Overview
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 in 1982. The British responded with an expeditionary force and after fierce fighting forced an Argentine surrender on 14 June 1982. With hostilities ended and Argentine forces withdrawn, UK administration resumed. In response to renewed calls from Argentina for Britain to relinquish control of the islands, a referendum was held in 2013 that resulted in 99.8% of the population voting to remain a part of the UK.
Geography
- Location
- Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, about 500 km east of southern Argentina
- Total Area
- 12,173 sq km
- Climate
- cold marine; strong westerly winds, cloudy, humid; rain occurs on more than half of days in year; average annual rainfall is 60 cm in Stanley; occasional snow all year, except in January and February, but typically does not accumulate
- Terrain
- rocky, hilly, mountainous with some boggy, undulating plains
- Natural Resources
- fish, squid, wildlife, calcified seaweed, sphagnum moss
- Coastline
- 1,288 km
- Land Borders
- 0 km
People & Society
- Population
- 3,142 (2021)
- Languages
- English 89%, Spanish 7.7%, other 3.3% (2006 est.)
- Religions
- Christian 57.1%, other 1.6%, none 35.4%, unspecified 6% (2016 est.)
- Ethnic Groups
- Falkland Islander 48.3%, British 23.1%, St. Helenian 7.5%, Chilean 4.6%, mixed 6%, other 8.5%, unspecified 2% (2016 est.)
- Life Expectancy
- (2017 est.) 77.9
- Urbanization
- 79.7% of total population (2023)
Government
- Government Type
- parliamentary democracy (Legislative Assembly); self-governing overseas territory of the UK
- Capital
- Stanley
- Independence
- none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina)
- Constitution
- previous 1985; latest entered into force 1 January 2009 (The Falkland Islands Constitution Order 2008)
- Legal System
- English common law and local statutes
- Executive Branch
- King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor Colin MARTIN-REYNOLDS (since 29 July 2025)
Economy
- Economic Overview
- British South American territorial economy; longstanding fishing industry; surging tourism prior to COVID-19 and Brexit; recent offshore hydrocarbon discoveries threaten ecotourism industries; no central bank and must have British approval on currency shifts
- GDP (Official Rate)
- $206.4 million (2015 est.)
- Major Industries
- fish and wool processing; tourism