Introduction

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

Background:

Although first sighted by an English navigator in 1592, the first landing (English) did not occur until almost a century later in 1690, and the first settlement (French) was not established until 1764. The colony was turned over to Spain two years later and the islands have since been the subject of a territorial dispute, first between Britain and Spain, then between Britain and Argentina. The UK asserted its claim to the islands by establishing a naval garrison there in 1833. Argentina invaded the islands on 2 April 1982. The British responded with an expeditionary force that landed seven weeks later and after fierce fighting forced an Argentine surrender on 14 June 1982.

Geography

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

Location:	Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, east of southern Argentina
Geographic coordinates:	51 45 S, 59 00 W
Map references:	South America
Area:	total: 12,173 sq km land: 12,173 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes the two main islands of East and West Falkland and about 200 small islands
Area - comparative:	slightly smaller than Connecticut
Land boundaries:	0 km
Coastline:	1,288 km
Maritime claims:	territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: 200 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Climate:	cold marine; strong westerly winds, cloudy, humid; rain occurs on more than half of days in year; average annual rainfall is 24 inches in Stanley; occasional snow all year, except in January and February, but does not accumulate
Terrain:	rocky, hilly, mountainous with some boggy, undulating plains
Elevation extremes:	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Usborne 705 m
Natural resources:	fish, squid, wildlife, calcified seaweed, sphagnum moss
Land use:	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (99% permanent pastures, 1% other) (2005)
Irrigated land:	NA
Natural hazards:	strong winds persist throughout the year
Environment - current issues:	overfishing by unlicensed vessels is a problem; reindeer were introduced to the islands in 2001 for commercial reasons; this is the only commercial reindeer herd in the world unaffected by the 1986 Chornobyl disaster
Geography - note:	deeply indented coast provides good natural harbors; short growing season

People

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

Population:	3,105 (July 2007 est.)
Age structure:	0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA
Population growth rate:	2.44% (2007 est.)
Birth rate:	NA
Death rate:	NA
Net migration rate:	NA
Infant mortality rate:	total: NA male: NA female: NA
Life expectancy at birth:	total population: NA male: NA female: NA
Total fertility rate:	NA
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:	NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:	NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:	NA
Nationality:	noun: Falkland Islander(s) adjective: Falkland Island
Ethnic groups:	British
Religions:	primarily Anglican, Roman Catholic, United Free Church, Evangelist Church, Jehovah's Witnesses, Lutheran, Seventh-Day Adventist
Languages:	English
Literacy:	NA

Government

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

Country name:	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
Dependency status:	overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina
Government type:	NA
Capital:	name: Stanley geographic coordinates: 51 42 S, 57 51 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in September; ends third Sunday in April
Administrative divisions:	none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina)
Independence:	none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina)
National holiday:	Liberation Day, 14 June (1982)
Constitution:	3 October 1985; amended 1997 and 1998
Legal system:	English common law
Suffrage:	18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Governor Alan HUCKLE (since 25 August 2006); Chief Executive Chris SIMPKINS (since March 2003); note - Dr. Tim THOROGOOD will assume the position of Chief Executive in January 2008 cabinet: Executive Council; three members elected by the Legislative Council, two ex officio members (chief executive and the financial secretary), and the governor elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch
Legislative branch:	unicameral Legislative Council (10 seats; 2 members are ex officio and 8 are elected by popular vote; to serve four-year terms); presided over by the governor elections: last held 17 November 2005 (next to be held in November 2009) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 8
Judicial branch:	Supreme Court (chief justice is a nonresident); Magistrates Court (senior magistrate presides over civil and criminal divisions); Court of Summary Jurisdiction
Political parties and leaders:	none; all independents
Political pressure groups and leaders:	none
International organization participation:	ICFTU, UPU
Diplomatic representation in the US:	none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina)
Diplomatic representation from the US:	none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina)
Flag description:	blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Falkland Island coat of arms centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms contains a white ram (sheep raising was once the major economic activity) above the sailing ship Desire (whose crew discovered the islands) with a scroll at the bottom bearing the motto DESIRE THE RIGHT

Economy

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

Economy - overview:	The economy was formerly based on agriculture, mainly sheep farming, but today fishing contributes the bulk of economic activity. In 1987 the government began selling fishing licenses to foreign trawlers operating within the Falkland Islands' exclusive fishing zone. These license fees total more than $40 million per year, which help support the island's health, education, and welfare system. Squid accounts for 75% of the fish taken. Dairy farming supports domestic consumption; crops furnish winter fodder. Exports feature shipments of high-grade wool to the UK and the sale of postage stamps and coins. The islands are now self-financing except for defense. The British Geological Survey announced a 200-mile oil exploration zone around the islands in 1993, and early seismic surveys suggest substantial reserves capable of producing 500,000 barrels per day; to date, no exploitable site has been identified. An agreement between Argentina and the UK in 1995 seeks to defuse licensing and sovereignty conflicts that would dampen foreign interest in exploiting potential oil reserves. Tourism, especially eco-tourism, is increasing rapidly, with about 30,000 visitors in 2001. Another large source of income is interest paid on money the government has in the bank. The British military presence also provides a sizeable economic boost.
GDP (purchasing power parity):	$75 million (2002 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):	$NA
GDP - real growth rate:	NA%
GDP - per capita (PPP):	$25,000 (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:	agriculture: 95% industry: NA% services: NA% (1996)
Labor force:	1,724 (est.) (1996)
Labor force - by occupation:	agriculture: 95% (mostly sheepherding and fishing) industry and services: 5% (1996)
Unemployment rate:	full employment; labor shortage (2001)
Population below poverty line:	NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):	3.6% (1998)
Budget:	revenues: $66.2 million expenditures: $67.9 million (FY98/99 est.)
Agriculture - products:	fodder and vegetable crops; sheep, dairy products; fish, squid
Industries:	fish and wool processing; tourism
Industrial production growth rate:	NA%
Electricity - production:	16 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - production by source:	fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:	14.88 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports:	0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports:	0 kWh (2005)
Oil - production:	0 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption:	240 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - exports:	0 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - imports:	227.9 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - proved reserves:	0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
Natural gas - production:	0 cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:	0 cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - exports:	0 cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - imports:	0 cu m (2005)
Natural gas - proved reserves:	0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Exports:	$125 million (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities:	wool, hides, meat, fish, squid
Exports - partners:	Spain 81.9%, US 6%, UK 4.5% (2006)
Imports:	$90 million (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities:	fuel, food and drink, building materials, clothing
Imports - partners:	UK 72.5%, US 15.1%, Netherlands 8.5% (2006)
Economic aid - recipient:	$0 (1997 est.)
Debt - external:	$NA
Currency (code):	Falkland pound (FKP)
Currency code:	FKP
Exchange rates:	Falkland pounds per US dollar - 0.4993 (2007), 0.5434 (2006), 0.5504 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003) note: the Falkland pound is at par with the British pound
Fiscal year:	1 April - 31 March

Communications

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

Telephones - main lines in use:	2,400 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:	0 (2001)
Telephone system:	general assessment: NA domestic: government-operated radiotelephone and private VHF/CB radiotelephone networks provide effective service to almost all points on both islands international: country code - 500; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) with links through London to other countries
Radio broadcast stations:	AM 1, FM 7, shortwave 0 (British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides Radio 1 and Radio 2 service) (2006)
Radios:	1,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:	2 (British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides multi-channel satellite service to members of UK Forces as well as islanders); cable television is available in Stanley (2006)
Televisions:	1,000 (1997)
Internet country code:	.fk
Internet hosts:	104 (2007)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):	2 (2000)
Internet users:	1,900 (2002)

Transportation

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

Airports:	6 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:	total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:	total: 4 under 914 m: 4 (2007)
Roadways:	total: 440 km paved: 50 km unpaved: 390 km (2003)
Ports and terminals:	Stanley

Military

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

Military branches:	no regular military forces
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:	NA
Military - note:	defense is the responsibility of the UK

Transnational Issues

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

Disputes - international:

Argentina, which claims the islands in its constitution and briefly occupied them by force in 1982, agreed in 1995 to no longer seek settlement by force; UK continues to reject Argentine requests for sovereignty talks

History of the Falkland Islands

The Falkland Islands have had a complex history since their discovery, with France, Britain, Spain and Argentina all claiming possession and establishing as well as abandoning settlements on the islands. The Spanish government's claim was continued by Argentina after the latter's independence in 1816 and the independence war in 1817, until 1833 when the United Kingdom took by force control of the islands, following the destruction of the Argentine settlement at Puerto Soledad by the American sloop USS Lexington (December 28, 1831). Argentina has continued to claim sovereignty over the islands, and the dispute was used by the military junta dictatorship as an excuse to invade and briefly occupy the islands before being defeated in the two-month-long undeclared Falklands War in 1982 by a United Kingdom task force which returned the islands to British control.

The islands were uninhabited when they were first discovered by European explorers. There is disputed evidence of prior settlement by humans, based on the existence of the Falkland Island fox, or Warrah, on the islands, as well as a scattering of undated artifacts including arrowheads and the remains of a canoe. It is thought this canid was brought to the island by humans, although it may have reached the islands by itself via a land bridge during the last ice age.

The first European explorer widely credited with sighting the islands is Sebald de Weert, a Dutch sailor, in 1600. Although several English and Spanish historians maintain their own explorers discovered the islands earlier, some older maps, particularly Dutch ones, used the name 'Sebald Islands', after de Weert. However, the islands appear on numerous Spanish and other maps beginning in the 1520s.

In January 1690, English sailor John Strong, captain of the Welfare, was heading for Puerto Deseado (in Argentina), but driven off course by contrary winds, he reached the Sebald Islands instead and landed at Bold Cove. He sailed between the two principal islands and called the passage "Falkland Channel" (now Falkland Sound), after Anthony Cary, 5th Viscount Falkland (1659-1694), who as Commissioner of the Admiralty had financed the expedition and who later became First Lord of the Admiralty. From this body of water the island group later took its collective English name.

The first settlement on the Falkland Islands, called Port Saint Louis, was founded by the French navigator and military commander Louis Antoine de Bougainville in 1764 on Berkeley Sound, in present-day Port Louis, East Falkland.

Unaware of the French presence, in January 1765, English captain John Byron explored and claimed Saunders Island, at the western end of the group, where he named the harbour of Port Egmont, and sailed near other islands, which he also claimed for King George III of Great Britain. A British settlement was built at Port Egmont in 1766. Also in 1766, Spain acquired the French colony, and after assuming effective control in 1767, placed the islands under a governor subordinate to Buenos Aires. Spain attacked Port Egmont, ending the British presence there in 1770, but Britain returned in 1771 and remained until 1774. Upon her withdrawal in 1774 Britain left behind a plaque asserting her claims, but from then on Spain ruled unchallenged, maintaining a settlement until 1811. On leaving in 1811, Spain, too, left behind a plaque asserting her claims.

When Argentina declared its independence from Spain in 1816, it laid claim to the islands according to the uti possidetis principle, as they had been under the administrative jurisdiction of the Viceroyalty of the Rio de la Plata. Following a proclamation of annexation in 1820, actual occupation began in 1826 with the foundation of a settlement and a penal colony. The settlement was destroyed by United States warship in 1831 after the Argentinian governor of the islands Luis Vernet seized U.S. seal hunting ships during a dispute over fishing rights. They left behind escaped prisoners and pirates. In November 1832, Argentina sent another governor who was killed in a mutiny. In January 1833, British forces returned, took control, repatriated the remainder of the Argentine settlement, and began to repopulate the islands with British citizens.

The Royal Navy built a base at Stanley, and the islands became a strategic point for navigation around Cape Horn. The World War I naval battle, the Battle of Falkland Islands took place in December 1914, with a British victory over the Germans. During World War II, Stanley served as a Royal Navy station and serviced ships which took part in the Battle of the River Plate.

Sovereignty over the islands became an issue again in the latter half of the 20th century. Argentina, which had never renounced its claim to the islands, saw the creation of the United Nations as an opportunity to present its case before the rest of the world. In 1945, upon signing the UN Charter, Argentina stated that it reserved its right to sovereignty of the islands, as well as its right to recover them. The United Kingdom responded in turn by stating that, as an essential precondition for the fulfilment of UN Resolution 1514, regarding the de-colonization of all territories still under foreign occupation, the Falklanders first had to vote for the British withdrawal at a referendum to be held on the issue.

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 the 2,000 inhabitants of mainly British descent who preferred that the islands remained British territory.

On April 2, 1982, Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands and other British territories in the South Atlantic (South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands), encouraged in part by the United Kingdom's reduction in military capacity in the South Atlantic and as a diversion from poor economic performance at home. The invasion was condemned by the United Nations Security Council, although world reaction ranged from support in the Latin American countries (with the exception of Chile), to opposition in Europe, the Commonwealth, and eventually the United States. The British sent a large expeditionary force to retake the islands leading to the Falklands War. After a short but fierce naval and air war, the British landed at San Carlos Water on May 21 and a land war followed until the Argentinean forces surrendered on June 14.

Following the war, the British increased their military presence on the islands, constructing RAF Mount Pleasant and increasing the military garrison. Falkland Islanders were also granted full British citizenship. Although the UK and Argentina since resumed diplomatic relations in 1989, no further negotiations on sovereignty have taken place.

Last update on 6 March 2008