Falkland Islands

Introduction
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located approximately 250nautical

miles from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago, consisting of East Falkland, West

Falkland and 776 lesser islands, is a self-governing British Overseas Territory. The capital, Stanley, is on East

Falkland. Ever since the re-establishment of British rule in 1833, Argentina has claimed sovereignty. In pursuit of

this claim, which is rejected by the islanders, Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands in 1982. This precipitated

the two-month-long undeclared Falklands War between Argentina and the United Kingdom and resulted in the

defeat and withdrawal of the Argentine forces. Since the war, there has been strong economic growth in

both fisheries and tourism. The Falkland Islands took their English name from "Falkland Sound", the channel

between the two main islands, which was in turn named after Anthony Cary, 5th Viscount Falkland by

Captain John Strong, who landed on the islands in 1690. The Spanish name, Islas Malvinas, is derived from the

French name, Îles Malouines, named by Louis Antoine de Bougainville in 1764 after the first known settlers,

mariners and fishermen from the Breton port of Saint-Malo in France. 

Location and physical features

Location-
1- The Falkland Islands comprise two main islands, West Falkland and East Falkland (in Spanish Isla Gran
Malvina and Isla Soledad respectively), and about 776 small islands.
2-  The islands are located 185 nautical miles (343 km; 213 mi)[50] from the Isla de los Estados in Argentina
(and 250 nautical miles (463 km; 288 mi)[51] from the Argentine mainland); 264 nautical miles (489 km;

304 mi)[52] from Chile;
3- 582 nautical miles west of the Shag Rocks (South Georgia) and 501 nautical miles (928 km; 577 mi)
[54]
north of the British Antarctic Territory (which overlaps with the Argentine and Chilean claims to

Antarctica in that region).

4-The total land area is 4,700 square miles, slightly smaller than Connecticut or Northern Ireland, with

a coastline estimated at 800 miles. The two main islands on either side of Falkland Sound make up most of the
land. These are East Falkland, which contains the capital, Stanley, and most of the population; and Falkland.

(Virtually the entire area of the islands is used as pasture for sheep).

5-Carcass Island, George Island, Keppel Island, Lively Island, New Island, Pebble Island, Saunders

Island, Sealion Island, Speedwell Island, Staats Island, Weddell Island, and West Point Island. The Jason
Islands lie to the north west of the main archipelago, and Beauchene Island some distance to its south.

Speedwell Island and George Island are split from East Falkland by Eagle Passage.

Numerous flora and fauna are found on the Falkland Islands. Notable fauna include colonies of the Magellanic

Penguin. For more details see Fauna of the Falkland Islands.

The islands claim a territorial sea of 12 nautical miles (22.2 km; 13.8 mi) and an exclusive fishing zone of

200 nautical miles (370.4 km; 230.2 mi), which has been a source of disagreement with

Argentina. Biogeographically, 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

Physical features-
1-. Both islands have mountain ranges, the highest point being Mount Usborne, 705 metres (2,313 ft)[55] on East
Falkland. There are also some boggy plains, most notably in Lafonia, on the southern half of East Falkland.

2- Bluff Cove and Fitzroy

3-Mount Kent
4-goose green (is a settlement)
5-lake Hammond
6-queen charlotte bay
7-falkland sound

Climate
Surrounded by cool South Atlantic waters, the Falkland Islands have a Maritime Subarctic climate (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 and the July maximum average temperature is about 4°C .The average annual rainfall

is 573.6 millimetres but East Falkland is generally wetter than West Falkland. Humidity 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 in the United Kingdom, but with less rainfall and

longer and slightly more severe winters.

Economy
The largest company in the islands used to be the Falkland Islands Company (FIC), a publicly quoted company

on the London Stock Exchange. The company was responsible for the majority of the economic activity on the

islands, though its farms were sold in 1991 to the Falkland Islands Government. The company now operates

several retail outlets in Stanley and is involved in port services and shipping operations.
Except for defence, the islands are self sufficient; exports account for more than $125 million a year.

Currency
 The Falkland Islands Government issues the Falkland pound, the local
currency that is fixed at parity with the pound sterling. Falkland notes and coins are produced in the United
Kingdom[60] and are equivalent to the United Kingdom sterling coinage but with local designs on the reverse. Both
the Falkland Pound and the pound sterling circulate interchangeably on the islands.

Tourism
The results of the Falkland Islands Tourist Board’s first online marketing campaign in the UK have been
outstanding, according to Jake Downing, General Manager of FITB.
The campaign ran from 18 August to 27 October, and included a series of print adverts in the Guardian
and Observer newspapers as well as 1.5 million online adverts on the Guardian’s own website. The
adverts were designed to encourage visits to a dedicated Falkland Islands ‘microsite’.
The tourist board worked closely with the editorial team at the Guardian to create the microsite – a
separate mini-website, which was displayed as an offshoot to the Guardian’s own website, and included
an image gallery of the Falkland Islands, as well as information about what to do and see, links to other
relevant websites, plus a competition to win a holiday to the Falklands.

Transport
The Falkland Islands have two airports with paved runways. The main international airport is RAF Mount

Pleasant, 27 miles (43 km) west of Stanley There are weekly flights, operated by LAN Airlines, to Santiago, Chile,

via Punta Arenas. Once a month, this flight also stops in Río Gallegos, Argentina

The Royal Air Force operates flights from RAF Mount Pleasant to RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, England, with

a refuelling stop at RAF Ascension Island. RAF flights are on TriStars although charter aircraft are often used if

the TriStars are required for operational flights. At present Omni Air International operates the RAF air link,

using DC-10s. British International (BRINTEL) also operate two Sikorsky S61N helicopters, based at RAF Mount

Pleasant, under contract to the United Kingdom Ministry Of Defence, primarily for moving military personnel,

equipment and supplies around the islands.

Landmines
Depending on the source, between 18,000 and 25,000 land mines remain from the 1982 war. One source says

that Argentina placed 18,000 landmines. The British Government stated that all but one of their anti-personnel

mine were accounted for. The land mines are located in either 101 or 117 mine fields, that are dispersed over an

area of 7.7 sq mi (20 km2) in the areas of Port Stanley, Port Howard, Fox Bay and Goose Green (these areas are

now well marked).[92] Information is available from the EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) Operation Centre in

Stanley.

Some beaches were mined, and there have been concerns the tides could have moved some mines. Mines near

rivers may also have been washed out of the marked area by flooding. As well, there is ordnance from the war.

Between 1997 and 2002, 248 antipersonnel mines were destroyed in the Falklands, 16 were destroyed in 2003,

one in 2005 and six antipersonnel mines were destroyed in 2006.

Falkland war
Introduction
The Falklands War also called the Falklands Conflict/Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and

the United Kingdom (UK) over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.

The Falkland Islands consist of two large and many small islands in the South Atlantic Ocean east of Argentina;

their name and sovereignty over them have long been disputed.

The Falklands War started on Friday, 2 April 1982, with the Argentine invasion and occupation of the Falkland

Islands and South Georgia. Britain launched a naval task force to engage the Argentine Navy and Argentine Air

Force, and retake the islands by amphibious assault. The conflict ended with the Argentine surrender on 14 June

1982, and the islands remained under British control. The war lasted 74 days. It resulted in the deaths of

257 British and 649 Argentine soldiers, sailors, and airmen, and the deaths of 3 civilian Falklanders. It is the most

recent external conflict to be fought by the UK without any allied states and the only external Argentine war since

the 1880s.

The conflict was the result of a protracted diplomatic confrontation regarding the sovereignty of the islands.

Neither state officially declared war and the fighting was largely limited to the territories under dispute and the

South Atlantic. The initial invasion was characterised by Argentina as the re-occupation of its own territory, and

by the UK as an invasion of a British dependent territory. As of 2010 and as it has since the 19th century,

Argentina shows no sign of relinquishing its claim. The claim remained in the Argentine constitution after its

reformation in 1994.

Names of a few operations

1-Black Buck raids

2- Sinking of ARA General Belgrano

3- Sinking of HMS Sheffield
4- Landing at San Carlos—Bomb Alley

an Argenti

ne Air Force A-4C Skyhawk flying to the islands.(Note the 494 Kg bomb)

The end of the war

Some notable batlles

 Battle of Mount Harriet

 Battle of Mount Longdon

 Battle of Wireless Ridge

 Battle of Mount Tumbledown

 Battle of Two Sisters

On the night of 11 June, after several days of painstaking reconnaissance and logistic build-up, British forces

launched a brigade-sized night attack against the heavily defended ring of high ground surrounding Stanley. After

3 Para took Port Stanley, units of 3 Commando Brigade, supported by naval gunfire from several Royal Navy

ships, simultaneously assaulted in the Battle of Mount Harriet, Battle of Two Sisters, and Battle of Mount

Longdon. Mount Harriet was taken at a cost of 2 British and 18 Argentine soldiers. At Two Sisters, the British

faced both enemy resistance and friendly fire, but managed to capture their objectives. The toughest battle was

at Mount Longdon. British forces were bogged down by assault rifle, mortar, machine gun, artillery fire, sniper

fire, and ambushes. Despite this, the British continued their advance.

During this battle, 13 were killed when HMS Glamorgan, straying too close to shore while returning from the gun

line, was struck by an improvised trailer-based Exocet MM38 launcher taken from ARA Seguí destroyer by

Argentine Navy technicians. On this day, Sgt Ian McKay of 4 Platoon, B Company, 3 Para died in a grenade

attack on an Argentine bunker, which earned him a posthumous Victoria Cross. After a night of fierce fighting, all

objectives were secured. Both sides suffered heavy losses.

The night of 13 June saw the start of the second phase of attacks, in which the momentum of the initial assault

was maintained. 2 Para with CVRT support from The Blues and Royals, captured Wireless Ridge at the Battle of

Wireless Ridge, at a loss of 3 British and 25 Argentine dead, and the 2nd battalion, Scots Guards captured

Mount Tumbledown at the Battle of Mount Tumbledown, which cost 10 British and 30 Argentines dead.

A pile of discarded Argentine weapons in Port Stanley.

With the last natural defence line at Mount Tumbledown breached, the Argentine town defences

of Stanley began to falter. In the morning gloom, one company commander got lost and his junior officers

became despondent. Private Santiago Carrizo of the 3rd Regiment described how a platoon commander ordered

them to take up positions in the houses and "if a Kelper resists, shoot him", but the entire company did nothing of

the kind.

A cease fire was declared on 14 June and the commander of the Argentine garrison in Stanley, Brigade General

Mario Menéndez surrendered to Major General Jeremy Moore the same day.Then finally corbeta Uruguay

surrendered.

Conclusion
The Falkland Islands have a long list of history and is truly a wonderful place to visit

There still are many things that still have to be explored on the islands the islands nitially, Britain did not engage
with Argentina’s attempts at negotiations over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands, however,
as these attempts become progressively asserted Britain began to take part in negotiations.
Furthermore, these negotiations both prior and after the war in 1982 have alternated between
modest progress and complete deadlock. To date no significant progress has occurred, let alone a
successful solution.