Falkland Islands

The Falkland Islands are a British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic, about 500 km (300 mi) east of the coast of Patagonia. Stanley on East Falkland is the capital and English is the language, and besides East and West Falkland the group has 776 smaller islands.

No people lived there when Europeans began to explore the area, and the English captain John Strong made the first undisputed landing in 1690, naming Falkland Sound after Viscount Falkland, the Treasurer of the Navy. France founded Port Louis on East Falkland in 1764, and Britain set up Port Egmont on Saunders Island a year later. France passed its claim to Spain in 1766; Spain seized Port Egmont in 1770 and returned it in 1771, and Britain withdrew its garrison in 1774. Buenos Aires claimed the islands in 1816 and backed a settlement of the merchant Luis Vernet from 1826.

British forces returned in 1833, the islands became a Crown colony in 1840 and Stanley has been the seat of government since 1845. The Falkland Islands Company introduced Cheviot sheep after 1851, and wool ruled trade and jobs for more than a century. A Royal Navy fleet defeated a German squadron off the islands in December 1914. In 1982 Argentina and Britain fought the Falklands War over the islands, which stayed British. In a 2013 referendum 99.8% of votes cast were for remaining a British territory, while Argentina maintains its claim to what it calls the Islas Malvinas.

Britain then built RAF Mount Pleasant. An exclusive economic zone set up in the 1980s made the sale of fishing licenses the main source of income, and cruise passengers come for the wildlife. Five penguin species breed on the islands, which also hold some of the largest albatross colonies, while offshore islands shelter the rare striated caracara. Oil exploration in the Falklands basin since the 2010s has added to the dispute with Argentina.