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The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the Falkland Islands: The Falkland Islands ( es, Islas Malvinas) are an
archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands. Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Arc ...
located in the South
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of the
Patagonia Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and g ...
n coast at a latitude of about 52°S. The archipelago which has an area of comprises
East Falkland East Falkland ( es, Isla Soledad) is the largest island of the Falklands in the South Atlantic, having an area of or 54% of the total area of the Falklands. The island consists of two main land masses, of which the more southerly is known as La ...
, West Falkland and 776 smaller islands. The islands, a British Overseas Territory, enjoy a large degree of internal self-government with the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
guaranteeing good government and taking responsibility for their defence and foreign affairs. The capital is
Stanley Stanley may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film * ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy * ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short * ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...
on East Falkland. Controversy exists over the Falklands' original discovery and subsequent colonisation by Europeans. At various times there have been French, British, Spanish, and Argentine settlements. Britain re-established its rule in 1833, though the islands continue to be claimed by
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
. In 1982, following Argentina's invasion of the islands, the two-month-long undeclared Falklands War between both countries resulted in the surrender of all Argentine forces and the return of the islands to British administration. The population, estimated at 2,841, primarily consists of native
Falkland Islanders Falkland Islanders, also called FalklandersChater, Tony. ''The Falklands''. St. Albans: The Penna Press, 1996. p. 137. and nicknamed Kelpers, are the people of the British Overseas Territory of the Falkland Islands. Identity The Island ...
, the vast majority being of British descent. Other ethnicities include French, Gibraltarian, and
Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Swe ...
n. Immigration from the United Kingdom, Saint Helena, and
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
has reversed a former population decline. The predominant and official language is English. Under the British Nationality Act of 1983, Falkland Islanders are legally
British citizens British nationality law prescribes the conditions under which a person is recognised as being a national of the United Kingdom. The six different classes of British nationality each have varying degrees of civil and political rights, due to the ...
. The islands lie on the boundary of the Subarctic maritime climate and Temperate maritime climate zones with both major islands having mountain ranges reaching to . The islands are home to large bird populations, although many no longer breed on the main islands because of the effects of introduced species. Major economic activities include
fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...
,
tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...
, sheep farming with an emphasis on high-quality wool exports, and oil exploration. Oil exploration, licensed by the
Falkland Islands Government The politics of the Falkland Islands takes place in a framework of a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary representative democratic dependency as set out by the constitution, whereby the Governor exercises the duties of head of state in the ...
, remains controversial as a result of maritime disputes with Argentina.


General reference

* Pronunciation: * Common English country names: The
Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouze ...
, the Falklands * Official English country name: The
Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouze ...
Falkland Islands Constitution Order 2006
/ref> * Common endonym(s): * Official endonym(s): * Adjectival(s): Falkland Island * Demonym(s): Falkland Islander, Falklander *
Etymology Etymology ()The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the Phonological chan ...
: Name of the Falkland Islands *
ISO country codes ISO 3166-1 (''Codes for the representation of names of countries and their subdivisions – Part 1: Country codes'') is a standard defining codes for the names of countries, dependent territories, and special areas of geographical interest. It ...
: FK, FLK, 238 *
ISO region codes ISO 3166-2 is part of the ISO 3166 standard published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and defines codes for identifying the principal subdivisions (e.g., provinces or states) of all countries coded in ISO 3166-1. The ...
: See ISO 3166-2:FK *
Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...
country code top-level domain A country code top-level domain (ccTLD) is an Internet top-level domain generally used or reserved for a country, sovereign state, or dependent territory identified with a country code. All ASCII ccTLD identifiers are two letters long, and all ...
:
.fk .fk is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chai ...


Geography of the Falkland Islands

Geography of the Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands are located in the South Atlantic Ocean between 51°S and 53°S on a projection of the Patagonian Shelf, part of the South American continental shelf. In ancient geological time this shelf was part of Gondwana, and around 40 ...
* The Falkland Islands are: a British overseas territory and
archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands. Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Arc ...
consisting of
East Falkland East Falkland ( es, Isla Soledad) is the largest island of the Falklands in the South Atlantic, having an area of or 54% of the total area of the Falklands. The island consists of two main land masses, of which the more southerly is known as La ...
, West Falkland, and 776 smaller islands * Location: ** Southern Hemisphere and
Western Hemisphere The Western Hemisphere is the half of the planet Earth that lies west of the prime meridian (which crosses Greenwich, London, United Kingdom) and east of the antimeridian. The other half is called the Eastern Hemisphere. Politically, the te ...
**
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
***
South Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
, east of
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
but north east of the tip of
Tierra del Fuego Tierra del Fuego (, ; Spanish for "Land of the Fire", rarely also Fireland in English) is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The archipelago consists of the main island, Isla ...
. **
Time zone A time zone is an area which observes a uniform standard time for legal, commercial and social purposes. Time zones tend to follow the boundaries between countries and their subdivisions instead of strictly following longitude, because it ...
: UTC-4, September–April UTC-3 ** Extreme points of the Falkland Islands *** High:
Mount Usborne Mount Usborne ( es, Cerro Alberdi) is a mountain on East Falkland. At above sea level, it is the highest point in the Falkland Islands. It is only taller than Mount Adam, the highest peak on West Falkland. The mountain is referenced by Charle ...
*** Low:
South Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
0 m ** Land boundaries: ''none'' ** Coastline: 1,288 km * Population of the Falkland Islands: * * Area of the Falkland Islands: * Atlas of the Falkland Islands


Environment of the Falkland Islands

* Climate of the Falkland Islands *
Geology of the Falkland Islands The geology of the Falkland Islands is described in several publications. The Falkland Islands are located on a projection of the Patagonian continental shelf. In ancient geological time this shelf was part of Gondwana, which around 400 million y ...
* Wildlife of the Falkland Islands ** Fauna of the Falkland Islands *** Birds of the Falkland Islands *** Mammals of the Falkland Islands


Natural geographic features of the Falkland Islands

*
Islands of the Falkland Islands The following is a list of islands that form the Falkland Islands. Main islands Other islands Small archipelagos Jason Islands None of the Jason Islands are permanently inhabited. Highest islands List of Falkland Islands named ...
* Mountains of the Falkland Islands * Rivers of the Falkland Islands * Valleys of the Falkland Islands * World Heritage Sites in the Falkland Islands: None * Patagonian Shelf * Burdwood Bank


Regions of the Falkland Islands

Regions of the Falkland Islands


Ecoregions of the Falkland Islands

List of ecoregions in the Falkland Islands


Administrative divisions of the Falkland Islands


= Municipalities of the Falkland Islands

= * Capital of the Falkland Islands:
Stanley Stanley may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film * ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy * ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short * ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...
* Cities of the Falkland Islands


Demography of the Falkland Islands

Demographics of the Falkland Islands


Government and politics of the Falkland Islands

Politics of the Falkland Islands The politics of the Falkland Islands takes place in a framework of a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary representative democratic dependency as set out by the constitution, whereby the Governor exercises the duties of head of state in the ...
* Form of government:
parliamentary A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democratic governance of a state (or subordinate entity) where the executive derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the support ("confidence") of the ...
representative democratic dependency * Capital of the Falkland Islands:
Stanley Stanley may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film * ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy * ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short * ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...
* Elections in the Falkland Islands ** 1949 Falkland Islands general election **
1952 Falkland Islands general election The Falkland Islands general election of 1952 was held in May and June 1952 to elect members to the Legislative Council. Four out of the twelve Councillors were elected through universal suffrage, two from Stanley and one each from East Falkland ...
**
1956 Falkland Islands general election The Falkland Islands general election of 1956 was held in March and April 1956 to elect members to the Legislative Council. Four out of the twelve Councillors were elected through universal suffrage, two from Stanley and one each from East Falkla ...
**
1960 Falkland Islands general election The Falkland Islands general election of 1960 was held on 24 and 25 March 1960 to elect members to the Legislative Council. Four out of the twelve Councillors were elected through universal suffrage, two from Stanley and one each from East Falkla ...
**
1964 Falkland Islands general election The Falkland Islands general election of 1964 was held on 16 and 17 March 1964 to elect members to the Legislative Council. Four out of the ten Councillors were elected through universal suffrage, two from Stanley and one each from East Falkland ...
**
1968 Falkland Islands general election The Falkland Islands general election of 1968 was held on 13–15 March 1968 to elect members to the Legislative Council. Four out of the ten Councillors were elected through universal suffrage, two from Stanley and one each from East Falkland an ...
**
1971 Falkland Islands general election The Falkland Islands general election of 1971 was held on 30 November – 2 December 1971 to elect members to the Legislative Council. Four out of the ten Councillors were elected through universal suffrage, two from Stanley and one each from Eas ...
** 1976 Falkland Islands general election ** 1977 Falkland Islands general election **
1981 Falkland Islands general election The Falkland Islands general election of 1981 was held on Thursday 1 October 1981 to elect members to the Legislative Council. Six Councillors were elected through universal suffrage, one from each constituency (Camp, East Falkland, East Stanley, ...
** 1985 Falkland Islands general election ** 1989 Falkland Islands general election ** 1993 Falkland Islands general election ** 1997 Falkland Islands general election **
2001 Falkland Islands general election The Falkland Islands general election of 2001 was held on Thursday 22 November 2001 to elect members to the Legislative Council through universal suffrage using block voting. Chief Executive Michael Blanch acted as Chief Counting Officer. The e ...
** 2005 Falkland Islands general election ** 2009 Falkland Islands general election ** 2013 Falkland Islands general election ** 2017 Falkland Islands general election **
2021 Falkland Islands general election The Falkland Islands general election of 2021 was held on Thursday 4 November 2021 to elect all eight members of the Legislative Assembly (five from the Stanley constituency and three from the Camp constituency) through universal suffrage usin ...
*
Referendums in the Falkland Islands {{short description, None Following is a list of referendums held in the Falkland Islands: *1986 Falkland Islands status referendum * 2001 Falkland Islands electoral system referendum *2011 Falkland Islands electoral system referendum * 2013 Falkl ...
**
1986 Falkland Islands status referendum An unofficial status referendum was held in the Falkland Islands on 2 April 1986. The result was 96% in favour of continued British sovereignty, with 88% of registered voters taking part.2001 Falkland Islands electoral system referendum **
2011 Falkland Islands electoral system referendum A referendum on reforming the voting system was held in the Falkland Islands on 3 November 2011.2013 Falkland Islands sovereignty referendum **
2020 Falkland Islands electoral system referendum A referendum on reforming the electoral system was held in the Falkland Islands on 24 September 2020, after being postponed from 26 March 2020 following the Coronavirus pandemic. Voters were asked if they wanted to replace the two existing electo ...
*
List of Falkland Islands by-elections This is a list of by-elections to the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council of the Falkland Islands. The Legislative Council of the Falkland Islands was founded on 13 November 1845, originally as an entirely appointed body. The firs ...
* Political parties in the Falkland Islands


Branches of the government of the Falkland Islands

Government of the Falkland Islands


Executive branch of the government of the Falkland Islands

*
Head of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...
: Monarch of the United Kingdom,
Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person t ...
** Monarch's representative:
Governor of the Falkland Islands The governor of the Falkland Islands is the representative of the British Crown in the Falkland Islands, acting "in His Majesty's name and on His Majesty's behalf" as the islands' ''de facto'' head of state in the absence of the British monarch ...
, Alison Blake *
Head of government The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, ...
: Chief Executive of the Falkland Islands, Andy Keeling * Cabinet:
Executive Council of the Falkland Islands The Executive Council of the Falkland Islands is the policy making body of the Government of the Falkland Islands, Government of the Falkland Islands, exercising executive power by advising the Governor of the Falkland Islands, Governor. It has an ...
** 3 members elected by the Legislative Assembly ** 2 '' ex officio'' members *** the Chief Executive *** the Director of Finance ** the
Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...


Legislative branch of the government of the Falkland Islands

*
Legislative Assembly of the Falkland Islands The Legislative Assembly of the Falkland Islands is the unicameral legislature of the British Overseas Territory of the Falkland Islands. The Legislative Assembly replaced the Legislative Council (which had existed since 1845) when the new Con ...
(
unicameral Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature, which consists of one house or assembly, that legislates and votes as one. Unicameral legislatures exist when there is no widely perceived need for multi ...
) **
Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** I ...
:
Keith Biles Keith Robert Biles JP is a British-born Falkland Islands banker and politician who has served as the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the Falkland Islands since his election in 2009. Early life and career Biles was born in the UK but mov ...


Judicial branch of the government of the Falkland Islands

Court system of the Falkland Islands * Privy Council of the United Kingdom ** Falkland Islands Court of Appeal ***
Supreme Court of the Falkland Islands The politics of the Falkland Islands takes place in a framework of a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary representative democratic dependency as set out by the constitution, whereby the Governor exercises the duties of head of state in the ...
**** Magistrate's Court of the Falkland Islands ***** Summary Court of the Falkland Islands


Foreign relations of the Falkland Islands

Foreign relations of the Falkland Islands * None - though self-governing, the Falkland Islands are an overseas territory of the United Kingdom, and therefore all foreign relations in regards to it are conducted by the UK. See also
Sovereignty of the Falkland Islands Sovereignty over the Falkland Islands ( es, Islas Malvinas) is disputed by Argentina and the United Kingdom. The British claim to sovereignty dates from 1690, when they made the first recorded landing on the islands, and the United Kingdom has exe ...
. ** Diplomatic missions in the Falkland Islands: none ** Diplomatic missions of the Falkland Islands: none


International organization membership

The government of the Falkland Islands is a member of: *
Universal Postal Union The Universal Postal Union (UPU, french: link=no, Union postale universelle), established by the Treaty of Bern of 1874, is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that coordinates postal policies among member nations, in addition to ...
(UPU)


Law and order in the Falkland Islands

Law of the Falkland Islands * Constitution of the Falkland Islands * Crime in the Falkland Islands * Human rights in the Falkland Islands ** LGBT rights in the Falkland Islands * Law enforcement in the Falkland Islands


Military of the Falkland Islands

Military of the Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands are a British overseas territory and, as such, rely on the United Kingdom for the guarantee of their security. The other UK territories in the South Atlantic, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, fall under the pro ...
* Command ** Commander-in-chief: * Forces ** Army of the Falkland Islands ** Navy of the Falkland Islands ** Air Force of the Falkland Islands * Military history of the Falkland Islands * Military ranks of the Falkland Islands


Local government in the Falkland Islands

Local government in the Falkland Islands


History of the Falkland Islands

History of the Falkland Islands The history of the Falkland Islands ( es, Islas Malvinas) goes back at least five hundred years, with active exploration and colonisation only taking place in the 18th century. Nonetheless, the Falkland Islands have been a matter of controversy ...
* Timeline of the history of the Falkland Islands * Current events of the Falkland Islands * Falklands War * Military history of the Falkland Islands


Culture of the Falkland Islands

Culture of the Falkland Islands *
Architecture of the Falkland Islands The culture of the Falkland Islands is essentially analogous to that of British culture. The Falkland Islands have a large non-native born population, mainly white and from England (and to a much lesser extent, other parts of the British Isles), b ...
* Humour in the Falkland Islands * Languages of the Falkland Islands * National symbols of the Falkland Islands **
Coat of arms of the Falkland Islands The coat of arms of the Falkland Islands is the heraldic device consisting of a shield charged with a ram on tussock grass in a blue field at the top and a sailing ship on white and blue wavy lines underneath. Adopted in 1948, it has been the ...
** Flag of the Falkland Islands ** National anthem of the Falkland Islands * People of the Falkland Islands *
Public holidays in the Falkland Islands Public holidays in the Falkland Islands are determined by the Executive Council of the Falkland Islands. There are currently nine annual public holidays in force in the Falklands, with several other observances throughout the year. When a public ho ...
* Religion in the Falkland Islands ** Sikhism in the Falkland Islands * World Heritage Sites in the Falkland Islands: None


Art in the Falkland Islands

* Music of the Falkland Islands


Sports in the Falkland Islands

Sports in the Falkland Islands * Football in the Falkland Islands


Economy and infrastructure of the Falkland Islands

Economy of the Falkland Islands The economy of the Falkland Islands, which first involved sealing, whaling and provisioning ships, became heavily dependent on sheep farming from the 1870s to 1980. It then diversified and now has income from tourism, commercial fishing, and serv ...
* Economic rank, by nominal GDP (2007): 223rd (two hundred and twenty third) * Falkland Islands Development Corporation *
Communications in the Falkland Islands Telecommunications in the Falkland Islands includes radio, television, fixed and mobile telephones, and the Internet. Radio and television * Radio: Radio services provided by the public broadcaster, Falkland Islands Radio Service, broadcasting on ...
** Internet in the Falkland Islands * Companies of the Falkland Islands * Currency of the Falkland Islands: Pound ** ISO 4217: FKP * Tourism in the Falkland Islands * Transport in the Falkland Islands ** Airports in the Falkland Islands ** Rail transport in the Falkland Islands


Education in the Falkland Islands

Education in the Falkland Islands


See also

Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouze ...
* Index of Falkland Islands-related articles * List of Falkland Islands-related topics *
List of international rankings This is a list of international rankings. By category Agriculture * List of largest producing countries of agricultural commodities *List of countries by apple production * List of countries by apricot production * List of countries by artichoke ...
* Outline of geography * Outline of South America *
Outline of the United Kingdom The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; a sovereign country in Europe, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK), or Britain. Lying off the north-we ...


References


External links

* *
Falkland Islands Government
official site
The Falkland Islands Tourist Board

Falkland Islands Tourism

Falkland Islands Development Corporation
official site
Falkland Islands News Network
official site
Falkland Islands Information Portal


{{DEFAULTSORT:Falkland Islands
Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouze ...