Until the war of 1982, the rainy, windswept Falkland Islands were a forgotten remnant of the old British Empire. First occupied by the French in 1764, the islands were quickly ceded to Spain, which then ruled the adjacent territory in Latin America. However, the Spanish only established themselves on West Falkland and, in 1765, the British took control of the eastern island.
By 1816, both powers had removed their respective garrisons and the Falkland Islands had no permanent inhabitants. A vessel from newly independent Argentina was sent in 1820 to establish a permanent settlement but was
driven out by a British expedition in 1832. The British declared full sovereignty over the Falkland Islands the following year.
Argentina refused to recognize British sovereignty and has maintained a consistent claim to sovereignty ever since. This claim was pursued periodically through diplomatic channels until 1982, when an Argentine force overran the British garrison and established a military base on ‘Islas Malvinas’, a name derived from the original French settlers, who named the islands after their home port of St Malo.
After various attempts at negotiation and mediation had failed, a British task force, which had been dispatched at the start of the crisis, was ordered to continue its journey and engage the Argentines. Argentina formally surrendered on 14 June, 10 weeks after the invasion. In the subsequent contact between the two governments, it has become apparent that the issue of sovereignty is a stumbling block and that the Falkland Islands' issue will remain a key aspect of Argentine foreign policy in the foreseeable future.
The Falkland Islands are home to a plethora of marine life, from five different species of penguins to whales and sea birds that hover around Stanley Harbour. Nineteenth-century shipwrecks await exploration, while battlefields in the 1982 conflict such as Goose Green and Pebble Island have become tourist attractions.
GeographyThe Falkland Islands are located 560km (350 miles) off the east coast of South America and consist of two main islands and hundreds of small outlying islands, amounting to approximately 3 million acres (1.2 million hectares). Generally, the main islands are mountainous, with low-lying and undulating terrain in the south of East Falkland. The highest mountain is Mount Usborne at 712m (2,312ft).
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