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 Argentine surrender on 14 June 1982.

Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, east of southern Argentina

51 45 S, 59 00 W

South America

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

slightly smaller than Connecticut

0 km

1,288 km

territorial sea: 12 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

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

rocky, hilly, mountainous with some boggy, undulating plains

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Usborne 705 m

fish, squid, wildlife, calcified seaweed, sphagnum moss

arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (99% permanent pastures, 1% other) (2005)

NA

strong winds persist throughout the year

over fishing 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 Chornobyl disaster

deeply indented coast provides good natural harbours; short growing season

2,967 (July 2006 est.)

0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA
65 years and over: NA (2006 est.)

2.44% (2006 est.)

NA births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

NA deaths/1,000 population

NA migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

total: NA
male: NA
female: NA

total population: NA
male: NA
female: NA

NA children born/woman

NA

NA

NA

noun: Falkland Islander(s)
adjective: Falkland Island

British

primarily Anglican, Roman Catholic, United Free Church, Evangelist Church, Jehovah's Witnesses, Lutheran, Seventh-Day Adventist

English

NA

conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Falkland Islands

overseas territory of the UK

NA

Stanley

none (overseas territory of the UK)

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Liberation Day, 14 June (1982)

3 October 1985; amended 1997 and 1998

English common law

18 years of age; universal

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
head of government: Governor Howard PEARCE (since 3 December 2002); Chief Executive Chris SIMPKINS (since March 2003); Financial Secretary Derek F. HOWATT (since NA)
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

unicameral Legislative Council (10 seats - two ex officio, eight elected by popular vote, members serve four-year terms); presided over by the governor
elections: last held 17 November 2005 (next to be held November 2009)
election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 8

Supreme Court (chief justice is a nonresident); Magistrates Court (senior magistrate presides over civil and criminal divisions); Court of Summary Jurisdiction

none; all independents

none

ICFTU, UPU

none (overseas territory of the UK)

none (overseas territory of the UK)

blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Falkland Island coat of arms centred 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

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 goes to 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 defence. 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.

$75 million (2002 est.)

NA

NA%

$25,000 (2002 est.)

agriculture: 95%
industry: NA%
services: NA%

1,100 (est.)

agriculture: 95% (mostly sheepherding and fishing)
industry and services: 5%

full employment; labour shortage (2001)

NA%

lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

3.6% (1998)

revenues: $66.2 million
expenditures: $67.9 million; including capital expenditures of $23.2 million (FY98/99 est.)

fodder and vegetable crops; sheep, dairy products

fish and wool processing; tourism

NA%

22.23 million kWh (2003)

fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

20.68 million kWh (2003)

0 kWh (2003)

0 kWh (2003)

0 bbl/day (2003 est.)

200 bbl/day (2003 est.)

NA bbl/day

NA bbl/day

0 cu m (2003 est.)

0 cu m (2003 est.)

$125 million (2004 est.)

wool, hides, meat

Spain 77.4%, UK 9.4%, US 4.9% (2004)

$90 million (2004 est.)

fuel, food and drink, building materials, clothing

UK 63.2%, Spain 30.3%, France 3.6% (2004)

$NA

$0 (1997 est.)

Falkland pound (FKP)

FKP

Falkland pounds per US dollar - 0.55 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002), 0.6947 (2001)
note: the Falkland pound is at par with the British pound

1 April - 31 March

2,400 (2002)

0 (2001)

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

AM 1, FM 7, shortwave 0
note: British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides Radio 1 (FM) and Radio 2 (AM) service (2006)

1,000 (1997)

2 (British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides multi-channel satellite service to members of UK Forces as well as islanders)
note: cable television is available in Stanley (2006)

1,000 (1997)

.fk

103 (2005)

2 (2000)

1,900 (2002)

5 (2005)

total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2005)

total: 3
under 914 m: 3 (2005)

total: 440 km
paved: 50 km
unpaved: 390 km (2003)

Stanley

no regular military forces

NA

NA

defence is the responsibility of the UK

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