origin of name

The Falkland Islands got their name from the Falkland Passage, the strait between the two main islands of the archipelago. The name for the strait was chosen by the Englishman John Strong in 1690 as a mark of respect for his patron Anthony Carey, 5th Viscount of Falkland. This name was later extended to the entire group of islands. The Spanish name, Islas Malvinas, comes from the French name, Îles Malouines, given by Louis Antoine de Bougainville in 1764 in honor of the first known island settlers, sailors and fishermen from the Breton port of Saint-Malo in France. Since the dispute over the ownership of the islands has not been finally resolved, the use of many Spanish names in the Falkland Islands is considered offensive. In particular, this applies to names associated with the invasion of the Falkland Islands by Argentine troops in 1982. The commander of the British forces in the Falklands conflict, General Sir Jeremy Moore, did not allow the use of the name "Malvinas" in the document on the surrender of the Argentine side, rejecting it as a propaganda term.

Geography

The Falkland Islands consist of two large ones (West and East Falkland) and about 776 small islands and rocks. The archipelago is located at a distance of 343 km from the Argentine island of Estados, 463 km from the coast of South America and 1078 km from the Shag Rocks (South Georgia). total area is 12,173 km². The total length of the coastline is about 1300 km, the coast is heavily indented. The islands of West and East Falkland are separated by the Falkland Channel. The highest point of the archipelago is Mount Usborne (705 m, located on East Falkland Island), Mount Adam on West Falkland Island has a height of 700 m. There are no long rivers on the islands, but there are a large number of streams that usually flow into the nearest fjord or bay.

Climate

The climate of the islands is characterized as temperate cool, oceanic. Western winds prevail. Temperature changes during the year are relatively small. Average monthly temperatures vary from 9°C in January and February to 2°C in June and July. The average annual temperature is about 5.6 °C. It is under the influence of powerful cold currents. One of them - Falkland (Malvinas) - follows from the Falkland Islands to La Plata Bay. The speed of the current is 1-2 km / h. The average water temperature in winter is from 4 to 10 °С, in summer from 8 to 15 °С. It carries a large number of icebergs, although icebergs are rare near the islands.

The average annual rainfall is about 574 mm, the level of precipitation is approximately constant throughout the year. The western part of the archipelago is more arid than the eastern part. So, the level of precipitation in Stanley, on east coast- about 630 mm, while in the extreme west of the Falkland Islands - only about 430 mm. Snowfall can occur in winter, but is only temporary and does not create long-term snow cover. Frequent fogs.

Flora and fauna

Biogeographically, the islands belong to the Antarctic ecozone and the Holontarctic floristic kingdom. There is a strong connection with the Patagonian flora and fauna. The only native land mammal of the archipelago was the Falkland fox (it was exterminated in the middle of the 19th century with the beginning of mass colonization). 14 species of marine mammals live in coastal waters. A large number of seabirds nest on the islands (more than 60 species), among them it is worth noting the black-browed albatross, 60% of whose nesting sites are located on the Falkland Islands. In addition, 5 species of penguins nest in the archipelago. Not a single species of reptiles and amphibians lives on the islands. About 200 species of insects have been recorded, as well as 43 species of spiders and 12 species of worms. Only 13 species of terrestrial invertebrates are recognized as endemic (the beetles Malvinius, Morronia, Falklandius and others), but due to the lack of information on many species, the proportion of endemics is probably much higher. IN fresh waters The archipelago is inhabited by 6 species of fish.

The vegetation of the archipelago is represented by cereal meadows and moorlands. There are 363 species of vascular plants, 21 species of ferns and 278 species of flowering plants.

The flora and fauna of the archipelago were greatly changed during colonization. Today, almost the entire territory of the islands is used as pasture for sheep. Introduced species of plants and animals cause damage to local flora and fauna.

Story

It is alleged that the islands were discovered in 1591-1592 by the English navigator John Davis, who commanded the ship on the expedition of the English corsair Thomas Cavendish, but the Spaniards also claim the right to be the discoverers of the archipelago. Subsequently, the islands repeatedly changed hands. There were no indigenous people.

In 1763-1765, the French navigator Louis Antoine de Bougainville explored the islands. In 1764 he founded the first settlement on the island of East Falkland, called Port Saint-Louis (since 1828 - Port Louis). In January 1765, the British captain John Byron, unaware of the presence of the French on the islands, explored Saunders Island at the western tip of the archipelago and announced its annexation to Great Britain. Captain Byron named the bay on Saunders Port Egmont. Here in 1766 Captain McBride founded an English settlement. In the same year, Spain acquired French possessions in the Falklands from Bougainville and, having consolidated its power here in 1767, appointed a governor. In 1770, the Spanish attacked Port Egmont and drove the British off the island. This led to the fact that the two countries were on the brink of war, but a later peace treaty allowed the British to return to Port Egmont in 1771, while neither Spain nor Great Britain abandoned their claims to the islands.

In 1774, in anticipation of the impending American Revolutionary War, Great Britain unilaterally abandoned many of its overseas possessions, including Port Egmont. Leaving the Falklands in 1776, the British installed a commemorative plaque here to confirm their rights to this territory. From 1776 until 1811, a Spanish settlement remained on the islands, administered from Buenos Aires as part of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. In 1811, the Spaniards left the islands, also leaving a tablet here to prove their rights.

On November 6, 1820, Colonel David Jewet raised the flag of the United Provinces of South America over Port Louis. Juett was a US privateer in the service of Patrick Lynch, a businessman from Buenos Aires, on whose ship he sailed (Lynch himself received a letter of marque from José Rondo, head of the United Provinces). In 1828, the merchant Louis Vernet founded a settlement in the Falklands, applying for permission from both the British and Argentine authorities (after declaring independence in 1816, Argentina claimed the islands as its own). He was engaged in seal hunting and the Argentine government issued him a fishing permit (according to English historians, the Argentine government owed a large amount to Vernet's partner, Jorge Pacheco, and in order to somehow pay off his debt, he issued the required permit). In 1831, Vernet seized several American ships that were also hunting seals, believing that they violated his rights. The American consul in Argentina responded by saying that the United States did not recognize that country's authority over the Falkland Islands. After that, the Americans sent a warship to the islands to return the ships captured by Vernet. Upon arrival there, the captain of the sent ship arrested several residents of the settlement, took some with him, a few people decided to stay. At the same time, there is a version that the settlement (at least, powder magazines and guns) was destroyed by the arriving Americans.

In 1832, Argentina decided to restore the settlement and set up a penal colony there. However, when a new governor arrived on the island, a rebellion broke out and the governor was killed. Vernet never returned to the settlement he founded, but it is alleged that he sold his possessions to an English merchant who began to persuade the British government to regain control of the archipelago. As a result, in January 1833, the British landed in the Falklands and notified the Argentine authorities of their intention to restore their power on the islands. The island settlers were allowed to stay. One of them, William Dickson, an Irish shopkeeper, was instructed to raise the British flag over the island on Sundays and in sight of an approaching ship. However, despite this, until 1834, the Falkland Islands, in fact, were self-governing. And only on January 10, 1834, the British naval lieutenant Henry Smith raised the Union Jack over Port Louis. At the same time, governors, as such, began to be appointed only from 1842, and before that, the so-called “resident naval officer” (permanently resident naval officer) was the head of the islands.

Subsequently, the British Royal Navy built a military base in the Falklands (at Port Stanley), and the islands became a strategically important point for navigation in the Cape Horn area. During the First World War, near the Falkland Islands, a battle took place between the German cruiser squadron of Vice Admiral Maximilian von Spee and the English squadron of Vice Admiral Frederick Sturdy. During World War II, Port Stanley served as a repair base for British ships that took part in the Battle of La Plata.

The question of the territorial affiliation of the islands again arose in the second half of the twentieth century. Argentina saw the creation of the UN as an opportunity to declare to the rest of the countries its rights to the archipelago. At the signing of the UN Charter in 1945, Argentina declared that it retained the rights to own the Falkland Islands and the right to get them back. Britain responded in the spirit that the islanders must vote to secede from the UK in a referendum and that this was an important condition for the implementation of the UN Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples. Later, in the 1960s, negotiations were held between the British and Argentine representatives, but they did not lead to any clear solution to the Falkland issue. The stumbling block in the negotiations was the fact that the two thousand inhabitants of the islands, mostly of British origin, preferred that they remain British territory.

World War I

During the First World War, in the area of ​​the archipelago on December 8, 1914, a battle took place between the German cruiser squadron under the command of Vice Admiral Maximilian von Spee and the English squadron (Vice Admiral F. D. Sturdi).

The German command tried to intensify the actions of its fleet on the British sea lanes in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. Vice Admiral von Spee led the campaign of the squadron (2 armored and 3 light cruisers, 2 transports and a hospital ship) to the shores of South America, where on November 1, 1914, in a battle near Cape Coronel, he defeated an English squadron of cruisers.

Having completed the task of diverting significant forces of the English fleet, the German squadron received an order to break through back to Germany. Not knowing the location of the English ships, Spee decided to strike at the English naval base of Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands, where the English squadron was located (1 battleship, 2 linear, 3 armored and 2 light cruisers). Encountering unexpectedly strong resistance, Spee tried to leave, but the English ships overtook him. Spee ordered the light cruisers and transports to withdraw in various directions. They were pursued by British armored and light cruisers, while the battlecruisers engaged the German armored cruisers and sank them. 2 German light cruisers and transports were also destroyed. Only the cruiser Dresden (died in battle near the island of Mas a Tierra) and the hospital ship Seidlitz managed to escape (interned in neutral Argentina). As a result of the victory, the British command was freed from the need to allocate significant forces to secondary theaters of operations, and the German command lost a strong cruiser squadron. Spee himself died on the flagship cruiser Scharnhorst.

Anglo-Argentine conflict

In 1982, the Anglo-Argentine conflict broke out around the islands. On April 2, Argentina conducted a military operation, establishing control over the islands. However, the UK responded by sending a large naval formation and SAS units to the islands in order to return the Falklands by force. During the hostilities in May - June, Argentina was defeated, but continues to dispute both the name of the islands and territorial affiliation.

present tense

Currently, the islands remain the subject of a territorial dispute between Argentina and Great Britain, which exercises de facto control over them as its overseas territory. The status of the overseas territory of Great Britain was confirmed following the results of a referendum held at the initiative of local authorities on March 10-11, 2013: 99.3% of those who voted in favor of this provision, only three people voted against (the turnout was 92% - 1517 out of 1672 participated in the expression of will islanders who have the right to vote).

British military bases are located on the islands - the Mount Pleasant Air Force Base and the Mare Harbor Naval Base.

Relations between the UK and Argentina deteriorated again after British companies began developing offshore oil fields near the islands in 2010. In the spring of 2012, the Argentine authorities announced that they intended to sue companies involved in oil and gas exploration in areas near the islands, such as Rockhopper Exploration, Falkland Oil & Gas, and others. After that, the UK increased its military presence in the region, reinforcing the fleet with the latest destroyer Dauntless and the Trafalgar-class submarine, as well as defiantly sending Prince William on a six-week mission there.

Shortly thereafter, Argentina protested the militarization of the islands, but on February 8, 2012, the UK denied these allegations.

“We are not militarizing the South Atlantic. Our defensive strategy in the Falkland Islands remains unchanged. The people of the Falklands choose British citizenship. Its right to self-determination is enshrined in the UN charter,” British Prime Minister David Cameron said in a statement.

The Argentine Olympic team starred in a video that tells about the preparations in the city of Port Stanley for the XXX Summer Olympic Games under the slogan “To win in England, we train in Argentina”, which caused indignation of the representative of the Falkland Islands in the English Parliament, Ian Hansen.

Population

The population of the Falkland Islands is 2,840 according to the 2012 census. As of July 2008, the population of the Falkland Islands was 3,140. According to the 2006 census, most of the population (94.2% or 2786 people) live on East Falkland Island, 4.2% or 127 people live on West Falkland Island and 1.6% or 42 people live on other islands of the archipelago. Port Stanley is home to 2115 people (71.57% of the population of the archipelago).

The language of most of the population is English, but Spanish (7.68%), German (0.6%) and French (0.5%) are also common. About 1.83% of the population speaks English uncertainly or does not speak this language at all. 67.17% of the population of the archipelago professes Christianity, 31.51% declared no religion, about 1.3% profess other religions. Most of the population are descendants of English, Scottish, Irish and Norwegian settlers, some are also recent settlers from the UK (25%), St. Helena (14%), Chile (5%), Australia, Germany and other countries (including Russia - 10 people).

Economy

Initially, the economy of the islands was based on whale hunting and ship maintenance, and then (from the 1870s to the 1980s) was entirely based on sheep farming. Today, the economy of the archipelago depends mainly on sheep breeding, industrial fishing, fish processing, tourism and agriculture. More than 80% of the territory of the islands is occupied by pastures, according to the statistics of the island government, there are about 500,000 sheep in the Falkland archipelago. Approximately 60% of the herds are located in East Falkland and approximately 40% in West Falkland. The Falkland Islands is an exporter of high quality wool that goes mainly to the UK. On East Island there are also slaughterhouses.

Wells are being drilled to explore prospective large oil reserves on the shelf of the islands.

Transport

As of 2007, the road network of the archipelago is 786 km, in addition, 50 km are in the planning or construction stage. It is also worth noting that back in 1982 there were no roads outside of Port Stanley at all. There are 2 airports with paved runways, one of them is Mount Pleasant Airport (RAF Mount Pleasant), located 48 km southwest of Port Stanley, is used for international flights, and also functions as military base; the second airport (Port Stanley Airport) is located in the suburbs of Port Stanley and serves domestic flights, in addition, it communicates with British bases in Antarctica.

Available 2 seaports: Port Stanley (East Falkland) and Fox Bay (West Falkland). The 2 main islands of the archipelago are connected by regular ferry crossings. In 1915-16, a branch line (Camber Railway) with a length of about 5.6 km and a gauge of 610 mm was built on East Falkland, which was used until the 1920s. There is no public transport system in the archipelago, there are taxis.

National holidays

• April 21 - Birthday of Queen Elizabeth II.
• June 14 - Falkland Islands Liberation Day - 1982
• December 8 - Day of the Battle of the Falklands - 1914.
• December 25 - Christmas.

The Malvinas Islands are a small archipelago located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It consists of 2 large and many small pieces of land, the number of which is approximately 776. The area of ​​\u200b\u200ball the sites taken together is 12 thousand km 2. The Falklands is the second and more common name given to the Malvinas Islands. The archipelago's location coordinates are 51.75 ° S. sh. 59°W e. The history of this paradise is overshadowed by the struggle of two states that are trying to secure the territory for themselves.

History of the origin of the conflict

The 16th century was marked by the discovery of many previously unexplored territories. The Malvinas Islands are no exception. The controversy over their discoverer continues to this day. Argentina insists that the first European to set foot on this piece of land was the Spanish sailor Esteban Gomez, and it happened in 1520. But Great Britain assures that it was discovered only in 1592 by the Briton John Deyvich. History tells us that for more than 200 years a Spanish garrison was located on the territory of the archipelago. That is, the Malvinas Islands were part of Spain. But in 1810, independence was proclaimed by Argentina, and the military sailed away from these lands to their homeland. Such active events in Argentina led to the fact that the Falkland archipelago was simply forgotten. And only ten years later, Captain Dzhuetom with a detachment of paratroopers arrived here and announced the rights of his state to this territory.

This distribution of power lasted 12 years. But the British sea expedition arrived on the islands and made a coup, subjugating the Malvinas Islands to Great Britain. Argentina at that time was still a very young state and could not give the due rebuff to the invaders. But she also did not intend to humbly transfer part of her lands to another country. Thus, the conflict over the Malvinas Islands originated due to the seizure of foreign territory by England.

Period of seeking a peaceful solution

As you know, Great Britain was one of the largest colonial countries in the world. But in the 1960s, this system collapsed. Argentina, taking advantage of the situation, tried to regain power over the Falklands through diplomacy. So, during this period, an airfield and telephone communications appeared on the island. Most UN members supported such an initiative. But England did not want to give up the territory on any terms. After all, it was not only about a piece of land, which is located quite far from the main part of the state. The British were interested in deposits of natural resources such as gas and oil. Another factor was that England was practically a monopolist in catching sea crustaceans - krill, and she was not going to share it with anyone.

Then the well-known iron lady Margaret Thatcher was in power in the UK. Having started military operations against Argentina, she strengthened her position in power. The Malvinas (Falkland) Islands were given a separate place in her policy of returning England to the status of a great state.

Military benefit of Argentina

The dispute between England and Argentina over the Falkland (Malvinas) Islands was beneficial not only to the first of them. In 1981, Argentina experienced a military coup and dictator Leopoldo Galtieri seized power. He just needed to enlist the support of ordinary citizens, and victory in a quick little war should have served its purpose. After all, if the Malvinas Islands returned, Argentina would show the whole world that it is a strong and independent state.

The beginning of the war

General Galtieri began to carefully prepare the operation to return the archipelago. It was decided to name her in honor of the ship of Captain Juet - "Rosario". The beginning was to be May 25, 1982. This date was not chosen by chance, since on this day Argentina celebrated its national holiday, which later had to be proclaimed as the Day of the Malvinas Islands. But a traitor crept into the ranks of the Argentines, and British intelligence received all the data about this plan. The answer to such actions from England was the Spartan submarine, which was sent to patrol the waters of the South Atlantic. Upon learning of this, Galtieri moved the start to April 2, 1982, and on that day the Argentine troops landed on the Malvinas and easily coped with a small group of British.

England took a tough stance, as she believed that her national interests were hurt. And she expected support from all countries of the European continent. Latin America, on the contrary, was on the side of Argentina, because the Malvinas (Falkland) Islands, in their opinion, had long been time to recognize the authority of their real homeland. But France did not take an unequivocal position in this conflict, because it was unprofitable for her to turn away from Argentina. This country bought from France combat aircraft. In addition, the Republic of Peru, as an ally of Argentina, bought anti-ship missiles from the French.

A look at the war between the USA and the USSR

In this war, the USSR was ready to support Argentina with its military equipment for lowering food prices. But at that time the Soviet Union itself was in a state of unresolved military conflict (the war in Afghanistan). Therefore, all the support that Argentina received was expressed in long speeches at UN meetings. We didn't even talk about activity. Even the opposite happened: the USSR simply washed its hands of it and completely pulled back from the Anglo-Argentine conflict.

The United States, on the other hand, did not step aside. At that time, the President of the United States was R. Reagan, who, after the persuasion of the Minister of Defense K. Weinberg, fully supported Great Britain. The United States immediately imposed sanctions against Argentina. And at the UN Security Council, the United States, together with Britain, vetoed a resolution regarding the Falklands conflict. The two states even agreed to put pressure on the USSR if it decided to intervene.

Active military operations

After seizing control of the archipelago, Great Britain immediately sent a large naval force to ensure that this territory was returned to the rule of the English crown. On April 12, 1982, the British government placed a blockade on the Malvinas Islands. The war was already in full swing. stated that if Argentine ships were seen within a radius of 200 miles from this territory, they would be immediately sunk. Argentina's response was a ban on the use of English banks for its citizens.

The aviation of Argentina also could not take an active part in hostilities, especially in maintaining the garrison and supplying it with everything necessary. This happened due to the fact that the jets could not land on the strip that was available on the island, as it was too short.

Thanks to the support of the United States, Britain was able to use their military base on this site. This facilitated access to a remote territory. On April 25, the British captured the island of South Georgia, which had previously been under the rule of Argentina. The military surrendered without a fight and gave up their post without resistance. Then a new phase of the war began.

Sea and air action phase

On May 1, 1982, the Falklands area was finally engulfed in war. British planes raided Port Stanley, and Argentina responded by sending aircraft to attack the British ships. The next day, an event occurred that became the most difficult for Argentina in the entire war. An English submarine sank an enemy cruiser, killing 323 people. This was the reason that the Argentine fleet was withdrawn back to the shores of their native country. He did not take any further part in hostilities.

Argentina found itself in a difficult position, and it remained only to rely on aviation. At the same time, obsolete free-falling bombs were dropped on the British fleet, which in most cases did not even explode.

But the British side also had losses that shocked the whole country. On May 4, an anti-ship missile delivered from France hit one of the British destroyers badly. This caused it to flood. But at that time, Argentina had only five such missiles, which led to the rapid depletion of this stock.

Calm before the storm

Such a military breakthrough by Argentina led to two weeks of relative calm. Of course, skirmishes continued, but they were few. These include the British military operation to destroy 11 Argentine aircraft on Pebble Island. At the same time, the UN tried to persuade the parties to end the war and negotiate peacefully. But no one wanted to give up. Argentina, in turn, decided to respond to the sanctions of other countries against it. She banned her citizens from flying to countries that have adopted anti-Argentine sanctions.

Land War

England prepared its marines in advance for landing on the islands. This happened on the night of May 21-22. The landing took place in the bay of San Carlos, where this was not expected at all. The resistance of the Argentines was weak, but the next morning the situation changed. Argentina raided ships that were moored in the bay.

On May 25, one of the planes shot down a British ship carrying helicopters. It sank a few days later. And the British ground detachment has already taken strong positions on the island itself. On May 28, an Argentine garrison was attacked in the area of ​​the settlements of Guz-Nrin and Darwin, as a result of which, after a very difficult battle, he was forced to retreat.

On June 12, with heavy losses, British troops occupied the heights of the Two Sisters, Mount Harriet and Moonit Longdon, previously controlled by the Argentines. June 14 and all other heights were subordinated to the troops of England.

Britain did not release 600 Argentines from captivity for some time, thus trying to manipulate their homeland into signing a more favorable peace treaty.

Side losses

During the 74-day military conflict, Argentina lost 649 people, one cruiser, one submarine, one patrol boat, four transport ships, one fishing trawler, 22 attack aircraft, 11 fighters, about 100 aircraft and helicopters. 11 thousand people were taken prisoner. In addition, it was resonant that after the end of the war, another 3 soldiers were killed, taken prisoner by England.

The United Kingdom lost 258 men in this war, two frigates, two destroyers, one container ship, one landing ship, one landing craft, 34 helicopters and aircraft.

Modern stage of the conflict

At the end of the war, the warring countries never signed a formal treaty. Only in 1990 diplomatic relations were established again. In recent years, the conflict has again gained momentum. The reason for this was the receipt by one of the British companies of permission to near the Malvinas Islands. Argentina opposed this state of affairs, because oil will actually be produced near the coast of this state.

Argentina's response was also a law of February 16, 2010, which states that only those ships that have received permission to swim at a distance of 500 km from the country's coast are entitled to swim. But this did not stop the British, and the oil platform was installed on 21 February.

In 2013, the public once again drew attention to the Malvinas Islands. The referendum, which would determine the country's ownership, was to be held on March 10 and 11. Residents had the opportunity to choose which state they would like to belong to. When the results were calculated, it turned out that 91% of the inhabitants of the islands came to the elections. With an undeniable result of 99.8%, the UK won, leaving no chance for Argentina to object.

Thus, in the last century there was a short war for the Falklands, or Malvinas Islands. The Shantar Islands, located in the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, are somewhat reminiscent of this archipelago. After all, this is also a small piece of territory beyond the outskirts of the mainland. But if two states decide to fight for it, many people will die. The history of the Falkland (Malvinas) Islands proves that the more informed, purposeful and well-planned opponent wins the fight.

The history of previous wars has not yet known such as this. She is a unique phenomenon. Although it was very short, the rivals fought a fierce battle, using all the latest achievements of the technical process for this. And for Great Britain, it was also a war at a great distance. The main goal was not the territory itself, but the resources that it could give to the victorious country.

Stanley 04:09 4°C
It's clear

Population of the country 2,638 people Territory of the Islands 12,173 km² Located on the continent South America Capital of the Falkland Islands Stanley Money Pound Falkland Islands Domain zone.co.fk Telephone code countries +500

Resorts

There are no resorts as such in the Falkland Islands. However, the islands are popular among tourists. There are several reasons for this. themselves natural resources unique, and also of interest are the historical events that took place on the territory of the islands.

The capital can be called a resort, because visitors get acquainted with the islands from this city. beach holiday as such, not, for the reason that the water temperature is quite low.

A popular holiday and why they go to the islands is to visit and see unique nature, especially animal world archipelago, for tourists horse, foot and car routes are organized. Having visited the archipelago, we can say with full confidence that the rest here is very attractive.

Climate of the Falkland Islands: Cold maritime, strong westerly winds, overcast, humid. Rain. The average annual rainfall is 60 cm in Stanley. Sometimes the snow lies all year round, except for January and February, but generally does not accumulate.

Attractions

Despite the modest size and sparsely populated archipelago, its history is interesting, and there is something to see on the islands. The curiosity of visitors is caused by numerous inhabitants, both on land and in water. Basically, feathered inhabitants settle in large colonies on the islands, among which penguins are interesting, of which there are quite a few. In fact, the whole nature of the archipelago is noteworthy and worthy of attention. In the capital, attention is drawn to the Christ Church Cathedral, which is more than a century old, the arch - built from whale jaws Weilbone, as well as the Government House administration building. In addition, tourists visit memorable places of battles that took place on the archipelago not so long ago.

Relief of the Falkland Islands: Rocky, hilly, mountainous with some wetlands, hilly plains.

Hotels

The archipelago is a fairly well-known place for tourist trips. Travel and holidays on the islands are quite peculiar, but for this reason they are very popular. Visitors need places to stay, but the islands have successfully solved this problem. For the most part, hotels are mini-hotels, small and comfortable buildings, such as Kay McCullum's. Guests can stay at the cozy hotel "The Waterfront". You can also comfortably and comfortably stay in Bennett House. Good service and hospitable staff at Darwin House Hotel. And having opted for "Pebble Island Lodge", tourists will be satisfied with this hotel.

Falkland Islands has resources like: : Fish resources

Leisure

Pastime in the archipelago is quite unusual, but well organized. Most likely there will not be discos with noisy companies or large entertainment complexes. But this is the special charm of rest on the islands. Far from the noise of cities, alone with nature, observing the life of its inhabitants, the grandeur and power of the ocean, an unsurpassed sunset observed on a wild beach - this is the recipe a relaxing holiday on the archipelago.

And if the guests suddenly get bored, then excellent trout fishing, hiking and horseback riding along fascinating routes, windsurfing, boat trips to places of interest, golf, diving, visiting local restaurants will help to spend your leisure time excitingly.

Money of the Falkland Islands: The currency of the archipelago is the Falkland Islands pound. The currency of the pound is the pence. The monetary units of the Falkland Islands are pegged to the British pound sterling, which, along with the local currency, can be used for settlements. In addition, in most cases, it is possible to pay for goods and services with the US currency - the US dollar. The Falkland Islands pound is used exclusively for settlements on the territory of the archipelago.

Museums

Since the archipelago is sparsely populated, and the only major city is the capital, there are not many museums on the islands. Christ Church Cathedral, located in the capital, is interesting as a landmark of the city, however, the building is also a museum.

Another museum most often visited by tourists is also located in the main city of the archipelago. This is the Falkland Islands Museum, which offers visitors an exhibition entirely dedicated to the islands. The museum contains exhibits relating to the history and culture of the islands. Of interest are various documentary information that reflect the events that took place on the archipelago in different times. In addition, there is a collection of exhibits telling about the nature of the island land.

Transport

The main transportation on the islands is carried out by air and water transport. Air communication connects the archipelago with other countries of the world. In addition, aviation is used for domestic transportation. Two airports have been built for these purposes. One of them is international - Mount Pleasant, located at a distance of about fifty kilometers from the capital. The second is located in the suburbs of Port Stanley, and is used for transportation around the archipelago, as well as for other purposes.

Paved roads are short and practically undeveloped. There is no public transport at all, but it is possible to use taxi services. There is no rail transport at all.

Water transport is widely used, there are two ports on the islands. One is in the capital on West Falkland.

Standard of living

For the archipelago, the basic sphere of the economy is sheep breeding. The islands produce very high quality wool, a significant part of which is exported. In addition, fishing and fish processing, as well as agriculture, play a significant role. The tourism sector has received considerable development.

The islands have a very high standard of living. Medicine and education are free. The unemployment rate is negligible. The means of communication, such as communications and the Internet, are well developed. The archipelago has a fairly high level of security. You should know some features, for example, when traveling around the islands, to cross private territory, you need to ask permission.

Cities

The archipelago located in the Atlantic Ocean is called the Falkland Islands. They are a British Overseas Territory. The main city of the archipelago, its capital is Port Stanley. The capital is considered the largest city on the islands, with a population of just over two thousand. The main city is located on East Falkland Island. It is noteworthy that the only city in the archipelago is the capital. The city is also called Puerto Argentino, this is due to the fact that the island territory is disputed. The islands are claimed by Argentina. In the eighties of the last century, a military conflict took place on the archipelago. During the military operation, Britain regained control over the territory of the islands.

An archipelago located in the southwestern part of the Atlantic Ocean, 480 km east of the coast of Argentina. Territory disputed between Britain and Argentina. Actually controlled by the UK. The area is 12,173 km2. Population 2900 people. (2002). 2,000 British troops are also permanently stationed on the islands. Official language- English. The administrative center is Port Stanley (Puerto Argentino) (1800 people, 2002). Currency unit- the Falkland Islands pound (equal to 100 pence), pegged to the British pound sterling. The latter is used along with the local currency.

Attractions Falkland Islands

Geography of the Falkland Islands

Located between 57°49' west longitude and 5G42' south latitude. Washed by the Atlantic Ocean. The length of the coastline is 1288 km. The archipelago includes two large islands - East Falkland (Soledad) with an area of ​​5300 km2 and West Falkland (Gran Malvina) with an area of ​​6700 km2, as well as approx. 200 small islands dependent on them. East and West Falklands are separated by a narrow strait, their coastline heavily incised.

The Falkland (Malvinas) Islands are a hilly area. The area is heavily rugged. The highest point is Mount Adam (706 m) in West Falkland.

The climate is oceanic, cool. Humidity is uniform (approx. 700 mm of precipitation per year) with strong winds and frequent fogs. December and January are the wettest months. Average annual temperatures - not higher than +10°С, January (summer) +18°С, July (winter) +3°С.

The islands are composed mainly of Paleozoic metamorphic and sedimentary rocks.

Of the minerals, it is assumed that there are large reserves of oil and gas, surpassing the oil fields of the North Sea. Peat is obtained.

There are no forests on the archipelago. Oceanic grass meadows (tussok, cortadenia), heaths with red crowberry, peat bogs predominate. The fauna on the islands themselves is not very diverse, but the fauna of the coastal strip is very rich. Lots of sea birds and mammals. Characterized by penguins (including royal), albatrosses, swans, as well as falcons and hawks; fur seals, elephant seals and sea lions are located in extensive rookeries. Large herds of dolphins and killer whales are found in the coastal waters of the archipelago; fish are dominated by sea trout, mullet and tuna. Huge reserves of marine crustacean krill.

Population of the Falkland Islands

In 1992, the population was 2000 people, in 10 years the population increased by 900 people. Ethnic composition - the British and Scots, partly from Chile. Argentines are prohibited from settling on the islands and owning real estate on them. The main languages ​​are English, Spanish. Population density 0.2 people. per 1 km2. Urban residents - 66%, rural - 34%. Religion is mainly Anglican Christianity.

History of the Falkland Islands

According to Argentine sources, the Falkland (Malvinas) Islands were discovered in 1520 by the Spanish navigator Esteban Gomez from F. Magellan's flotilla; according to the British version, the archipelago was discovered by the English navigator John Davis in 1592. The first colonizers were the French (expedition of A. de Bougainville, 1764). In 1766 France ceded the islands to Spain; in 1820-33 the Falkland (Malvinas) Islands under the sovereignty of the independent Argentine Republic. In January 1833, the islands were captured by a British naval assault. Since 1892, the archipelago has been officially declared a British colony. April 2, 1982 Armed forces Argentina, ruled by a military regime, regained control of the Falkland (Malvinas) Islands. Great Britain responded by launching large-scale military operations and on June 15, 1982, achieved the surrender of the Argentine garrison. The problem of the status of the Falkland (Malvinas) Islands continues to exist, the UN continues to deal with it. Argentina, having abandoned the military way of solving this problem, nevertheless insists on belonging to the archipelago; Great Britain does not consider the issue of sovereignty over the Falkland (Malvinas) Islands a subject of discussion.

State structure and political system of the Falkland Islands

The Falkland (Malvinas) Islands are declared a colonial possession of Great Britain. Managed by the English governor (since January 1996 - Richard Ralph Stanley), accountable to his government and the queen. The Governor has an Executive Council (5 members - 2 ex officio and 3 elected by the Legislative Council) and a Legislative Council (10 members - 2 ex officio and 8 elected by the population). Port Stanley is the only city in the archipelago. There is a trade union. The Falkland (Malvinas) Islands remain a strategically important stronghold of the British Armed Forces and Navy.

Economy of the Falkland Islands

The main occupation of the population is meat and wool sheep breeding (about 700 thousand heads in 2002) and fishing (mainly sea trout and tuna). Cattle (10 thousand heads in 2002) and horses (4 thousand heads) are bred. Most of the land is owned by large sheep breeding companies and farmers (pastures occupy 99% of the agricultural land in use). Of the cultivated crops - oats, as well as vegetables (potatoes, cabbage, beets, onions). There are small food processing enterprises, as well as a specialized wool sorting factory. The main fuel used by the population is peat. Railways No; there are separate asphalt roads (mainly on East Falkland Island). Foreign trade is entirely focused on the UK. Wool, skins, meat, fish are exported; almost all consumer goods, machinery, equipment, building materials, food, industrial fuel are imported. The use of traveler's checks and credit cards in payments is limited, but is becoming increasingly popular. Tourism is developing (primarily associated with visiting former battlefields during the Anglo-Argentine armed conflict of 1982).

Science and culture of the Falkland Islands

Primary education is considered compulsory. There are several public elementary schools. Government Broadcasting Center in Stanley. The administration publishes 2 monthly newspapers. A bright event in the life of the islands are summer sports competitions (horses, rodeos, shepherd dog competitions, etc.). In East Falkland, festivities are organized at Port Stanley between Christmas and New Year's; on the Western - in each settlement in turn at the end of February.

Falkland islands(eng. Falkland Islands), in Argentina they are called Malvinas Islands(Spanish: Islas Malvinas) is a picturesque archipelago in the southwestern part of the Atlantic Ocean. The islands are considered the most important intermediate point on the way from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific and in fact is a British Overseas Territory. Although the rights of Great Britain to the Falkland Islands have long been disputed, considering them part of the islands of the South Atlantic, and Antarctica.

According to their origin, the islands are classified by specialists as volcanic-tectonic, formed as a result of ancient volcanic activity and underwater earthquakes that raised land areas above water.

The total area of ​​the islands is 12.2 thousand km², total length coastline - about 1.3 thousand km. The coastline is heavily indented by bays and fjords.

The capital of the archipelago, however, and its only city is (English Stanley), which is also called Port Stanley (English Port Stanley), and the Argentine name of the city is Puerto Argentino (Spanish Puerto Argentino).

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general information

The archipelago consists of 2 large islands (West Falkland - Gran Malvina and East Falkland - Soledad) and more than 775 small islands and rocks. Among the largest, the following islands can be distinguished: Pebble (English Pebble Island; Spanish Isla Borbon), Weddell (English Weddell Island; Spanish Isla San Jose), Saunders (English Saunders Island; Spanish Isla Trinidad), Lively (English Lively Island; Spanish Isla Bougainville), Beaver (English Beaver Island; Spanish Isla San Rafael), Speedwell (English Speedwell Island; Spanish Isla Aguila). The archipelago is located at a distance of 343 km from the Argentine island (English Island Estados; Spanish Isla de los Estados) and 463 km from the coast of the South American continent. The islands of Gran Malvina (Spanish Isla Gran Malvina) and Soledad (Spanish Isla Soledad) are separated by the Falkland Strait (Spanish Estrecho de San Carlos).

The highest point of the archipelago is Mount Usborne (Spanish Montaña Osborne; 705 m), located in East Falkland. Mount Adam (Spanish: Montaña Adam; 700 m) is located in West Falkland. There are no long rivers on the islands, however, there are many streams.

Political structure : The islands are a British Overseas Territory.

The administrative center is the city of Port Stanley (in the Argentine version - Puerto Argentino), located in the northeastern part of East Falkland. The territorial entity operating on the islands has relatively autonomy, but is controlled by Great Britain through an appointed governor-general, who represents the queen on the islands and is the head of government.

Falkland Islands - overseas territory Great Britain

The legislature of the archipelago is the Council of the Falkland Islands.

State language : Official state language is English. Most of the population speaks English language, Spanish (12%), German (0.6%) and French (0.5%) are also in circulation.

More than half of the population of the archipelago (66%) professes Anglican Christianity, about 2% are adherents of other religions, and 32% consider themselves non-believers.

Currency: Monetary unit: pound of the Falkland Islands (eng. Falkland Islands pound). 1 Falkland Pound = 1 Pound Sterling = 100 pence.
In circulation are: - banknotes in denominations of 5, 10, 20 and 50 pounds; - coins in denominations of 1 and 2 pounds; 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 pence.

Also legal tender on the territory of the islands included in the archipelago are British coins. Banknotes of British, Northern Irish and Scottish banks are not formally legal tender here, but are practically widely used in circulation.

Population

The population is 3,140 thousand people, with the majority of the population (about 95%) living on East Falkland Island, about 5% on West Falkland.

Most of the island population are descendants of English, Scottish and Norwegian settlers, about 25% are later settlers from Great Britain, 10% from Saint Helena, about 6% from Chile, as well as from Germany, France and other countries (there are even a few people from Russia).

A large number of the islands that make up the archipelago are uninhabited.

Historical digression

British historians claim that the Falkland Islands were discovered in the 16th century. (in the period 1591 - 1592) by the English navigator John Davis (born John Davis, 1550 - 1605), who commanded the ship that was part of the expedition Thomas Cavendish(Eng. Thomas Cavendish; 1560 - 1592) - British explorer and pirate. The Argentines are sure that the Spaniards were the discoverers of the archipelago.

In 1763-1765. the islands were explored by a French navigator Louis Antoine de Bougainville(Fr. Louis Antoine comte de Bougainville; 1729 - 1811), who led the 1st French expedition around the world. In 1764, on East Falkland, he founded the settlement of Saint-Louis, which became the first settlement on the islands.

The British naval commander John Byron (eng. John Byron; 1723 -1786; grandfather of the famous poet, who went down in history as a discoverer of new lands), who was unaware of the presence of the French on the islands, explored Saunders Island in 1765. Sir Byron immediately declared the island a possession of the British crown, founding a small settlement on it, named by him in honor of the Earl of Egmont (eng. Port Egmont). In 1766, the British captain John MacBride (Eng. John MacBride, c. 1735 - 1800), who followed Byron, arrived here with a group of settlers, founded a full-fledged large British settlement here. At the end of 1766, Spain bought their possessions on the islands from the French, approving their governor. In 1770, Port Egmont was attacked and captured by a small Spanish fleet, then in 1771 was returned to the British under the terms of the peace treaty.

In 1774, the British had to leave Port Egmont, which Spain took advantage of, establishing itself in the archipelago, including them in the Governorate of La Plata (Spanish: Gobernacion del Río de la Plata).

In 1832, Argentina, having gained independence from Spanish domination, captured the archipelago, establishing a camp for especially dangerous criminals in East Falkland. A riot soon broke out in the colony, which developed into a massacre, during which part of the garrison and the Argentine governor were killed. Under the guise of restoring order on the islands, at the end of 1933, the British landed here and finally declared them their territory.

During World War II, the Falkland Islands served as a base for the British fleet in the South Atlantic.

In the post-war years, the archipelago became the subject of fierce disagreements between the two countries, Argentina and Great Britain, which escalated into an armed conflict in 1982.

In April of that year, Argentine troops occupied the islands. In response to these actions, British Prime Minister M. Thatcher ordered the Navy to return the occupied territories. By April 25, a group of troops and warships recaptured one of the islands, after which the British Navy blocked the remaining territories with ships and submarines.

British troops (paratroopers, marines and SAS special forces) numbering 4 thousand people under the command of Julian Thompson landed on the coast near the city of San Carlos from May 22 to 23. The commandos attacked the airfield on Pebble Island, captured the villages of Goose Green and Darwin, and destroyed an Argentine commando unit on Kent Hill. In June, the British landed another 5 thousand people on the islands, after which the assault on Port Stanley began, and the city was liberated on June 12. Realizing the hopelessness of his position, General Mendes (eng. General Pedro Mendez), commander of the Argentine forces, capitulated on 14 June.

As a result of the defeat of Argentina, the junta fell, and power changed in the country. Britain has strengthened its international image. However, Argentina has not abandoned its claims to the archipelago to this day.

In a referendum in 2013, the inhabitants of the islands by an almost absolute majority (99.8%) confirmed their belonging to the UK.

Today, the Falklands are a British self-governing territory, however, Argentina continues to claim them to this day.

origin of name

The islands got their name from the Falkland Strait, located between the 2 main islands of the archipelago. The name of the strait was chosen by the English navigator John Strong, who discovered it in 1690, naming it after his patron, Anthony Cary, 5th Viscount of Falkland (Eng. Anthony Cary, viscount of Falkland; 1656– 1694). Later, this name spread to the entire group of islands.

The Spanish version of the name (Spanish Islas Malvinas) comes from the French (Fr. Îles Malouines), given in 1764 by Captain Louis Antoine-de-Bougainville in memory of the first settlers - sailors and fishermen from the French port town of Saint-Malo (fr. Saint-Malo), standing on the coast of the English Channel.

Climate

The climate of the islands is oceanic, moderately cool, with a characteristic predominance of westerly winds. Temperature changes throughout the year are rather insignificant: average monthly temperatures vary from +9°С in January-February to +2°С in June-July. The average annual temperature is about +6°С.

Port Stanley

The climate of the archipelago is significantly affected by powerful cold currents, one of which, the Falkland (or Malvinas), follows from the Falkland Islands to the bay (Spanish: La Plata) at a speed of 1-2 km / h. Usually average temperature water in winter is from +4°С to +10°С, in summer - from +8°С to +15°С. The level of precipitation is almost constant throughout the year, however, the western part of the archipelago is much drier than the eastern one. Fogs are frequent here, in winter sometimes snow falls, without creating, however, a snow cover.

Economy

Initially, the economy of the archipelago was based on whaling and ship maintenance, and then (1870 - 1980) became completely based on sheep breeding. Today, the economy of the islands mainly depends on sheep breeding (horses and cattle are also bred here), agriculture, industrial fishing, fish processing industry, and in recent years, tourism. More than 80% of the territory of the archipelago is occupied by pastures, on which about 500 thousand sheep graze. About 60% of the herds are in East Falkland, the remaining 40% are in West Falkland. There are slaughterhouses in East Falkland. To date, the Falkland Islands is a major exporter of high quality wool, mainly destined for the UK.

Today, exploratory drilling of wells is carried out on the shelf of the islands, where large oil fields have been discovered.

Transport

The road network of the islands is about 790 km, despite the fact that until 1982 there were no roads at all outside Stanley.

The main transportation in the archipelago is carried out by air and water transport. Air communication connects the islands with other countries of the world. There are 2 airports here, one of which is Mount Pleasant Airport, located 48 km from the capital, it serves international flights, and is also used as a British military base. The second airport (eng. Port Stanley Airport) is located in the vicinity of Port Stanley, it serves domestic flights, it also communicates with British military bases located in Antarctica.

There are 2 seaports on the archipelago: Port Stanley (Eng. Port Stanley; East Falkland) and Fox Bay (Eng. Fox Bay; West Falkland). The two main islands are connected by ferries. In 1915-1916. in East Falkland, a railway line (Eng. Camber Railway) about 6 km long was laid, which was used until the 20s. the last century. Public transport on the islands is absent, there is only a taxi.

Flora and fauna of the archipelago

Biogeographically, the islands of the archipelago belong to the Antarctic eco-zone, there is a fairly strong connection with the Patagonian flora and fauna, due to the identity of the climate. The only terrestrial mammal native to the islands was the Falkland fox, which, with the beginning of active colonization in the middle of the 19th century. was completely destroyed by the colonists. More than 14 species of marine mammals live in coastal waters, including seals and fur seals, which mainly arrange their rookeries on rocks and small uninhabited islands. More than 60 species of seabirds nest on the islands, among which the black-browed albatross can be distinguished - almost 60% of the nesting of this species in the world is located on the islands. In addition, 5 species of penguins are found here, the most interesting is the endemic Rockhopper Penguin, which is especially fond of Saunders Island.

king penguins

Interestingly, not a single species of reptiles and amphibians lives on the islands, but more than 200 species of insects, about 43 species of arachnids and more than 10 species of worms have been recorded. Only 13 species of terrestrial invertebrates studied are endemic, however, the proportion of endemics is apparently much higher. About 10 species of river fish are found in the fresh waters of the islands. In the coastal ocean waters, there is a large species diversity of commercial fish and crustaceans, which the islanders produce on an industrial scale.

The vegetation cover of the archipelago is represented by cereal and heather meadows. More than 360 species of vascular plants grow here, more than 20 species of ferns and about 280 species of flowering plants.
Today, almost the entire territory of the archipelago is used as pasture. Introduced to the islands different kinds plants and domestic animals cause irreparable damage to local flora and fauna.

Attractions in Falkland Islands

Of course, the nature of the archipelago is deservedly considered the main and most important attraction of the Falkland Islands, and, basically, this refers to the local fauna: vast penguin settlements, noisy bird markets, picturesque rookeries of fur seals and seals - in a word, everything that Europeans seem exotic.

The flora of the islands is also quite interesting. Hilly, boulder-heavy terrain, heavily indented coastline forming picturesque bays- these are the distinctive features of island landscapes. To get to know the local beauties better, horseback riding is an ideal way to do this.

Fishing is excellent in the Falkland Islands, especially tuna, mullet and trout.

The island's capital, the city of Stanley, is essentially a large village.

More than 100 years ago, the city gained the status of the capital only due to the fact that it turned out to be the largest of all settlements, with the largest number of inhabitants. Since then, little has changed in the city: the same brightly colored buildings built from local stone and wooden shipwrecks, the same traditional English lawns and the same measured rhythm of life. An interesting building is the old governor's residence (eng. Government House) and located not far from it Cathedral « Christ Church Cathedral"(Eng. Christ Church Cathedral; 1892) - an impressive building of brick and stone with a bright metal roof and huge beautiful stained glass windows.

Port Louis(eng. Port-Louis) - the oldest settlement on the islands, which also contains the oldest island buildings: an ivy-covered farm of the 19th century, the ruins of the residence of the French governor, and the estate of Louis Vernet (eng. State of Louis Vernet) . Port Louis is located on East Falkland, in the depths of Berkeley Sound, the largest bay of the island, 35 km. northwest of Stanley. The surroundings of the town are unusually picturesque and extremely reminiscent of the landscapes of northern Scotland.

Beach Volunteer, which lies east of Port Louis, is chosen by king penguins: the largest colony of these birds in the archipelago lives here. A few hours' walk east of this beach, Volunteer Noint has the largest fur seal colony, and Volunteer Lacunae has a large elephant seal colony.
Sea Lion Island sea ​​lion Island), not even a mile in diameter, located east south coast East Falkland, is replete with many species of representatives of the animal world. Among the inhabitants of the island are 5 varieties of penguins, huge colonies of giant pigeons, cormorants and striped caracaras. Hundreds of elephant seals fill the sand and pebble shores of the southern coast of the island. This island is considered the only island archipelago with well-preserved natural grass cover.

Saunders Island, Isla Trinidad, to the north west coast Falkland, served as the point of deployment of the first British garrison in the archipelago in 1765. The expulsion of this small garrison by the Spaniards in 1767 and became the cause of the war between the two countries. The settlement was demolished by the Spaniards after 1774, and today only a few piers and the foundation blocks of British Marines' houses remain.

National holidays

The most important holidays celebrated in the Falkland Islands are as follows:

• April 21 - Birthday of Queen Elizabeth II;
• June 14 - Liberation Day of the F. Islands (1982);
• December 8 - Day of the Battle for the F. Islands (1914).

Curious facts