Geography of the Falkland Islands
Encyclopedia
West Falkland
West Falkland is the second largest of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic. It is a hilly island, separated from East Falkland by Falkland Sound. Its area is and its coastline is long. Including the adjacent small islands the land area is .-Population:The island has fewer than 200...
and East Falkland
East Falkland
East Falkland the largest of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic, has an area of and a coastline long. Most of the population of the Falklands live in East Falkland, almost all of them living in the northern half of the island...
(in Spanish Isla Gran Malvina and Isla Soledad respectively), and about 776 small islands. The islands are located 185 nautical miles (342.6 km) from the Isla de los Estados
Isla de los Estados
Isla de los Estados is an Argentine island that lies off the eastern extremity of the Argentine portion of Tierra del Fuego, from which it is separated by the Le Maire Strait...
in Argentina (and 250 nautical miles (463 km) from the Argentine mainland); 264 nautical miles (488.9 km) from Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
; 582 nautical miles (1,077.9 km) west of the Shag Rocks
Shag Rocks (South Georgia)
The Shag Rocks are six small islands in the westernmost extreme of South Georgia, west of the main island of South Georgia and off the Falkland Islands. The Shag Rocks are located at . further southeast is Black Rock. Black Rock is located at ....
(South Georgia) and 501 nautical miles (927.9 km) north of the British Antarctic Territory
British Antarctic Territory
The British Antarctic Territory is a sector of Antarctica claimed by the United Kingdom as one of its 14 British Overseas Territories. It comprises the region south of 60°S latitude and between longitudes and , forming a wedge shape that extends to the South Pole...
(which overlaps with the Argentine
Argentine Antarctica
Argentine Antarctica is a sector of Antarctica claimed by Argentina as part of its national territory. The Argentine Antarctic region, consisting of the Antarctic Peninsula and a triangular section extending to the South Pole, is delimited by the 25° West and 74° West meridians and the 60° South...
and Chilean claims to Antarctica in that region).
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
or Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, with a coastline estimated at 800 miles (1,287.5 km).
The two main islands on either side of Falkland Sound
Falkland Sound
The Falkland Sound is a sea strait in the Falkland Islands. Running south west - north east, it separates West and East Falkland.-Name:The sound was named by John Strong in 1690 for Viscount Falkland, the name only later being applied to the archipelago and its two largest islands...
make up most of the land. These are East Falkland
East Falkland
East Falkland the largest of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic, has an area of and a coastline long. Most of the population of the Falklands live in East Falkland, almost all of them living in the northern half of the island...
, which contains the capital, Stanley
Stanley, Falkland Islands
Stanley is the capital and only true cityin the Falkland Islands. It is located on the isle of East Falkland, on a north-facing slope in one of the wettest parts of the islands. At the 2006 census, the city had a population of 2,115...
, and most of the population; and West Falkland
West Falkland
West Falkland is the second largest of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic. It is a hilly island, separated from East Falkland by Falkland Sound. Its area is and its coastline is long. Including the adjacent small islands the land area is .-Population:The island has fewer than 200...
. Both islands have mountain range
Mountain range
A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...
s, the highest point being Mount Usborne
Mount Usborne
Mount Usborne is a mountain on East Falkland. At above sea level, it is the highest point in the Falkland Islands.The mountain is referenced by Charles Darwin in Chapter 9 of the Zoology of the Voyage of the Beagle and is named after , Master's Assistant on HMS Beagle, the ship that took Darwin...
, 705 metres (2,313 ft) on East Falkland. There are also some bog
Bog
A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....
gy plain
Plain
In geography, a plain is land with relatively low relief, that is flat or gently rolling. Prairies and steppes are types of plains, and the archetype for a plain is often thought of as a grassland, but plains in their natural state may also be covered in shrublands, woodland and forest, or...
s, most notably in Lafonia
Lafonia
Lafonia is a peninsula forming the southern part of East Falkland, the largest of the Falkland Islands.-Geography and geology:Shaped like the letter "E", it is joined to the northern part of the island by a 1.5-mile narrow isthmus; were this isthmus to be severed, Lafonia would be the third...
, on the southern half of East Falkland. Virtually the entire area of the islands is used as pasture
Pasture
Pasture is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep or swine. The vegetation of tended pasture, forage, consists mainly of grasses, with an interspersion of legumes and other forbs...
for sheep
Domestic sheep
Sheep are quadrupedal, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates. Although the name "sheep" applies to many species in the genus Ovis, in everyday usage it almost always refers to Ovis aries...
.
Smaller islands surround the main two. They include Barren Island
Barren Island (Falkland Islands)
Barren Island is one of the Falkland Islands, lying south west of East Falkland and south east of George Island. It is separated from Lafonia by Eagle Passage. Its total area is ....
, Beaver Island
Beaver Island (Falkland Islands)
Beaver Island is one of the Beaver Island group of Falkland Islands. It lies west of Weddell Island and south of New Island and has an area of ....
, Bleaker Island
Bleaker Island
Bleaker Island is one of the Falkland Islands, lying off south east Lafonia . The name is a corruption of "Breaker Island" due to the waves that break on it...
, Carcass Island
Carcass Island
Carcass Island is the largest of the West Point Island Group of the Falkland Islands. It lies north west of West Falkland and south east of the Jason Islands...
, George Island
George Island
George Island is the second largest of the Speedwell Island Group in the Falkland Islands with a land area of . It lies south of Speedwell Island and south west of East Falkland, and is separated from Lafonia by Eagle Passage. The island is generally flat, rising no more than above sea level,...
, Keppel Island
Keppel Island
Keppel Island is one of the Falkland Islands, lying between Saunders Island and Pebble Island, and near Golding Island to the north of West Falkland on Keppel Sound. It has an area of and its highest point, Mt Keppel, is high. There is a wide, flat valley in the centre of the island with...
, Lively Island
Lively Island
Lively Island is the largest of the Lively Island Group of the Falkland Islands, The island group lies east of East Falkland. Lively Island is the largest rat-free island in the Falklands, hence its importance to birdlife...
, New Island
New Island
New Island is one of the Falkland Islands, lying north of Beaver Island. It is from Stanley and is 8 miles long with an average width of 820 yards . The highest point is . The northern and eastern coasts have high cliffs but the eastern coasts are lower lying, with rocky shores and...
, Pebble Island
Pebble Island
Pebble Island is one of the Falkland Islands, lying north of West Falkland.The island stretches about 19 miles from east to west and is about 4.3 miles at its widest point, with a total area of square miles .It has three high points: First Mountain , Middle Mountain and...
, Saunders Island
Saunders Island (Falkland Islands)
Saunders Island is the fourth largest of the Falkland Islands, lying north west of West Falkland. The island is run as a sheep farm.The island has an area of square miles and a has a coastline miles long . It is about 13 miles from east to west and almost that distance...
, Sealion Island, Speedwell Island
Speedwell Island
Speedwell Island is one of the Falkland Islands, lying in the Falkland Sound, southwest of Lafonia, East Falkland....
, Staats Island
Staats Island
Staats Island is one of the Beaver Island Group in the Falkland Islands. It lies between Beaver Island and Weddell Island, parallel to Tea Island and is in area. It is known for its Patagonian foxes and guanacos, both introduced species; the former is not to be confused with the closely related...
, Weddell Island
Weddell Island
Weddell Island is the third largest of the Falkland Islands. Weddell Island is located to the west of West Falkland and is square miles in area. The length of the coastline is miles...
, and West Point Island
West Point Island
West Point Island is one of the Falkland Islands, lying west of West Falkland. It has an area of and is run as a sheep farm by R.P. McGill of Carcass Island.-History:...
. The Jason Islands
Jason Islands
The Jason Islands are an archipelago in the Falkland Islands, lying to the far north-west of West Falkland. Three of the islands, Steeple Jason, Grand Jason and Clarke's Islet are private nature reserves owned by the Wildlife Conservation Society, New York...
lie to the north west of the main archipelago, and Beauchene Island
Beauchene Island
Beauchene Island is the southernmost of the Falkland Islands, lying about 34 mi south of Porpoise Point in Lafonia. It was discovered in 1701 by Jacques Gouin de Beauchêne in whose honour it was named.-Geography:...
some distance to its south. Speedwell Island and George Island are split from East Falkland by Eagle Passage
Eagle Passage
The Eagle Passage is a strait in the Falkland Islands, between Lafonia in the south west of East Falkland, and the smaller islands of Speedwell, Barren and George Island...
.
Numerous flora and fauna are found on the Falkland Islands. Notable native fauna include colonies of the Magellanic Penguin
Magellanic Penguin
The Magellanic Penguin, Spheniscus magellanicus, is a South American penguin, breeding in coastal Argentina, Chile and the Falkland Islands, with some migrating to Brazil where they are occasionally seen as far north as Rio de Janeiro. It is the most numerous of the Spheniscus penguins. Its nearest...
. For more details see Fauna of the Falkland Islands
Fauna of the Falkland Islands
-Coleoptera:* Carabidae** Migadopini*** Lissopterus hyadesii falklandicus*** Lissopterus quadrinotatus*** Migadops latus lebruni*** Pseudomigadops falklandicus*** Pseudomigadops fuscus fuscus*** Pseudomigadops fuscus sericeus...
.
The islands claim a territorial sea of 12 nmi (22.2 km; 13.8 mi) and an exclusive fishing zone
Exclusive Economic Zone
Under the law of the sea, an exclusive economic zone is a seazone over which a state has special rights over the exploration and use of marine resources, including production of energy from water and wind. It stretches from the seaward edge of the state's territorial sea out to 200 nautical...
of 200 nmi (370.4 km; 230.2 mi), which has been a source of disagreement with Argentina.
Biogeographically
Biogeography
Biogeography is the study of the distribution of species , organisms, and ecosystems in space and through geological time. Organisms and biological communities vary in a highly regular fashion along geographic gradients of latitude, elevation, isolation and habitat area...
, the Falkland Islands are classified as part of the Neotropical realm, together with South America. It is also classified as part of the Antarctic Floristic Kingdom
Antarctic Floristic Kingdom
The Antarctic Floristic Kingdom is a floristic region first identified by botanist Ronald Good , which includes most areas of the world south of 40°S latitude...
.
Climate
Surrounded by cool South AtlanticAtlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
waters, the Falkland Islands have a Maritime Subarctic climate
Oceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also called marine west coast climate, maritime climate, Cascadian climate and British climate for Köppen climate classification Cfb and subtropical highland for Köppen Cfb or Cwb, is a type of climate typically found along the west coasts at the middle latitudes of some of the...
(Koppen Cfc) that is very much influenced by the ocean in that it has a narrow annual temperature range. The January average maximum temperature is about 13°C (55°F), and the July maximum average temperature is about 4°C (39°F). The average annual rainfall is 573.6 millimetres (22.58 in) but East Falkland is generally wetter than West Falkland. Humidity
Humidity
Humidity is a term for the amount of water vapor in the air, and can refer to any one of several measurements of humidity. Formally, humid air is not "moist air" but a mixture of water vapor and other constituents of air, and humidity is defined in terms of the water content of this mixture,...
and winds, however, are constantly high. Snow is rare but can occur at almost any time of year. Gales are very frequent, particularly in winter. The climate is similar to that of the Shetland islands
Shetland Islands
Shetland is a subarctic archipelago of Scotland that lies north and east of mainland Great Britain. The islands lie some to the northeast of Orkney and southeast of the Faroe Islands and form part of the division between the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the North Sea to the east. The total...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, but with less rainfall and longer and slightly more severe winters.