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

• 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;
• grazing threatens important habitats including tussac grass and its ecosystem with penguins and sea lions;
• soil erosion from fires

noun:

Falkland Islander(s)

adjective:

Falkland Island

total:

NA (2018)

male:

NA

female:

NA

total population:

77.9 (2017 est.)

male:

75.6

female:

79.6

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)

etymology:

named after Edward SMITH-STANLEY (1799-1869), the 14th Earl of Derby, a British statesman and three-time prime minister of the UK who never visited the islands

history:

previous 1985; latest entered into force 1 January 2009 (The Falkland Islands Constitution Order 2008)

amendments:

NA

chief of state:

Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Nigel PHILLIPS (since 12 September 2017)

head of government:

Chief Executive Barry ROWLAND (since 3 October 2016)

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

description:

unicameral Legislative Assembly, formerly the Legislative Council (10 seats; 8 members directly elected by majority vote and 2 appointed ex-officio members - the chief executive, appointed by the governor, and the financial secretary; members serve 4-year terms)

elections:

last held on 9 November 2017 (next to be held in November 2021)

election results:

• percent of vote - NA;
• seats - independent 8;
• composition -men 8, women 2, percent of women 20%

highest courts:

• 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)

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

agriculture:

41%

industry:

24.5%

services:

34.5% (2015 est.)

lowest 10%:

NA

highest 10%:

NA

general assessment:

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

domestic:

fixed-line subscriptions 77 per 100, 146 per 100 for mobile-cellular (2019)

international:

country code - 500; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) with links through London to other countries (2015)

• 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)

total:

440 km (2008)

paved:

50 km (2008)

unpaved:

390 km (2008)

• 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