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

noun:

Falkland Islander(s)

adjective:

Falkland Island

total dependency ratio:

39.8

youth dependency ratio:

24.8

elderly dependency ratio:

14.9

potential support ratio:

6.7 (2021)

total population:

(2017 est.) 77.9

male:

75.6

female:

79.6

• 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

• 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

urban population:

79.7% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

0.53% annual rate of change (2020-25 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," meaning Islands of Malo, the name applied to the islands by French explorer Louis-Antoine de BOUGAINVILLE in 1764 after the port of Saint-Malo

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

chief of state:

King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor Alison BLAKE (since 23 July 2022)

head of government:

Chief Executive Andy KEELING (since April 2021)

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; 5 members directly elected from the Stanley constituency and 3 members from the Camp constituency, both by simple majority vote, 2 appointed non-voting ex-officio members - the chief executive, appointed by the governor, and the financial secretary; the attorney general and Commander British Forces South Atlantic Islands are also invited to attend; members serve 4-year terms)

elections:

last held on 4 November 2021 (next to be held in November 2025)

election results:

• percent of vote - NA;
• seats - independent 8;
• composition of elected members - men 6, women 2, percentage women 25% (does not include speaker)

highest 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:

chief justice, court of appeal president, and 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 King" is official (see United Kingdom)

• British South American territorial economy;
• longstanding fishing industry;
• surging tourism prior to COVID-19 and Brexit;
• recent offshore hydrocarbon discoveries threaten ecotourism industries;
• no central bank and must have British approval on currency shifts

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

• 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

paved:

50 km

unpaved:

390 km (2008)

total ports:

1 (2024)

large:

0

medium:

1

small:

0

very small:

0

ports with oil terminals:

1

key ports:

Stanley