An international airport is located at the Mount Pleasant Military Complex. In the late 20th century the government instituted policies to encourage an increase in the number of smaller, locally operated farms rather than corporate-owned farms. The wool is sold in Great Britain and is the Falklands’ leading land-based export. The population of the Falkland Islands is English-speaking and consists primarily of Falklanders of British descent. Dolphins and porpoises are common, and southern sea lions and elephant seals are also numerous.
Tierwelt der Falklandinseln
The islands’ only native terrestrial mammal, the warrah, was hunted to extinction by European settlers. The archipelago’s two main islands are separated by the Falkland Sound, and its deep coastal indentations form natural harbours. 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 archipelago consists of two main islands, West Falkland and East Falkland, and 776 smaller islands. Though asserting “We will not 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.” 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.
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”. 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. 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,F when United States Navy commander Silas Duncan declared the dissolution of the island’s government. 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. Major economic activities include fishing, tourism, and sheep farming, with an emphasis on high-quality wool exports. In a 2013 sovereignty referendum, almost all of the votes cast were in favour of remaining a UK overseas territory.
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Development projects in education and sports have been funded by the Falklands government, without aid from the United Kingdom. Endemic land chicken road games animals have been the most affected by introduced species, and several bird species have been extirpated from the larger islands. Several of these species have harmed native flora and fauna, so the government has tried to contain, remove or exterminate foxes, rabbits and rats. 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.
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). 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. 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 name Falkland was applied to the channel by John Strong, captain of an English expedition that landed on the islands in 1690. Oil exploration, licensed by the Falkland Islands Government, remains controversial as a result of maritime disputes with Argentina. 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).
- The wreck of the Lady Elizabeth, built in the 1800s, has been a feature of the islands for a century
- Despite COVID-19 pandemic restrictions causing suspensions of flights from Santiago and São Paulo and prohibited cruise ship tourism, the economy of the islands remained stable and healthy.
- Several of these species have harmed native flora and fauna, so the government has tried to contain, remove or exterminate foxes, rabbits and rats.
- The islands’ vegetation is low and dense in a landscape with no natural tree growth.
The islands are self-governing, although foreign affairs and defence matters are handled by the British government. It has also based its claim on the islands’ proximity to the South American mainland. With two main islands, East Falkland and West Falkland, and over 700 smaller islands, the archipelago is a haven for adventurers and nature enthusiasts alike. The islands’ British heritage is apparent in Stanley, where pubs, bright red mailboxes, and well-kept gardens are numerous.
The capital and major town is Stanley, on East Falkland; there are also several scattered small settlements as well as a Royal Air Force base that is located at Mount Pleasant, some 35 miles (56 km) southwest of Stanley. It lies about 300 miles (480 km) northeast of the southern tip of South America and a similar distance east of the Strait of Magellan. In recent years, the islands’ population decline has reduced, thanks to immigrants from the United Kingdom, Saint Helena, and Chile. The Falkland Islands population is homogeneous, mostly descended from Scottish and Welsh immigrants who settled in the territory after 1833. Despite COVID-19 pandemic restrictions causing suspensions of flights from Santiago and São Paulo and prohibited cruise ship tourism, the economy of the islands remained stable and healthy. 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.
- Argentina says it has a right to the islands, which it calls the Malvinas, because it inherited them from the Spanish crown in the early 1800s.
- Consistently high west winds average 19 miles (31 km) per hour, while the mean annual average temperature is about 42 °F (5 °C), with an average maximum of 49 °F (9 °C) and an average minimum of 37 °F (3 °C).
- The principal islands are about 300 mi (500 km) east of South America’s southern Patagonian coast and 752 mi (1,210 km) from Cape Dubouzet at the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, at a latitude of about 52°S.
- Argentina and the UK re-established diplomatic relations in 1990, but neither has agreed on the terms of future sovereignty discussions.
- Stanley, as Port Jackson was soon renamed, officially became the seat of government in 1845.
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It is home to the Falkland Islands Museum and National Trust, a museum devoted to the islands’ history. The islands’ social welfare system is adequate, and primary education is free. Both the chief executive and the director of finance are appointed by the governor. A coastal freighter travels around the two main islands to deliver supplies and collect the wool clip for transshipment to the United Kingdom.
Executive authority is vested in the British crown, and the islands’ government is headed by a governor appointed by the crown. Stanley Harbour is the islands’ main port; it has a commercial wharf and receives cruise ships. Ranges of hills run east-west across the northern parts of the two main islands, reaching 2,312 feet (705 metres) at Mount Usborne in East Falkland. They are home to large bird populations, although many no longer breed on the main islands owing to predation by introduced species. The windswept and almost-treeless territory is made up of two main islands, East Falkland and West Falkland, as well as hundreds of smaller islands and islets. Sporting activities are popular on the islands and include bird-watching, fishing, and horseback riding.
The UK sends a naval taskforce and some 9,000 troops to recapture the islands. US warship destroys Argentine settlement in reprisal for the arrest of three US vessels hunting seals. Independent Argentina proclaims sovereignty over the Falklands. The wreck of the Lady Elizabeth, built in the 1800s, has been a feature of the islands for a century Coverage of local affairs is provided by a radio station and by the territory’s sole newspaper, Penguin News.
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Where livestock grazing has been controlled, coastal tussock grass (Parodiochloa flabellata) still covers offshore islands. Consistently high west winds average 19 miles (31 km) per hour, while the mean annual average temperature is about 42 °F (5 °C), with an average maximum of 49 °F (9 °C) and an average minimum of 37 °F (3 °C). Falkland Islands, internally self-governing overseas territory of the United Kingdom in the South Atlantic Ocean.
FALKLAND ISLAND: FACTS
The islands’ sheep stations (ranches) vary in size and may be owned by individual families or by companies based in Britain. Almost the whole area of the two main islands, outside of Stanley, is devoted to sheep farming. The port settlement of Stanley has regained the islands’ economic focus, with an increase in population as workers migrate from Camp. The islands’ major exports include wool, hides, venison, fish and squid; its main imports include fuel, building materials and clothing.
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. Spain’s Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata became the only formal presence in the territory. 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. Although Fuegians from Patagonia may have visited the Falkland Islands in prehistoric times, the islands were uninhabited when Europeans first explored them. In Spanish, the territory was designated as Islas Malvinas (Falkland Islands).
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. 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 high cost of importing materials, combined with the shortage of labour and consequent high wages, meant the ship repair trade became uncompetitive. Economic growth began only after the Falkland Islands Company, which bought out Lafone’s failing enterprise in 1851,I successfully introduced Cheviot sheep for wool farming, spurring other farms to follow suit. 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. Stanley, as Port Jackson was soon renamed, officially became the seat of government in 1845.
Sovereignty dispute
After the war the UK expanded its military presence, building RAF Mount Pleasant and increasing the size of its garrison. 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. The Falklands also played a minor role in the two world wars as a military base aiding control of the South Atlantic.
Several hundred thousand sheep are kept on the islands, producing several thousand tons of wool annually as well as some mutton. The pattern of living on the islands is sharply differentiated between Stanley and the small, isolated sheep-farming communities. Squid are abundant in the waters surrounding the islands, but overfishing became an issue in the 1990s, and measures were taken to correct the problem. About 65 species of birds, including black-browed albatrosses, Falkland pipits, peregrine falcons, and striated caracaras, are found on the islands. The islands’ vegetation is low and dense in a landscape with no natural tree growth.
There are also five different penguin species and a few of the largest albatross colonies on the planet. More than 400 species of lichens and lichen-dwelling fungi have been recorded. The only endemic bird species on the Falkland Islands are the flightless Falkland steamer duck and Cobb’s wren. The Falkland Islands are biogeographically part of the Antarctic zone, with strong connections to the flora and fauna of Patagonia in mainland South America. 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.
The principal islands are about 300 mi (500 km) east of South America’s southern Patagonian coast and 752 mi (1,210 km) from Cape Dubouzet at the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, at a latitude of about 52°S. Islanders vote to remain a British overseas territory. British force expels remaining Argentine officials from the island and installs a governor. Port Stanley is the main settlement on the islands
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. Dr Clausen is the first woman and the first Falkland Islander to become Chief Executive of the Government.The UK minister responsible for the Falkland Islands since 2024, Stephen Doughty, administers British foreign policy regarding the islands. Argentina and the UK re-established diplomatic relations in 1990, but neither has agreed on the terms of future sovereignty discussions. 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. The war also left some 117 minefields containing nearly 20,000 mines of various types, including anti-vehicle and anti-personnel mines. 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.
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