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.
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
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
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
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 41 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)
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)
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 - overview
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%
Labor force
1,724 (est.) (1996)
Labor force - by occupation
agriculture
95% (mostly sheepherding and fishing)
industry and services
5%
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; including capital expenditures of $23.2 million (FY98/99 est.)
Agriculture - products
Industries
fish and wool processing; tourism
Industrial production growth rate
NA%
Electricity - production
16 million kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source
fossil fuel
100%
hydro
0%
nuclear
0%
other
0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption
14.88 million kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports
0 kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports
0 kWh (2004)
Oil - production
0 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - consumption
230 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports
NA bbl/day
Oil - imports
NA bbl/day
Natural gas - production
0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption
0 cu m (2004 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)
Debt - external
$NA
Economic aid - recipient
$0 (1997 est.)
Currency (code)
Falkland pound (FKP)
Currency code
FKP
Exchange rates
Falkland pounds per US dollar - 0.5434 (2006), 0.5504 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002)
note: the Falkland pound is at par with the British pound
Fiscal year
1 April - 31 March
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
103 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
2 (2000)
Internet users
1,900 (2002)
Airports
5 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways
total
2
2,438 to 3,047 m
1
914 to 1,523 m
1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total
3
under 914 m
3 (2006)
Roadways
total
440 km
paved
50 km
unpaved
390 km (2003)
Ports and terminals
Stanley
Military branches
no regular military forces
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
NA
Military - note
defense is the responsibility of the UK
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
