Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

• cold marine;
• strong westerly winds, cloudy, humid;
• rain occurs on more than half of days in year;
• average annual rainfall is 60 cm in Stanley;
• occasional snow all year, except in January and February, but typically does not accumulate

agricultural land:

92.4%;

• arable land 0%;
• permanent crops 0%;
• permanent pasture 92.4%

forest:

0%

other:

7.6% (2011 est.)

• overfishing by unlicensed vessels is a problem;
• reindeer - introduced to the islands in 2001 from South Georgia - are part of a farming effort to produce specialty meat and diversify the islands' economy;
• this is the only commercial reindeer herd in the world unaffected by the 1986 Chornobyl disaster

noun:

Falkland Islander(s)

adjective:

Falkland Island

total population:

1.11 male(s)/female

note: sex ratio is somewhat skewed by the high proportion of males at the Royal Air Force station, Mount Pleasant Airport (MPA); excluding MPA, the sex ratio of the total population would be 1.01 (2012 est.)

total:

NA

male:

NA

female:

NA

total population:

77.9

male:

75.6

female:

79.6 (2012 est.)

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

etymology:

• the archipelago takes its name from the Falkland Sound, the strait separating the two main islands;
• the channel itself was named after the Viscount of Falkland who sponsored an expedition to the islands in 1690;
• the Spanish name for the archipelago derives from the French "Iles Malouines," the name applied to the islands by French explorer Louis-Antoine de BOUGAINVILLE in 1764

name:

Stanley

geographic coordinates:

51 42 S, 57 51 W

time difference:

UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

chief of state:

Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Colin ROBERTS (since 28 April 2014)

head of government:

Chief Executive Keith PADGETT (since 1 February 2012)

cabinet:

Executive Council elected by the Legislative Council

elections/appointments:

• the monarchy is hereditary;
• governor appointed by the monarch;
• chief executive appointed by the governor

highest resident court(s):

• Court of Appeal (consists of the court president, the chief justice as an ex officio, non-resident member, and 2 justices of appeal);
• Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice);
• note - appeals beyond the Court of Appeal are referred to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London)

judge selection and term of office:

all justices appointed by the governor; tenure specified in each justice's instrument of appointment

subordinate courts:

Magistrate's Court (senior magistrate presides over civil and criminal divisions); Court of Summary Jurisdiction

• blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Falkland Island coat of arms centered on the outer half of the flag;
• the coat of arms contains a white ram (sheep raising was once the major economic activity) above the sailing ship Desire (whose crew discovered the islands) with a scroll at the bottom bearing the motto DESIRE THE RIGHT

name:

"Song of the Falklands""

lyrics/music:

Christopher LANHAM

note: adopted 1930s; the song is the local unofficial anthem; as a territory of the United Kingdom, "God Save the Queen" is official (see United Kingdom)

agriculture:

95%

industry:

NA%

services:

NA% (1996)

• fodder and vegetable crops;
• venison, sheep, dairy products;
• fish, squid

agriculture:

95% (mostly sheepherding and fishing)

industry and services:

5% (1996)

lowest 10%:

NA%

highest 10%:

NA%

domestic:

government-operated radiotelephone and private VHF/CB radiotelephone networks provide effective service to almost all points on both islands

international:

country code - 500; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) with links through London to other countries (2011)

• TV service provided by a multi-channel service provider;
• radio services provided by the public broadcaster, Falkland Islands Radio Service, broadcasting on both AM and FM frequencies, and by the British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) (2007)

• 2 (British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides multi-channel satellite service to members of UK Forces as well as islanders);
• cable television is available in Stanley (2006)

total:

440 km

paved:

50 km

unpaved:

390 km (2008)

country comparison to the world: 199

• Argentina, which claims the islands in its constitution and briefly occupied them by force in 1982, agreed in 1995 to no longer seek settlement by force;
• UK continues to reject Argentine requests for sovereignty talks