Falkland Islands

Falkland Islands
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Flag	Coat of Arms
Capital	Stanley
Government	British overseas territory
Language	English (official)
Area	4700 sq mi
Population July 2005 estimate	3060
GDP 2005	$75 million
GDP per capita	$25000
Currency	Falkland pound
International dialing code	+500
Internet top-level domain	.fk

The Falkland Islands are a small group of islands situated in the South Atlantic Ocean, 300 miles from the coast of Argentina. The two major islands, West and East Falkland, are separated by Falkland Sound. There are numerous smaller islands. The capital is Stanley, on East Falkland.

Sovereignty

The Islands have been a territory of the United Kingdom for 170 years, but the British claim to sovereignty is disputed by Argentina. A war was fought over the issue when Argentina seized the islands on April 2nd, 1982 without warning. Argentina was run by a military junta at that time and was experiencing a time of economic difficulties and social unrest at home. The British, under Margaret Thatcher, put together a naval expedition to travel half way around the world and retake the islands. The Argentines had a great deal of time to solve the conflict peacefully as the British slowly came closer, but eventually conflict broke out when the British arrived. The Argentines were no match for the British forces, who had a quick victory once their ground troops reached the island, although a weakness in the British vessels from missiles was uncovered during the conflict. On June 15th the Falkland Islanders were liberated. The embarrassing defeat for Argentina helped to hasten the downfall of the military government while in Britain Thatcher's party surged to victory in elections the following year. 255 British servicemen and three islanders lost their lives in the war. The Argentinian government officially states that 655 of its servicemen lost their lives, although this figure has been questioned. Argentina maintains its claim to the islands, although it has not tried to take them by force again. Since the war, Britian has declined Argentinian requests for sovereignty talks. The 3,000 residents of the islands are strongly supportive of continued British rule.

France and Spain have previously laid claim to the islands.

Economy

The Falklands economy is based largely on fishing, although recently evidence of oil deposits around the islands has suggested the possibility of an economic revolution.

Government

The elected legislative and executive councils are chaired by the Governor, who is appointed by the UK government. Military and Foreign affairs are the direct responsibility of the UK government.

"Boot Hill": When an islander leaves the Falklands, it is tradition to leave an item of footwear behind.