![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2f/Christchurch-Cathedral.jpg/220px-Christchurch-Cathedral.jpg)
Christchurch Cathedral, Stanley
The
Falkland Islands
are a group of islands in the South
Atlantic Ocean
, off the coast of
South America
. They are an
overseas territory
of the
United Kingdom
.
Argentina
disputes this, and claims their
sovereignty
.
The
Falklands War
was fought over their possession during
Margaret Thatcher
's time as British
Prime Minister
. There are many islands in the group but the two biggest are East Falkland and West Falkland. As of the census of 2016, 3,398 people live on them. The people of the islands are
British
and speak
English
. The main income for the people is from fishing and sheep farming.
The Falkland Islands are about 300 miles (480 km) east of
Argentina
. Argentina and the UK had a short war in 1982 because Argentina claims to own the islands. The war lasted 6 weeks and about 1,000 soldiers were killed. The UK defeated Argentina and after this the governments of the two countries would not negotiate (talk) with each other. In 1990 they began to have talks again, but Argentina later refused to continue talks.
Oil and gas has been found below the sea around the islands. There is also oil and gas outside the sea area that belongs to the UK. This is owned by Argentina.
The islands were discovered and occupied by Europeans. They were not inhabited until 1754, when a
French
captain landed and founded Port Louie. The British landed in 1766 and created a
settlement
at
Port Egmont
on Saunders Island.
[5]
Spain discovered and captured Port Egmont in 1770. War was avoided by Spain giving it back to Britain in 1771.
[6]
Later attempts by Spanish forces from the
Rio de la Plata
to seize Falklands were ended in 1833,
[7]
when British forces took control.
[8]
In 1840 the Falkland Islands became a
Crown Colony
of the
British Empire
.
The Falklands became a
British Dependent Territory
in 1981. This followed the
British Nationality Act 1981
. In 1983 the Falkland Islanders were granted British
citizenship
. On 18 April 1985 the
Falkland Islands Constitution Order 1985
came into force which increased the number of elected members of the Legislative Council to eight. It guaranteed the Falkland Islanders' rights and constitutional arrangements.
[9]
In 1997 the constitution was amended with regard to voters rights. In 2002 the Falklands became a
British Overseas Territory
with the
British Overseas Territories Act 2002
. On 1 January 2009 the current constitution came into force with the
Falkland Islands Constitution Order 2008
. This replaced the 1985 version. It was agreed on by the UK
Government
and the Falkland Islands Government. The new constitution provided for finance, the public service, the administration of
justice
, and a Complaints Commissioner.
[10]
Map of the Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands have a land area of 4,700 sq mi (12,000 km
2
) and a
coastline
estimated
at 800 mi (1,300 km).
[11]
The archipelago is made of two main islands, West Falkland and East Falkland. It also has 776 smaller islands.
The islands are mostly full of mountains and hills,
[13]
with the main
exception
being the plains of
Lafonia
.
The Falklands is made of
continental crust
pieces made from the break-up of
Gondwana
and the opening of the South Atlantic that began 130 million years ago. The islands are in the
South Atlantic Ocean
, on the
Patagonian Shelf
. They are about 300 mi (480 km) east of
Patagonia
in southern Argentina.
The archipelago's two main islands are separated by the
Falkland Sound
,
and its deep coastal
indentations
form
natural harbours
.
[17]
East Falkland has the capital,
Stanley
and the archipelago's highest point,
Mount Usborne
, at 2,313 ft (705 m).
The
climate
of the islands is cold, windy, and
humid
.
There is a lot of rain over half of the year, with an
average
of 610 mm (24 in) in Stanley. There is occasional light snowfall nearly all year.
[13]
Strong
westerly winds
and cloudy skies are common.
[13]
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' official and most common language is English, with the most common
dialect
being
British English
. Some inhabitants also speak
Spanish
.
The islands have one weekly newspaper,
The Penguin News
.
The television and radio
broadcasts
mostly have programming from the United Kingdom.
- ↑
"Falkland Islands Census 2012: Headline results"
(PDF)
. Falkland Islands Government. 10 September 2012. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 25 December 2018
. Retrieved
19 December
2012
.
- ↑
2002 estimate.
"CIA World Factbook 2012"
. cia.gov. Archived from
the original
on 2014-07-02
. Retrieved
2013-01-04
.
- ↑
"Falkland Islands will remain on summer time throughout 2011"
.
MercoPress
. 31 March 2011
. Retrieved
4 February
2012
.
- ↑
Joshua Project.
"Ethnic People Groups of Falkland Islands"
. Joshua Project
. Retrieved
28 February
2010
.
- ↑
Toward Resolution?: The Falklands/Malvinas Dispute
, ed. Wayne S Smith (Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 1991), p. 48
- ↑
Gibran, Daniel 1998.
The Falklands War: Britain versus the past in the South Atlantic
. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland.
ISBN
978-0-7864-0406-3
- ↑
At this time, Argentina did not exist.
- ↑
Graham-Yooll, Andrew 2002.
Imperial skirmishes: war and gunboat diplomacy in Latin America
. Oxford, England: Signal Books.
ISBN
978-1-902669-21-2
- ↑
Laver, Roberto (February 2001).
The Falklands/Malvinas Case: Breaking the Deadlock in the Anglo-Argentine Sovereignty Dispute
. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers.
ISBN
9789041115348
. Retrieved
20 April
2014
.
- ↑
"New Falklands constitution agreed"
.
BBC News
. 2008-11-06
. Retrieved
2010-06-07
.
- ↑
See:
- Guo 2007
, p. 112
harvnb error: no target: CITEREFGuo2007 (
help
)
,
- Sainato 2010
, p. 157
harvnb error: no target: CITEREFSainato2010 (
help
)
.
- ↑
13.0
13.1
13.2
Central Intelligence Agency 2011
, "Falkland Islands (Malvinas) ? Geography".
sfn error: no target: CITEREFCentral_Intelligence_Agency2011 (
help
)
- ↑
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