Falkland Islands

The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic continental shelf, consisting of two main islands, East Falkland and West Falkland, and a number of smaller islands. They are administered as a largely self-governing overseas territory of the United Kingdom (UK) from Port Stanley, the capital and largest city, on East Falkland. The United Nations Committee on Decolonization includes the Falkland Islands on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories.

Argentina, claims the islands, calling them by their Spanish name, Islas Malvinas (and the derived Malvinas Islands in English), the capital "Puerto Argentino" and considers them part of the Tierra del Fuego Province. The islands appear on every Argentine map, also in Argentine weather forecasts and even some tourguides to Argentina. Almost every city in Argentina has a memorial to the fallen of the 1982 war and a street named "Malvinas Argentinas". At many of the entrance points to the country and to some of the provinces there are roadside signs proclaiming "Las Malvinas son Argentinas" (The Malvinas are Argentine).

Argentina invaded the islands in 1982, leading to the Falklands War in which they were retaken by the UK. The Argentines accuse the British of colonialism and emphasise decolonisation, whereas the British emphasise the right of the islanders, who consider themselves to be British, to self-determination. Although still a touchy diplomatic issue, international relations have improved in recent years.

History

Main article: History of the Falkland Islands

The Dutch sailor Sebald de Weert is usually credited with first sighting the Falklands in 1600, though both the British and Spanish maintain their own explorers discovered the islands earlier. Some older maps, particularly Dutch ones, used the name 'Sebald Islands' for a while. The history of discovery and exploration is as follows:

1504: Amerigo Vespucci (Florence/Spain)
1520: Esteban Gomez (Spain)
1540: Ferdinand Camargo (Spain)
1592: John Davis (England)
1593: Richard Hawkins (England)
1600: Sebald de Weert (Netherlands)
1684: Cowley & Dampier (England) discovered Pepys Island, renamed South Georgia by James Cook in 1775.
1690: John Strong (England)
1701: Gouin de Beauchesne (France)
1708: Roger Woodes (Great Britain)
1740: George Anson (Great Britain)

In 1764, Louis de Bougainville (France) founded a naval base at Port Louis, East Falkland. The French named them the Îles Malouines, so-called from when the islands were briefly occupied by fishermen from St Malo. Ignorant of de Bougainville's presence, John Byron (Great Britain) established a base at Port Egmont, West Falkland in 1765. In 1766, France sold its base to Spain. Spain declared war on Great Britain in 1770 in a fight over the islands but the dispute was settled the following year, with Spain retaining East Falkland and Great Britain West Falkland (until 1774). Spain ruled the islands as part of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata after 1776.

File:FalklandIslands.jpg

Falkland Islands from Space

The islands were uninhabited after 1811. In 1820 Argentina proclaimed sovereignty over them, set up a penal colony, and named Luis Vernet as the islands' governor in 1829, in order to colonise them. The United Kingdom invaded the islands in 1833 and expelled the Argentines, but Argentina maintained its claim. Various tensions led to an Argentine invasion in 1982. The islands were later retaken by the UK. See: Falklands War.

No native people lived in the islands when the Europeans arrived, although there is some disputed evidence for earlier human visits. The most convincing is the Falkland Island fox, or Warrah, possibly descended from South American culpeo used as hunting dogs by Yaghan people of Tierra del Fuego. It is unlikely that it reached the islands by itself. Abundant when the islands were settled by Europeans, it was considered a nuisance to livestock and hunted to extinction.

Politics

Main article: Politics of the Falkland Islands

Executive authority comes from the Queen and is exercised by the Governor on her behalf. Defence is the responsibility of the UK. There is a constitution, which was put into force in 1985.

Under the constitution, there is an Executive Council, and a Legislative Council. The Executive Council, which advises the Governor, is also chaired by the Governor. It consists of the Chief Executive, Financial Secretary and three Legislative Councillors, who are elected by the other Legislative Councillors. The Legislative Council consists of the Chief Executive, Financial Secretary and the eight Legislative Councillors, of whom five are elected from Stanley and three from Camp, for four year terms. It is presided over by the Speaker, currently Mr L.G Blake.

The loss of the war against Britain over control of the islands led to the collapse of the Argentine military dictatorship in 1983. Disputes over control of the islands still continue. In 2001, British Prime Minister Tony Blair was the first to visit Argentina since the war. On the 22nd anniversary of the war, Argentina’s President Néstor Kirchner gave a speech insisting that the islands would once again be part of Argentina. Kirchner, campaigning for president in 2003, regarded the islands a top priority. In June 2003 the issue was brought before a United Nations committee, and attempts have been made to open talks with Britain to resolve the issue of the islands. The Falkland Islanders themselves are almost entirely British, and maintain their allegiance to the United Kingdom.

Falkland Islanders were granted full British citizenship from 1 January 1983 under the British Nationality (Falkland Islands) Act 1983.

Geography

Map of the Falkland Islands

Main article: Geography of the Falkland Islands

The islands are 300 miles (483 km) from the South American mainland.There are two main islands, East Falkland (Soledad) and West Falkland (Gran Malvina) and about 700 small islands. The total land area is 12,173 km².

Islanders themselves talk about two main areas of the islands, namely Stanley and the rest which they nickname "the Camp", from the Spanish "campo" meaning "countryside".

Economy

Main article: Economy of the Falkland Islands

The largest industries are fishing and agriculture. The islands have oil reserves that are believed to be quite substantial, but have yet to be exploited.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of the Falkland Islands

The population is 2,967 (July 2003 estimated).

Islanders call themselves "Islanders". Outsiders often call Islanders "Kelpers", from the kelp, which grows profusely around the islands, but the name is not used in the Islands any more. The word kelper is used in Argentina with the meaning of second-class citizens as a reflection on the legal status of the islanders within the UK prior to the passing of the Nationality Act of 1983.

Culture

Main article: Culture of the Falkland Islands

Argentine Claim

Argentina considers that the islands were a Spanish territory and that they passed to Argentine sovereignty when Argentina became independent in 1816. (The Spanish maintained that while they allowed a British settlement on the islands, they did not concede sovereignty to the British).

Memorial to the fallen, Cordoba, Argentina

When Argentina established a settlement on the islands in 1820 they were uninhabited.

Thus they consider the British 'invasion' of 1833 to have been in breach of international law. It is sometimes claimed that this was not contested due to the fact that Argentina was engaged in the 'conquista del desierto' (desert conquest) against the indigenous peoples of Patagonia.

Another argument advanced by the Argentine government is the fact that the islands are located on the continental shelf facing Argentina, which would give, as stated in the 1958 UN "Convention on the Continental Shelf". It is also mentioned that the islands are 550 kilometres from Tierra del Fuego, compared with the over 8,000 kilometres from Great Britain, and that the UN considers the territories as territories to be considered for decolonization.

Finally Argentina states that the fact that the current population of the islands is purely British is not a valid argument for British possession of the islands as it is a result of the British occupation of 1833, which Argentina considers to have been illegal, after which the Argentine population was expelled by force.

In Argentina it is considered that in 1982 Argentine forces "retomaron" (retook) the islands, while in the UK the word "invaded" is normally used.

British Claim

Britain claims that according to treaties signed with Spain, all land not under 'effective control' was open to colonisation even if it was within the territory allocated to Spain under the treaty of Tordesillas (An agreement made by the Catholic church between Spain and Portugal - not recognised by any other nation)

Britain claims that the Spanish ceded sovereignty over the areas settled by the British. Thus the British claim that the 1820 Argentine settlement was on British territory. Britain sees the events of 1833 as a retaking of the islands and the 1982 military efforts by the Argentines as an invasion.

NB: When the UK recognised Argentine independence in 1825, no mention was made of the islands, even though there was then an Argentine governor on the islands.

Britain also cites the continous settlement since 1833 - some families have been on the islands for more than 5 generations as justification for continuing British sovereignty.

Miscellaneous topics

Reference

^ "Non-Self-Governing Territories listed by General Assembly in 2002". United Nations Special Committee of 24 on Decolonization. March 10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)

External links

Template:Wikitravel
Falkland Islands government official website, including a detailed map
Falklands History
Falkland Islands portal, from the Falkland Islands Development Corporation
BBC Focus on the Islands
Penguin News, a weekly newspaper since 1979 (membership required for access)
Falkland Islands News Network, privately maintained
Falkland Islands Tourism, from a company by that name
Satellite photograph of the islands taken April 28, 2005, hosted by a NASA website
Weather BBC Weather update for Port Stanley

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