Country Details
| Land Area |
12,173 sq km |
Population |
2826 |
| Capital City |
Stanley |
People |
British |
| Language |
English |
Religion |
primarily Anglican, Roman Catholic, United Free Church, Evangelist Church, Jehovah's Witnesses, Lutheran, Seventh-Day Adventist |
| Government Type |
NA |
Life Expectancy |
|
| HIV/AIDS Rate |
NA% |
GNP per Capita |
$19,000 |
| Currency |
Falkland pound (FKP) |
Major Exports |
wool, hides, meat |
| National Holiday |
Liberation Day, 14 June (1982) |
Dialing Code |
|
| Electricity |
|
Malaria Risk |
|
| Water Quality |
|
Inoculations |
Typhoid, Polio, Tetanus, Hepatitis A |
| Crime |
|
Driving License |
|
| Photography |
Equipment and film reasonably priced |
Entry Regs |
|
| Time Zone |
GMT-4 |
|
|
Although first sighted by an English navigator in 1592, the first landing (English) did not occur until almost a century later in 1690, and the first settlement (French) was not established until 1764. The colony was turned over to Spain two years later and the islands have since been the subject of a territorial dispute, first between Britain and Spain, then between Britain and Argentina. The UK asserted its claim to the islands by establishing a naval garrison there in 1833. Argentina invaded the islands on 2 April 1982. The British responded with an expeditionary force that landed seven weeks later and after fierce fighting forced Argentine surrender on 14 June 1982.