Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas): Background & Geography

Introduction Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
Background:
 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.
Geography Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
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
note: includes the two main islands of East and West Falkland and about 200 small islands
water: 0 sq km
land: 12,173 sq km
Area - comparative:
 slightly smaller than Connecticut
Land boundaries:
 0 km
Coastline:
 1,288 km
Maritime claims - as described in UNCLOS 1982 (see Notes and Definitions):
 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
Elevation extremes:
 lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Usborne 705 m
Natural resources:
 fish, squid, wildlife, calcified seaweed, sphagnum moss
Land use:
 arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (99% permanent pastures, 1% other) (1998 est.)
Irrigated land:
 NA sq km
Natural hazards:
 strong winds persist throughout the year
Environment - current issues:
 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 Chornobyl disaster
Geography - note:
 deeply indented coast provides good natural harbors; short growing season

See Also: