United Kingdom - Falkland Islands

Status: UK overseas territory

Population: 2,955 (2006 census)

Time: GMT minus 4–5hr

Currency: Falkland Islands pound, at par with pound sterling

Geography

A group of islands consisting of East and West Falkland, and approximately 700 smaller islands, which lie about 480km north-east of the southern tip of South America.
Time: GMT minus 4hr. The clock is advanced by one hour from the first Sunday in September to the first Sunday in April.

Area: 12,173 sq km

Towns: Stanley, on East Falkland, is the only appreciable settlement, with a population of 2,300 in 2006.

Topography: The islands are deeply indented with many anchorages. The landscape is treeless moorland, with deep peat deposits, and hills ranging across the northern parts of both islands, rising to the highest points: Mt Usborne (705m) in East Falkland, and Mt Adam (700m) in West Falkland.

Climate: Temperate, cooled by the Antarctic current, lashed by gales in every month of the year, and with a moderate 625mm of rainfall per annum. There is little variation in temperature, which ranges 3–9°C.

Wildlife: There are no native mammals remaining. Around 65 species of bird breed on the islands, including the Falkland pipit and the striated caracara. Several million penguins breed there and sea mammals are abundant.

Transport/Communications: There are some 50km of surfaced roads around Stanley and the airport, and 390km of unsurfaced gravel tracks. Most road travel outside Stanley is by Land Rover or motorcycle.

A commercial ship runs between the Falklands and the UK five times a year and the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) operates a service about 11 times a year.

There are airports at Mt Pleasant and Stanley. Flights from the UK are provided by the MOD, refuelling at Ascension Island. There are scheduled weekly flights to and from mainland Chile. The government runs internal air services by light aircraft to some of the smaller islands.

The international dialling code is +500. There are 774 main telephone lines and 734 mobile phone subscriptions per 1,000 people (2006).

There are 839 internet users per 1,000 people (2006).

Society

Population: 2,955 (2006 census); the majority population is of UK descent.

Religion: Mainly Christians.

Language: English

Media: The Falkland Islands News Network is published daily on the Web (http://www.falklandnews.com/) and incorporates Financial News and Information. Penguin News is published weekly (http://www.penguin-news.com/). There are 420 radios per 1,000 people (2001).

Education: Education is free and compulsory from age five to 16 – seven years of primary and five years of secondary. There is one school in Stanley, comprising a junior school (for age five to 11 years) and a community school (11–16). Pupils unable to attend school in Stanley, where there is a hostel for up to 65 boarders, can be taught by peripatetic teachers and by radio/telephone.

Suitable students are funded to continue their studies at sixth-form level in the UK – for example, at Loughborough College or Peter Symonds College, or at other institutions at parental request. Some students go on to university.

Health: Care is provided by the Falklands Islands Government. There are usually four doctors, two dentists and 20 qualified nurses present on the islands. The King Edward VII Memorial Hospital was completed in 1987. The hospital is run jointly by the Falkland Islands Government and the UK Ministry of Defence with some of the medical staff provided by the MOD.

Public holidays: New Year’s Day, May Day (first Monday in May), Spring Bank Holiday (last Monday in May), Liberation Day (14 June), Summer Bank Holiday (last Monday in August), Christmas Day and Boxing Day. The Queen’s Official Birthday (in June) is not a public holiday.

Religious and other festivals whose dates vary from year to year include Good Friday and Easter Monday.

Economy

Overview: In general terms, the Islands are self-supporting except for defence. The main economic activities are fishing (predominantly for squid and by licensed foreign trawlers) and sheep farming. Revenue is also generated by the sale of stamps and coins as collectors’ items.

Tourism has grown rapidly and there are some 30,000 visitors a year, mainly from cruiseships in the austral summer months. Some companies have also expressed an interest in oil exploration in the waters surrounding the Falkland Islands. Economic diversification is also taking place throughout the Falklands in areas such as meat production and agriculture.

Trade: The most important export is wool and the largest imports are fuels, food/beverages, building materials and clothing. Trade is mainly with the UK. Many imports and especially fresh foods and drinks come from Chile.

History

The first sighting of the Islands has been ascribed to various navigators, but the first known landing was by Captain John Strong in 1690, who named the Islands after the then Treasurer of the Navy, Viscount Falkland. The first occupation was by the French in 1764 under Antoine-Louis de Bougainville, who established a small colony on East Falkland. This was sold to Spain, who governed most of South America at that time, in 1767. In 1765, the British had taken possession of West Falkland and, in the next year, established a colony on Saunders Island to the north of West Falkland. The Spanish compelled the British settlers to leave in 1770, bringing the two nations to the brink of war, but were persuaded to hand back the colony in 1771. Both British and Spanish had left the Islands by the early 19th century.

In 1820, the Buenos Aires government, which had declared its independence of Spain in 1816, sent a ship to the Islands to claim sovereignty, and a colony was once more established on East Falkland under Luis Vernet as governor. In 1831, a US warship destroyed this settlement in reprisal for the arrest of three American sealing vessels. In 1832 the Argentinians again attempted to settle a garrison but were evicted when the HMS Clio arrived.

The British resumed occupation of the Islands, which has been continuous since. The Islands were given a governor in 1843. Grants-in-aid for the settlement were approved and continued until 1885, when the Islands became self-supporting.

Argentina did not abandon its claim to the Islands, and pursued this in UN talks from 1966 onwards, despite the islanders’ overwhelming preference for retaining their association with the UK. During these years, links continued between the Falklands and Argentina, with air and sea communication, and facilities for education and medical care for the Falklanders. In April 1982, Argentine military forces invaded the Islands and overwhelmed the small UK garrison. A UK task force was dispatched and forced the Argentinians to surrender on 14 June 1982, after the loss of some 1,000 UK and Argentine lives.

After the election of the Menem government in Argentina in 1989, there was a rapprochement between the UK and Argentina. In 1990, diplomatic relations, broken off in 1982, were restored with Argentina, with both sides in effect agreeing to disagree on sovereignty over the Islands. In July 1999, the UK and Argentina agreed on some confidence-building measures between the territory and Argentina, including co-operation in areas such as fisheries.

Constitution

Falkland Islands is a UK overseas territory by choice. Supreme authority is vested in the British monarch and exercised by a governor on the monarch’s behalf, with the advice and assistance of the executive and legislative councils. The constitution includes the islanders’ right to self-determination and provides for fundamental rights and freedoms of the individual.

The governor presides over an executive council of five, three elected and two ex-officio members. The legislative council has eight elected members and the two ex-officio members of the executive council.

After eight years of consultation and debate, a new constitution was adopted in November 2008, replacing that of October 1985 (with amendments in 1997 and 1998). It enhances democracy; provides for greater transparency and accountability; and clarifies the rights of individuals in line with the international agreements the UK is party to.