Controversy exists over the Falklands’ discovery and subsequent colonization by Europeans. At various times, the islands have had French, British, Spanish, and Argentine settlements. Britain reasserted its rule in 1833<\/a>, but Argentina maintains its\u00a0claim to the islands<\/a>. In April 1982, Argentine military forces\u00a0invaded the islands<\/a>. British administration was restored two months later at the end of the\u00a0Falklands War<\/a>. Almost all Falklanders\u00a0favor<\/a>\u00a0the archipelago remaining a UK overseas territory. Its sovereignty status is part of an ongoing\u00a0dispute between Argentina and the United Kingdom<\/a>.<\/p>\n The population (3,398 inhabitants in 2016)<\/sup>\u00a0consists primarily of native-born\u00a0Falkland Islanders<\/a>, the majority of British descent. Other ethnicities include French,\u00a0Gibraltarian<\/a>, and Scandinavian. Immigration from the United Kingdom, the South Atlantic island of\u00a0Saint Helena<\/a>, and\u00a0Chile<\/a>\u00a0has reversed a population decline. The predominant (and official) language is English. Under the\u00a0British Nationality (Falkland Islands) Act 1983<\/a>, Falkland Islanders are\u00a0British citizens<\/a>.<\/p>\n The islands lie on the boundary of the\u00a0subantarctic oceanic<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0tundra climate<\/a>\u00a0zones, and both major islands have mountain ranges reaching 2,300 feet (700\u00a0m). They are home to large bird populations, although many no longer breed on the main islands due to predation by\u00a0introduced species<\/a>. Major economic activities include fishing, tourism and sheep farming, with an emphasis on high-quality wool exports. Oil exploration, licensed by the\u00a0Falkland Islands Government<\/a>, remains controversial as a result of maritime disputes with Argentina.<\/p>\n Although\u00a0Fuegians<\/a>\u00a0from\u00a0Patagonia<\/a>\u00a0may have visited the Falkland Islands in prehistoric times,<\/sup>\u00a0the islands were uninhabited when Europeans first discovered them.<\/sup>\u00a0Claims of discovery date back to the 16th century, but no consensus exists on whether early explorers discovered the Falklands or other islands in the South Atlantic.<\/sup><\/sup><\/sup>\u00a0The first undisputed landing on the islands is attributed to English captain John Strong, who, en route to\u00a0Peru<\/a> and Chile’s littoral in 1690, discovered the Falkland Sound and noted the islands’ water and game.<\/p>\n The Falklands remained uninhabited until the 1764 establishment of\u00a0Port Louis<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0East Falkland<\/a>\u00a0by French captain\u00a0Louis Antoine de Bougainville<\/a>\u00a0and the 1766 foundation of\u00a0Port Egmont<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0Saunders Island<\/a>\u00a0by British captain\u00a0John MacBride<\/a>.<\/sup>\u00a0Whether or not the settlements were aware of each other’s existence is debated by historians.<\/sup>\u00a0In 1766, France surrendered its claim on the Falklands to Spain, which renamed the French colony\u00a0Puerto Soledad<\/a>\u00a0the following year.<\/sup>\u00a0Problems began when Spain discovered and\u00a0captured Port Egmont<\/a>\u00a0in 1770.\u00a0War<\/a> was narrowly avoided by its restitution to Britain in 1771.<\/p>\n Both the\u00a0British<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Spanish<\/a>\u00a0settlements coexisted in the archipelago until 1774, when Britain’s new economic and strategic considerations led it to voluntarily withdraw from the islands, leaving a plaque claiming the Falklands for King George III.<\/sup>\u00a0Spain’s\u00a0Viceroyalty of the R\u00edo de la Plata<\/a>\u00a0became the only governmental presence in the territory.\u00a0West Falkland<\/a>\u00a0was left abandoned, and Puerto Soledad became mostly a prison camp.<\/sup>\u00a0Amid the\u00a0British invasions of the R\u00edo de la Plata<\/a>\u00a0during the\u00a0Napoleonic Wars<\/a>\u00a0in Europe, the islands’ governor evacuated the archipelago in 1806; Spain’s remaining colonial garrison followed suit in 1811, except for\u00a0gauchos<\/a>\u00a0and fishermen who remained voluntarily.<\/sup><\/p>\n Thereafter, the archipelago was visited only by fishing ships; its political status was undisputed until 1820, when Colonel\u00a0David Jewett<\/a>, an American\u00a0privateer<\/a>\u00a0working for the\u00a0United Provinces of the R\u00edo de la Plata<\/a>, informed anchored ships about\u00a0Buenos Aires<\/a>‘ 1816 claim to Spain’s territories in the South Atlantic.<\/sup><\/sup>\u00a0Since the islands had no permanent inhabitants, in 1823 Buenos Aires granted German-born merchant\u00a0Luis Vernet<\/a>\u00a0permission to conduct fishing activities and exploit feral cattle in the archipelago.<\/sup>\u00a0Vernet 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.<\/sup>\u00a0Buenos Aires named Vernet military and civil commander of the islands in 1829,<\/sup>\u00a0and he attempted to regulate sealing to stop the activities of foreign whalers and sealers.<\/sup>\u00a0Vernet’s venture lasted until a dispute over fishing and hunting rights led to\u00a0a raid<\/a>\u00a0by the\u00a0American warship<\/a>\u00a0USS\u00a0Lexington<\/i><\/a>\u00a0in 1831,<\/sup><\/sup>\u00a0when\u00a0United States Navy<\/a>\u00a0commander\u00a0Silas Duncan<\/a>\u00a0declared the dissolution of the island’s government.<\/sup><\/p>\n Stanley<\/a>, as Port Jackson was soon renamed, officially became the seat of government in 1845.<\/sup>\u00a0Early in its history, Stanley had a negative reputation due to cargo-shipping losses; only in emergencies would ships rounding\u00a0Cape Horn<\/a>\u00a0stop at the port.<\/sup>\u00a0Nevertheless, the Falklands’ geographic location proved ideal for ship repairs and the “Wrecking Trade”, the business of selling and buying shipwrecks and their cargoes.<\/sup>\u00a0Aside 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\u00a0Falkland Islands Company<\/a>, which bought out Lafone’s failing enterprise in 1851,<\/sup>\u00a0successfully introduced\u00a0Cheviot sheep<\/a>\u00a0for wool farming, spurring other farms to follow suit.<\/sup> The high cost of importing materials, combined with the shortage of labor and consequent high wages, meant the ship repair trade became uncompetitive. After 1870, it declined as the replacement of sail ships by\u00a0steamships<\/a>\u00a0was accelerated by the low cost of coal in South America; by 1914, with the opening of the\u00a0Panama Canal<\/a>, the trade effectively ended.<\/sup>\u00a0In 1881, the Falkland Islands became financially independent of Britain.<\/sup> 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.<\/p>\n In the first half of the 20th century, the Falklands served an important role in Britain’s territorial claims to\u00a0subantarctic<\/a>\u00a0islands and a section of Antarctica. The Falklands governed these territories as the\u00a0Falkland Islands Dependencies<\/a>\u00a0starting in 1908, and retained them until their dissolution in 1985.<\/sup>\u00a0The Falklands also played a minor role in the two world wars as a military base aiding control of the South Atlantic. In the\u00a0First World War<\/a>\u00a0Battle of the Falkland Islands<\/a>\u00a0in December 1914, a Royal Navy fleet defeated an\u00a0Imperial German<\/a>\u00a0squadron. In the\u00a0Second World War<\/a>, following the December 1939\u00a0Battle of the River Plate<\/a>, the battle-damaged\u00a0HMS\u00a0Exeter<\/i><\/a>\u00a0steamed to the Falklands for repairs.<\/sup>\u00a0In 1942, a battalion en route to India was redeployed to the Falklands as a garrison amid fears of a Japanese seizure of the archipelago.<\/sup> 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.<\/p>\n Simmering tensions between the UK and Argentina increased during the second half of the century, when Argentine President\u00a0Juan Per\u00f3n<\/a>\u00a0asserted sovereignty over the archipelago.<\/sup>\u00a0The sovereignty dispute intensified during the 1960s, shortly after the United Nations passed a resolution on\u00a0decolonization<\/a> which Argentina interpreted as favorable to its position.<\/sup>\u00a0In 1965, the UN General Assembly passed\u00a0Resolution 2065<\/a>, calling for both states to conduct bilateral negotiations to reach a peaceful settlement of the dispute.<\/sup>\u00a0From 1966 until 1968, the UK confidentially discussed with Argentina the transfer of the Falklands, assuming its judgement would be accepted by the islanders.<\/sup>\u00a0An 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.<\/sup>\u00a0Nonetheless, Falklander dissent, as expressed by their strong lobby in the\u00a0UK Parliament<\/a>, and tensions between the UK and Argentina effectively limited sovereignty negotiations until 1977.<\/sup><\/p>\n 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\u00a0Thatcher government<\/a>.<\/sup>\u00a0Substantive sovereignty talks again ended by 1981, and the dispute escalated with passing time.<\/sup>\u00a0In April 1982, the\u00a0Falklands War<\/a>\u00a0began when Argentine military forces\u00a0invaded the Falklands<\/a>\u00a0and other\u00a0British territories in the South Atlantic<\/a>, briefly\u00a0occupying them<\/a>\u00a0until a UK\u00a0expeditionary force<\/a>\u00a0retook the territories in June.<\/sup>\u00a0After the war, the United Kingdom expanded its military presence, building\u00a0RAF Mount Pleasant<\/a>\u00a0and increasing the size of its garrison.<\/sup>\u00a0The war also left some 117 minefields containing nearly 20,000 mines of various types, including anti-vehicle and anti-personnel mines.<\/sup>\u00a0Due to the large number of\u00a0deminer<\/a>\u00a0casualties, initial attempts to clear the mines ceased in 1983.<\/sup><\/sup> Demining operations recommenced in 2009 and were completed in October 2020.<\/p>\n Based on\u00a0Lord Shackleton<\/a>‘s recommendations, the Falklands diversified from a sheep-based monoculture into an economy of tourism and, with the establishment of the Falklands\u00a0Exclusive Economic Zone<\/a>, fisheries.<\/sup><\/sup>\u00a0The road network was also made more extensive, and the construction of RAF Mount Pleasant allowed access to\u00a0long haul<\/a>\u00a0flights.<\/sup>\u00a0Oil exploration also began in the 2010s, with indications of possible commercially exploitable deposits in the Falklands basin.<\/sup>\u00a0Landmine clearance work restarted in 2009, in accordance with the UK’s obligations under the\u00a0Ottawa Treaty<\/a>, and\u00a0Sapper Hill<\/a> 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.<\/sup>\u00a0Disputes between the governments have led “some analysts [to] predict a growing conflict of interest between Argentina and Great Britain\u00a0… because of the recent expansion of the fishing industry in the waters surrounding the Falklands”.<\/p>\n The Falkland Islands have a land area of 4,700 square miles (12,000\u00a0km2<\/sup>) and a coastline estimated at 800 miles (1,300\u00a0km).<\/sup>\u00a0The archipelago consists of two main islands, West Falkland and East Falkland, and 776 smaller islands.<\/sup>\u00a0The islands are predominantly mountainous and hilly,<\/sup>\u00a0with the major exception being the depressed plains of\u00a0Lafonia<\/a> (a peninsula forming the southern part of East Falkland).\u00a0The Falklands consists of\u00a0continental crust<\/a>\u00a0fragments resulting from the break-up of\u00a0Gondwana<\/a>\u00a0and the opening of the South Atlantic that began 130\u00a0million years ago. The islands are located in the\u00a0South Atlantic Ocean<\/a>, on the\u00a0Patagonian Shelf<\/a>, about 300 miles (480 km) east of Patagonia in southern Argentina.<\/p>\n The archipelago’s two main islands are separated by the Falkland Sound<\/a>,<\/sup>\u00a0and its deep coastal indentations form\u00a0natural harbors<\/a>.<\/sup>\u00a0East Falkland houses Stanley (the capital and largest settlement),<\/sup>\u00a0the UK military base at RAF Mount Pleasant, and the archipelago’s highest point:\u00a0Mount Usborne<\/a>, at 2,313 feet (705\u00a0m).<\/sup>\u00a0Outside of these significant settlements is the area colloquially known as “Camp”, which is derived from the Spanish term for countryside (Campo<\/i>).<\/p>\n The\u00a0climate of the islands<\/a>\u00a0is cold, windy and humid\u00a0maritime<\/a>. Variability of daily weather is typical throughout the archipelago.<\/sup> Rainfall is common over half of the year, averaging 610 millimeters (24\u00a0in) in Stanley, and sporadic light snowfall occurs nearly all year.<\/sup>\u00a0The temperature has historically stayed between 21.1 and \u221211.1\u00a0\u00b0C (70.0 and 12.0\u00a0\u00b0F) in Stanley, with mean monthly temperatures varying from 9\u00a0\u00b0C (48\u00a0\u00b0F) early in the year to \u22121\u00a0\u00b0C (30\u00a0\u00b0F) in July.<\/sup>\u00a0Strong\u00a0westerly winds<\/a>\u00a0and cloudy skies are common.<\/sup> Although numerous storms are recorded each month, conditions are normally calm.<\/p>\n The economy of the Falkland Islands is ranked the 222nd largest out of 229 in the world by\u00a0GDP<\/a>\u00a0(PPP<\/a>), but ranks 5th worldwide by\u00a0GDP (PPP) per capita<\/a>.<\/sup>\u00a0The unemployment rate was 1% in 2016, and\u00a0inflation<\/a>\u00a0was calculated at 1.4% in 2014.<\/sup>\u00a0Based on 2010 data, the islands have a high\u00a0Human Development Index<\/a>\u00a0of 0.874<\/sup>\u00a0and a moderate\u00a0Gini coefficient<\/a>\u00a0for\u00a0income inequality<\/a>\u00a0of 34.17.<\/sup>\u00a0The local currency is the\u00a0Falkland Islands pound<\/a>, which is\u00a0pegged<\/a>\u00a0to the British\u00a0pound sterling<\/a>.<\/sup><\/p>\n Economic development<\/a>\u00a0was advanced by\u00a0ship resupplying<\/a>\u00a0and sheep farming for high-quality\u00a0wool<\/a>.\u00a0The main sheep breeds in the Falkland Islands are\u00a0Polwarth<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Corriedale<\/a>.<\/sup>\u00a0During the 1980s, although ranch under-investment and the use of\u00a0synthetic fibers<\/a>\u00a0damaged the sheep-farming sector, the government secured a major revenue stream by the establishment of an\u00a0exclusive economic zone<\/a>\u00a0and the sale of fishing licences to “anybody wishing to fish within this zone”.<\/sup>\u00a0Since the end of the Falklands War in 1982, the islands’ economic activity has increasingly focused on\u00a0oil field<\/a>\u00a0exploration<\/a> and tourism.<\/p>\n The port settlement of Stanley has regained the islands’ economic focus, with an increase in population as workers migrate from Camp.<\/sup> Fear of dependence on fishing licenses and threats from\u00a0overfishing<\/a>,\u00a0illegal fishing<\/a>\u00a0and fish\u00a0market price fluctuations<\/a>\u00a0have increased interest in\u00a0oil drilling<\/a>\u00a0as an alternative source of revenue; exploration efforts have yet to find “exploitable reserves”.<\/sup> Development projects in education and sports have been funded by the Falklands government, without aid from the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n The\u00a0primary sector of the economy<\/a>\u00a0accounts 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.<\/sup>\u00a0A little over a quarter of the workforce serves the Falkland Islands government, making it the archipelago’s largest employer.<\/sup>\u00a0Tourism, part of the service economy, has been spurred by increased interest in\u00a0Antarctic exploration<\/a>\u00a0and the creation of direct air links with the United Kingdom and South America.<\/sup>\u00a0Tourists, mostly\u00a0cruise ship<\/a>\u00a0passengers, are attracted by the archipelago’s wildlife and environment, as well as activities such as fishing and\u00a0wreck diving<\/a>; the majority find accommodation in Stanley.<\/sup>\u00a0The islands’ major exports include wool, hides, venison, fish and squid; its main imports include fuel,\u00a0building materials<\/a>\u00a0and clothing.<\/p>\n In 1982, the Falkland Islands had no roads outside Stanley, only tracks.<\/sup>\u00a0By 2007, the Falkland Islands had a road network of 488 miles (786\u00a0km) with a further roads planned for construction link to all occupied\u00a0mainland settlements<\/a> by 2013. In 2012, the Falkland Islands Government classified the 536 miles (862\u00a0km) road network – East Falkland 304 miles (489\u00a0km) and West Falkland 232 miles (373\u00a0km) – into “A” roads, “B” roads and “C” roads for purposes of\u00a0Highways Asset Management Plan<\/i>. The “A” roads are the 75 miles (121\u00a0km) link between Stanley and New Haven (East Falkland<\/a>) and the 48 miles (78\u00a0km) link between\u00a0Port Howard<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Fox Bay<\/a>\u00a0(West Falkland<\/a>).<\/sup>\u00a0All roads within Stanley are asphalted as are the ones at\u00a0Mount Pleasant Airport (MPA).<\/a> The road between Stanley and MPA is mostly gravel all-weather roads (as like the rest of the roads in the islands) with some short asphalted sections. The road between Stanley and MPA has a large trench on either side, which will ground any vehicle driving into it. These trenches were allegedly dug deeper than they needed to be as annual rainfall was taken as a number for the monthly rainfall.<\/p>\n Stanley has two taxi services which can be used for travel within the town and the surrounding areas. A variety of four-wheel drive vehicles can be hired in Stanley, which are essential for travel along unpaved roads that are potentially badly potholed.<\/sup><\/sup>\u00a0A bus service ferries passengers between the main airport for international flights at Mount Pleasant and Stanley.<\/sup> Bicycles can also be hired, though because of the unsealed roads and hilly terrain, these are more suitable for use around the Stanley area.<\/p>\n Stanley HarbourThere are two\u00a0seaports<\/a>\u00a0in the Falkland Islands, Stanley (East Falkland) and\u00a0Fox Bay<\/a> (West Falkland). The designated harbors in Stanley area include\u00a0Berkeley Sound<\/a>,\u00a0Port William<\/a>\u00a0and Stanley Harbour itself.<\/sup>\u00a0Fox Bay is also a customs entry point for\u00a0West Falkland<\/a>. The Falkland Islands do not have a\u00a0merchant navy<\/a>.<\/p>\n Since November 2008, a regular ferry service has linked the two main islands, carrying cars, passengers and cargo. The ferry,\u00a0MV Concordia Bay<\/a><\/i>, a 42.45\u00a0m twin-screw shallow draft (2.59\u00a0m) landing craft<\/sup>\u00a0runs between\u00a0Port Howard<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0West Falkland<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0New Haven<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0East Falkland<\/a>.<\/sup>\u00a0She has a deck, 30\u00a0m in length and 10\u00a0m in width which is sufficient for 16 one-ten\u00a0Land Rovers<\/a> (or equivalent) and accommodation for 30 passengers. She also has a crane that is capable of lifting 10 tons at 7 m. She also visits some of the smaller islands.<\/p>\n Other smaller boats may be chartered in advance.<\/p>\n Tourist cruise ships often visit many of the islands, making use of\u00a0inflatable boats<\/a> where adequate docking facilities are not available.<\/p>\n The Falkland Islands have two airports with paved runways. The main international airport is\u00a0RAF Mount Pleasant<\/a>, 27 miles (43\u00a0km) west of Stanley.<\/sup>\u00a0LAN Airlines<\/a>\u00a0operate weekly flights to\u00a0Punta Arenas<\/a>. Once a month, this flight also stops in\u00a0R\u00edo Gallegos<\/a>, Argentina.<\/sup><\/p>\n The\u00a0Royal Air Force<\/a>\u00a0operates flights from\u00a0RAF Mount Pleasant<\/a>\u00a0to\u00a0RAF Brize Norton<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0Oxfordshire<\/a>, England, with a refueling stop at Dakar<\/a>,\u00a0Senegal<\/a>, because the runway at\u00a0RAF Ascension Island<\/a>\u00a0is closed until at least 2019.<\/sup>\u00a0This service is called the South Atlantic Airbridge.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/09\/Falkland-Islands-on-the-Globe-300x254.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>History:<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/09\/Government-House-in-Stanley-is-the-Governors-official-residence.-300x169.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"Three](\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/4\/4e\/Edward_Gennys_Fanshawe%2C_Mount_William%2C_Falkland_Islands%2C_May_1849_%28Portion_B%29.png\/220px-Edward_Gennys_Fanshawe%2C_Mount_William%2C_Falkland_Islands%2C_May_1849_%28Portion_B%29.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"Two](\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/1\/18\/Battle_of_the_Falkland_Islands%2C_1914_%28retouched%29.jpg\/220px-Battle_of_the_Falkland_Islands%2C_1914_%28retouched%29.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/09\/Argentine-Soldiers-in-Stanley-300x200.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Geography:<\/h2>\n
![\"Topographic](\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/4\/4e\/Falkland_Islands_topographic_map-en.svg\/220px-Falkland_Islands_topographic_map-en.svg.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Economy:<\/h2>\n
![\"Aerial](\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/d\/d2\/Aerial_photo_Port_Stanley_edit.jpg\/220px-Aerial_photo_Port_Stanley_edit.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/09\/Sheep-and-Penguins-in-the-Falkland-Islands-300x169.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Transportation:<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/2\/2a\/Stanley-Harbour.jpg\/250px-Stanley-Harbour.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/3\/38\/Islander.JPG\/250px-Islander.JPG\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>