Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Country Profile
Key Facts of Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
| Government type: | parliamentary democracy (Legislative Assembly); self-governing overseas territory of the UK |
| Capital: | Stanley |
| Languages: | English 89%, Spanish 7.7%, other 3.3% (2006 est.) |
Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Demographic Data
Ethnic Groups in Falkland Islands (Malvinas)(2016 est.)
Religious Groups in Falkland Islands (Malvinas) (2016 est.)
Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Economy Statistics
Economic overview of Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
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
Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Real GDP (purchasing power parity) in Billion $
Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Real GDP per capita in $
Geography of Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
Map of Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
Land and Water Distrubtion of Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
Natural Resources of Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
- fish 🐟
- squid 🦑
- wildlife 🐾
- calcified seaweed 🪨🌿
- sphagnum moss 🌿🪵
Climate inFalkland Islands (Malvinas)
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
History of Falkland Islands (Malvinas) - a Summary
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 With hostilities ended and Argentine forces withdrawn, UK administration resumed.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.