growth began only after the ], which bought out Lafone's failing enterprise in 1851,{{efn-ua|There were continual tensions with the colonial administration over Lafone's failure to establish any permanent settlers, and over the price of beef supplied to the settlement. Moreover, although his concession required Lafone to bring settlers from the UK, most of the settlers he brought were gauchos from Uruguay.{{sfn|Strange|1987|p=84}}}} successfully introduced ] for wool farming, spurring other farms to follow suit.<ref name="Bernhardson 2011 loc=Stanley and Vicinity: History">See:
]
*{{harvnb|Bernhardson|2011|loc=Stanley and Vicinity: History}},
A dispute over fishing and hunting rights resulted in a raid by the ] warship ] in 1831.<ref name="Tatham pp. 544">{{cite book |chapter=Luis Vernet |last=Peter Pepper |first=Graham Pascoe |editor=David Tatham |title=The Dictionary of Falklands Biography (Including South Georgia): From Discovery Up to 1981 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=0D0VNAAACAAJ |year=2008 |publisher=D. Tatham |isbn=978-0-9558985-0-1 |pages=541–544}}</ref><ref name="briefhistory3">{{cite web |url=http://www.falklands.info/history/history3.html |title=A brief history of the Falkland Islands Part 3 |publisher=Falklands.info |accessdate=14 May 2011}}</ref> The log of the ''Lexington'' reports only the destruction of arms and a powder store, but ] made a claim for compensation from the US Government stating that the settlement was destroyed.<ref name="Tatham pp. 544"/> (Compensation was rejected by the US Government of President Cleveland in 1885.) ''Lexington''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> Captain declared the islands "free from all government", and the seven senior members of the settlement were arrested for piracy<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ussduncan.org/silas_page13.htm |title=Silas Duncan and the Falklands' Incident |publisher=USS Duncan Reunion Association |year=2001 |accessdate=25 August 2011 |quote=The letters show that the USS Lexington, under the command of Silas Duncan, visited the Falklands in December, 1831, to investigate complaints by American fishermen that a "band of pirates" was operating from the islands. After finding what he considered proof that at least four American fishing ships had been captured, plundered, and even outfitted for war, Duncan took seven prisoners aboard Lexington and charged them with piracy. The leaders of the prisoners was Louis Vernet, a German, and Matthew Brisbane, an Englishman both of Buenos Aries.}}</ref> and taken to ],<ref name="briefhistory3"/> where they were released without charge on the orders of Commodore Rogers.<ref>], pp.&nbsp;117</ref>
*{{harvnb|Reginald|Elliot|1983|p=9}}.</ref> The high cost of importing materials, combined with the shortage of labour and consequent high wages, meant the ship repair trade became uncompetitive. After 1870 it declined as the replacement of sail ships by ]s was accelerated by the low cost of coal in South America; by 1914, with the opening of the ], the trade effectively ended.{{sfn|Strange|1987|pp=72–73}} In 1881, the Falkland Islands became financially independent of Britain.{{sfn|Reginald|Elliot|1983|p=9}} For more than a century, the Falkland Islands Company dominated the trade and employment of the archipelago; in addition, it owned most housing in Stanley, which greatly benefited from the wool trade with the UK.<ref name="Bernhardson 2011 loc=Stanley and Vicinity: History"/>


] (painting by ])]]
In November 1832, Argentina sent Commander Mestivier as an interim commander to found a penal settlement, but he was killed in a ] after four days.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.falklands.gov.fk/Historical_Dates.html |title=Historical Dates |publisher=Falkland Islands Government |accessdate=20 December 2010}}</ref> The following January, British forces returned and requested the Argentine garrison leave. Don Pinedo, captain of the ARA ''Sarandi'' and senior officer present, protested but ultimately complied. Vernet's settlement continued, with the ] ]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.irlandeses.org/fmi.htm |title=The Irish in Falkland/Malvinas Islands |publisher=] |author=Edmundo Murray |accessdate=28 March 2012 |date=1 November 2005}}</ref> tasked with raising the British flag for passing ships.<ref>]</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://darwin-online.org.uk/content/frameset?itemID=EHBeagleDiary&viewtype=text&pageseq=304|title=Darwin's Beagle Diary (1831–1836) |page=304 |publisher=The Complete Works of Charles Darwin Online |accessdate=23 July 2007}}</ref> Vernet's deputy, ], returned and was encouraged by the British to continue the enterprise. The settlement continued until August 1833, when the leaders were killed in the so-called ]. Subsequently, from 1834 the islands were governed as a British naval station until 1840 when the British Government decided to establish a permanent colony.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.falklands.info/history/history4.html |title=A Brief History of the Falkland Islands, Part 4 – The British Colonial Era |accessdate=2 September 2011 |last=Lewis |first=Jason |coauthors=Alison Inglis |quote=In 1839 a British merchant adventurer, G.T. Whittington, formed the Falkland Islands Commercial Fishery and Agricultural Association and tried to put pressure on the British government to proceed with the colonisation of the Falkland Islands. He published a leaflet entitled 'The Falkland Islands' containing material acquired indirectly from Vernet, and then presented to the government a petition signed by owner a hundred London merchants, shipowners and traders demanding that a public meeting be held to discuss the future of the Falkland Islands. In April 1840 he wrote to the Colonial Secretary, Lord Russell, proposing that the islands be colonised by his Association. In May the Colonial Land and Emigration Commissioners decided that the Falkland Islands were suitable for colonisation.}}</ref>


In the first half of the 20th century, the Falklands served an important role in Britain's territorial claims to ] islands and a section of Antarctica. The Falklands governed these territories as the ] starting in 1908 and retained them until their dissolution in 1985.{{sfn|Day|2013|p=129–30}} The Falklands also played a minor role in the two world wars as a military base aiding control of the South Atlantic. In the ] ] in December 1914, a Royal Navy fleet defeated an ] squadron. In the ], following the December 1939 ], the battle-damaged ] steamed to the Falklands for repairs.{{sfn|Carafano|2005|p=367}} In 1942, a battalion en route to India was redeployed to the Falklands as a garrison amid fears of a Japanese seizure of the archipelago.{{sfn|Haddelsey|Carroll|2014|loc=Prologue}} After the war ended, the Falklands economy was affected by declining wool prices and the political uncertainty resulting from the revived sovereignty dispute between the United Kingdom and Argentina.{{sfn|Bernhardson|2011|loc=Stanley and Vicinity: History}}
].]]
A new harbour was built in Stanley,<ref>], pp.&nbsp;382</ref> and the islands became a strategic point for navigation around ]. A ] naval battle, the ], took place in December 1914, with a British victory over the smaller ] Asiatic Fleet.<ref>], pp.&nbsp;510–511</ref> During ], Stanley served as a Royal Navy station and serviced ships which took part in the 1939 ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2Navy-c4.html |title=CHAPTER 4 — The Battle of the River Plate |publisher=New Zealand Electronic Texts Centre |accessdate=28 March 2011}}</ref>


Simmering tensions between the UK and Argentina increased during the second half of the century, when Argentine President ] asserted sovereignty over the archipelago.{{sfn|Zepeda|2005|p=102}} The sovereignty dispute intensified during the 1960s, shortly after the United Nations passed a resolution on ] which Argentina interpreted as favourable to its position.{{sfn|Laver|2001|p=125}} In 1965, the UN General Assembly passed ], calling for both states to conduct bilateral negotiations to reach a peaceful settlement of the dispute.{{sfn|Laver|2001|p=125}} From 1966 until 1968, the UK confidentially discussed with Argentina the transfer of the Falklands, assuming its judgement would be accepted by the islanders.{{sfn|Thomas|1991|p=24}} An agreement on trade ties between the archipelago and the mainland was reached in 1971 and, consequently, Argentina built a temporary airfield at Stanley in 1972.{{sfn|Reginald|Elliot|1983|p=9}} Nonetheless, Falklander dissent, as expressed by their strong lobby in the ], and tensions between the UK and ] effectively limited sovereignty negotiations until 1977.{{sfn|Thomas|1991|pp=24–27}}
Sovereignty over the islands again became an issue in the second half of the 20th century, when Argentina saw the creation of the ] as an opportunity to pursue its claim. Talks between British and Argentine foreign missions took place in the 1960s, but failed to come to any meaningful conclusion. A major sticking point in all the negotiations was that the inhabitants preferred that the islands remain British territory.<ref name="claim">{{cite web |url=http://www.falklands.info/history/history5.html |title=A Brief History of the Falkland Islands Part 5 – The Argentine Claim |publisher=Falklands.info |accessdate=28 March 2011}}</ref>


Concerned at the expense of maintaining the Falkland Islands in an era of budget cuts, the UK again considered transferring sovereignty to Argentina in the early ].<ref name="Guardian">{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/jun/28/falklands.past |title=UK held secret talks to cede sovereignty: ''Minister met junta envoy in Switzerland, official war history reveals'' |newspaper=The Guardian |date=28 June 2005 |access-date=12 June 2014 |first1=Richard |last1=Norton-Taylor |first2=Rob |last2=Evans |archive-date=19 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140919011057/http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/jun/28/falklands.past |url-status=live }}</ref> Substantive sovereignty talks again ended by 1981, and the dispute escalated with passing time.{{sfn|Thomas|1991|pp=28–31}} In April 1982 the ] began when Argentine military forces ] and other ], briefly ] until a UK ] retook the territories in June.<ref>See:
A result of these talks was the establishment of the islands' first air link. In 1971, the Argentine state airline ] began a service between ] and Stanley. A temporary strip was followed by the construction of a permanent airfield and flights between Stanley and Comodoro Rivadavia continued until 1982.<ref name="LADE">{{cite web |url=http://www1.hcdn.gov.ar/proyxml/expediente.asp?fundamentos=si&numexp=4812-D-2006 |title=Líneas Aéreas Del Estado, LADE |publisher=Argentine National Congress, Chamber of Deputies |language=Spanish |date=25 August 2006 |accessdate=25 August 2011}}</ref><ref name="Albatross">{{cite web |url=http://www.asociacionatta.com.ar/aviones/avion30.htm |title=Grumman HU-16B Albatross |publisher=Asociación Tripulantes de Transporte Aéreo |language=Spanish |accessdate=25 August 2011}}</ref><ref name="FAA">{{cite web |url=http://www.asociacionatta.com.ar/aviones/avion23.htm |title=Fokker F-27 Troopship y Friendship |publisher=Asociación Tripulantes de Transporte Aéreo |language=Spanish |accessdate=25 August 2011}}</ref> Further agreements gave ], the Argentine national oil and gas company, a monopoly over the supply of the islands' energy needs.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.falklands.info/history/history5.html |title=A Brief History of the Falkland Islands, Part 5 – The Argentine Claim |accessdate=2 September 2011 |last=Lewis |first=Jason |coauthors=Alison Inglis |quote=In 1974 Britain and Argentina agreed that the islands would be supplied with petrol, diesel and oil by YPF, the Argentine State Oil Company, at mainland rates. Again, Islanders objected, increasingly uncomfortable at their economic dependence on Argentina.}}</ref> '']'' in its obituary of ] states that it was generally accepted by the ] that when Hunt was appointed governor part of his brief was "to ''soften up'' the island's 1800 inhabitants to the idea that British sovereignty could not be taken as given in perpetuity". In his first dispatch back to the Foreign Office he wrote "There is no way we will convince these islanders that they will be better off as part of Argentina".<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=] |location=London |page=53 |title=Obituaries: Sir Rex Hunt |date=13 November 2012}}</ref>
*{{harvnb|Reginald|Elliot|1983|pp=5, 10–12, 67}},
*{{harvnb|Zepeda|2005|pp=102–03}}.</ref> After the war the UK expanded its military presence, building ] and increasing the size of its garrison.{{sfn|Gibran|1998|pp=130–35}} The war also left some 117 minefields containing nearly 20,000 mines of various types, including anti-vehicle and anti-personnel mines.<ref name="BBC_Mines">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8564061.stm |title=The Long Road to Clearing Falklands Landmines |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=14 March 2010 |work=BBC News |access-date=29 June 2014 |archive-date=4 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200304122712/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8564061.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> Due to the large number of ] casualties, initial attempts to clear the mines ceased in 1983.<ref name="BBC_Mines"/>{{efn-ua|The minefields were fenced off and marked; there remain unexploded ordnance and improvised explosive devices.<ref name="BBC_Mines"/> Detection and clearance of mines in the Falklands has proven difficult as some were air-delivered and not in marked fields; approximately 80% lie in sand or peat, where the position of mines can shift, making removal procedures difficult.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ruan |first1=Juan Carlos |last2=Macheme |first2=Jill E. |date=August 2001 |title=Landmines in the Sand: The Falkland Islands |url=http://www.jmu.edu/cisr/journal/5.2/focus/falklands.htm |journal=The Journal of ERW and Mine Action |publisher=James Madison University |volume=5 |issue=2 |issn=1533-6905 |access-date=29 June 2014 |archive-date=14 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714164355/http://www.jmu.edu/cisr/journal/5.2/focus/falklands.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>}} Demining operations recommenced in 2009 and were completed in October 2020.<ref name="PenguinNews">{{Cite magazine |date=23 October 2020 |title=Falklands community invited to 'Reclaim the Beach' to celebrate completion of demining – Penguin News |url=https://penguin-news.com/headlines/community/2020/falklands-community-invited-to-reclaim-the-beach-to-celebrate-completion-of-demining/ |magazine=Penguin News |language=en-GB |access-date=23 October 2020 |archive-date=27 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201027070620/https://penguin-news.com/headlines/community/2020/falklands-community-invited-to-reclaim-the-beach-to-celebrate-completion-of-demining/ |url-status=live }}</ref>


Based on ]'s recommendations, the Falklands diversified from a sheep-based monoculture into an economy of tourism and, with the establishment of the Falklands ], fisheries.{{sfn|Cawkell|2001|p=147}}{{efn-ua|In 1976, Lord Shackleton produced a report into the economic future of the islands; but his recommendations were not implemented because Britain sought to avoid confronting Argentina over sovereignty.{{sfn|Cawkell|2001|p=147}} Lord Shackleton was once again tasked, in 1982, to produce a report into the economic development of the islands. His new report criticised the large farming companies, and recommended transferring ownership of farms from absentee landlords to local landowners. Shackleton also suggested diversifying the economy into fishing, oil exploration, and tourism; moreover, he recommended the establishment of a road network, and conservation measures to preserve the islands' natural resources.{{sfn|Cawkell|2001|p=147}}}} The road network was also made more extensive, and the construction of ] allowed access to ] flights.{{sfn|Cawkell|2001|p=147}} ] also began in the 2010s, with indications of possible commercially exploitable deposits in the Falklands basin.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2012/nov/23/desire-petroleum-optimistic-falklands-oil-prospects |title=Desire Petroleum optimistic over Falklands oil prospects |author=Fletcher, Nick |date=23 November 2012 |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=8 June 2021 |archive-date=8 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210608201007/https://www.theguardian.com/business/2012/nov/23/desire-petroleum-optimistic-falklands-oil-prospects |url-status=live }}</ref> Landmine clearance work restarted in 2009, in accordance with the UK's obligations under the ], and ] Corral was cleared of mines in 2012, allowing access to an important historical landmark for the first time in 30 years.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/worldnews/9169829/The-Falkland-Islands-30-years-after-the-war-with-Argentina.html?frame=2178743 |title=The Falkland Islands, 30 Years After the War with Argentina |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |newspaper=Daily Telegraph |access-date=29 June 2014 |archive-date=31 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170731025356/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/worldnews/9169829/The-Falkland-Islands-30-years-after-the-war-with-Argentina.html?frame=2178743 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://en.mercopress.com/2011/12/08/falklands-land-mine-clearance-set-to-enter-a-new-expanded-phase-in-early-2012 |title=Falklands' Land Mine Clearance Set to Enter a New Expanded Phase in Early 2012 |author=Grant Munro |date=8 December 2011 |newspaper=MercoPress |access-date=29 June 2014 |archive-date=14 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714162622/http://en.mercopress.com/2011/12/08/falklands-land-mine-clearance-set-to-enter-a-new-expanded-phase-in-early-2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> Argentina and the UK re-established diplomatic relations in 1990, but neither has agreed on the terms of future sovereignty discussions.<ref>See:
===Falklands War and its aftermath===
*{{harvnb|Lansford|2012|p=1528}},
{{main|Falklands War}}
*{{harvnb|Zepeda|2005|pp=102–03}}.</ref>
] guard Argentine ].]]


==Government==
On 2 April 1982, Argentina ] and ] in the South Atlantic. By exploiting the long-standing feelings of Argentines towards the islands, the nation's ruling ] sought to divert public attention from Argentina's ] and growing internal opposition.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.me.gov.ar/curriform/publica/sirlin_conv_dictadura.pdf |title=Las convocatorias nacionales de la última dictadura |publisher=Ministerio de Educación, Ciencia y Tecnología de la Nación |language=Spanish |date=18 September 2006 |accessdate=23 August 2011 |page=6}}</ref> The United Kingdom's reduction of military capacity in the South Atlantic is considered to have encouraged the invasion.<ref>{{cite news |title=Guide to the conflict |work=Fight for the Falklands—20 years on |publisher=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/uk/2002/falklands/guide2.stm |quote=The Foreign Secretary, Lord Carrington, and two junior ministers had resigned by the end of the week <nowiki></nowiki>. They took the blame for Britain's poor preparations and plans to decommission HMS ''Endurance'', the Navy's only Antarctic patrol vessel. It was a move which may have lead <nowiki></nowiki> the Junta to believe the UK had little interest in keeping the Falklands. |accessdate=18 March 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Secret Falklands fleet revealed |publisher=BBC News |quote=Lord Owen, who was foreign secretary in 1977, said that if Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government had taken similar action to that of five years earlier, the war would not have happened. |date=1 June 2005 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4597581.stm |accessdate=18 March 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Casciani |first=Dominic |title=1976 Falklands invasion warning |publisher=BBC News |quote=The Franks Report into the eventual war noted that as tension mounted during 1977, the government covertly sent a small naval force to the islands—but did not repeat the move when relations worsened again in 1981–2. This has led some critics to blame prime minister Margaret Thatcher for the war, saying the decision to plan the withdrawal of the only naval vessel in the area sent the wrong signal to the military junta in Buenos Aires. |date=29 December 2006 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6213121.stm |accessdate=22 August 2011}}</ref>
{{Main|Politics of the Falkland Islands}}
] in ] is the Governor's ].]]


The Falkland Islands are a ] ].{{sfn|Cahill|2010|loc="Falkland Islands"}} Under the ], the islands have full internal self-government; the UK is responsible for foreign affairs, retaining the power "to protect UK interests and to ensure the overall good governance of the territory".<ref name="Constitution">{{cite news |title=New Year begins with a new Constitution for the Falklands |url=http://en.mercopress.com/2009/01/01/new-year-begins-with-a-new-constitution-for-the-falklands |newspaper=MercoPress |date=1 January 2009 |access-date=9 July 2013 |archive-date=29 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029192759/http://en.mercopress.com/2009/01/01/new-year-begins-with-a-new-constitution-for-the-falklands |url-status=live }}</ref> The ] is the head of state, and executive authority is exercised on the monarch's behalf by the ], who appoints the islands' ] on the advice of members of the ].<ref name="constitutiontext">{{cite web |url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2008/2846/pdfs/uksi_20082846_en.pdf |title=The Falkland Islands Constitution Order 2008 |publisher=The Queen in Council |date=5 November 2008 |access-date=9 July 2013 |archive-date=9 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140709031954/http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2008/2846/pdfs/uksi_20082846_en.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Both the governor and the chief executive serve as the ].{{sfn|Buckman|2012|p=394}}
On 3 April 1982, the ] issued ], calling on Argentina to withdraw forces from the islands and for both parties to seek a diplomatic solution.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.historycentral.com/HistoricalDocuments/UNReso502.html |title=UN Resolution 502 |publisher=Historycentral.com |accessdate=15 March 2010}}</ref> International reaction ranged from support for Argentina in most of ], to opposition in the ] and most of ]. Chile was the only Latin American country that provided overt support to the British by allowing ports of call and airport logistics. In contrast, Peru was the only Latin American country that provided war material to the Argentinian military, including ] aircraft, parts, and ] missiles. A divided United States administration, initially publicly neutral, eventually came out in support of the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://web1.millercenter.org/poh/falklands/transcripts/falklands_2003_0515.pdf |title=The Falklands Roundtable |publisher=Miller Center, University of Virginia |date=16 May 2003 |accessdate=3 February 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Peter |last=Gold |title=Gibraltar, British or Spanish? |publisher=Routledge |year=2005 |isbn=0-415-34795-5 |url=http://books.google.es/books?id=u9YH_fLPu1MC&lpg=PA37&vq=Falklands&hl=es&pg=PA39 |page=39}}</ref>


Governor ] was appointed in July 2022<ref>{{cite news |title=As of Saturday, Falklands have the first woman Governor, Ms Alison Blake CMG |url=https://en.mercopress.com/2022/07/23/as-of-saturday-falklands-have-the-first-woman-governor-ms-alison-blake-cmg |work=MercoPress |date=23 July 2022}}</ref> and Chief Executive Andy Keeling was appointed in April 2021.<ref>{{cite news |title=Andy Keeling: New Chief Executive to arrive in the Falklands next week |url=https://en.mercopress.com/2021/03/23/andy-keeling-new-chief-executive-to-arrive-in-the-falklands-next-week |work=MercoPress |date=23 March 2021}}</ref> The UK minister responsible for the Falkland Islands since 2024, ], administers British foreign policy regarding the islands.<ref>{{cite web |title=Minister of State (Europe, North America and Overseas Territories) |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/minister-of-state--178 |website=GOV.UK}}</ref>
The United Kingdom sent an ] to retake the islands. After short but fierce naval and air battles, the British forces landed at ] on 21 May, and a land campaign followed leading to the British taking the high ground surrounding Stanley on 11 June. The Argentine forces surrendered on 14 June 1982. The war resulted in the deaths of 255 British and 649 Argentine soldiers, sailors and airmen, as well as 3 civilian Falklanders.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/FactSheets/Falklands25BackgroundBriefing.htm |title=Falklands 25: Background Briefing |work=Defence Factsheet |publisher=United Kingdom Ministry of Defence |accessdate=28 March 2011}}</ref>


The governor acts on the advice of the islands' ], composed of the chief executive, the ] and three elected members of the Legislative Assembly (with the governor as chairman).<ref name="constitutiontext" /> The Legislative Assembly, a ], consists of the chief executive, the director of finance and eight members (five from Stanley and three from ]) elected to four-year terms by ].<ref name="constitutiontext" /> All politicians in the Falkland Islands are ]; no political parties exist on the islands.{{sfn|Central Intelligence Agency|2011|loc="Falkland Islands (Malvinas)&nbsp;– Government"}} Since the ], members of the Legislative Assembly have received a salary and are expected to work full-time and give up all previously held jobs or business interests.<ref>{{cite news |title=Falklands lawmakers: "The full time problem" |url=http://en.mercopress.com/2013/10/28/falklands-lawmakers-the-full-time-problem |newspaper=MercoPress |date=28 October 2013 |access-date=1 July 2014 |archive-date=29 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029213124/http://en.mercopress.com/2013/10/28/falklands-lawmakers-the-full-time-problem |url-status=live }}</ref>
After the war, the British increased their military presence on the islands, constructing ] and increasing the military garrison.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/uk/2002/falklands/guide7.stm |title=Guide to the conflict |work=Fight for the Falklands – Twenty Years On |publisher=BBC News |accessdate=23 August 2011}}</ref> Although the United Kingdom and Argentina resumed diplomatic relations in 1990, no further negotiations on sovereignty have taken place.<ref name="Briefing papers"/> It is believed that 19,000 Argentine ]s<ref> ''Falklands' land mine clearance set to enter a new expanded phase in early 2012'', Mercopress, 8 December 2011</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://en.mercopress.com/2012/05/17/falklands-recover-370-hectares-of-stanley-common-made-minefields-in-1982-by-argentine-forces |title=Falklands recover 370 hectares of Stanley Common made minefields in 1982 by Argentine forces |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=17 May 2012 |work=web page |publisher=Merco Press, Montevideo |accessdate=6 January 2013}}</ref> across an area of 13 square kilometres remain from the 1982 war dispersed in a number of minefields around Stanley, Port Howard, Fox Bay and Goose Green.<ref name="Landmine Monitor">{{cite web |url=http://www.the-monitor.org/index.php/cp/display/region_profiles/theme/1785 |title=Falklands/Malvinas |publisher=International Campaign to Ban Landmines |work=Landmine & Cluster Munition Monitor |date=19 September 2011 |accessdate=27 July 2010}}</ref> Information is available from the ] Operation Centre in Stanley.<ref name="Landmine Monitor"/> In 2009, mine clearance began at Surf Bay, and clearances took place at Sapper Hill, Goose Green and Fox Bay. Further clearance work was due to begin in 2011.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://en.mercopress.com/2011/02/12/falklands-minefield-clearance-next-phase-moves-to-the-capital-stanley-common |title=Falklands' minefield clearance next phase moves to the capital Stanley Common |accessdate =28 March 2011 |date=12 February 2011 |publisher=Mercopress}}</ref>


As a territory of the United Kingdom, the Falklands were part of the ] of the European Union until ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/where/octs_and_greenland/index_en.htm |title=EU relations with Overseas Countries and Territories |date=4 June 2014 |author=EuropeAid |publisher=European Commission |access-date=15 July 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140701021720/http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/where/octs_and_greenland/index_en.htm |archive-date=1 July 2014}}</ref> The islands' judicial system, overseen by the ], is largely based on ],{{sfn|Sainato|2010|pp=157–158}} and the constitution binds the territory to the principles of the ].<ref name="Constitution" /> Residents have the right of appeal to the ] and the ].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/217278/british-overseas-territories.pdf |title=A New Approach to the British Overseas Territories |publisher=Ministry of Justice |year=2012 |page=4 |location=London |access-date=25 August 2013 |archive-date=29 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029191402/https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/217278/british-overseas-territories.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite legislation UK |type=si |year=2006 |number=3205 |si=The Falkland Islands (Appeals to Privy Council) (Amendment) Order 2009}}</ref> Law enforcement is the responsibility of the ] (RFIP).{{sfn|Sainato|2010|pp=157–158}}
==Sovereignty dispute==
{{main|Falkland Islands sovereignty dispute}}
]


===Defence===
The United Kingdom and Argentina both claim ownership for the Falkland Islands. The UK bases its position on continuous administration of the islands since 1833 (apart from ]) and the islanders having a "right to self determination, including their right to remain British if that is their wish".<ref name=FCO>{{cite web |url=http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/country-profile/south-america/falkland-islands/ |title=Falkland Islands (British Overseas Territory) |publisher=United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Office |work=Travel & living abroad |accessdate=17 May 2011}}</ref> Argentina posits that it gained the Falkland Islands from Spain, upon becoming ] from it in 1816, and that the UK illegally occupied them in 1833.<ref name=RIS>{{cite web |url=http://www.cancilleria.gov.ar/portal/seree/malvinas/homeing.html |title=Argentina’s Position on Different Aspects of the Question of the Malvinas Islands |publisher=Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores}}</ref>
{{Main|Military of the Falkland Islands}}
Defence of the islands is provided by the United Kingdom.{{sfn|Central Intelligence Agency|2011|loc="Falkland Islands (Malvinas)&nbsp;– Transportation"}} A British military garrison is stationed on the islands, and the Falkland Islands government funds an additional ] to ]-sized ] ].<ref name="timesfidf">{{cite news |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article7052002.ece |title=Falklands Defence Force better equipped than ever, says commanding officer |date=6 March 2010 |author=Martin Fletcher |newspaper=The Times |access-date=18 March 2011 |archive-date=11 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200511114151/http://www.thetimes.co.uk/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Falklands claim an ] (EEZ) extending {{cvt|200|nmi|km}} from its coastal baselines, based on the ]; this zone overlaps with the EEZ of Argentina.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dur.ac.uk/ibru/resources/south_atlantic/ |title=Argentina and UK claims to maritime jurisdiction in the South Atlantic and Southern Oceans |author=International Boundaries Research Unit |publisher=Durham University |access-date=26 June 2014 |archive-date=2 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190502070949/https://www.dur.ac.uk/ibru/resources/south_atlantic/ |url-status=live }}</ref>


===Sovereignty dispute===
The present dispute began in 1945, shortly after the formation of the United Nations, when Argentina reasserted its claim of sovereignty over the Falkland Islands and its ] (primarily South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands).<ref>{{cite web |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20110606073350/http://www.raf.mod.uk/falklands/preface.html |archivedate=6 June 2011 |url=http://www.raf.mod.uk/falklands/preface.html |work=The Falkland Islands – A history of the 1982 conflict |title=Preface to a conflict |publisher=Royal Air Force |accessdate=6 February 2012}}</ref> In 1964, the United Nations passed a ] calling on the UK and Argentina to proceed with negotiations over the sovereignty dispute.<ref name="UN2065">. Falkland Islands Information Portal.</ref>
{{Main|Falkland Islands sovereignty dispute}}


The UK and Argentina both assert sovereignty over the Falkland Islands. The UK bases its position on its continuous administration of the islands since 1833 and the islanders' "right to ] as set out in the ]".{{sfn|Lansford|2012|p=1528}}<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2009/mar/28/falkland-islands-sovereignty-argentina |first=Nicholas |last=Watt |title=Falkland Islands sovereignty talks out of the question, says Gordon Brown |newspaper=The Guardian |date=27 March 2009 |access-date=24 August 2013 |archive-date=23 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120123070837/http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/mar/28/falkland-islands-sovereignty-argentina |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/supporting-the-falkland-islanders-right-to-self-determination |title=Supporting the Falkland Islanders' right to self-determination |publisher=United Kingdom Foreign & Commonwealth Office and Ministry of Defence |work=Policy |date=12 March 2013 |access-date=29 May 2014 |archive-date=25 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140325033113/https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/supporting-the-falkland-islanders-right-to-self-determination |url-status=live }}</ref> Argentina claims that, when it ] in 1816, it acquired the Falklands from Spain.<ref name="RIS" /><ref name="auto1">{{cite journal |author=Michael Reisman |date=January 1983 |title=The Struggle for The Falklands |journal=Yale Law Journal |volume=93 |issue=287 |page=306 |publisher=Faculty Scholarship Series |access-date=23 October 2013 |url=http://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?handle=hein.journals/ylr93&div=24&collection=journals&set_as_cursor=41&men_tab=srchresults |archive-date=4 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200304122731/http://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?handle=hein.journals%2Fylr93&div=24&collection=journals&set_as_cursor=41&men_tab=srchresults |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="auto">{{cite web |url=https://www.un.org/press/en/2004/gacol3105.doc.htm |title=Decolonization Committee Says Argentina, United Kingdom Should Renew Efforts on Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Question |publisher=United Nations |work=Press Release |date=18 June 2004 |access-date=5 April 2020 |archive-date=17 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210117031530/https://www.un.org/press/en/2004/gacol3105.doc.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The ] is particularly contentious; Argentina considers it proof of "Britain's usurpation" whereas the UK discounts it as a mere reassertion of its claim.{{sfn|Gustafson|1988|pp=26–27}}{{efn-ua|Argentina considers that, in 1833, the UK established an "illegal occupation" of the Falklands after expelling Argentine authorities and settlers from the islands with a threat of "greater force" and, afterwards, barring Argentines from resettling the islands.<ref name="RIS" /><ref name="auto1"/><ref name="auto"/> The Falkland Islands' government considers that only Argentina's military personnel was expelled in 1833, but its civilian settlers were "invited to stay" and did so except for 2 and their wives.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.falklands.gov.fk/self-governance/relationship-with-argentina/ |title=Relationship with Argentina |publisher=Falkland Island Government |work=Self-Governance |access-date=5 April 2020 |archive-date=7 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181007220520/https://www.falklands.gov.fk/self-governance/relationship-with-argentina/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> International affairs scholar Lowell Gustafson considers that "he use of force by the British on the Falkland Islands in 1833 was less dramatic than later Argentine rhetoric has suggested".{{sfn|Gustafson|1988|p=26}}}}
Later that decade, intending to improve its relations with South America by transferring the Falkland Islands (with provisions to protect the islanders' way of life), the United Kingdom secretly discussed the subject with Argentina. However, when the news became public, the Falklanders protested against the plans. As a result, the UK increased its focus on the Islanders' ]; Argentina disagreed, and negotiations effectively remained at a stalemate.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/1987/CRD.htm |title=<nowiki>The Argentine Seizure Of The Malvinas Islands: History and Diplomacy</nowiki> |last=Chenette |first=Richard D |date=4 May 1987 |publisher=Marine Corps Staff and Command College}}</ref><ref name="GrahamBound">Bound, Graham. ''Falkland Islanders at War'', Pen & Swords Ltd, 2002 ISBN 1-84415-429-7</ref> Subsequent talks between the two nations took place until 1981, but they failed to reach a conclusion on sovereignty.<ref name="Guardian">. ''The Guardian''. 28 June 2005. Retrieved on 20 November 2011.</ref>


In 2009, the British prime minister, ], had a meeting with the Argentine president, ], and said that there would be no further talks over the sovereignty of the Falklands.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7969463.stm |title=No talks on Falklands, says Brown |newspaper=BBC News |date=28 March 2009 |access-date=24 August 2013 |archive-date=11 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180711153406/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7969463.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> In March 2013, the Falkland Islands held a ] on its political status: 99.8% of votes cast favoured remaining a British overseas territory.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21731760 |title=Falklands referendum: Islanders vote on British status |newspaper=BBC News |date=10 March 2013 |access-date=24 August 2013 |archive-date=2 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181002070421/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21731760 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-falklands-referendum-idUSBRE92B02T20130312 |first1=Marcos |last1=Brindicci |first2=Juan |last2=Bustamante |title=Falkland Islanders vote overwhelmingly to keep British rule |publisher=Reuters |date=12 March 2013 |access-date=24 August 2013 |archive-date=5 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305040044/http://www.reuters.com/article/us-falklands-referendum-idUSBRE92B02T20130312 |url-status=live }}</ref> Argentina does not recognise the Falkland Islanders as a partner in negotiations.<ref name="RIS">{{cite web |url=http://www.cancilleria.gov.ar/es/la-cuestion-de-las-islas-malvinas |title=La Cuestión de las Islas Malvinas |language=es |author=Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores |publisher=Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Culto (República Argentina) |access-date=10 October 2013 |archive-date=4 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140704155811/http://cancilleria.gov.ar/es/la-cuestion-de-las-islas-malvinas |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://en.mercopress.com/2013/01/31/timerman-rejects-meeting-falklands-representatives-only-interested-in-bilateral-round-with-hague |title=Timerman rejects meeting Falklands representatives; only interested in 'bilateral round' with Hague |newspaper=MercoPress |date=31 January 2013 |access-date=26 January 2014 |archive-date=2 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202092439/http://en.mercopress.com/2013/01/31/timerman-rejects-meeting-falklands-representatives-only-interested-in-bilateral-round-with-hague |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Laura Smith-Spark |url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/10/world/americas/falklands-referendum/ |title=Falkland Islands hold referendum on disputed status |publisher=CNN |date=11 March 2013 |access-date=26 January 2014 |archive-date=12 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180712021145/https://www.cnn.com/2013/03/10/world/americas/falklands-referendum/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
Diplomatic relations between the United Kingdom and Argentina, which were severed at the outbreak of the Falklands War in 1982, were re-established in 1990.<ref name="Briefing papers">{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/SN05602.pdf |title=Argentina and the Falkland Islands |publisher=House of Commons Library |date=22 June 2010 |accessdate=17 August 2011}}</ref> In 2007, Argentina reasserted its claim over the Falkland Islands, asking for the UK to resume talks on sovereignty.<ref>{{cite news |title=Argentina Reasserts Claim to Falkland Islands |date=3 January 2007 |publisher=Voice of America |url=http://voanews.com/english/archive/2007-01/2007-01-03-voa29.cfm |work=VOA News |pages= |accessdate=3 January 2009}}{{dead link|date=February 2012}}</ref> In 2009, British prime minister ] met with Argentine president ] and declared that there would be no talks over the future sovereignty of the Falkland Islands.<ref name="Vinadelmar">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7969463.stm |title=No talks on Falklands, says Brown |publisher=BBC News |date=28 March 2009 |accessdate=11 February 2012}}</ref> As far as the United Kingdom and the Falkland Islands are concerned, no pending issue to resolve exists.<ref name="Leonard">{{cite news |title=Falkland Islands: Argentina can't scare us, say islanders |last=Leonard |first=Tom |newspaper=] |location=London |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/7287195/Falkland-Islands-Argentina-cant-scare-us-say-islanders.html |date=22 February 2010 |accessdate=13 January 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/mar/28/falkland-islands-sovereignty-argentina |title=Falkland Islands sovereignty talks out of the question, says Gordon Brown |work=The Guardian |location=London |date=28 March 2009 |accessdate=29 April 2009 |first=Nicholas |last=Watt}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.falklands.gov.fk/overview.php |title=Falkland Islands Government Overview |publisher=Falkland Islands Government |accessdate=15 March 2010}}</ref>


However, in May, 2024, newly elected Argentine president ], expressed general acceptance and tolerance for British rule, for the time being, noting it could take decades for Argentina to gain control of the islands. Though asserting “We relinquish our sovereignty" over the islands, Milei said they would not "seek conflict with the United Kingdom" over them, preferring to resolve the dispute "within the framework of peace."<ref name="decades_2024_05_06_bbc">Wells, Ione; South America correspondent: May 6, 2024, ], retrieved May 7, 2024</ref>
Modern Falkland Islanders continue to reject the Argentine sovereignty claim. In 2010, Falklands ] Tom Leonard of '']'', wrote that "The 3,000-strong community is already proudly British . The younger islanders may not share the older generation’s memories but there is clearly no love lost with the Argentines among them."<ref name="Leonard"/> On 10 and 11 March 2013, the Falkland Islands held a ] over its political status, and voters favoured (99.8%) remaining under British rule.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21731760 |title=Falklands referendum: Islanders vote on British status.|publisher=BBC |date=10 March 2013 |accessdate=10 March 2013}}</ref><ref name="">{{cite news
| last= Brindicci and Bustamante
| first=Marcos and Juan
| url= http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/12/us-falklands-referendum-idUSBRE92B02T20130312
| title=Falkland Islanders vote overwhelmingly to keep British rule
| publisher= Reuters
| date=12 March 2013
| accessdate=12 March 2013}}</ref>

Contemporary Argentine policy maintains the position that modern Falkland Islanders do not have a right to self-determination. Argentina claims that, in 1833, the UK expelled Argentine authorities and settlers from the Falklands with a threat of "greater force" and that the UK afterwards barred Argentines from resettling the islands.<ref name="RIS"/><ref name="Reisman1983">{{cite book |author=Reisman, W. Michael |title=The struggle for the Falklands |url=http://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?handle=hein.journals/ylr93&div=24&collection=journals&set_as_cursor=41&men_tab=srchresults |year=1983 |publisher=The Yale Law Journal |page=306}}</ref> Argentina reiterated its position towards the Falklanders in 2012, after a meeting of the UN Decolonization Committee, when its representatives refused to accept a letter from the Falkland Islands offering the opening of direct talks between both governments.<ref> Summers invites Argentina to sit down and enter into a dialogue with the people of the Falklands</ref> Moreover, in 2013, Argentina ] the Falkland Islands' sovereignty referendum. Argentina only recognises the UK government as a legitimate partner in negotiations;<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/mar/12/falkland-islands-referendum-votes-yes|title=Falkland Islands: respect overwhelming 'yes' vote, Cameron tells Argentina|publisher=The Guardian|date=12 March 2013|accessdate=12 March 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://noticias.terra.com/eeuu/malvinas-canciller-argentino-no-acepta-carta-de-los-islenos-afp,f757ebc82ece7310VgnVCM10000098cceb0aRCRD.html| title=Canciller argentino no acepta carta de los isleños |publisher=Terra |date=14 June 2012 |accessdate=27 November 2012}}</ref> and considers the islands, along with ], as part of the Islas del Atlántico Sur department of ] province.<ref>, Provincia de Tierra del Fuego, Antártida e Islas del Atlántico Sur</ref>

==Politics and government==
{{main|Politics of the Falkland Islands}}

The islands are a ] which, under the ], enjoys a large degree of internal self-government, with the United Kingdom guaranteeing good government and taking responsibility for defence and foreign affairs.<ref name="Constitution">{{cite news |title=New Year begins with a new Constitution for the Falklands |url=http://en.mercopress.com/2009/01/01/new-year-begins-with-a-new-constitution-for-the-falklands |publisher=MercoPress |date=1 January 2009 |postscript=Links to the text of the constitution. |accessdate=14 March 2011}}</ref><ref name=constitutiontext>{{cite web |url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2008/2846/pdfs/uksi_20082846_en.pdf|title=The Falkland Islands Constitution Order 2008 |publisher=The Queen in Council |date=5 November 2008 |accessdate=16 March 2011}}</ref>

] is vested in the ] and is exercised by the ] on her behalf. The Governor is also responsible for the administration of ], as these islands have no native inhabitants. The governor acts on the advice of the ], composed of himself as chairman, the ], ] and three elected Legislative Assembly Members.<ref name = constitutiontext/> The current Governor ] took office in October 2010.<ref name=HaywoodGovernor>{{cite web |url=http://en.mercopress.com/2009/09/01/british-consul-in-basra-next-falkland-islands-governor |title=British consul in Basra next Falkland Islands governor |publisher=MercoPress |date=1 September 2009 |author=Lisa Watson |accessdate=18 March 2011}}</ref>

The ] consists of the Chief Executive, Director of Finance and the eight members elected for four-year terms by ], of whom five are from ] and three from ].<ref name=constitutiontext/> There are no political parties, and no formal opposition. It is presided over by the ],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.falklands.gov.fk/assembly/ |title=Welcome to the Falkland Islands Government Legislative Assembly Website |publisher=Falkland Islands Government |accessdate=10 August 2012}}</ref> - as of 2012 ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.falklands.gov.fk/assembly/The_Assembly.html |title=The Speaker |publisher=Falkland Islands Government |accessdate=10 August 2012}}</ref> The ], the first under the 2009 constitution, took place on Thursday 5 November 2009.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.falklands.gov.fk//documents/6%20Nov%20-%20Election.pdf |title=Record Turnout in First Falklands Election Held Under New Constitution |publisher=Falkland Islands Government |date=6 November 2009 |accessdate=10 August 2012}}</ref>

] is administered by a resident senior magistrate and a non-resident Chief Justice of the islands who visits the islands at least once a year. The senior magistrate handles petty criminal cases, civil, commercial, admiralty and family cases and is also the island's coroner. The Chief Justice handles serious criminal cases and hears appeals.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.falklands.gov.fk/Government.html |publisher=Falkland Islands Government |title=Government |accessdate=14 March 2011}}</ref> The constitution binds the judiciary to comply with decisions of the ] when hearing cases related to ].<ref name=constitutiontext/>

Freedom of expression in the Falkland Islands is guaranteed by the constitution, with the United Kingdom's superior courts explicitly empowered to hear appeals.<ref name=constitutiontext/> Freedom of the press is comparable to that of the United Kingdom;<ref name=pressreference/> which, in turn, in the view of many ], is significantly better than that of any other South American country.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://en.rsf.org/press-freedom-index-2010,1034.html |title=Press Freedom Index 2010 |publisher=Reporters without borders |date=20 October 2010 |accessdate=27 April 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.photius.com/rankings/freedom_of_the_press_2008.html |title=Freedom of the Press 2008 – Country Rankings |publisher=Information Technology Associates |accessdate=4 April 2011}}</ref>

===Military===
{{main|Military of the Falkland Islands}}
].]]

A British military garrison is stationed on the Falkland Islands, and the islands also have a ]-sized ] ] (FIDF) that is completely funded by the ] (£400,000 in 2009).<ref name=timesfidf>{{cite news |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article7052002.ece |title=Falklands Defence Force better equipped than ever, says commanding officer |date=6 March 2010 |last=Fletcher |first=Martin |newspaper=The Times |accessdate=18 March 2011}}</ref> The unit is trained under a secondment arrangement with the ] – {{As of|2010|lc=on}} the FIDF employed a ] ] as a permanent staff instructor and a major as commanding officer; the rest of the force are part-timers. It is equipped with ]s, ]s and ]s and is armed with heavy machine guns, grenade launchers and sniper rifles. In addition to defence duties, the force provides a mountain rescue service and has been trained by the ] in mounting armed deterrence against illegal fishing activity.<ref name=timesfidf/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.falklands.info/history/histarticle24.html |title=Falkland Islands Defence Force: 150 years of Voluntary Service |last=Biggs |first=Peter |publisher=Falklands.info |date=November 2004 |accessdate=18 March 2011}}</ref>

===Education===
{{main|Education in the Falkland Islands}}

The islands have approximately 380 children between the ages of 5 and 16 (excluding families of military personnel).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.falklands.gov.fk/documents/Census%20Report%202006.pdf |title=Falkland Islands Census Statistics 2006 |publisher=Falkland Islands Government |accessdate=19 March 2011}}</ref> Their education, which follows the English system, is free and compulsory. Primary education is available at Stanley where there are boarding facilities, at ] for children of service personnel and at a number of rural settlements where remote learning is supported by the Stanley based Camp Education Unit. The Islands' only secondary school is in Stanley and offers boarding facilities and 12 subjects to ] level. After 16, suitably qualified students may study at two colleges in England for their A-levels or for vocational qualifications. The Falkland Islands government pays for older students to attend higher education, usually in the UK.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.falklands.gov.fk/Education.html |publisher=Falkland Islands Government |title=Education |accessdate=16 March 2011}}</ref>

===Medical care===
The Falkland Islands Government Health and Social Services Department provides free medical and dental care for the islands.<ref name=fighealth>{{cite web |url=http://www.falklands.gov.fk/Health_Services.html |title=Health Services |publisher=Falkland Islands Government |accessdate=24 May 2010}}</ref> The King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (KEMH), completed in 1987, is Stanley's only hospital. It is run jointly by the Falkland Islands Government and the UK Ministry of Defence.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thecommonwealth.org/YearbookInternal/140416/140425/falkland_islands/ |title=United Kingdom – Falkland Islands |publisher=Commonwealth Secretariat |year=2011 |accessdate=18 March 2011}}</ref> Specialist medical care is provided by visiting ophthalmologists, gynaecologists, ENT surgeons, orthopaedic surgeons, oral surgeons and psychiatrists from the United Kingdom. Patients needing emergency treatment are air-lifted to the United Kingdom or to ] (]).<ref name=fighealth/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/south-america/falkland-islands |title=South America and South Atlantic Islands – Falkland Islands (British Overseas Territory) |publisher=United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Office |date=18 March 2010 |accessdate=24 May 2010}}</ref>


==Geography== ==Geography==
{{main|Geography of the Falkland Islands}} {{Main|Geography of the Falkland Islands}}
] ]


The Falkland Islands have a land area of {{cvt|4,700|sqmi}} and a coastline estimated at {{cvt|800|mi}}.<ref>See:
The Falkland Islands are located in the ] on a projection of the ] about {{convert|500|km|abbr=off|disp=flip}} east of the ]n coastline and about {{convert|450|km|abbr=off|disp=flip}} north-east of the southerly tip of ]. In ancient geological time, this shelf was part of ], which, around 400 million years ago, broke from what is now Africa and drifted westwards relative to Africa.<ref name="epk">{{cite web |url=http://www.epd.gov.fk/wp-content/uploads/Falkland%20Islands%20State%20of%20the%20Environment%20Report%202008_final_sm.pdf |title=Falkland Islands State of the Environment Report 2008 |last1=Otley |first1=Helen |last2=Munro |first2=Grant |last3=Clausen |first3=Andrea |last4=Ingham |first4=Becky |publisher=Environmental Planning Department Falkland Islands Government |date=May 2008 |accessdate=25 March 2011}}</ref>
*{{harvnb|Guo|2007|p=112}},
*{{harvnb|Sainato|2010|p=157}}.</ref> The archipelago consists of two main islands, West Falkland and East Falkland, and 776 smaller islands.{{sfn|Sainato|2010|p=157}} The islands are predominantly mountainous and hilly,{{sfn|Central Intelligence Agency|2011|loc="Falkland Islands (Malvinas)&nbsp;– Geography"}} with the major exception being the depressed plains of ] (a peninsula forming the southern part of East Falkland).{{sfn|Trewby|2002|p=79}} The Falklands consists of ] fragments resulting from the break-up of ] and the opening of the South Atlantic that began 130&nbsp;million years ago. The islands are located in the ], on the ], about {{cvt|300|mi|km}} east of Patagonia in southern Argentina.{{sfn|Klügel|2009|p=66}}


The Falklands' approximate location is latitude {{nowrap|51°40′}}&nbsp;– {{nowrap|53°00′ S}} and longitude {{nowrap|57°40′}}&nbsp;– {{nowrap|62°00′ W}}.{{sfn|Guo|2007|p=112}} The archipelago's two main islands are separated by the ],{{sfn|Hemmerle|2005|p=318}} and its deep coastal indentations form ]s.<ref>See:
The Falklands, which have a total land area of {{convert|12173|sqkm|abbr=off|disp=flip}} and a ] estimated at {{convert|3500|km|mi|disp=flip}}<ref name="EU">{{cite web |url=http://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/data/maritime-boundaries/inventory_report/inventory_report/at_download/file |title=D2.1.1 Inventory Report |work=European Coastal Erosion database |publisher=European Commission |page=122 |year=2002 |first1=Hervé |last1=Pichon |first2=Nicolas |last2=Rolland |first3=Nadège |last3=Orlova |first4=Stéphane |last4=Lombardo |accessdate=6 October 2012}}</ref> comprise two main islands, ] and ] and about 776 smaller islands. The two principal islands lie between {{nowrap|51°15′ S}} and {{nowrap|52°25′ S}} and between {{nowrap|57°40′ W}} and {{nowrap|61°05′ W}}<ref>Measurements taken from ].</ref> and are {{convert|220|km|mi|disp=flip}} from east to west and {{convert|140|km|mi|disp=flip}} from north to south.<ref name=IAWF/> They are heavily indented by sounds and ]s and have many natural harbours.<ref name="islands">{{cite web |title=The Islands: Location |publisher=Falkland Islands Government |url=http://www.falklands.gov.fk/Location.html |accessdate=25 March 2011}}</ref> The two main islands are separated by the ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/200784/Falkland-Sound |title=Falkland Sound |publisher=Encyclopaedia Britannica |accessdate=17 August 2012}}</ref> It is however believed that at times during the ], the seabed was some {{convert|46|m|ft}} lower than the present time&ndash;sufficient for the sound to be bridged.<ref>{{cite journal |title = New Evidence of Sea-level Changes in the Falkland Islands
*{{harvnb|Blouet|Blouet|2009|p=100}},
|first1 = Raymond J
*{{harvnb|Central Intelligence Agency|2011|loc="Falkland Islands (Malvinas)&nbsp;– Geography"}}</ref> East Falkland houses Stanley (the capital and largest settlement),{{sfn|Guo|2007|p=112}} the UK military base at RAF Mount Pleasant, and the archipelago's highest point: ], at {{cvt|705|m|ft|order=flip}}.{{sfn|Hemmerle|2005|p=318}} Outside of these significant settlements is the area colloquially known as "Camp", which is derived from the Spanish term for countryside (''Campo'').{{sfn|Hince|2001|loc="Camp"}}
|last1 = Adie
|id = Scientific Report No 9
|publisher = Falkland Island Dependency Survey, Colonial Office
|year = 1953
|url = http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/documents/scientific_reports/rep009.zip
|at=Introduction
|accessdate = 17 May 2013}}</ref>


The ] is cold, windy, and humid ].{{sfn|Klügel|2009|p=66}} Variability of daily weather is typical throughout the archipelago.{{sfn|Gibran|1998|p=16}} Rainfall is common over half of the year, averaging {{cvt|610|mm}} in Stanley, and sporadic light snowfall occurs nearly all year.{{sfn|Central Intelligence Agency|2011|loc="Falkland Islands (Malvinas)&nbsp;– Geography"}} The temperature has historically stayed between {{cvt|21.1|and|-11.1|C}} in Stanley, with mean monthly temperatures varying from {{cvt|9|C}} in January and February (summer) to {{cvt|-1|C}} in July (winter).{{sfn|Gibran|1998|p=16}} Strong ] and cloudy skies are common.{{sfn|Central Intelligence Agency|2011|loc="Falkland Islands (Malvinas)&nbsp;– Geography"}} Although numerous storms are recorded each month, conditions are normally calm.{{sfn|Gibran|1998|p=16}}
East Falkland, which contains the capital ] and the British military base at ], is the more populous of the two main islands.<ref name="Backgroundgeography">{{cite web |url=http://www.falklands.info/background/geography.html |title=Geography |publisher=Falklands.info |accessdate=24 July 2010}}</ref>

Both West Falkland and the northern part of East Falkland have ]s that are underlaid with ] rock, which, as a result of secondary forces associated with ] are at 120° to each other.<ref name="seabirds">{{cite web |url=http://www.seabirds.org/data.htm |author=Mike Bingham |title=Falklands/Falkland Islands |publisher=International Penguin Conservation Work Group |accessdate=24 March 2011}}</ref> The highest point of the islands is ], {{convert|705|m|ft|disp=flip}} on East Falkland, while ] on West Falkland is only {{convert|5|m|ft|disp=flip}} lower.<ref name="Backgroundgeography"/>

The southern part of East Falkland, the Lafonia Peninsula, which is connected to the rest of the island by a {{convert|4|km|mi|disp=flip}} narrow isthmus, is dissimilar to the rest of the island. Most of Lafonia is a flat plain underlain by younger ] rock, but in the north west is ] rock which is similar to that of parts of Ecca Pass in South Africa.<ref name="seabirds"/><ref name="Britlinks">{{cite web |url=http://www.britlink.org/eastfalkland.html |title=East Falkland Island |publisher=Britlink.org |accessdate=25 March 2011}}</ref>

===Climate===
{{main|Climate of the Falkland Islands}}

The Falkland Islands lie on the transition area between ] climates (] ''cfc'') and ] ] (Köppen ''ET'') zones<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/11/1633/2007/hess-11-1633-2007.pdf |title=Updated world map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification |first1=M. C. |last1=Peel |first2=B. L. |last2=Finlayson |first3=T. A. |last3=McMahon1 |journal=Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. |number=11 |pages=1633–1644 |year=2007 |publisher=Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union |accessdate=18 November 2012}}</ref> that is very much influenced by the proximity of the ], the cool ] ocean with its northerly Patagonian current and the ] land mass some {{convert|1100|km|disp=flip}} to the south<ref name=IAWF>{{cite web |url=http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/met/momu/International_Antarctic_Weather_Forecasting_Handbook/7.2_Sub_Antarctic_Islands.php |title=Representative sub–Antarctic Islands: 7.2.1 - The Falkland Islands |work=The International Antarctic Weather Forecasting Handbook |publisher=] |first1=John |last1=Turner |first2=Steve |last2=Pendlebury |date=5 November 2008 |accessdate=12 June 2012}}</ref> giving the islands a narrow annual temperature range. The January average maximum temperature is about 15°C (59°F), and the July maximum average temperature is about 5°C (41°F). The average rainfall in Stanley is {{convert|604|mm}};<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.falkland-islands.climatemps.com/ |title=Stanley, Falkland Islands |publisher=climatetemps.com |accessdate=10 July 2012}}</ref> in East Falkland as a whole it is {{convert|534|mm}}; and in West Falkland as a whole it is {{convert|555|mm}}; with the flat areas (and in particular ], where the average annual rainfall falls to 400&nbsp;mm or lower) being much drier than the mountainous areas.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.epd.gov.fk/wp-content/uploads/10.0%20FI%20Climate%20Change%20Project.pdf |title=Climate Change in the Falkland Islands – A Project by the United Kingdom Falkland Islands Trust. |first=Jim |last=McAdam |publisher=United Kingdom Falkland Islands Trust |date=15 March 2012 |accessdate=14 June 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite thesis |url=http://www.newportminster.org/canon_stephen_palmer_thesis.php |type=Ph.D. |first=Stephen |last=Palmer |title=An account and appraisal of some aspects of the human involvement with the natural environment of the Falkland Islands and South Georgia |chapter=Section 3. Geography and climate |publisher=University of Portsmouth |date=June 2004}}</ref> ] and winds are however constantly high. Snow and sleet are frequent in winter, although snowfall is rarely deep. Gales are very frequent, particularly in winter.<ref name="autogenerated2">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/hi/country_guides/newsid_9383000/9383965.stm |title=Falkland Islands |publisher=BBC News |date=22 March 2011 |accessdate=18 August 2011}}</ref>

Weather conditions are known to be extremely changeable, with it not being unusual to face all four seasons in one afternoon. The reason for this is the many wind directions resulting in many air masses mixing at the ], which is often an area of low pressures.

While being located as far south as the UK is north, the absence of a warming current like the ] means temperatures are considerably colder than comparable areas in North West Europe. Weather forecasts are given by a local branch of the UK's ].<ref>{{cite web |author= |url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3IIAx8hRnA&list=PL2766F789289DB6CA&index=6&feature=plcp |title=The Met Men of The Falkland Islands 13.06.12 – BFBS News |publisher=Youtube.com |date=2012-06-14 |accessdate=2013-01-04}}</ref>
{{clear}}
{{Weather box
|location = Stanley, Falkland Islands
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
|Jan record high C = 29
|Feb record high C = 27
|Mar record high C = 26
|Apr record high C = 27
|May record high C = 18
|Jun record high C = 14
|Jul record high C = 13
|Aug record high C = 15
|Sep record high C = 22
|Oct record high C = 22
|Nov record high C = 23
|Dec record high C = 25
|Jan high C = 15
|Feb high C = 15
|Mar high C = 13
|Apr high C = 9
|May high C =6
|Jun high C = 5
|Jul high C = 5
|Aug high C = 5
|Sep high C = 7
|Oct high C = 10
|Nov high C = 13
|Dec high C = 14
|Jan low C = 7
|Feb low C = 7
|Mar low C = 6
|Apr low C = 4
|May low C = 2
|Jun low C = 0
|Jul low C = 0
|Aug low C = 1
|Sep low C = 1
|Oct low C = 3
|Nov low C = 5
|Dec low C = 6
|Jan record low C = 0
|Feb record low C = 0
|Mar record low C = −1
|Apr record low C = −3
|May record low C = −6
|Jun record low C = −10
|Jul record low C = −10
|Aug record low C = −8
|Sep record low C = −10
|Oct record low C = −6
|Nov record low C = −2
|Dec record low C = −2
|Jan precipitation mm = 56
|Feb precipitation mm = 54
|Mar precipitation mm = 53
|Apr precipitation mm = 48
|May precipitation mm = 45
|Jun precipitation mm = 42
|Jul precipitation mm = 42
|Aug precipitation mm = 28
|Sep precipitation mm = 32
|Oct precipitation mm = 30
|Nov precipitation mm = 29
|Dec precipitation mm = 50
|Jan precipitation days = 24
|Feb precipitation days = 20
|Mar precipitation days = 23
|Apr precipitation days = 24
|May precipitation days = 26
|Jun precipitation days = 22
|Jul precipitation days = 23
|Aug precipitation days = 22
|Sep precipitation days = 21
|Oct precipitation days = 21
|Nov precipitation days = 21
|Dec precipitation days = 23
|source 1 = Weather2<ref name="BBC Weather">{{cite web |url=http://www.myweather2.com/City-Town/Falkland-Islands/Stanley/climate-profile.aspx |title=Country Overview For Falkland Islands |accessdate=27 November 2012 |publisher=Weather2 |date=June 2011}}</ref>
|date = August 2010
}}


==Biodiversity== ==Biodiversity==
{{main|Wildlife of the Falkland Islands}} {{Main|Wildlife of the Falkland Islands}}
]s on ]]]


The Falkland Islands are ] part of the ],{{sfn|Jónsdóttir|2007|pp=84–86}} with strong connections to the flora and fauna of ] in mainland South America.<ref name="epk">{{cite web |url=http://www.epd.gov.fk/wp-content/uploads/Falkland%20Islands%20State%20of%20the%20Environment%20Report%202008_final_sm.pdf |title=Falkland Islands State of the Environment Report 2008 |author1=Helen Otley |author2=Grant Munro |author3=Andrea Clausen |author4=Becky Ingham |publisher=Environmental Planning Department Falkland Islands Government |date=May 2008 |access-date=25 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720195504/http://www.epd.gov.fk/wp-content/uploads/Falkland%20Islands%20State%20of%20the%20Environment%20Report%202008_final_sm.pdf |archive-date=20 July 2011}}</ref> Land birds make up most of the Falklands' ]. The only ] bird species on the Falkland Islands are the flightless ] and ].<ref name= "Cobb">{{cite web|first=Gary|last=Kramer|url=https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/exploring-the-falkland-islands/|title=Exploring The Falkland Islands|website=All About Birds|date=15 July 2020|access-date=22 May 2023|language=en}}</ref><ref name="Report">{{cite web |url=http://www.epd.gov.fk/wp-content/uploads/Falkland%20Islands%20State%20of%20the%20Environment%20Report%202008_final_sm.pdf |title=Falkland Islands State of the Environment Report 2008 |publisher=gov.fk |date=May 2008 |access-date=25 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720195504/http://www.epd.gov.fk/wp-content/uploads/Falkland%20Islands%20State%20of%20the%20Environment%20Report%202008_final_sm.pdf |archive-date=20 July 2011 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name= "Steamer">{{cite web|url=http://datazone.birdlife.org/country/falkland-islands-malvinas|title=Falkland Islands (Malvinas)|website=BirdLife International|date=2023|access-date=22 May 2023|language=en}}</ref> 63 species breed on the islands, including 14 endemic ].{{sfn|Clark|Dingwall|1985|p=131}}
], the Falkland Islands are classified as part of the ]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/udvardy.pdf |title=A Classification of the Biogeographical Provinces of the World |pages=37–38 |author=Miklos D F Udvardy |publisher=IUCN |year=1975 |accessdate=25 March 2011}}</ref> and ].<ref>{{Cite journal|url=http://www.iscv.cl/pdfs/PDFSeminars/BioGeografia/Bibliografia/IIFundamentosteoricosymetodosBiog/2bVicarianzadispersionBiogeograf/BIOGEO2.PDF |title=The biogeographic regions reconsidered |page=518 |author=C Barry Cox |journal=Journal of Biogeography |volume=28 |year=2001 |accessdate=25 March 2011}}{{dead link|date=February 2012}}</ref> Strong connections exist with the flora and fauna of ] in South America.<ref name="epk"/> The only terrestrial mammal upon the arrival of Europeans was the ], a fox-like canid found on both major islands.<ref name="Britlinks"/><ref name="Darwin1839">{{citation |author=Waterhouse, George R |authorlink=George Robert Waterhouse |chapter-url=http://archive.org/stream/NHM_UK_L_3967751001#page/n255/mode/2up |editor=Darwin, Charles |date=1839. |chapter=The zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle, under the Command of Captain Fitzroy, R.N., during the years 1832–1836. Part II. Mammalia |title=The zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle, under the Command of Captain Fitzroy, R.N., during the years 1832–1836. (Pts 1 - 5) |volume=Vol. 1 |url=http://archive.org/details/NHM_UK_L_3967751001 |publisher= Smith, Elder & Co |place=London |accessdate=9 March 2013}}</ref> It became extinct in the mid 19th century.<ref name="Backgroundgeography"/><ref name="Paddle 2000">Paddle, R. 2000. pp.234–235 ''in'' The Last Tasmanian Tiger. The history and extinction of the Thylacine. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.</ref> 14 species of ]s frequent the surrounding waters.<ref name=BioPlanning>{{cite journal |url=http://www.epd.gov.fk/wp-content/uploads/BiodiversityStrategy09.pdf |title=Falkland Islands: Biodiversity Strategy 2008 - 2018 |publisher=The Environmental Planning Department, Falkland Islands Government |accessdate=26 November 2012 |page=8 |year=2008}}</ref> The elephant seal, the fur seal, and the sea lions all breed on the islands, and the largest elephant seal breeding site has over 500 animals in it.<ref name="gov.fk"/> 227 bird species have been seen on the islands,<ref name="epk"/> over 60 of which are known to breed on the islands.<ref name="gov.fk">{{cite web |url=http://www.falklands.gov.fk//Environment.html |title=Nature |publisher=Falkland Islands Government |accessdate=25 March 2011}}</ref> There are two endemic species of bird, and 14 endemic ].<ref name="epk"/> There are five penguin species breeding on the islands, and over 60% of the global ] population also breed in the area.<ref name=BioPlanning/>


There is also abundant ] diversity on the islands.{{sfn|Clark|Dingwall|1985|p=132}} The Falklands' flora consists of 163 native ].{{sfn|Clark|Dingwall|1985|p=129}} More than 400 species of ]s and ] have been recorded.<ref name="Fryday et al. 2019">{{cite journal |last1=Fryday |first1=lan M. |last2=Orange |first2=Alan |last3=Ahti |first3=Teuvo |last4=Øvstedal |first4=Dag O. |last5=Crabtree |first5=Dafydd E. |year=2019 |title=An annotated checklist of lichen-forming and lichenicolous fungi reported from the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) |journal=Glalia |volume=8 |issue=1 |pages=1–100 |url=https://helda.helsinki.fi/bitstream/handle/10138/310227/2019_Glalia_8_1_Fryday_et_al_Checklist_lichens_Falkland_Islands.pdf?sequence=1}}</ref> The islands' only native terrestrial mammal, the ], was hunted to extinction by European settlers.{{sfn|Hince|2001|p=370}}
].]]
There are no native ]s or ]s on the islands. Over 200 species of insects have been recorded, along with 43 ] species and 12 ] species. Only 13 terrestrial invertebrates are recognised as ], although information on many species is lacking and it is suspected up to two thirds of species found are actually endemic. Due to the island environment, many insect species have developed reduced or absent wings. There are around 129 freshwater invertebrates, the majority being ]; however, the identification of some species remains in dispute.<ref name="epk"/> Six species of fish are found in freshwater areas, including ] (''aplochiton zebra'') and ] (''Galaxias maculatus'').<ref name="epk"/> Different species of ] are found in Falkland waters, with ] inhabiting the warmer waters in the north.<ref name="seabirds"/>


The islands are frequented by ]s, such as the ] and the ], and various types of ]ns; offshore islands house the rare ]. There are also five different penguin species and a few of the largest ] colonies on the planet.<ref name="Science and Diplomacy.">{{cite journal |url=http://www.sciencediplomacy.org/letter-field/2015/pan-american-scientific-delegation-visit-falkland-islands |journal=Science and Diplomacy |date=30 June 2015 |title=Pan-American Scientific Delegation Visit to the Falkland Islands |first=Lindsay R. |last=Chura |quote=The ocean’s fecundity also draws globally important seabird populations to the archipelago; the Falkland Islands host some of the world’s largest albatross colonies and five penguin species. |access-date=6 July 2015 |archive-date=7 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150707031719/http://www.sciencediplomacy.org/letter-field/2015/pan-american-scientific-delegation-visit-falkland-islands |url-status=live }}</ref> Endemic fish around the islands are primarily from the genus '']''.{{sfn|Clark|Dingwall|1985|p=132}} The Falklands are treeless and have a wind-resistant vegetation predominantly composed of a variety of ].{{sfn|Jónsdóttir|2007|p=85}}
There are no native tree species on the archipelago, although two species of bushes, ] (''Chiliotrichum diffusum'')<ref>{{cite web |url=http://herbaria.plants.ox.ac.uk/bol/falklands |title=Falkland Islands |publisher=] |year=2012 |accessdate=26 November 2012}}</ref> and ] are found. Other vegetation consists of ]es and ]s.<ref name="Backgroundgeography"/> Around 363 species of ]s, 21 species of ferns and ]es and 278 species of ]s have been recorded on the islands. Of the vascular plants, 171 are believed to be native and 13 to be endemic.<ref name="epk"/> Some ]s and ]s exist and support some freshwater plant species, but these are not common on the islands.<ref name="seabirds"/> ], which averages {{convert|2|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=flip}} in height but can reach up to {{convert|4|m|ft|abbr=on||disp=flip}}, is found within 300&nbsp;m (1,000&nbsp;ft) of the coast where it forms bands around larger islands. The dense canopies formed create an insulated ] suitable for many birds and invertebrates.<ref name="seabirds"/> The ] (''Olsynium filifolium'') is the islands' proposed national flower.<ref name="gov.fk"/>


Virtually the entire land area of the islands is used as pasture for sheep.<ref name=CIA>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/falkland-islands-islas-malvinas/ |title=Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |access-date=10 July 2013 |archive-date=9 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109093604/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/falkland-islands-islas-malvinas |url-status=live }}</ref> Introduced species include ], hares, rabbits, ], ]s, and cats.{{sfn|Bell|2007|p=544}} Several of these species have harmed native flora and fauna, so the government has tried to contain, remove or exterminate foxes, rabbits and rats. Endemic land animals have been the most affected by introduced species, and several bird species have been extirpated from the larger islands.{{sfn|Bell|2007|pp=542–545}} The extent of ] on the Falklands is unclear, since there is little long-term data on habitat change.<ref name="epk" />
There is little long-term data on habitat changes, so the extent of human impact is unclear.<ref name="epk"/> Vegetation such as tussac grass, fachine, and native box have been heavily impacted by introduced grazing animals. Many breeding birds similarly only live on offshore islands, where introduced animals such as cats and rats are not found.<ref name="seabirds"/> Virtually the entire area of the islands is used as ] for ]. There is also an introduced ] population, which was brought to the islands in 2001 for commercial purposes.<ref name=cia/> Rats<ref name="Britlinks"/> and ]es have been introduced and are having a detrimental impact on birds that nest on the shores, as are ]s. 22 introduced plant species are thought to provide a significant threat to local flora.<ref name="epk"/>


==Economy== ==Economy==
{{main|Economy of the Falkland Islands}} {{Main|Economy of the Falkland Islands}}
{{See also|Falkland Islands oil}}
] representing two trends in recent economic development.]]
], now officially a city, is the financial centre of the Falkland Islands' economy.{{sfn|Royle|2001|p=171}}]]


{{As of|2023}}, the economy of the Falkland Islands is ranked the {{ordinal|221}} largest out of 229 in the world by GDP (]),<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/real-gdp-purchasing-power-parity/country-comparison/|title=Real GDP (purchasing power parity)|website=The World Factbook |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency|access-date=15 November 2023}}</ref> but ranks {{ordinal|10}} worldwide by ].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/real-gdp-per-capita/country-comparison/|title=Real GDP per capita|website=The World Factbook |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency|access-date=15 November 2023}}</ref> The unemployment rate was 1% in 2016, and inflation was calculated at 1.4% in 2014.<ref name="CIA" /> Based on 2010 data, the islands have a high ] of 0.874{{sfn|Avakov|2013|p=47}} and a moderate ] for ] of 34.17.{{sfn|Avakov|2013|p=54}} The local currency is the ], which is ] to the British ].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/country_profiles/4087743.stm |title=Regions and territories: Falkland Islands |newspaper=BBC News |date=12 June 2012 |access-date=26 June 2014 |archive-date=9 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180909094557/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/country_profiles/4087743.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>
The earliest economic activity on the islands, from 1770 onwards, was ] and ]. From the mid nineteenth century onwards, sheep farming played an important part in the island's economy.<ref>{{cite web |title=Part 4 - The British Colonial Era |url=http://www.falklands.info/history/history4.html |work=A Brief History of the Falkland Islands |publisher=Falkland Islands Information Portal |accessdate=25 November 2012}}</ref> In more recent years ], ] and ] have played a leading part in the economy of the islands.


Economic development was advanced by ] and sheep farming for high-quality wool.<ref>See:
Today, apart from defence, the islands are self sufficient with annual exports of $125&nbsp;million and imports of $90&nbsp;million (2004 estimate).<ref name=cia>{{cite web |title=Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) |work=The World Factbook |publisher=CIA |date=28 February 2011 |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/fk.html |accessdate=8 March 2011}}</ref> The Falkland Islands use the ], which circulates interchangeably with the pound ] and which is backed by the pound sterling on a one-for-one basis.<ref name=NewCoin>{{cite web |url=http://www.falklands.gov.fk/assembly/documents/197-10.pdf |title=Commemorative Coin – Lifetime of Service |date=17 August 2010 |publisher=Executive Council of the Falkland Islands Government |accessdate=31 December 2010}}</ref> Falkland coins are produced in the United Kingdom;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.currencymuseum.net/falklandis.htm |title=The history of the Falkland Islands pound |publisher=Will's online paper money |accessdate=16 July 2010}}</ref> coins are identical in size to the United Kingdom currency but with local designs on the reverse. The Falkland Islands also ]. Both the coins and stamps are a source of revenue from overseas collectors.<ref name=NewCoin/>
*{{harvnb|Calvert|2004|p=134}},
*{{harvnb|Royle|2001|p=170}}.</ref> The main sheep breeds in the Falkland Islands are ] and ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.falklands.gov.fk/self-sufficiency/commercial-sectors/agriculture/ |title=Agriculture |publisher=Falkland Islands Government |access-date=13 February 2016 |archive-date=15 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160215211254/http://www.falklands.gov.fk/self-sufficiency/commercial-sectors/agriculture/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> During the 1980s, although ranch under-investment and the use of ]s damaged the sheep-farming sector, the government secured a major revenue stream by the establishment of an ] and the sale of fishing licences to "anybody wishing to fish within this zone".{{sfn|Royle|2001|p=170}} Since the end of the Falklands War in 1982, the islands' economic activity increasingly focused on oil field ] and tourism.{{sfn|Hemmerle|2005|p=319}} All large settlements are now connected by road and, since 2008, a ferry links West and East Falkland.<ref name="britannica.com" /> The islands' major exports include wool, hides, venison, fish and squid; its main imports include fuel, ]s and clothing.<ref name="CIA" />


The port settlement of Stanley has regained the islands' economic focus, with an increase in population as workers migrate from Camp.{{sfn|Royle|2001|pp=170–171}} Fear of dependence on fishing licences and threats from ], ] and fish ] led to increased interest in oil drilling as an alternative source of revenue. As of 2001 exploration efforts had yet to find "exploitable reserves".{{sfn|Royle|2001|p=171}} By 2023, oil exploration was still proceeding off the shelf of the islands with a deepwater project led by ]. In 2023, Rockhopper (working with Tel Aviv-listed Navitas Petroleum) indicated that it had been presented with a new development plan for its Sea Lion project that aimed to cut costs and proceed in phases. It was stated that: "If realized, the new plan – with a total price tag of $2.2 billion – could lead to 80,000 barrels per day of production (up to 100,000 b/d at peak) via a leased floating production, storage and offloading unit". A final investment decision had been targeted for early 2024, though it was somewhat delayed.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.energyintel.com/00000187-245b-dd7d-a597-377b8e9d0000 | title=Rockhopper, Navitas Look to Reboot Falklands Project |website=Energy Intelligence |last=Schmidt |first=Katherine |date=27 March 2023 |accessdate=9 July 2023 }}</ref> A public consultation on the project took place in the summer of 2024 and was reported to have garnered widespread support from Falkland Islanders. Since Britain's newly elected ] banned similar oil projects in the United Kingdom, this created the prospect for a potential conflict between the Falkland Island's government and the British government. Nevertheless, the authority to approve oil development around the islands was said to rest solely with the Falkland Island's government.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.offshore-technology.com/news/uk-cant-stop-falklands-islands-extracting-oil-from-sea-lion-field/?cf-view | title=UK can't stop Falkland Islands extracting million of barrels of oil |website=Offshore Technology |last=Pearcy |first=Ed |date=30 September 2024 |accessdate=30 September 2024 }}</ref> In November 2024, the Falkland's government Executive Council indicated that, while the public consultation process had been successfully concluded, "some matters" related to the Environmental Impact Statement required "further discussion" and that any development and production program would need to be considered separately by the Executive Council.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://en.mercopress.com/2024/11/14/falklands-sea-lion-oil-development-area-eis-public-consultation-considered | title=Falklands, Sea Lion oil development area EIS public consultation considered |website=Merco Press |date=14 November 2024 |accessdate=18 November 2024 }}</ref> Navitas Petroleum subsequently indicated that a final investment decision was delayed to mid-2025 with first oil not anticipated until late 2027, at the earliest. Although certified gross 2C recoverable oil resources had increased from 791 million bbls to 917 million bbls, phase 1 costs had increased to $1.4 billion.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.offshore-energy.biz/sea-lions-first-roar-pushed-back-as-costs-rise-to-1-4-billion-for-falkland-islands-oil-project/ | title=Sea lion’s first roar pushed back as costs rise to $1.4 billion for Falkland Islands’ oil project |website=Offshore Energy |date=26 November 2024 |accessdate=1 December 2024 |last=Cavcic |first=Melisa }}</ref>
Farmland accounts for {{convert|1123985|ha|sqmi|abbr=on}}, more than 90% of the Falklands land area.<ref name=Farms>{{cite web |url=http://www.agriculture.gov.fk/publications/farming_statistics/2008-2009.pdf |title=Biennial Report 2008/9 |publisher=Falklands Island Government Department of Agriculture |date=31 May 2009 |accessdate=18 April 2010}}</ref> Since 1984, efforts to diversify the economy have made fishing the largest part of the economy and brought increasing income from tourism.<ref>, Frank Kane, ], 4 April 2004</ref> ] farming was formerly the main source of income for the islands and still plays an important part with high quality wool exports going to the UK. According to the Falklands Government Statistics there are over 500,000 sheep on the islands with roughly 60% on East Falkland and 40% on West Falkland.<ref name=Farms/>


Development projects in education and sports have been funded by the Falklands government, without aid from the United Kingdom.{{sfn|Royle|2001|p=170}}
The government has operated a fishing zone policy since 1986 with the sale of fishing licences to foreign countries. These licences have recently raised only ]12 to 15&nbsp;million a year in revenue, as opposed to £20m to £25m annually during the 1990s. Locally registered fishing boats are also in operation. More than 75% of the annual catch of 200,000 tonnes (220,000 short tons) is ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.falklands.gov.fk//Fisheries.html |title=Fisheries |publisher=Falkland Islands Government |accessdate =14 July 2010}}</ref>


The ] accounts for most of the Falkland Islands' gross domestic product, with the fishing industry alone contributing between 50% and 60% of annual GDP; agriculture also contributes significantly to GDP and employs about a tenth of the population.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.falklands.gov.fk/self-sufficiency/the-economy/ |publisher=Falkland Islands Government |title=The Economy |access-date=26 June 2014 |archive-date=7 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407065020/http://www.falklands.gov.fk/self-sufficiency/the-economy/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> A little over a quarter of the workforce serves the Falkland Islands government, making it the archipelago's largest employer.<ref name="FI Guardian">{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2013/jan/03/falkland-islands-data-charts |title=The Falkland Islands: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know in Data and Charts |newspaper=The Guardian |date=3 January 2013 |access-date=12 June 2014 |archive-date=3 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180703050447/https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2013/jan/03/falkland-islands-data-charts |url-status=live }}</ref> Tourism, part of the service economy, has been spurred by increased interest in ] and the creation of direct air links with the United Kingdom and South America.<ref>See:
]
*{{harvnb|Bertram|Muir|Stonehouse|2007|p=144}},
Tourism has grown rapidly. The islands have become a regular port of call for the growing market of cruise ships with more than 36,000 visitors in 2004.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.falklands.info/background/lifearticle31.html |title=Four Seasons and more than 3,000 Tourists in One Day |last=Jaffray |first=Sharon |newspaper=Penguin News |date=22 April 2005 |accessdate=17 August 2011}}</ref>
*{{harvnb|Prideaux|2008|p=171}}.</ref> Tourists, mostly ] passengers, are attracted by the archipelago's wildlife and environment, as well as activities such as fishing and ]; the majority find accommodation in Stanley.<ref>See:
*{{harvnb|Prideaux|2008|p=171}},
*{{harvnb|Royle|2006|p=183}}.</ref> The main international airport, located at ] on East Falkland, provides flights to ] in the UK and mainland South America.<ref name="britannica.com">{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Falkland-Islands |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |title=Falkland Islands |accessdate=18 September 2019}}</ref> ] provides internal flights.<ref>{{cite web |title=Internal Flights (FIGAS) |url=http://www.falklandislands.com/contents/view/116/get-here/get-around/internal-flights-figas |access-date=2010-07-23 |work=Getting Around the Falkland Islands |publisher=Falkland Islands Tourist Board}}</ref> Despite ] restrictions causing suspensions of flights from ] and ] and prohibited cruise ship tourism, the economy of the islands remains stable and healthy.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.lanacion.com.ar/politica/las-islas-malvinas-hoy-mas-diversas-y-cosmopolitas-miran-a-londres-y-apuntan-a-la-autodeterminacion-nid28032022/ |title=Las Islas Malvinas, hoy: más diversas y cosmopolitas, miran a Londres y apuntan a la autodeterminación como país |trans-title=Falkland Islands, today: more diverse and cosmopolite, they look to London and aim to self-determination |language=Spanish |first=Hugo |last=Alconada Mon |date=28 March 2022 |publisher=La Nación |accessdate=28 March 2022 |archive-date=28 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328135504/https://www.lanacion.com.ar/politica/las-islas-malvinas-hoy-mas-diversas-y-cosmopolitas-miran-a-londres-y-apuntan-a-la-autodeterminacion-nid28032022/ |url-status=live }}</ref>


==Transport==
A 1995 agreement between the UK and Argentina had set the terms for exploitation of offshore resources including ]<ref>{{cite news |first=Calvin |last=Sims |title=Britain and Argentina Reach an Accord on Falkland Oil Rights |url=http://www.nytimes.com/1995/09/20/world/britain-and-argentina-reach-an-accord-on-falkland-oil-rights.html?pagewanted=1 |work=The New York Times |date=20 September 1995 |accessdate=10 May 2010}}</ref> as geological surveys had shown there might be up to 60&nbsp;billion barrels (9.5&nbsp;billion cubic metres) of oil under the seabed surrounding the islands.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/feb/07/falkland-islands-oil-britain-argentina |title=Falklands oil prospects stir Anglo-Argentine tensions |newspaper=The Guardian |date=7 February 2010 |first1=Rory |last1=Carroll |first2=Annie |last2=Kelly |accessdate=23 August 2011}}</ref> However, in 2007 Argentina unilaterally withdrew from the agreement;<ref>{{cite news |first=Sophie |last=Arie |title=Argentina snubs UK over oil deal as anniversary nears |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/03/29/warg29.xml |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=3 April 2007 |accessdate=20 October 2007}}</ref> Falklands Oil and Gas Limited then signed an agreement with ] to investigate the potential exploitation of oil reserves.<ref name="Times_Oil_Deal">
{{Main|Transport in the Falkland Islands}}
{{cite news |first=Carl |last=Mortished |title=BHP Billiton strikes $100m Falklands drilling deal |url=http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/natural_resources/article2577806.ece |work=The Times |date=3 October 2007 |accessdate=20 October 2007}}</ref> Due to the difficult climatic conditions of the southern seas exploitation will be difficult, though economically viable; the continuing sovereignty dispute with Argentina is also hampering progress.<ref name="Argentine_response">{{cite news |first=Jude |last=Webber |title=Argentina protests at Falklands oil stake |url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/aa2294fe-71d7-11dc-8960-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1 |publisher=The Financial Times |date=3 October 2007 |accessdate=20 October 2007}}</ref>

In February 2010 exploratory drilling for oil was begun by ],<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8527307.stm |title=Drilling for oil begins off the Falkland Islands |publisher=BBC News |date=22 February 2010 |accessdate=15 March 2010}}</ref> but the results from the first test well were disappointing.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/explorers-fail-to-strike-oil-in-test-sites-off-falklands-1930807.html |title=Explorers fail to strike oil in test sites off Falklands |work=The Independent |date=30 March 2010 |accessdate=9 June 2010 |first=Nick |last=Clark}}</ref> Two months later, on 6 May 2010, ] announced that "it may have struck oil".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/10100769.stm |title=Falklands oil firm Rockhopper claims discovery |publisher=BBC News |date=6 May 2010 |accessdate=6 May 2010}}</ref> Subsequent tests showed it to be a commercially viable find; an appraisal project was launched and on 14 September 2011 Rockhopper Exploration announced that plans were under way for oil production to commence in 2016, through the use of ] (FPSO) technology.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oilonline.com/default.asp?id=259&nid=19869&name=FPSO+wanted+for+Sea+Lion |title=FPSO wanted for Sea Lion |date=14 September 2011 |accessdate=26 November 2012 |publisher=OilOnline |first1=Jennifer |last1=Pallanich}}</ref>


==Demographics== ==Demographics==
{{see also|Falkland Islanders|Origins of Falkland Islanders}} {{see also|Origins of Falkland Islanders|Religion in the Falkland Islands}}
], Stanley, with an arch made of whale bone. One of the earliest economic activities on the islands was whaling.]] ], the local parish church of the ]. Most Falklanders identify as Christian.]]
The Falkland Islands population is homogeneous, mostly descended from Scottish and Welsh immigrants who settled in the territory after 1833.{{sfn|Laver|2001|p=9}} The Falkland-born population are also descended from English and ], ], Scandinavians, and South Americans. The 2016 census indicated that 43% of residents were born on the archipelago, with foreign-born residents assimilated into local culture. The legal term for the right of residence is "belonging to the islands".<ref name="2006Census">{{cite web |url=http://www.falklands.gov.fk//documents/Census%20Report%202006.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101216182057/http://www.falklands.gov.fk//documents/Census%20Report%202006.pdf |archive-date=16 December 2010 |title=Falkland Islands Census Statistics, 2006 |publisher=Falkland Islands Government |access-date=4 June 2010}}</ref><ref name="Census 2016">{{cite web |last1=Falkland Islands Government |title=Falkland Islands Census 2016 |url=http://www.fig.gov.fk/archives/jdownloads/People/Census%20Information%20Early%20Settlers/Falkland%20Islands%20Census%202016%20-%20Full%20Report.pdf |website=Falkland Islands Government |access-date=6 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180328192533/http://www.fig.gov.fk/archives/jdownloads/People/Census%20Information%20Early%20Settlers/Falkland%20Islands%20Census%202016%20-%20Full%20Report.pdf |archive-date=28 March 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In 1983, full ] was given to Falkland Islanders under the ].{{sfn|Laver|2001|p=9}}


A significant population decline affected the archipelago in the 20th century, with many young islanders moving overseas in search of education, a modern lifestyle, and better job opportunities,<ref>See:
The population of the Falkland Islands is primarily of British descent (about 70 percent of the population), mainly as a result of ] and ] immigration to the islands.<ref>{{cite book |first=Patrick |last=Vincent |title=The Geographical Journal, Vol. 149, No. 1, pp 16–17 |month=March | year=1983}}</ref> In the 2012 census, 59% of residents described their national identity as ‘Falkland Islander’, 29% considered themselves British, 9.8% St Helenian and 5.4% Chilean.<ref name = census2012/> In the 2006 census, some Islanders identified themselves as of ], ], and ]n descent.<ref name=2006Census>{{cite web |url=http://web.archive.org/web/20101216182057/http://www.falklands.gov.fk//documents/Census%20Report%202006.pdf |title=Falkland Islands Census Statistics, 2006 |publisher=Falkland Islands Government |accessdate=4 June 2010}}</ref> Although the 2006 census indicated that only a third of residents were born on the islands, many people from other countries, including ] and ], have settled in the Falklands and become assimilated into the local population.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6683677.stm |title=Falklands questions answered |publisher=BBC News |date=4 June 2007 |accessdate=17 August 2012}}</ref> There is also a small number of ] currently residing in the islands,<ref name="mercopress">{{cite news | url=http://en.mercopress.com/2013/06/28/falklands-referendum-voters-from-many-countries-around-the-world-voted-yes | title=Falklands Referendum: Voters from many countries around the world voted Yes | work=MercoPress | date=28 June 2013 | accessdate=29 June 2013|quote="The largest minorities were St Helenians and Chileans, but there were also 18 Argentines on the electoral register."}}</ref> including Maria Strange, wife of the author and historian ].<ref name='telegraph 2010-02-28'>{{cite news |first=Tom |last=Leonard |title='We must educate the Argentines' |date=28 February 2010 |url=http://web.archive.org/web/20100302005501/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/falklandislands/7332262/We-must-educate-the-Argentines.html |work=The Telegraph |accessdate=8 February 2012}}</ref>
*{{harvnb|Gibran|1998|p=18}},
*{{harvnb|Laver|2001|p=173}}.</ref> particularly to the British city of ], which came to be known in the islands as "Stanley North".<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170305030343/https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2012/mar/19/falklands-optimistic-invasion-anniversary |date=5 March 2017 }}, '']'', Andy Beckett, 19 March 2012</ref> In recent years, the islands' population decline has reduced, thanks to immigrants from the United Kingdom, ], and Chile.{{sfn|Minahan|2013|p=139}} In the 2012 census, a majority of residents listed their nationality as ] (59 per cent), followed by British (29 per cent), Saint Helenian (9.8 per cent), and ] (5.4 per cent).<ref name=census2012>{{cite web |url=http://www.falklands.gov.fk/assets/Headline-Results-from-Census-2012.pdf |title=Falkland Islands Census 2012: Headline results |date=10 September 2012 |publisher=Falkland Islands Government |access-date=19 December 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130520184434/http://www.falklands.gov.fk/assets/Headline-Results-from-Census-2012.pdf |archive-date=20 May 2013}}</ref> A small number of ] also live on the islands.<ref name="mercopress">{{cite news |url=http://en.mercopress.com/2013/06/28/falklands-referendum-voters-from-many-countries-around-the-world-voted-yes |title=Falklands Referendum: Voters from many countries around the world voted Yes |newspaper=MercoPress |date=28 June 2013 |access-date=22 July 2013 |archive-date=17 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017102912/http://en.mercopress.com/2013/06/28/falklands-referendum-voters-from-many-countries-around-the-world-voted-yes |url-status=live }}</ref>


The Falkland Islands ].{{sfn|Royle|2006|p=181}} According to the 2012 census, the average daily population of the Falklands was 2,932, excluding military personnel serving in the archipelago and their dependents.{{efn-ua|At the time of the 2012 census, 91 Falklands residents were overseas.<ref name=census2012/>}} A 2012 report counted 1,300 uniformed personnel and 50 ] civil servants present in the Falklands.<ref name="FI Guardian"/> Stanley (with 2,121 residents) is the most-populous location on the archipelago, followed by ] (369 residents, primarily air-base contractors) and Camp (351 residents).<ref name="census2012" /> The islands' age distribution is skewed towards working age {{nowrap|(20–60)}}. Males outnumber females (53 to 47 per cent), and this discrepancy is most prominent in the {{nowrap|20–60}} age group.<ref name="2006Census" />
Residents of the Falklands are often called "]"<ref name="Tweedie">{{cite news |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/falklandislands/9176205/How-the-good-life-came-to-the-Kelpers.html |title=How the good life came to the Kelpers |last=Tweedie |first=Neil |newspaper=The Telegraph |date=31 March 2012 |accessdate=17 August 2012}}</ref> or "Islanders".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.falklands.gov.fk//Falklands_Life.html |title=People |publisher=Falkland Islands Government |accessdate=17 August 2012}}</ref> The legal term for having the right of residence is "]".<ref name=constitutiontext/> From 1 January 1983, as provided in the ], the islanders have been full ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1983/6 |title=British Nationality (Falkland Islands) Act 1983 |publisher=The National Archives |accessdate=10 August 2012}}</ref>


In the 2012 census, most islanders identified themselves as Christian (66 per cent), followed by those with no religious affiliation (32 per cent). The remaining 2 per cent identified as adherents of other religions, including the ],<ref name=Adherents2001>{{cite web |url=http://adherents.com/largecom/com_bahai.html |title=The Largest Baha'i (sic) Communities (mid-2000) |website=Adherents.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011020123109/http://www.adherents.com/largecom/com_bahai.html |date=September 2001 |archive-date=20 October 2001 |access-date=11 October 2020}}</ref> ],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.falklands.gov.fk//documents/Census%20Report%202006.pdf |title=Falkland Islands Census Statistics 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101216182057/http://www.falklands.gov.fk//documents/Census%20Report%202006.pdf |archive-date=16 December 2010}}</ref> and ].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2009/oct/08/muslim-population-islam-religion |title=The world in muslim populations, every country listed |date=8 October 2009 |work=The Guardian |access-date=2 March 2019 |archive-date=7 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181207193255/https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2009/oct/08/muslim-population-islam-religion |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="census2012" /> The main Christian denominations are ] and other ], and ].<ref>Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices, 2nd Edition by J. Gordon Melton, Martin Baumann, ABC-CLIO, p. 1093.</ref>
A population decline leading up to the Falklands War has reversed, with the population bolstered by immigration from the British island of Saint Helena, and Chile<ref name="Tweedie"/> though figures for immigration are skewed by including children born to Falkland Islander women who for medical reasons travelled abroad for their confinement as being "born abroad".<ref name=2006Census/> Historical census figures show that the population rose from an estimate of 287 in 1851 to 2,272 in 1911. The population was 2,094 in 1921 and 2,392 in 1931, but it then declined to 1,813 in 1980.<ref name=2006Census/> However, the population recorded in the 2001 census was higher than at any previous point in history.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.falklands.info/background/census2001r.html |title=Summary Report |publisher=Falklands.info |accessdate=17 August 2012}}</ref> By 2006 the population had increased to 2,955 of whom 2,115 lived in Stanley and 477 in Mount Pleasant, 194 in the rest of East Falkland, 127 in West Falkland and 42 in the other islands. These figures excluded all military personnel and their families, but included 477 people who were present in the Falkland Islands in connection with the military garrison.<ref name="2006Census"/> In 2012, the usual daily population of the Falkland Islands stood at 2,932 (excluding British Ministry of Defence personnel and families based at ]), the small drop since 2006 being attributed to a decline in the number of contractors associated with the air base. Excluding these contractors, the true population stood at 2,563. A breakdown of the figures showed that Stanley had a population of 2,121, Camp had a population of 351 and contractors at Mount Pleasant made up 369. 91 residents were overseas when the 2012 census was taken.<ref name = census2012/>


], which follows ], is free and compulsory for residents aged between 5 and 16 years.<ref name="EDU">{{cite web |url=http://www.falklands.gov.fk/our-people/daily-life/education/ |publisher=Falkland Islands Government |title=Education |access-date=29 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181026174550/https://www.falklands.gov.fk/our-people/daily-life/education/ |archive-date=26 October 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> Primary education is available at Stanley, RAF Mount Pleasant (for children of service personnel) and a number of rural settlements. Secondary education is only available in Stanley, which offers boarding facilities and 12 subjects to ] (GCSE) level. Students aged 16 or older may study at colleges in England for their ] or vocational qualifications. The Falkland Islands government pays for older students to attend institutions of higher education, usually in the United Kingdom.<ref name="EDU" />
The age distribution of the islands residents is skewed towards people of working age {{nowrap|(20–60)}} – 65% as opposed to 21% aged below 20 and 14% aged above 60. Males outnumber females by 53% to 47% with the deviation being most prominent in the {{nowrap|20–60}} age group.<ref name=2006Census/> In the 2006 census, 67.2% of the islanders identified themselves as being ]s, 31.5% either declined to answer or had no religious affiliation and the remaining 1.3% (39 individuals) identified themselves as adherents of other faiths.<ref name=2006Census/> The islands have three churches, one for each of the ], ] and ] communities.<ref name=FCO/>


==Infrastructure== ==Culture==
{{Main|Culture of the Falkland Islands}}
]s from mainland South America, such as these two men having ] at Hope Place in East Falkland, influenced the local dialect.]]


Falklands culture is based on the ] of its British settlers but has also been influenced by ].{{sfn|Minahan|2013|p=139}} Falklanders still use some terms and place names from the former Gaucho inhabitants.{{sfn|Wagstaff|2001|p=21}} The Falklands' predominant and official language is English, with the foremost dialect being ]; nonetheless, some inhabitants also speak Spanish.{{sfn|Minahan|2013|p=139}} According to naturalist ], "the Falkland Islands are a very social place, and stopping for a chat is a way of life".{{sfn|Wagstaff|2001|p=21}}
===Media===
The islands have two weekly newspapers, the ''The Penguin News'' which is funded by the Falklands Media Trust and the ''Teaberry Express'' which is published by the Falkland Islands News Network.<ref name=pressreference>{{cite web |url=http://www.pressreference.com/Co-Fa/Falkland-Islands.html |title=Falkland Islands |publisher=Press Reference |accessdate=4 April 2011}}</ref>


The islands have one weekly newspaper, '']'',{{sfn|Wagstaff|2001|p=66}} and television and radio broadcasts generally feature programming from the United Kingdom.{{sfn|Minahan|2013|p=139}} Wagstaff describes the local cuisine as "very British in character with much use made of the home-grown vegetables, local lamb, mutton, beef, and fish". Common between meals are "homemade cakes and biscuits with tea or coffee".{{sfn|Wagstaff|2001|pp=63–64}} Social activities are, according to Wagstaff, "typical of that of a small British town with a variety of clubs and organisations covering many aspects of community life".{{sfn|Wagstaff|2001|p=65}}
Falkland Islands technical standards for radio and television are identical to those in the United Kingdom or, in the case of ] broadcasts, the Americas. There are approximately 1000 television sets and 1000 radio receivers on the islands.<ref name=pressreference/> Five terrestrial television are broadcast by the ], ], ], ], ] and ]<ref></ref> while ] relays a number of satellite services such as ], ], ], ], ] and ] via ] to subscribers in Stanley.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ktv.co.fk/ |title=KTV Ltd (Home Page) |publisher=KTV Ltd. |accessdate=4 April 2011}}</ref> Radio broadcasting is supported by seven FM radio stations and one AM radio station. The first broadcasting service, the Falkland Islands Broadcasting Service, established in 1929 used landlines connected to a speaker in people's homes. This was upgraded to wireless in 1942 and a 5&nbsp;kW medium wave transmitter installed in 1954. VHF was introduced in 1999. In 2005 the service was privatised and renamed ] (FIRS).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.firs.co.fk/station_history.php |title=Station History |publisher=Falkland Islands Radio Service |accessdate=4 April 2011}}</ref>


===Telephone=== ===Sport===
{{Main|Sport in the Falkland Islands}}
The first telephones in the Falklands were installed by the Falkland Island Company in 1880, with lines to all settlements in Camp being installed by 1907. In 1911, Marconi built a telegraph office that permitted telegrams to be sent to ]. In 1950, the fixed line telephone service to Camp was replaced by a radio service;<ref name=C&WHistory>{{cite web |url=http://www.cwfi.co.fk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=46&Itemid=53 |title=About us |publisher=Cable & Wireless Falkland Islands |accessdate=11 August 2012}}</ref> the 2006 census showed that of the 307 two-metre radio receivers in the islands, 129 were located in Camp.<ref name=2006Census/> In 1989, Cable and Wireless won the contract to provide the Island's national and international telephone services.<ref name=C&WHistory/> In 2006, a ] mobile network was installed.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gsmworld.com/ROAMING/GSMINFO/net_fkcw.shtml |title=GSM coverage in the Falkland Islands |publisher=Gsmworld.com |accessdate=11 August 2012}}</ref>
Despite its small size, the Falkland Islands compete in the ] and ].<ref name="insidethegames.biz 2021 g927">{{cite web | title=Falkland Islands | website=Inside the Games | date=2021-10-07 | url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1106645/falkland-islands | access-date=2024-04-05}}</ref> The ] is a member of the ].<ref name="ICC 2024">{{cite web | title=Falkland Islands | website=International Cricket Council | date=2024-01-18 | url=https://www.icc-cricket.com/about/members/associate/falkland-islands | access-date=2024-04-05}}</ref>

In 2006, broadband was successfully implemented in Stanley and Mount Pleasant Complex and was subsequently rolled out across the islands from 2008 to 2009.<ref name=C&WHistory/> The ] figures for 2011 identified the Falkland Islands as having the ] in the world – 96.38%.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/statistics/material/excel/20112/ictwebsite/Internet_users_01-11_2.xls |title=Internet users per 100 inhabitants |publisher=International Telecommunication Union |format=Excel |accessdate =29 October 2011}}</ref>

===Transport===
{{main|Transport in the Falkland Islands}}
]

In 1982, the Falkland Islands had no roads outside Stanley, only tracks.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.falklands.gov.fk/documents/Falklands%20Focus%20Issue%2081,%20July%2007.pdf |title=Falkland Focus – News from the Falkland Islands Government |date=July/August 2007 |accessdate=29 December 2010}}</ref> By 2007, the Falkland Islands had a road network of {{convert|786|km|mi|disp=flip}} which in 2012 had been extended to {{convert|862|km|mi|disp=flip}} linking to all occupied mainland settlements.<ref name=Transport>{{cite web |url=http://www.falklands.gov.fk/Transport_&_Communication.html# |title=Transport and Communication |publisher=Falkland Islands Government |accessdate=18 July 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Priorities for Roads Maintenance, Increased Funding for Grading, Capping and for Surfacing the MPA Road |url=http://www.falklands.gov.fk/assembly/documents/39-12P.pdf |date=25 April 2012 |publisher=Falkland Islands Executive Council |accessdate=16 August 2012}}</ref> Speed limits are 25&nbsp;mph (40&nbsp;km/h) in built-up areas and 40&nbsp;mph (64&nbsp;km/h) elsewhere.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.falklandislands.com/product.php/101/8/module_1__local_transport___getting_around |title=Module 1: Local Transport / Getting Around |publisher=Falkland Islands Tourist Board |accessdate =26 November 2012}}</ref> {{As of|2006}}, the Falkland Islands had 67 motor vehicles per 100 people, with 4x4 vehicles accounting for 66% of the total.<ref name=2006Census/>

The Falkland Islands have two airports with paved runways – the main international airport ], {{convert|27|mi|km|disp=flip}} west of Stanley<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mapcrow.info/Distance_between_London_UK_and_Port_Stanley_FK.html |title={{convert|43.28|km|2|abbr=on|2|disp=flip}} in Map Crow Travel Distance Calculator |publisher=Mapcrow.info |date=23 October 2007 |accessdate=15 March 2010}}</ref> opened in 1986 and the smaller ] on the outskirts of Stanley, opened in 1979 following the 1971 Anglo-Argentine agreement regarding an air link between the countries.<ref>{{cite web |title=Stanley Airport Celebrates 25th Birthday |url=http://www.falklands.info/history/histarticle7.html |publisher=Falklands.info |date=March 2004 |accessdate=27 March 2011}}</ref> Mount Pleasant is used for military purposes and for heavy aircraft that require long runways, whereas Stanley is used for internal flights and smaller aircraft.

The ] operates flights from RAF Mount Pleasant to ] in Oxfordshire, England, with a refuelling stop at ]. RAF flights are on ] although charter aircraft are often used if the TriStars are required for operational flights.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://en.mercopress.com/2010/01/27/air-seychelles-begins-operating-brize-norton-falklands-air-bridge |title=Air Seychelles begins operating Brize Norton-Falklands Air Bridge |publisher=MercoPress |date=28 January 2011 |accessdate=18 August 2011}}</ref> Local military air support – moving of personnel, equipment and supplies around the islands is carried out under contract by ] which operates two ] helicopters. The principal civilian air operator at Mount Pleasant is ] which operates weekly flights to ] via ].<ref name=Transport/>

] of the ] at Stanley.]]
The main operator at Port Stanley Airport is the ] (FIGAS) which operates ] aircraft which can use the grass airstrips at most settlements. Flight schedules, which are broadcast on the radio every evening, are planned on a daily basis according to passenger needs.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.falklandislands.com/product.php/19/24/air_service__figas_/3264f26f115b88e105590adfbcee300f |title=Internal flights (FIGAS) |publisher=Falkland Islands Tourist Board |accessdate=27 March 2011}}</ref>

Private operators from Stanley include the ] who operate an air link to the ] on the ] and also serve other British bases in the ] using a ].

{{clear}}

== Culture ==
{{main|Culture of the Falkland Islands}}
]

Falklands culture is fundamentally "based on the British culture brought with the settlers from the ]", though it has been partly influenced by the cultures of ].{{sfn|Minahan|2013|p=139}} Some terms and toponyms used by the islands' former ] inhabitants are still commonly used in local speech.{{sfn|Wagstaff|2001|p=21}} The Falklands' predominant language is ], and part of the population (2.5%) is ].{{sfn|Minahan|2013|p=139}} According to naturalist ], "the Falkland Islands are a very social place, and stopping for a chat is a way of life".{{sfn|Wagstaff|2001|p=21}}

The islands have two weekly newspapers, '']'' and '']''.{{sfn|Wagstaff|2001|p=66}} Television and radio broadcasts generally feature programming from the United Kingdom.{{sfn|Minahan|2013|p=139}} Wagstaff describes local cuisine as "very British in character with much use made of the homegrown vegetables, local lamb, mutton, beef, and fish". Common between meals are "home made cakes and biscuits with tea or coffee".{{sfn|Wagstaff|2001|pp=63–64}} Moreover, social activities in the Falklands are, in the words of Wagstaff, "typical of that of a small British town with a variety of clubs and organisations covering many aspects of community life".{{sfn|Wagstaff|2001|pp=65}}


==See also== ==See also==
* ] *]
* ] *]
<!-- *] --> *]
<!-- *] --> *]
{{Subject bar|portal1=Latin America|portal2=United Kingdom||portal3=Argentina|portal4=Geography}}


==Notes== ==Notes==
{{reflist|30em}} {{notelist-ua|35em}}


==References== ==References==
{{reflist}}

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*{{cite book |last=Minahan |first=James |title=Ethnic Groups of the Americas |year=2013 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |location=Santa Barbara, California |isbn=978-1-61069-163-5}}
*{{cite book |last=Paine |first=Lincoln |title=Ships of Discovery and Exploration |year=2000 |publisher=] |location=New York |isbn=978-0-395-98415-4}}
*{{cite book |last1=Pascoe |first1=Graham |last2=Pepper |first2=Peter |chapter=Luis Vernet |title=The Dictionary of Falklands Biography (Including South Georgia): From Discovery Up to 1981 |editor=David Tatham |editor-link=David Tatham |publisher=David Tatham |location=Ledbury, England |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-9558985-0-1}}
*{{cite book |last=Peterson |first=Harold |title=Argentina and the United States 1810–1960 |year=1964 |publisher=University Publishers Inc. |location=New York |isbn=978-0-87395-010-7}}
*{{cite encyclopedia |last=Prideaux |first=Bruce |title=Falkland Islands |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Tourism and Recreation in Marine Environments |editor=Michael Lück |publisher=CAB International |location=Oxon, England |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-84593-350-0}}
*{{cite book |last1=Reginald |first1=Robert |last2=Elliot |first2=Jeffrey |title=Tempest in a Teapot: The Falkland Islands War |year=1983 |publisher=Whitehall Co. |location=Wheeling, Illinois |isbn=978-0-89370-267-0}}
*{{cite book |last=Room |first=Adrian |author-link=Adrian Room |title=Placenames of the World |edition=2nd |year=2006 |publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc. |location=Jefferson, North Carolina |isbn=978-0-7864-2248-7}}
*{{cite book |last=Royle |first=Stephen |title=A Geography of Islands: Small Island Insularity |year=2001 |publisher=Routledge |location=New York |isbn=978-0-203-16036-7}}
*{{cite encyclopedia |last=Royle |first=Stephen |title=The Falkland Islands |year=2006 |encyclopedia=Extreme Tourism: Lessons from the World's Cold Water Islands |editor=Godfrey Baldacchino |publisher=Elsevier |location=Amsterdam |isbn=978-0-08-044656-1}}
*{{cite book |last=Sainato |first=Vincenzo |editor=] |editor2=Janet Stamatel |editor3=Hang-en Sung |chapter=Falkland Islands |title=Crime and Punishment around the World |volume=2 |year=2010 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |location=Santa Barbara, California |isbn=978-0-313-35133-4}}
*{{cite book |last=Segal |first=Gerald |title=The World Affairs Companion |url=https://archive.org/details/worldaffairscomp00sega |url-access=registration |year=1991 |publisher=Simon & Schuster/Touchstone |location=New York |isbn=978-0-671-74157-0}}
*{{cite book |last=Sicker |first=Martin |title=The Geopolitics of Security in the Americas |year=2002 |publisher=Praeger Publishers |location=Westport, Connecticut |isbn=978-0-275-97255-4}}
*{{cite book |last=Strange |first=Ian |title=The Falkland Islands and Their Natural History |year=1987 |publisher=David & Charles |location=Newton Abbot, England |isbn=978-0-7153-8833-4 |url=https://archive.org/details/falklandislands00stra}}
*{{cite book |last1=Taylor |first1=Simon |last2=Márkus |first2=Gilbert |title=The Place-Names of Fife: Central Fife between the Rivers Leven and Eden |year=2005 |publisher=Shaun Tyas |location=Donington, England |isbn=978-1900289-93-1}}
*{{cite encyclopedia |last=Thomas |first=David |title=The View from Whitehall |encyclopedia=Toward Resolution? The Falklands/Malvinas Dispute |editor=Wayne Smith |publisher=Lynne Rienner Publishers |location=Boulder, Colorado |year=1991 |isbn=978-1-55587-265-6}}
*{{cite book |last=Trewby |first=Mary |title=Antarctica: An Encyclopedia from Abbott Ice Shelf to Zooplankton |year=2002 |publisher=Firefly Books |location=], Ontario |isbn=978-1-55297-590-9}}
*{{cite book |last=Wagstaff |first=William |author-link=Will Wagstaff |title=Falkland Islands: The Bradt Travel Guide |year=2001 |publisher=Bradt Travel Guides, Ltd. |location=Buckinghamshire, England |isbn=978-1-84162-037-4}}
*{{cite book |last=Zepeda |first=Alexis |chapter=Argentina |title=Britain and the Americas: Culture, Politics, and History |year=2005 |editor=Will Kaufman |editor2=Heidi Slettedahl Macpherson |publisher=ABC–CLIO |location=Santa Barbara, California |isbn=978-1-85109-431-8}}
{{refend}} {{refend}}


==Further reading== ==Further reading==
{{refbegin|30em}} {{refbegin|30em}}
*{{cite book |year=1846 |author=Darwin, Charles |title=On the Geology of the Falkland Islands |journal=] |volume=2 |pages=267–274 |doi=10.1144/GSL.JGS.1846.002.01-02.46 |url=http://www.umag.cl/investigacion/dpa/docs/267-a.pdf |accessdate=9 March 2013 |postscript=&nbsp;&nbsp;}} *{{cite journal |first=César |last=Caviedes |title=Conflict Over The Falkland Islands: A Never-Ending Story? |journal=Latin American Research Review |volume=29 |year=1994 |issue=2 |pages=172–187 |doi=10.1017/S0023879100024171 |s2cid=252749716 |doi-access=free }}
*{{cite journal |year=1846 |last=Darwin |first=Charles |title=On the Geology of the Falkland Islands |journal=] |volume=2 |issue=1–2 |pages=267–274 |doi=10.1144/GSL.JGS.1846.002.01-02.46 |s2cid=129936121 |url=http://www.umag.cl/investigacion/dpa/docs/267-a.pdf |access-date=9 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140711103055/http://www.umag.cl/investigacion/dpa/docs/267-a.pdf |archive-date=11 July 2014 |url-status=dead }}
* L.L. Ivanov et al. ] Sofia: Manfred Wörner Foundation, 2003. Printed in Bulgaria by Double T Publishers. 96 pp.&nbsp;ISBN 954-91503-1-3.
*{{es icon}} Carlos Escudé and Andrés Cisneros, eds. ''Historia de las Relaciones Exteriores Argentinas''. Work developed and published under the auspices of the Argentine Council for International Relations (CARI). Buenos Aires: GEL/Nuevohacer, 2000. ISBN 950-694-546-2. *{{cite book |editor-first=Carlos |editor-last=Escudé|editor-first2=Andrés |editor-last2=Cisneros |title=Historia de las Relaciones Exteriores Argentinas |location=Buenos Aires, Argentina |publisher=GEL/Nuevohacer |year=2000 |isbn=978-950-694-546-6}} Work developed and published under the auspices of the Argentine Council for International Relations (CARI).
*{{cite book |last=Freedman |first=Lawrence |author-link=Lawrence Freedman |title=The Official History of the Falklands Campaign |url=https://archive.org/details/officialhistoryo0001free |url-access=registration |year=2005 |publisher=Routledge |location=Oxon, UK |isbn=978-0-7146-5207-8 }}
* {{cite web |first1=Graham |last1=Pascoe |first2=Peter |last2=Pepper |url=http://www.falklandshistory.org/false-falklands-history.pdf |title=False Falklands History at the United Nations - How Argentina misled the UN in 1964 – and still does |date=May 2008 |publisher=Falklands History |accessdate=26 November 2012}}
*{{cite news |author=Michael Frenchman |work=] |page=7 |title=Britain puts forward four options on Falklands (Nick Ridley visit & leaseback) |date=28 November 1980 |url=https://www.margaretthatcher.org/document/112605 |access-date=5 July 2020 |archive-date=6 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200706054656/https://www.margaretthatcher.org/document/112605 |url-status=live }}
* by Samuel Johnson, 1771.
* Greig, D.W. ''Australian Year Book of International Law''. Vol. 8 (1983). pp.&nbsp;20–70. ISSN: 0084-7658. *{{cite journal |last=Greig |first=D. W. |url=http://www.austlii.com/au/journals/AUYrBkIntLaw//1978/2.pdf |title=Sovereignty and the Falkland Islands Crisis |journal=Australian Year Book of International Law |volume=8 |year=1983 |pages=20–70 |doi=10.1163/26660229-008-01-900000006 |issn=0084-7658 |access-date=5 September 2011 |archive-date=9 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140709041530/http://www.austlii.com/au/journals/AUYrBkIntLaw//1978/2.pdf |url-status=live }}
*{{cite book |first=L. L. |last=Ivanov |title=The Future of the Falkland Islands and Its People |location=Sofia, Bulgaria |publisher=Manfred Wörner Foundation |year=2003 |isbn=978-954-91503-1-5 |display-authors=etal |title-link=s:The Future of the Falkland Islands and Its People}} Printed in Bulgaria by Double T Publishers.
* César Caviedes. ''Latin American Research Review''. Vol. 29 (1994) No. 2. pp.&nbsp;172–187.
{{refend}} {{refend}}


==External links== ==External links==
{{Sister project links|commons=Falkland Islands}} {{commons category}}
* {{Wikiatlas|Falkland Islands}} *{{Wikiatlas|Falkland Islands}}
*{{official website}}
* {{Wikivoyage-inline|Falkland Islands}}
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* {{CIA World Factbook link|fk|Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)}}
*
* {{dmoz|Regional/South_America/Falkland_Islands/}}
* (official site). * (also at: )
* *{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Falkland Islands |volume=10 |short=x}}
{{Geographic Location
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|Centre={{flagicon|FLK}} ]
<!-- * TEMP link in case the official site link below stops working - Paine Ellsworth -->
|Northwest={{flagu|Argentina}}
* (official site).
|North=''Atlantic Ocean''
<!-- NOTE: The above link for FIDC's "official site", as of 1 March 2010, sometimes works and sometimes does not. It is not really a "dead link", so please don't remove it. The commented link above it can be used if the "official site" link stops working altogether. – Paine Ellsworth -->
|Northeast=''Atlantic Ocean''
* (official site).
|East=''Atlantic Ocean'' <br /> {{flagicon|SGS}} ]
*
|Southeast='']'' <br /> ]

|South='']'' <br /> ] <br /> ]
* {{cite web | url = http://www.falklands.gov.fk/Historical_Dates.html | title = Historical Dates | accessdate =17 March 2011 | publisher = The Falkland Islands Government}}
|Southwest=] <br /> '']''
* {{cite web | url = http://www.falklands.info/history/history2.html | title = A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE FALKLAND ISLANDS, Part 2 – Fort St. Louis and Port Egmont | accessdate =17 March 2011 | last = Lewis | first = Jason | coauthors = Alison Inglis | publisher = Falkland Islands Information Portal}}
|West={{flagu|Chile}} <br /> '']''
* {{cite web | url = http://www.falklands.info/history/timeline.html | title = FALKLAND ISLANDS TIMELINE A Chronology of events in the history of the Falkland Islands | accessdate =17 March 2011 | last = Lewis | first = Jason | coauthors = Alison Inglis | publisher = Falkland Islands Information Portal}}
}}

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Latest revision as of 00:17, 3 January 2025

Group of islands in the South Atlantic

"Falklands" and "Malvinas" redirect here. For other uses, see Falklands (disambiguation) and Malvinas (disambiguation).

British Overseas Territory in United Kingdom
Falkland Islands
British Overseas Territory
Flag of Falkland Islands
FlagOfficial seal of Falkland Islands
Coat of arms
Motto: "Desire the Right"
Anthem: "God Save the King"
Unofficial anthem: "Song of the Falklands"
Location of the Falkland IslandsLocation of the Falkland Islands
Sovereign state United Kingdom
First settlement1764
British rule reasserted3 January 1833
Falklands War2 April to
14 June 1982
Current constitution1 January 2009
Capitaland largest settlementStanley
51°41′43″S 57°50′58″W / 51.69528°S 57.84944°W / -51.69528; -57.84944
Official languagesEnglish
Demonym(s)Falkland Islander, Falklander
GovernmentDevolved parliamentary dependency under a constitutional monarchy
• Monarch Charles III
• Governor Alison Blake
• Chief Executive Andy Keeling
LegislatureLegislative Assembly
Government of the United Kingdom
• MinisterStephen Doughty
Area
• Total12,173 km (4,700 sq mi)
• Water (%)0
Highest elevation705 m (2,313 ft)
Population
• 2021 census3,662 (not ranked)
• Density0.30/km (0.8/sq mi) (not ranked)
GDP (PPP)2013 estimate
• Total$228.5 million
• Per capita$96,962 (4th)
Gini (2015)Negative increase 36.0
medium
HDI (2010)0.874
very high · not ranked
CurrencyPound sterling
Falkland Islands pound (£) (FKP)
Time zoneUTC– 03:00 (FKST)
Date formatdd/mm/yyyy
Driving sideLeft
Calling code+500
UK postcodeFIQQ 1ZZ
ISO 3166 codeFK
Internet TLD.fk
Websitewww.falklands.gov.fk

The Falkland Islands (/ˈfɔː(l)klənd, ˈfɒlk-/ FAW(L)K-lənd, FOLK-; Spanish: Islas Malvinas [ˈislas malˈβinas]) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about 300 mi (480 km) east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about 752 mi (1,210 km) from Cape Dubouzet at the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, at a latitude of about 52°S. The archipelago, with an area of 4,700 sq mi (12,000 km), comprises East Falkland, West Falkland, and 776 smaller islands. As a British Overseas Territory, the Falklands have internal self-governance, but the United Kingdom takes responsibility for their defence and foreign affairs. The capital and largest settlement is Stanley on East Falkland.

The islands are believed to have been uninhabited prior to European discovery in the 17th century. Controversy exists over the Falklands' discovery and subsequent colonisation by Europeans. At various times, the islands have had French, British, Spanish, and Argentine settlements. Britain reasserted its rule in 1833, but Argentina maintains its claim to the islands. In April 1982, Argentine military forces invaded the islands. British administration was restored two months later at the end of the Falklands War. In a 2013 sovereignty referendum, almost all Falklanders voted in favour of remaining a UK overseas territory. The territory's sovereignty status is part of an ongoing dispute between Argentina and the UK.

The population (3,662 inhabitants in 2021) is primarily native-born Falkland Islanders, the majority of British descent. Other ethnicities include French, Gibraltarians, and Scandinavians. Immigration from the United Kingdom, the South Atlantic island of Saint Helena, and Chile has reversed a population decline. The predominant (and official) language is English. Under the British Nationality (Falkland Islands) Act 1983, Falkland Islanders are British citizens.

The islands lie at the boundary of the subantarctic oceanic and tundra climate zones, and both major islands have mountain ranges reaching 2,300 ft (700 m). They are home to large bird populations, although many no longer breed on the main islands due to predation by introduced species. Major economic activities include fishing, tourism and sheep farming, with an emphasis on high-quality wool exports. Oil exploration, licensed by the Falkland Islands Government, remains controversial as a result of maritime disputes with Argentina.

Etymology

See also: List of Falkland Islands placenames

The name "Falkland Islands" comes from Falkland Sound, the strait that separates the two main islands. The name "Falkland" was applied to the channel by John Strong, captain of an English expedition that landed on the islands in 1690. Strong named the strait in honour of Anthony Cary, 5th Viscount Falkland, the Treasurer of the Navy who sponsored his journey. The Viscount's title originates from the town of Falkland, Scotland—the town's name probably comes from a Gaelic term referring to an "enclosure" (lann), but it could less plausibly be from the Anglo-Saxon term "folkland" (land held by folk-right). The name "Falklands" was not applied to the islands until 1765, when British captain John Byron of the Royal Navy claimed them for King George III as "Falkland's Islands". The term "Falklands" is a standard abbreviation used to refer to the islands.

The common Spanish name for the archipelago, Islas Malvinas, derives from the French Îles Malouines—the name given to the islands by French explorer Louis-Antoine de Bougainville in 1764. Bougainville, who founded the islands' first settlement, named the area after the port of Saint-Malo (the point of departure for his ships and colonists). The port, located in the Brittany region of western France, was named after St. Malo (or Maclou), the Christian evangelist who founded the city.

In 1965, at the 20th session of the United Nations General Assembly, the Fourth Committee determined that, in all languages other than Spanish, all UN documentation would designate the territory as Falkland Islands (Malvinas). In Spanish, the territory was designated as Islas Malvinas (Falkland Islands). The nomenclature used by the United Nations for statistical processing purposes is Falkland Islands (Malvinas).

History

Main articles: History of the Falkland Islands and Timeline of the history of the Falkland Islands

Although Fuegians from Patagonia may have visited the Falkland Islands in prehistoric times, the islands were uninhabited when Europeans first explored them. European claims of discovery date back to the 16th century, but no consensus exists on whether early explorers sighted the Falklands or other islands in the South Atlantic. The first undisputed landing on the islands is attributed to English captain John Strong, who, en route to Peru and Chile's littoral in 1690, explored the Falkland Sound and noted the islands' water and game.

The Falklands remained uninhabited until the 1764 establishment of Port Louis on East Falkland by French captain Louis Antoine de Bougainville and the 1765 foundation of Port Egmont on Saunders Island by Captain John Byron; the latter settlement being expanded by British captain John MacBride a year later. Whether or not the settlements were aware of each other's existence is debated by historians. In 1766, France surrendered its claim on the Falklands to Spain, which renamed the French colony Puerto Soledad the following year. Problems began when Spain detected and captured Port Egmont in 1770. War was narrowly avoided by its restitution to Britain in 1771.

The British and Spanish settlements coexisted in the archipelago until 1774, when Britain's new economic and strategic considerations led it to withdraw the garrison from the islands, leaving a plaque claiming the Falklands for King George III. Spain's Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata became the only formal presence in the territory. West Falkland was left abandoned, and Puerto Soledad became a penal colony. Amid the British invasions of the Río de la Plata during the Napoleonic Wars in Europe, the islands' governor evacuated the archipelago in 1806; Spain's remaining colonial garrison followed suit in 1811, except for gauchos and fishermen who remained voluntarily.

Thereafter, the archipelago was visited only by fishing ships; its political status was undisputed until 1820, when Colonel David Jewett, an American privateer working for the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata, informed anchored ships about Buenos Aires' 1816 claim to Spain's territories in the South Atlantic. Since the islands had no permanent inhabitants, in 1823 Buenos Aires granted German-born merchant Luis Vernet permission to conduct fishing activities and exploit feral cattle in the archipelago. Vernet settled at the ruins of Puerto Soledad in 1826, and accumulated resources on the islands until the venture was secure enough to bring settlers and form a permanent colony. Buenos Aires named Vernet military and civil commander of the islands in 1829, and he attempted to regulate sealing to stop the activities of foreign whalers and sealers. Vernet's venture lasted until a dispute related to fishing and hunting rights led to a raid by the American warship USS Lexington in 1831, when United States Navy commander Silas Duncan declared the dissolution of the island's government.

Three men in horseback examine a pastoral settlement
Depiction of a Falklands corral, shepherds and sheep in 1849 (painting by Royal Navy Admiral Edward Fanshawe)

Buenos Aires attempted to gain influence over the settlement by installing a garrison in October 1832, which mutinied within a month and was followed the next year by the arrival of British forces, who reasserted Britain's rule. The Argentine Confederation (headed by Buenos Aires Governor Juan Manuel de Rosas) protested against Britain's actions, and Argentine governments have continued since then to register official protests against Britain. The British troops departed after completing their mission, leaving the area without formal government. Vernet's deputy, the Scotsman Matthew Brisbane, returned to the islands that year to restore the business, but his efforts ended after, amid unrest at Port Louis, gaucho Antonio Rivero led a group of dissatisfied individuals to murder Brisbane and the settlement's senior leaders; survivors hid in a cave on a nearby island until the British returned and restored order. In 1840, the Falklands became a Crown colony and Scottish settlers subsequently established an official pastoral community. Four years later, nearly everyone relocated to Port Jackson, considered a better location for the government, and merchant Samuel Lafone began a venture to encourage British colonisation.

Stanley, as Port Jackson was soon renamed, officially became the seat of government in 1845. Early in its history, Stanley had a negative reputation due to cargo-shipping losses; only in emergencies would ships rounding Cape Horn stop at the port. Nevertheless, the Falklands' geographic location proved ideal for ship repairs and the "Wrecking Trade", the business of selling and buying shipwrecks and their cargoes. Aside from this trade, commercial interest in the archipelago was minimal due to the low-value hides of the feral cattle roaming the pastures. Economic growth began only after the Falkland Islands Company, which bought out Lafone's failing enterprise in 1851, successfully introduced Cheviot sheep for wool farming, spurring other farms to follow suit. The high cost of importing materials, combined with the shortage of labour and consequent high wages, meant the ship repair trade became uncompetitive. After 1870 it declined as the replacement of sail ships by steamships was accelerated by the low cost of coal in South America; by 1914, with the opening of the Panama Canal, the trade effectively ended. In 1881, the Falkland Islands became financially independent of Britain. For more than a century, the Falkland Islands Company dominated the trade and employment of the archipelago; in addition, it owned most housing in Stanley, which greatly benefited from the wool trade with the UK.

Two battling ships, with one sinking
Naval confrontation during the 1914 Battle of the Falkland Islands (painting by William Lionel Wyllie)

In the first half of the 20th century, the Falklands served an important role in Britain's territorial claims to subantarctic islands and a section of Antarctica. The Falklands governed these territories as the Falkland Islands Dependencies starting in 1908 and retained them until their dissolution in 1985. The Falklands also played a minor role in the two world wars as a military base aiding control of the South Atlantic. In the First World War Battle of the Falkland Islands in December 1914, a Royal Navy fleet defeated an Imperial German squadron. In the Second World War, following the December 1939 Battle of the River Plate, the battle-damaged HMS Exeter steamed to the Falklands for repairs. In 1942, a battalion en route to India was redeployed to the Falklands as a garrison amid fears of a Japanese seizure of the archipelago. After the war ended, the Falklands economy was affected by declining wool prices and the political uncertainty resulting from the revived sovereignty dispute between the United Kingdom and Argentina.

Simmering tensions between the UK and Argentina increased during the second half of the century, when Argentine President Juan Perón asserted sovereignty over the archipelago. The sovereignty dispute intensified during the 1960s, shortly after the United Nations passed a resolution on decolonisation which Argentina interpreted as favourable to its position. In 1965, the UN General Assembly passed Resolution 2065, calling for both states to conduct bilateral negotiations to reach a peaceful settlement of the dispute. From 1966 until 1968, the UK confidentially discussed with Argentina the transfer of the Falklands, assuming its judgement would be accepted by the islanders. An agreement on trade ties between the archipelago and the mainland was reached in 1971 and, consequently, Argentina built a temporary airfield at Stanley in 1972. Nonetheless, Falklander dissent, as expressed by their strong lobby in the UK Parliament, and tensions between the UK and Argentina effectively limited sovereignty negotiations until 1977.

Concerned at the expense of maintaining the Falkland Islands in an era of budget cuts, the UK again considered transferring sovereignty to Argentina in the early Thatcher government. Substantive sovereignty talks again ended by 1981, and the dispute escalated with passing time. In April 1982 the Falklands War began when Argentine military forces invaded the Falklands and other British territories in the South Atlantic, briefly occupying them until a UK expeditionary force retook the territories in June. After the war the UK expanded its military presence, building RAF Mount Pleasant and increasing the size of its garrison. The war also left some 117 minefields containing nearly 20,000 mines of various types, including anti-vehicle and anti-personnel mines. Due to the large number of deminer casualties, initial attempts to clear the mines ceased in 1983. Demining operations recommenced in 2009 and were completed in October 2020.

Based on Lord Shackleton's recommendations, the Falklands diversified from a sheep-based monoculture into an economy of tourism and, with the establishment of the Falklands exclusive economic zone, fisheries. The road network was also made more extensive, and the construction of RAF Mount Pleasant allowed access to long haul flights. Oil exploration also began in the 2010s, with indications of possible commercially exploitable deposits in the Falklands basin. Landmine clearance work restarted in 2009, in accordance with the UK's obligations under the Ottawa Treaty, and Sapper Hill Corral was cleared of mines in 2012, allowing access to an important historical landmark for the first time in 30 years. Argentina and the UK re-established diplomatic relations in 1990, but neither has agreed on the terms of future sovereignty discussions.

Government

Main article: Politics of the Falkland Islands
Large, rambling house with greenhouse and white fence
Government House in Stanley is the Governor's official residence.

The Falkland Islands are a self-governing British Overseas Territory. Under the 2009 Constitution, the islands have full internal self-government; the UK is responsible for foreign affairs, retaining the power "to protect UK interests and to ensure the overall good governance of the territory". The Monarch of the United Kingdom is the head of state, and executive authority is exercised on the monarch's behalf by the governor, who appoints the islands' chief executive on the advice of members of the Legislative Assembly. Both the governor and the chief executive serve as the head of government.

Governor Alison Blake was appointed in July 2022 and Chief Executive Andy Keeling was appointed in April 2021. The UK minister responsible for the Falkland Islands since 2024, Stephen Doughty, administers British foreign policy regarding the islands.

The governor acts on the advice of the islands' Executive Council, composed of the chief executive, the Director of Finance and three elected members of the Legislative Assembly (with the governor as chairman). The Legislative Assembly, a unicameral legislature, consists of the chief executive, the director of finance and eight members (five from Stanley and three from Camp) elected to four-year terms by universal suffrage. All politicians in the Falkland Islands are independent; no political parties exist on the islands. Since the 2013 general election, members of the Legislative Assembly have received a salary and are expected to work full-time and give up all previously held jobs or business interests.

As a territory of the United Kingdom, the Falklands were part of the overseas countries and territories of the European Union until 2020. The islands' judicial system, overseen by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, is largely based on English law, and the constitution binds the territory to the principles of the European Convention on Human Rights. Residents have the right of appeal to the European Court of Human Rights and the Privy Council. Law enforcement is the responsibility of the Royal Falkland Islands Police (RFIP).

Defence

Main article: Military of the Falkland Islands

Defence of the islands is provided by the United Kingdom. A British military garrison is stationed on the islands, and the Falkland Islands government funds an additional platoon to company-sized light infantry Falkland Islands Defence Force. The Falklands claim an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) extending 200 nmi (370 km) from its coastal baselines, based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea; this zone overlaps with the EEZ of Argentina.

Sovereignty dispute

Main article: Falkland Islands sovereignty dispute

The UK and Argentina both assert sovereignty over the Falkland Islands. The UK bases its position on its continuous administration of the islands since 1833 and the islanders' "right to self-determination as set out in the UN Charter". Argentina claims that, when it achieved independence in 1816, it acquired the Falklands from Spain. The incident of 1833 is particularly contentious; Argentina considers it proof of "Britain's usurpation" whereas the UK discounts it as a mere reassertion of its claim.

In 2009, the British prime minister, Gordon Brown, had a meeting with the Argentine president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, and said that there would be no further talks over the sovereignty of the Falklands. In March 2013, the Falkland Islands held a referendum on its political status: 99.8% of votes cast favoured remaining a British overseas territory. Argentina does not recognise the Falkland Islanders as a partner in negotiations.

However, in May, 2024, newly elected Argentine president Javier Milei, expressed general acceptance and tolerance for British rule, for the time being, noting it could take decades for Argentina to gain control of the islands. Though asserting “We relinquish our sovereignty" over the islands, Milei said they would not "seek conflict with the United Kingdom" over them, preferring to resolve the dispute "within the framework of peace."

Geography

Main article: Geography of the Falkland Islands
Topographic image
Map of the Falkland Islands

The Falkland Islands have a land area of 4,700 sq mi (12,000 km) and a coastline estimated at 800 mi (1,300 km). The archipelago consists of two main islands, West Falkland and East Falkland, and 776 smaller islands. The islands are predominantly mountainous and hilly, with the major exception being the depressed plains of Lafonia (a peninsula forming the southern part of East Falkland). The Falklands consists of continental crust fragments resulting from the break-up of Gondwana and the opening of the South Atlantic that began 130 million years ago. The islands are located in the South Atlantic Ocean, on the Patagonian Shelf, about 300 mi (480 km) east of Patagonia in southern Argentina.

The Falklands' approximate location is latitude 51°40′ – 53°00′ S and longitude 57°40′ – 62°00′ W. The archipelago's two main islands are separated by the Falkland Sound, and its deep coastal indentations form natural harbours. East Falkland houses Stanley (the capital and largest settlement), the UK military base at RAF Mount Pleasant, and the archipelago's highest point: Mount Usborne, at 2,313 ft (705 m). Outside of these significant settlements is the area colloquially known as "Camp", which is derived from the Spanish term for countryside (Campo).

The climate of the islands is cold, windy, and humid maritime. Variability of daily weather is typical throughout the archipelago. Rainfall is common over half of the year, averaging 610 mm (24 in) in Stanley, and sporadic light snowfall occurs nearly all year. The temperature has historically stayed between 21.1 and −11.1 °C (70.0 and 12.0 °F) in Stanley, with mean monthly temperatures varying from 9 °C (48 °F) in January and February (summer) to −1 °C (30 °F) in July (winter). Strong westerly winds and cloudy skies are common. Although numerous storms are recorded each month, conditions are normally calm.

Biodiversity

Main article: Wildlife of the Falkland Islands
Large group of short, squat penguins on barren shore
Colony of southern rockhopper penguins on Saunders Island

The Falkland Islands are biogeographically part of the Antarctic zone, with strong connections to the flora and fauna of Patagonia in mainland South America. Land birds make up most of the Falklands' avifauna. The only endemic bird species on the Falkland Islands are the flightless Falkland steamer duck and Cobb's wren. 63 species breed on the islands, including 14 endemic subspecies.

There is also abundant arthropod diversity on the islands. The Falklands' flora consists of 163 native vascular species. More than 400 species of lichens and lichen-dwelling fungi have been recorded. The islands' only native terrestrial mammal, the warrah, was hunted to extinction by European settlers.

The islands are frequented by marine mammals, such as the southern elephant seal and the South American fur seal, and various types of cetaceans; offshore islands house the rare striated caracara. There are also five different penguin species and a few of the largest albatross colonies on the planet. Endemic fish around the islands are primarily from the genus Galaxias. The Falklands are treeless and have a wind-resistant vegetation predominantly composed of a variety of dwarf shrubs.

Virtually the entire land area of the islands is used as pasture for sheep. Introduced species include reindeer, hares, rabbits, Patagonian foxes, brown rats, and cats. Several of these species have harmed native flora and fauna, so the government has tried to contain, remove or exterminate foxes, rabbits and rats. Endemic land animals have been the most affected by introduced species, and several bird species have been extirpated from the larger islands. The extent of human impact on the Falklands is unclear, since there is little long-term data on habitat change.

Economy

Main article: Economy of the Falkland Islands See also: Falkland Islands oil
Aerial photograph of small seaside city
Stanley, now officially a city, is the financial centre of the Falkland Islands' economy.

As of 2023, the economy of the Falkland Islands is ranked the 221st largest out of 229 in the world by GDP (PPP), but ranks 10th worldwide by GDP (PPP) per capita. The unemployment rate was 1% in 2016, and inflation was calculated at 1.4% in 2014. Based on 2010 data, the islands have a high Human Development Index of 0.874 and a moderate Gini coefficient for income inequality of 34.17. The local currency is the Falkland Islands pound, which is pegged to the British pound sterling.

Economic development was advanced by ship resupplying and sheep farming for high-quality wool. The main sheep breeds in the Falkland Islands are Polwarth and Corriedale. During the 1980s, although ranch under-investment and the use of synthetic fibres damaged the sheep-farming sector, the government secured a major revenue stream by the establishment of an exclusive economic zone and the sale of fishing licences to "anybody wishing to fish within this zone". Since the end of the Falklands War in 1982, the islands' economic activity increasingly focused on oil field exploration and tourism. All large settlements are now connected by road and, since 2008, a ferry links West and East Falkland. The islands' major exports include wool, hides, venison, fish and squid; its main imports include fuel, building materials and clothing.

The port settlement of Stanley has regained the islands' economic focus, with an increase in population as workers migrate from Camp. Fear of dependence on fishing licences and threats from overfishing, illegal fishing and fish market price fluctuations led to increased interest in oil drilling as an alternative source of revenue. As of 2001 exploration efforts had yet to find "exploitable reserves". By 2023, oil exploration was still proceeding off the shelf of the islands with a deepwater project led by Rockhopper Exploration. In 2023, Rockhopper (working with Tel Aviv-listed Navitas Petroleum) indicated that it had been presented with a new development plan for its Sea Lion project that aimed to cut costs and proceed in phases. It was stated that: "If realized, the new plan – with a total price tag of $2.2 billion – could lead to 80,000 barrels per day of production (up to 100,000 b/d at peak) via a leased floating production, storage and offloading unit". A final investment decision had been targeted for early 2024, though it was somewhat delayed. A public consultation on the project took place in the summer of 2024 and was reported to have garnered widespread support from Falkland Islanders. Since Britain's newly elected Labour Government banned similar oil projects in the United Kingdom, this created the prospect for a potential conflict between the Falkland Island's government and the British government. Nevertheless, the authority to approve oil development around the islands was said to rest solely with the Falkland Island's government. In November 2024, the Falkland's government Executive Council indicated that, while the public consultation process had been successfully concluded, "some matters" related to the Environmental Impact Statement required "further discussion" and that any development and production program would need to be considered separately by the Executive Council. Navitas Petroleum subsequently indicated that a final investment decision was delayed to mid-2025 with first oil not anticipated until late 2027, at the earliest. Although certified gross 2C recoverable oil resources had increased from 791 million bbls to 917 million bbls, phase 1 costs had increased to $1.4 billion.

Development projects in education and sports have been funded by the Falklands government, without aid from the United Kingdom.

The primary sector of the economy accounts for most of the Falkland Islands' gross domestic product, with the fishing industry alone contributing between 50% and 60% of annual GDP; agriculture also contributes significantly to GDP and employs about a tenth of the population. A little over a quarter of the workforce serves the Falkland Islands government, making it the archipelago's largest employer. Tourism, part of the service economy, has been spurred by increased interest in Antarctic exploration and the creation of direct air links with the United Kingdom and South America. Tourists, mostly cruise ship passengers, are attracted by the archipelago's wildlife and environment, as well as activities such as fishing and wreck diving; the majority find accommodation in Stanley. The main international airport, located at RAF Mount Pleasant on East Falkland, provides flights to RAF Brize Norton in the UK and mainland South America. Port Stanley Airport provides internal flights. Despite COVID-19 pandemic restrictions causing suspensions of flights from Santiago and São Paulo and prohibited cruise ship tourism, the economy of the islands remains stable and healthy.

Transport

Main article: Transport in the Falkland Islands

Demographics

See also: Origins of Falkland Islanders and Religion in the Falkland Islands
Photograph of a building
Christ Church Cathedral, the local parish church of the Anglican Communion. Most Falklanders identify as Christian.

The Falkland Islands population is homogeneous, mostly descended from Scottish and Welsh immigrants who settled in the territory after 1833. The Falkland-born population are also descended from English and French people, Gibraltarians, Scandinavians, and South Americans. The 2016 census indicated that 43% of residents were born on the archipelago, with foreign-born residents assimilated into local culture. The legal term for the right of residence is "belonging to the islands". In 1983, full British citizenship was given to Falkland Islanders under the British Nationality (Falkland Islands) Act 1983.

A significant population decline affected the archipelago in the 20th century, with many young islanders moving overseas in search of education, a modern lifestyle, and better job opportunities, particularly to the British city of Southampton, which came to be known in the islands as "Stanley North". In recent years, the islands' population decline has reduced, thanks to immigrants from the United Kingdom, Saint Helena, and Chile. In the 2012 census, a majority of residents listed their nationality as Falkland Islander (59 per cent), followed by British (29 per cent), Saint Helenian (9.8 per cent), and Chilean (5.4 per cent). A small number of Argentines also live on the islands.

The Falkland Islands have a low population density. According to the 2012 census, the average daily population of the Falklands was 2,932, excluding military personnel serving in the archipelago and their dependents. A 2012 report counted 1,300 uniformed personnel and 50 British Ministry of Defence civil servants present in the Falklands. Stanley (with 2,121 residents) is the most-populous location on the archipelago, followed by Mount Pleasant (369 residents, primarily air-base contractors) and Camp (351 residents). The islands' age distribution is skewed towards working age (20–60). Males outnumber females (53 to 47 per cent), and this discrepancy is most prominent in the 20–60 age group.

In the 2012 census, most islanders identified themselves as Christian (66 per cent), followed by those with no religious affiliation (32 per cent). The remaining 2 per cent identified as adherents of other religions, including the Baháʼí Faith, Buddhism, and Islam. The main Christian denominations are Anglicanism and other Protestantism, and Roman Catholicism.

Education in the Falkland Islands, which follows England's system, is free and compulsory for residents aged between 5 and 16 years. Primary education is available at Stanley, RAF Mount Pleasant (for children of service personnel) and a number of rural settlements. Secondary education is only available in Stanley, which offers boarding facilities and 12 subjects to General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) level. Students aged 16 or older may study at colleges in England for their GCE Advanced Level or vocational qualifications. The Falkland Islands government pays for older students to attend institutions of higher education, usually in the United Kingdom.

Culture

Main article: Culture of the Falkland Islands
Two men in front of a fireplace about to exchange a drink
Gauchos from mainland South America, such as these two men having mate at Hope Place in East Falkland, influenced the local dialect.

Falklands culture is based on the cultural traditions of its British settlers but has also been influenced by Hispanic South America. Falklanders still use some terms and place names from the former Gaucho inhabitants. The Falklands' predominant and official language is English, with the foremost dialect being British English; nonetheless, some inhabitants also speak Spanish. According to naturalist Will Wagstaff, "the Falkland Islands are a very social place, and stopping for a chat is a way of life".

The islands have one weekly newspaper, The Penguin News, and television and radio broadcasts generally feature programming from the United Kingdom. Wagstaff describes the local cuisine as "very British in character with much use made of the home-grown vegetables, local lamb, mutton, beef, and fish". Common between meals are "homemade cakes and biscuits with tea or coffee". Social activities are, according to Wagstaff, "typical of that of a small British town with a variety of clubs and organisations covering many aspects of community life".

Sport

Main article: Sport in the Falkland Islands

Despite its small size, the Falkland Islands compete in the Commonwealth Games and Island Games. The Falkland Islands national cricket team is a member of the International Cricket Council.

See also

Notes

  1. According to researcher Simon Taylor, the exact Gaelic etymology is unclear as the "falk" in the name could have stood for "hidden" (falach), "wash" (failc), or "heavy rain" (falc).
  2. Based on his analysis of Falkland Islands discovery claims, historian John Dunmore concludes that " number of countries could therefore lay some claim to the archipelago under the heading of first discoverers: Spain, Holland, Britain, and even Italy and Portugal – although the last two claimants might be stretching things a little."
  3. In 1764, Bougainville claimed the islands in the name of Louis XV of France. In 1765, British captain John Byron claimed the islands in the name of George III of Great Britain.
  4. According to Argentine legal analyst Roberto Laver, the United Kingdom disregards Jewett's actions because the government he represented "was not recognised either by Britain or any other foreign power at the time" and "no act of occupation followed the ceremony of claiming possession".
  5. Before leaving for the Falklands Vernet stamped his grant at the British Consulate, repeating this when Buenos Aires extended his grant in 1828. The cordial relationship between the consulate and Vernet led him to express "the wish that, in the event of the British returning to the islands, HMG would take his settlement under their protection".
  6. The log of the "Lexington" only reports the destruction of arms and a powder store, but Vernet made a claim for compensation from the US Government stating that the entire settlement was destroyed.
  7. As discussed by Roberto Laver, not only did Rosas not break relations with Britain because of the "essential" nature of "British economic support", but he offered the Falklands "as a bargaining chip ... in exchange for the cancellation of Argentina's million-pound debt with the British bank of Baring Brothers". In 1850, Rosas' government ratified the Arana–Southern Treaty, which put "an end to the existing differences, and of restoring perfect relations of friendship" between the United Kingdom and Argentina.
  8. Argentina protested in 1841, 1849, 1884, 1888, 1908, 1927 and 1933, and has made annual protests to the United Nations since 1946.
  9. There were continual tensions with the colonial administration over Lafone's failure to establish any permanent settlers, and over the price of beef supplied to the settlement. Moreover, although his concession required Lafone to bring settlers from the UK, most of the settlers he brought were gauchos from Uruguay.
  10. The minefields were fenced off and marked; there remain unexploded ordnance and improvised explosive devices. Detection and clearance of mines in the Falklands has proven difficult as some were air-delivered and not in marked fields; approximately 80% lie in sand or peat, where the position of mines can shift, making removal procedures difficult.
  11. In 1976, Lord Shackleton produced a report into the economic future of the islands; but his recommendations were not implemented because Britain sought to avoid confronting Argentina over sovereignty. Lord Shackleton was once again tasked, in 1982, to produce a report into the economic development of the islands. His new report criticised the large farming companies, and recommended transferring ownership of farms from absentee landlords to local landowners. Shackleton also suggested diversifying the economy into fishing, oil exploration, and tourism; moreover, he recommended the establishment of a road network, and conservation measures to preserve the islands' natural resources.
  12. Argentina considers that, in 1833, the UK established an "illegal occupation" of the Falklands after expelling Argentine authorities and settlers from the islands with a threat of "greater force" and, afterwards, barring Argentines from resettling the islands. The Falkland Islands' government considers that only Argentina's military personnel was expelled in 1833, but its civilian settlers were "invited to stay" and did so except for 2 and their wives. International affairs scholar Lowell Gustafson considers that "he use of force by the British on the Falkland Islands in 1833 was less dramatic than later Argentine rhetoric has suggested".
  13. At the time of the 2012 census, 91 Falklands residents were overseas.

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  141. Pearcy, Ed (30 September 2024). "UK can't stop Falkland Islands extracting million of barrels of oil". Offshore Technology. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  142. "Falklands, Sea Lion oil development area EIS public consultation considered". Merco Press. 14 November 2024. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  143. Cavcic, Melisa (26 November 2024). "Sea lion's first roar pushed back as costs rise to $1.4 billion for Falkland Islands' oil project". Offshore Energy. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
  144. "The Economy". Falkland Islands Government. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  145. ^ "The Falkland Islands: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know in Data and Charts". The Guardian. 3 January 2013. Archived from the original on 3 July 2018. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
  146. See:
  147. See:
  148. "Internal Flights (FIGAS)". Getting Around the Falkland Islands. Falkland Islands Tourist Board. Retrieved 23 July 2010.
  149. Alconada Mon, Hugo (28 March 2022). "Las Islas Malvinas, hoy: más diversas y cosmopolitas, miran a Londres y apuntan a la autodeterminación como país" [Falkland Islands, today: more diverse and cosmopolite, they look to London and aim to self-determination] (in Spanish). La Nación. Archived from the original on 28 March 2022. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  150. ^ Laver 2001, p. 9.
  151. ^ "Falkland Islands Census Statistics, 2006" (PDF). Falkland Islands Government. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 December 2010. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
  152. Falkland Islands Government. "Falkland Islands Census 2016" (PDF). Falkland Islands Government. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 March 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  153. See:
  154. Falklands still home to optimists as invasion anniversary nears Archived 5 March 2017 at the Wayback Machine, The Guardian, Andy Beckett, 19 March 2012
  155. ^ Minahan 2013, p. 139.
  156. ^ "Falkland Islands Census 2012: Headline results" (PDF). Falkland Islands Government. 10 September 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 May 2013. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  157. "Falklands Referendum: Voters from many countries around the world voted Yes". MercoPress. 28 June 2013. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
  158. Royle 2006, p. 181.
  159. "The Largest Baha'i (sic) Communities (mid-2000)". Adherents.com. September 2001. Archived from the original on 20 October 2001. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  160. "Falkland Islands Census Statistics 2006" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 December 2010.
  161. "The world in muslim populations, every country listed". The Guardian. 8 October 2009. Archived from the original on 7 December 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  162. Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices, 2nd Edition by J. Gordon Melton, Martin Baumann, ABC-CLIO, p. 1093.
  163. ^ "Education". Falkland Islands Government. Archived from the original on 26 October 2018. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  164. ^ Wagstaff 2001, p. 21.
  165. Wagstaff 2001, p. 66.
  166. Wagstaff 2001, pp. 63–64.
  167. Wagstaff 2001, p. 65.
  168. "Falkland Islands". Inside the Games. 7 October 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  169. "Falkland Islands". International Cricket Council. 18 January 2024. Retrieved 5 April 2024.

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Further reading

External links

Places adjacent to Falkland Islands
 Argentina Atlantic Ocean Atlantic Ocean
 Chile
Strait of Magellan
Falkland Islands Falkland Islands Atlantic Ocean
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands South Georgia
Tierra del Fuego
Drake Passage
Drake Passage
South Shetland Islands
Antarctic Peninsula
Southern Ocean
South Orkney Islands
Articles relating to the Falkland Islands
 Geographic locale

Lat. and Long. 51°42′S 57°51′W / 51.700°S 57.850°W / -51.700; -57.850 (Stanley)

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