The islands lie on the boundary of the subantarctic oceanic and tundra climate zones, and both major islands have mountain ranges reaching 2,300 feet (700 m). The southernmost point of West Falkland is Cape Meredith, and the most south-westerly point is Calm Head. [54] From 1966 until 1968, the UK confidentially discussed with Argentina the transfer of the Falklands, assuming its judgement would be accepted by the islanders. [143][138] The main Christian denominations are Anglicanism and other Protestantism, and Roman Catholicism. [50] In 1881, the Falkland Islands became financially independent of Britain. Shag Cove saw several Argentine helicopters downed after British Harrier jump jets attacked them. The archipelago, with an area of 4,700 square miles (12,000 square kilometres), comprises East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 smaller islands.

Mount Adam, the highest hill in the islands, is 700 metres (2,300 ft) above sea level. As a British overseas territory, the Falklands have internal [137] In the 2012 census, a majority of residents listed their nationality as Falkland Islander (59 percent), followed by British (29 percent), Saint Helenian (9.8 percent), and Chilean (5.4 percent). [112] The Falklands' flora consists of 163 native vascular species.

West Falkland saw some activity during the Falklands War in 1982; Fox Bay, Port Howard and Pebble Island were all occupied by Argentine troops during the hostilities and were subjected to occasional British naval bombardment and air attacks.

Coordinates: 51°41′S 59°10′W / 51.683°S 59.167°W / -51.683; -59.167.

[6] The Viscount's title originates from the town of Falkland, Scotland—the town's name likely comes from a Gaelic term referring to an "enclosure" (lann),[A] but it could less plausibly be from the Anglo-Saxon term "folkland" (land held by folk-right). Characterised by rugged hills and spectacular coastline, the West is home to a variety of wildlife, great hill-walking opportunities and a chance to really get away from it all. However, a later survey found that Mount Adam was higher.

[27] Amid the British invasions of the Río de la Plata during the Napoleonic Wars in Europe, the islands' governor evacuated the archipelago in 1806; Spain's remaining colonial garrison followed suit in 1811, except for gauchos and fishermen who remained voluntarily. This may be accounted for by the sheltered nature of Bold Cove. In 1976, Lord Shackleton produced a report into the economic future of the islands; however, his recommendations were not implemented because Britain sought to avoid confronting Argentina over sovereignty.

As a British overseas territory, the Falklands have internal self-governance, and the United Kingdom takes responsibility for their defence and foreign affairs. [101] The temperature has historically stayed between 21.1 and −11.1 °C (70.0 and 12.0 °F) in Stanley, with mean monthly temperatures varying from 9 °C (48 °F) early in the year to −1 °C (30 °F) in July.

[10] Bougainville, who founded the islands' first settlement, named the area after the port of Saint-Malo (the point of departure for his ships and colonists). The Falkland Islands is also known as Malvinas Islands located in the South Atlantic enclave. [59] After the war, the United Kingdom expanded its military presence, building RAF Mount Pleasant and increasing the size of its garrison. [129] Stanley (with 2,121 residents) is the most-populous location on the archipelago, followed by Mount Pleasant (369 residents, primarily air-base contractors) and Camp (351 residents). To the west are some white sandy beaches with clean water and rolling sand dunes with tall grass. The largest settlement is Port Howard on the east coast, which has an airstrip. In 1986, the population was 265, in 2001, it had fallen to 144 and rose to 160 in 2016. [27], Thereafter, the archipelago was visited only by fishing ships; its political status was undisputed until 1820, when Colonel David Jewett, an American privateer working for the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata, informed anchored ships about Buenos Aires' 1816 claim to Spain's territories in the South Atlantic. the Falkland Islands ranks number 232 in the list of countries (and dependencies) by population. [32] Buenos Aires named Vernet military and civil commander of the islands in 1829,[33] and he attempted to regulate sealing to stop the activities of foreign whalers and sealers.

[108] Rainfall is common over half of the year, averaging 610 millimetres (24 in) in Stanley, and sporadic light snowfall occurs nearly all year. [103] Variability of daily weather is typical throughout the archipelago. [145] Primary education is available at Stanley, RAF Mount Pleasant (for children of service personnel) and a number of rural settlements. The principal mountain range, the Hornby Hills, runs parallel with Falkland Sound. [71] Both the Governor and the Chief Executive serve as the head of government. There are several ethnic groups that live in the Falkland Islands. [5] The name "Falkland" was applied to the channel by John Strong, captain of an English expedition that landed on the islands in 1690.

[46], Simmering tensions between the UK and Argentina increased during the second half of the century, when Argentine President Juan Perón asserted sovereignty over the archipelago. Captain John Strong of the Welfare made the first recorded landing on either of the main islands (West and East Falkland) on 29 January 1690 at Bold Cove on the other side of the headland from Port Howard. [49] The high cost of importing materials, combined with the shortage of labour and consequent high wages, meant the ship repair trade became uncompetitive. Early explorers reported the remains of canoes on West Falkland but it is unclear whether it was a one way trip, or indeed if the canoes were not swept in from Patagonia. West Falkland (Spanish: Isla Gran Malvina) is the second largest of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic. [91][L], In 2009, the British prime minister, Gordon Brown, had a meeting with the Argentine president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, and said that there would be no further talks over the sovereignty of the Falklands. ", Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society, "Britain puts forward four options on Falklands (Nick Ridley visit & leaseback)", "Sovereignty and the Falkland Islands Crisis", Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, List of countries that have gained independence from the United Kingdom, Countries and dependencies of South America, Independence of Spanish continental Americas, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, northernmost France, Law of coartación (which allowed slaves to buy their freedom, and that of others), South George and the South Sandwich Islands, List of countries by English-speaking population, List of countries where English is an official language, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Falkland_Islands&oldid=980943196#Demographics, English-speaking countries and territories, States and territories established in 1833, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia indefinitely semi-protected pages, Articles containing Spanish-language text, Articles containing Scottish Gaelic-language text, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz area identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WorldCat identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. [9] The term "Falklands" is a standard abbreviation used to refer to the islands. In the 20th century, the islands were plagued with a loss of population as many people moved overseas to take advantage of better job and educational opportunities. The beaches are a habitat for elephant seals and are unpolluted save for the occasional piece of wreckage and the odd washed-up tree trunk. In West Falkland there are several dykes that cut the rocks of the western islands, but these dykes, unlike the previous ones, are chemically more unstable and have been eroded. Under the British Nationality (Falkland Islands) Act 1983, Falkland Islanders are British citizens. The majority of inhabitants are Christian, based on the last census, and is the chosen religion of about 66% of islanders. [129] Tourism, part of the service economy, has been spurred by increased interest in Antarctic exploration and the creation of direct air links with the United Kingdom and South America. [117], The Falkland Islands population is homogeneous, mostly descended from Scottish and Welsh immigrants who settled in the territory after 1833. [145], Falklands culture is based on the cultural traditions of its British settlers but has also been influenced by Hispanic South America. [137] Falklanders still use some terms and place names from the former Gaucho inhabitants. At the time of the 2012 census, 91 Falklands residents were overseas. [88][89][90] The incident of 1833 is particularly contentious; Argentina considers it proof of "Britain's usurpation" whereas the UK discounts it as a mere reassertion of its claim.

The Falkland Islands is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. Both claimed in 1908; territories formed in 1962 (British Antarctic Territory) and 1985 (South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands). [146] The Falklands' predominant and official language is English, with the foremost dialect being British English; nonetheless, some inhabitants also speak Spanish.

[82] A British military garrison is stationed on the islands, and the Falkland Islands government funds an additional company-sized light infantry Falkland Islands Defence Force. [77], As a territory of the United Kingdom, the Falklands were part of the overseas countries and territories of the European Union until 2020. In the Second World War, following the December 1939 Battle of the River Plate, the battle-damaged HMS Exeter steamed to the Falklands for repairs.

The Falkland Islands govern themselves, but the United Kingdom administers defense and foreign affairs. [45] 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.

[106] East Falkland houses Stanley (the capital and largest settlement),[104] the UK military base at RAF Mount Pleasant, and the archipelago's highest point: Mount Usborne, at 2,313 feet (705 m). [137] According to naturalist Will Wagstaff, "the Falkland Islands are a very social place, and stopping for a chat is a way of life". [84], The United Kingdom and Argentina both assert sovereignty over the Falkland Islands. [112] The Falklands are treeless and have a wind-resistant vegetation predominantly composed of a variety of dwarf shrubs. This British Overseas Territory consists of West Falkland, East Falkland, and 776 other smaller islands. [23] In 1766, France surrendered its claim on the Falklands to Spain, which renamed the French colony Puerto Soledad the following year. [126], The port settlement of Stanley has regained the islands' economic focus, with an increase in population as workers migrate from Camp. On the southerly side lie high cliffs with an abundance of seabirds. The population is quite small at 3,398 inhabitants. [53] The sovereignty dispute intensified during the 1960s, shortly after the United Nations passed a resolution on decolonisation which Argentina interpreted as favourable to its position. 15.