Falkland Islands

The Falkland Islands are far south in the Atlantic Ocean.

The United Kingdom looks after them. Argentina says they should belong to it.

The Falkland Islands are in the South Atlantic Ocean, about 480 kilometers northeast of the southern tip of South America. There are two main islands, East Falkland and West Falkland, and hundreds of smaller ones (Britannica counts about 200, the islands' government 778), covering about 12,200 square kilometers.

They are a British Overseas Territory with their own elected government, and English is spoken. Argentina also claims the islands. In South America they are usually called the Islas Malvinas. The capital is Stanley. The 2021 census counted 3,662 usual residents. The photo shows Stanley from the water in 1961.

The islands lie about 480 km northeast of South America's southern tip and a similar distance east of the Strait of Magellan. Britannica describes them as an internally self-governing overseas territory of the United Kingdom; Argentina also claims sovereignty, and the two countries' positions have been debated at the United Nations since 1964. In South America they are called the Islas Malvinas, after the name Malouines that French settlers from Saint-Malo gave them in 1764.

The 2021 census counted 3,662 usual residents, 8 percent more than in 2016, not counting British military personnel; a new census was taken on October 18, 2026. The photo shows Stanley's waterfront in 1961.

Stanley is the main town. Its houses have bright roofs.

The rest of the islands is called Camp. Sheep farms are spread out there.

Stanley, on East Falkland, is the capital and only town, home to more than three-quarters of the people. It has a museum about the islands' history, bright red mailboxes and a harbor where cruise ships call. Everywhere outside Stanley is called Camp, where people live on sheep farms and in small settlements.

Roads and small planes link the settlements, and a ferry crosses between East and West Falkland. The international airport is at Mount Pleasant, about 56 kilometers southwest of Stanley.

Stanley, the capital since 1845 according to the Falkland Islands Government, holds more than three-quarters of the population; the rest live in Camp, including the outer islands, on farms and in settlements. Stanley Harbour has a commercial wharf and receives cruise ships, and the Falkland Islands Museum and National Trust there covers the islands' history.

A government air service links settlements and islands, a ferry joins East and West Falkland, and a coastal freighter collects the wool clip. The international airport is at the Mount Pleasant military complex, about 56 km southwest of Stanley. The Stanley Marathon has run every March since 2005.

It is cool and windy here all year.

No trees grow naturally. Low grass and bushes cover the ground.

The Falklands are cool and windy, with few hot or cold extremes. The average temperature is only about 5 °C, and strong west winds blow at about 31 kilometers per hour on average. About 635 millimeters of rain and snow fall a year.

No trees grow naturally. Low, thick plants such as white grass and diddle-dee cover the land, and tall tussock grass grows on some small islands. Because it is cool and damp, dead plants do not fully rot, so deep layers of peat build up. The highest point is Mount Usborne, 705 meters.

Hill ranges cross the northern parts of both main islands, reaching 705 m at Mount Usborne on East Falkland; drowned river valleys form sheltered harbors, and small rivers wind through broad, peat-covered valleys. Mean annual temperature is about 5 °C (average maximum 9 °C, minimum 3 °C), west winds average 31 km/h, and precipitation about 635 mm.

The vegetation is low and dense with no natural trees: white grass (Cortaderia pilosa) and diddle-dee (Empetrum rubrum) dominate, while coastal tussock grass survives on offshore islands where grazing is controlled. The chilly, damp climate slows decomposition, so deep peat accumulates.

Millions of penguins nest on the Falklands.

Sea lions and elephant seals live there too.

Several million penguins breed on the Falklands, mostly rockhopper, Magellanic and gentoo penguins, with smaller numbers of king and macaroni penguins. The king penguins in the photo were seen on Saunders Island, in the Falklands.

About 65 kinds of birds live here, including black-browed albatrosses and striated caracaras. Dolphins and porpoises are common, and southern sea lions and elephant seals are numerous. There are no native land mammals today: the islands' wild fox is extinct.

The islands are breeding grounds for several million penguins, mostly rockhopper, Magellanic and gentoo, with fewer king and macaroni penguins; the photo shows two king penguins on Saunders Island in the Falklands (January 2011). About 65 bird species occur, among them black-browed albatrosses, the Falkland pipit, peregrine falcons and striated caracaras.

No indigenous land mammals remain since the wild fox became extinct. Dolphins and porpoises are common, southern sea lions and elephant seals numerous, and fur seals live at a few isolated sites. Squid are abundant offshore; after overfishing became an issue in the 1990s, measures were taken to correct it.

People speak English.

Many families raise sheep for their wool. Visitors come to see the wildlife.

Most Falkland Islanders are English-speaking and of British descent, and in 2021 people from 68 countries lived on the islands. Many families can trace their roots back nine generations.

Almost all the land outside Stanley is used for sheep farming, and wool is the main export from the land. Selling fishing licenses has brought in a lot of money since 1987, and ecotourism has grown since the early 2000s. Primary school and medical care are free.

The population is English-speaking and mainly of British descent; the 2021 census found people from 68 countries, with almost half of those born elsewhere coming from the UK, followed by St Helena, the Philippines and Chile. The average age was 40.

Sheep stations cover almost all of both main islands outside Stanley, and wool, sold in Britain, is the leading land-based export; lamb and mutton exports began in 2003. Fishing licenses sold to foreign fleets since 1987 became a major source of revenue, and ecotourism grew quickly from the early 21st century. The currency is the Falkland pound, at par with the British pound.