Outline of the Falkland Islands
Encyclopedia
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
is a British overseas territory comprising the Falklands archipelago
Archipelago
An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...
in the South Atlantic Ocean. The Falkland Islands are located 300 miles (483 km) from the coast of Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, 671 miles (1,080 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 584 miles (940 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). They consist of two main islands, 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...
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...
, together with 776 smaller islands. 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...
, on East Falkland, is the capital. The islands are a self-governing Overseas Territory
British overseas territories
The British Overseas Territories are fourteen territories of the United Kingdom which, although they do not form part of the United Kingdom itself, fall under its jurisdiction. They are remnants of the British Empire that have not acquired independence or have voted to remain British territories...
of 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 have been the subject of a claim to sovereignty
Sovereignty of the Falkland Islands
Sovereignty over the Falkland Islands is disputed between Argentina and the United Kingdom.The British claim to de jure sovereignty dates from 1690, and the United Kingdom has exercised de facto sovereignty over the archipelago almost constantly since 1833...
by Argentina since the re-establishment of British rule in 1833.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the Falkland Islands:
General reference
-cia_wfb_map.png)
- Pronunciation: ˈfɔːlklənd ˈaɪləndz
- Common English country names: The Falkland IslandsFalkland IslandsThe Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
, the Falklands - Official English country name: The Falkland IslandsFalkland IslandsThe Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
- Common endonym(s):
- Official endonym(s):
- Adjectival(s): Falkland Island
- Demonym(s): Falkland Islander
- EtymologyEtymologyEtymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
: Name of the Falkland Islands - ISO country codes: FK, FLK, 238
- ISO region codes: See ISO 3166-2:FKISO 3166-2:FKISO 3166-2:FK is the entry for the Falkland Islands in ISO 3166-2, part of the ISO 3166 standard published by the International Organization for Standardization , which defines codes for the names of the principal subdivisions of all countries coded in ISO 3166-1.Currently no ISO 3166-2 codes are...
- InternetInternetThe Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
country code top-level domainCountry code top-level domainA country code top-level domain is an Internet top-level domain generally used or reserved for a country, a sovereign state, or a dependent territory....
: .fk.fk.fk is the country code top-level domain for the Falkland Islands.Registrants must be UK Falkland Islands residents.Only registrations at third levels are possible under these second-level sub-domains:* .co.fk – for commercial organizations...
Geography of the Falkland Islands
- The Falkland Islands are: a British overseas territory and archipelagoArchipelagoAn archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...
consisting of East FalklandEast FalklandEast 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...
, West FalklandWest FalklandWest 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 776 smaller islands - Location:
- Southern HemisphereSouthern HemisphereThe Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...
and Western HemisphereWestern HemisphereThe Western Hemisphere or western hemisphere is mainly used as a geographical term for the half of the Earth that lies west of the Prime Meridian and east of the Antimeridian , the other half being called the Eastern Hemisphere.In this sense, the western hemisphere consists of the western portions... - Atlantic OceanAtlantic OceanThe 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...
- South Atlantic, 300 miles (480 km) east of ArgentinaArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
- South Atlantic, 300 miles (480 km) east of Argentina
- Time zoneTime zoneA time zone is a region on Earth that has a uniform standard time for legal, commercial, and social purposes. In order for the same clock time to always correspond to the same portion of the day as the Earth rotates , different places on the Earth need to have different clock times...
: UTC-4UTC-4UTC−04-00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of −04.This offset is used in the Atlantic Standard Time Zone in Canada and the North American Eastern Time Zone during daylight saving time , in the Caribbean region this is considered as the Eastern Caribbean timezone...
, September–April UTC-3UTC-3UTC−03:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of −03:00.-As standard time :*Suriname*Falkland Islands*French Guiana*Brazil - East Northern and Northeastern States... - Extreme points of the Falkland Islands
- High: Mount UsborneMount UsborneMount 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 m (2,313 ft) - Low: South Atlantic Ocean 0 m
- High: Mount Usborne
- Land boundaries: none
- Coastline: 1,288 km
- Southern Hemisphere
- Population of the Falkland Islands:
- Area of the Falkland Islands:
- Atlas of the Falkland Islands
Environment of the Falkland Islands
- Climate of the Falkland IslandsClimate of the Falkland IslandsThe climate of the Falkland Islands is cool and temperate, regulated by the large oceans which surround it. The Falkland Islands are located over from South America, to the north of the Antarctic convergence, where cooler waters from the south mix with warmer waters from the north.Winds mostly...
- Environmental issues in the Falkland Islands
- Ecoregions in the Falkland Islands
- Renewable energy in the Falkland Islands
- Geology of the Falkland IslandsGeology of the Falkland IslandsThe Falkland Islands are located on a projection of the Patagonian continental shelf. In ancient geological time this shelf was part of Gondwana, which around 400 million years ago broke from what is now Africa and drifted westwards relative to Africa. Studies of the seabed surrounding the...
- Protected areas of the Falkland Islands
- Biosphere reserves in the Falkland Islands
- National parks of the Falkland Islands
- Wildlife of the Falkland IslandsWildlife of the Falkland IslandsThe wildlife of the Falkland Islands is quite similar to that of Patagonia. The Falkland Islands have no native reptiles or amphibians, and the only native mammal, the warrah, is now extinct. However, a large number of bird species have been seen around the islands, and many of them breed on the...
- Flora of the Falkland Islands
- Fauna of the Falkland IslandsFauna of the Falkland Islands-Coleoptera:* Carabidae** Migadopini*** Lissopterus hyadesii falklandicus*** Lissopterus quadrinotatus*** Migadops latus lebruni*** Pseudomigadops falklandicus*** Pseudomigadops fuscus fuscus*** Pseudomigadops fuscus sericeus...
- Birds of the Falkland Islands
- Mammals of the Falkland Islands
Natural geographic features of the Falkland Islands
- Fjords of the Falkland Islands
- Glaciers of the Falkland Islands
- Islands of the Falkland Islands
- Lakes of the Falkland Islands
- Mountains of the Falkland Islands
- Volcanoes in the Falkland Islands
- Rivers of the Falkland Islands
- Waterfalls of the Falkland Islands
- Valleys of the Falkland Islands
- World Heritage Sites in the Falkland Islands: None
Ecoregions of the Falkland Islands
- Main article: Ecoregions in the Falkland Islands
Municipalities of the Falkland Islands
- Capital of the Falkland Islands: Stanley
- Cities of the Falkland Islands
Demography of the Falkland Islands
- Main article: Demographics of the Falkland Islands
Government and politics of the Falkland Islands
- Main article: Government of the Falkland Islands and Politics of the Falkland IslandsPolitics of the Falkland IslandsThe politics of the Falkland Islands takes place in a framework of a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary representative democratic dependency as set out by the constitution, whereby the Governor exercises the duties of head of state in the absence of the monarch and the Chief Executive acts...
- Form of governmentForm of governmentA form of government, or form of state governance, refers to the set of political institutions by which a government of a state is organized. Synonyms include "regime type" and "system of government".-Empirical and conceptual problems:...
: parliamentaryParliamentary systemA parliamentary system is a system of government in which the ministers of the executive branch get their democratic legitimacy from the legislature and are accountable to that body, such that the executive and legislative branches are intertwined....
representative democraticRepresentative democracyRepresentative democracy is a form of government founded on the principle of elected individuals representing the people, as opposed to autocracy and direct democracy...
dependencyDependent territoryA dependent territory, dependent area or dependency is a territory that does not possess full political independence or sovereignty as a State, and remains politically outside of the controlling state's integral area.... - Capital of the Falkland Islands: StanleyStanley, Falkland IslandsStanley 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...
- Elections in the Falkland Islands
- Falkland Islands general election, 2009Falkland Islands general election, 2009The Falkland Islands general election of 2009 was held on Thursday 5 November 2009 to elect members to the Legislative Assembly. It was the first general election in the Falkland Islands since the new constitution came into force on 1 January 2009, which replaced the old Legislative Council with...
- Falkland Islands general election, 2009
- Political parties in the Falkland Islands
- Political scandals of the Falkland Islands
- Taxation in the Falkland Islands
Branches of the government of the Falkland Islands
Executive branch of the government of the Falkland Islands
- Head of stateHead of StateA head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
: Monarch of the United Kingdom, Queen Elizabeth II- Monarch's representative: Governor of the Falkland IslandsGovernor of the Falkland IslandsThe Governor of the Falkland Islands is the representative of the British Crown in the Falkland Islands, acting "in Her Majesty's name and on Her Majesty's behalf" as the islands' de facto head of state in the absence of the British monarch...
, Nigel HaywoodNigel HaywoodNigel Robert Haywood CVO is a British diplomat, the former British ambassador to Estonia and the current Governor of the Falkland Islands....
- Monarch's representative: Governor of the Falkland Islands
- Head of governmentHead of governmentHead of government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet. In a parliamentary system, the head of government is often styled prime minister, chief minister, premier, etc...
: Chief Executive of the Falkland IslandsChief Executive of the Falkland IslandsThe Chief Executive of the Falklands Islands is the head of government of the Falkland Islands, as well as head of the public service responsible for the efficient and effective management of the Falkland Islands Government...
, Tim ThorogoodTim ThorogoodTimothy "Tim" Rupert Thorogood is the current Chief Executive of the Falkland Islands, acting as the islands' head of government.... - CabinetCabinet (government)A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
: Executive Council of the Falkland IslandsExecutive Council of the Falkland IslandsThe Executive Council of the Falkland Islands is the policy making body of the Government of the Falkland Islands, exercising executive power by advising the Governor...
- 3 members elected by the Legislative Assembly
- 2 ex officio members
- the Chief Executive
- the Director of Finance
- the GovernorGovernor of the Falkland IslandsThe Governor of the Falkland Islands is the representative of the British Crown in the Falkland Islands, acting "in Her Majesty's name and on Her Majesty's behalf" as the islands' de facto head of state in the absence of the British monarch...
Legislative branch of the government of the Falkland Islands
- Legislative Assembly of the Falkland Islands (unicameral)
Judicial branch of the government of the Falkland Islands
- Privy Council of the United Kingdom
- Falkland Islands Court of Appeal
- Supreme Court of the Falkland Islands
- Magistrate's Court of the Falkland Islands
- Summary Court of the Falkland Islands
- Magistrate's Court of the Falkland Islands
- Supreme Court of the Falkland Islands
- Falkland Islands Court of Appeal
Foreign relations of the Falkland Islands
- None - though self-governing, the Falkland Islands are an overseas territory of the United KingdomBritish overseas territoriesThe British Overseas Territories are fourteen territories of the United Kingdom which, although they do not form part of the United Kingdom itself, fall under its jurisdiction. They are remnants of the British Empire that have not acquired independence or have voted to remain British territories...
, and therefore all foreign relations in regards to it are conducted by the UK. See also Sovereignty of the Falkland IslandsSovereignty of the Falkland IslandsSovereignty over the Falkland Islands is disputed between Argentina and the United Kingdom.The British claim to de jure sovereignty dates from 1690, and the United Kingdom has exercised de facto sovereignty over the archipelago almost constantly since 1833...
.- Diplomatic missions in the Falkland Islands: none
- Diplomatic missions of the Falkland Islands: none
International organization membership
The government of the Falkland Islands is a member of:- Universal Postal UnionUniversal Postal UnionThe Universal Postal Union is an international organization that coordinates postal policies among member nations, in addition to the worldwide postal system. The UPU contains four bodies consisting of the Congress, the Council of Administration , the Postal Operations Council and the...
(UPU)
Law and order in the Falkland Islands
- Main article: Law of the Falkland Islands
- Capital punishment in the Falkland Islands
- Constitution of the Falkland IslandsConstitution of the Falkland IslandsThe Falkland Islands Constitution, in its present form, was made on 5 November 2008 by Queen Elizabeth II in a meeting of the Privy Council at Buckingham palace. It was laid before Parliament on 12 November 2008 and came into force on 1 January 2009....
- Crime in the Falkland Islands
- Human rights in the Falkland Islands
- LGBT rights in the Falkland Islands
- Freedom of religion in the Falkland Islands
- Law enforcement in the Falkland Islands
Military of the Falkland Islands
- Main article: Military of the Falkland IslandsMilitary of the Falkland IslandsThe Falkland Islands are an overseas territory of the United Kingdom and, as such, rely on the UK for guarantee of their security. The other UK territories in the South Atlantic, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, fall under the protection of the British forces on the Falklands ,...
- Command
- Commander-in-chiefCommander-in-ChiefA commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
:- Ministry of Defence of the Falkland Islands
- Commander-in-chief
- Forces
- Army of the Falkland Islands
- Navy of the Falkland Islands
- Air Force of the Falkland Islands
- Special forces of the Falkland Islands
- Military history of the Falkland Islands
- Military ranks of the Falkland Islands
History of the Falkland Islands
- Main article: History of the Falkland IslandsHistory of the Falkland IslandsThe history of the Falkland Islands goes back at least five hundred years, with active exploration and colonisation only taking place in the 18th century...
, Timeline of the history of the Falkland IslandsTimeline of the history of the Falkland IslandsThe Falkland Islands have a complex history stretching over five hundred years. Active exploration and colonisation began in the 18th century but a self-supporting colony was not established till the latter part of the 19th century...
, and Current events of the Falkland Islands
- Falklands WarFalklands WarThe Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
- Economic history of the Falkland Islands
- Military history of the Falkland Islands
Culture of the Falkland Islands
- Main article: Culture of the Falkland IslandsCulture of the Falkland IslandsThe culture of the Falkland Islands is essentially analogous to that of British culture. The Falkland Islands have a large non-native born population, mainly white and from England , but also from Saint Helena.The native born population is mainly of English and Scottish descent, with some more...
- Architecture of the Falkland Islands
- Cuisine of the Falkland Islands
- Ethnic minorities in the Falkland Islands
- Festivals in the Falkland Islands
- Humour in the Falkland Islands
- Languages of the Falkland IslandsLanguages of the Falkland IslandsThe only official language of the Falkland Islands is English, and this is spoken by almost everyone on a day to day basis. Spanish is spoken by nearly 10% of the population, a significant minority...
- Media in the Falkland Islands
- National symbols of the Falkland Islands
- Coat of arms of the Falkland IslandsCoat of arms of the Falkland IslandsThe coat of arms of the Falkland Islands was granted to the Falkland Islands on September 29, 1948.The ship represents the Desire, the vessel in which the English sea-captain, John Davis, is reputed to have discovered the Falkland Islands in 1592....
- Flag of the Falkland IslandsFlag of the Falkland IslandsThe first flag of the Falkland Islands was adopted on 29 September 1948. It was a Blue Ensign with the Union Flag in the canton and the coat-of-arms superimposed upon a white disc...
- National anthem of the Falkland Islands
- Coat of arms of the Falkland Islands
- People of the Falkland Islands
- Prostitution in the Falkland Islands
- Public holidays in the Falkland Islands
- Records of the Falkland Islands
- Religion in the Falkland Islands
- Buddhism in the Falkland Islands
- Christianity in the Falkland Islands
- Hinduism in the Falkland Islands
- Islam in the Falkland Islands
- Judaism in the Falkland Islands
- Sikhism in the Falkland Islands
- World Heritage Sites in the Falkland Islands: None
Art in the Falkland Islands
- Art in the Falkland Islands
- Cinema of the Falkland Islands
- Literature of the Falkland Islands
- Music of the Falkland Islands
- Television in the Falkland Islands
- Theatre in the Falkland Islands
Sports in the Falkland Islands
- Main article: Sports in the Falkland Islands
- Football in the Falkland Islands
Economy and infrastructure of the Falkland Islands
- Main article: Economy of the Falkland IslandsEconomy of the Falkland IslandsThe economy of the Falkland Islands, which first involved sealing, whaling and provisioning ships, became heavily dependent on sheep farming from the 1870s to 1980. It then diversified and now has income from tourism, commercial fishing, and servicing the fishing industry as well as agriculture....
- Economic rank, by nominal GDP (2007): 223rd (two hundred and twenty third)
- Agriculture in the Falkland Islands
- Banking in the Falkland Islands
- National Bank of the Falkland Islands
- Communications in the Falkland IslandsCommunications in the Falkland IslandsTelephones - main lines in use:NATelephones - mobile cellular:Cable & Wireless launched "Touch" a GSM 900 mobile service during December 2005. Roaming became partially available in April 2007 depending on providers.Telephone system:...
- Internet in the Falkland Islands
- Companies of the Falkland Islands
- Currency of the Falkland IslandsCurrencyIn economics, currency refers to a generally accepted medium of exchange. These are usually the coins and banknotes of a particular government, which comprise the physical aspects of a nation's money supply...
: PoundFalkland Islands poundThe pound is the currency of the Falkland Islands, a British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic Ocean. The symbol is the pound sign, £, or alternatively FK£, to distinguish it from other pound-denominated currencies...
- ISO 4217ISO 4217ISO 4217 is a standard published by the International Standards Organization, which delineates currency designators, country codes , and references to minor units in three tables:* Table A.1 – Current currency & funds code list...
: FKP
- ISO 4217
- Economic history of the Falkland Islands
- Energy in the Falkland Islands
- Energy policy of the Falkland Islands
- Oil industry in the Falkland Islands
- Health care in the Falkland Islands
- Mining in the Falkland Islands
- the Falkland Islands Stock Exchange
- Tourism in the Falkland Islands
- Transport in the Falkland IslandsTransport in the Falkland IslandsThe Falkland Islands currently has three primary means of transport - road, sea and air. However in 1946, when Sir Miles Clifford, arrived as governor, there were no air services, no roads outside Stanley and an indifferent sea service. Sir Miles was instrumental in starting the Falkland Islands...
- Airports in the Falkland Islands
- Rail transport in the Falkland Islands
- Roads in the Falkland Islands
- Water supply and sanitation in the Falkland Islands
See also
- Index of Falkland Islands-related articles
- List of Falkland Islands-related topics
- List of international rankings
- Outline of geographyOutline of geographyThe following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to geography:Geography – science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth.- Geography is :...
- Outline of South America
- Outline of the United KingdomOutline of the United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK, or Britain, is a sovereign island nation located in the British Isles of Western Europe...
External links
- Falkland Islands Government official site
- The Falkland Islands Tourist Board
- Falkland Islands Tourism
- Falkland Islands Development Corporation official site
- Falkland Islands News Network official site
- Falkland Islands Information Portal
- Thoughts on the Late Transactions Respecting Falkland's Islands by Samuel Johnson 1771