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| Capital (and largest city) |
Stanley | |||
| Language Official |
Spanish | |||
| Others | English | |||
| Governor | ||||
| Area | 12,173 km² | |||
| Population | Aprox. 3.000 | |||
| Admission | 1984 | |||
The Falkland Islands (Spanish: Islas Malvinas) are a territory of Argentina. Most of its population are people who settled on the islands after Argentina seized them in 1984, but a prewar British population also remains.
History[]
Pre-Doomsday[]
There is some evidence of visitation by Patagonian Indians but the islands were uninhabited when first discovered by European explorers.
The first settlement was founded in 1764 by the French navigator and military commander Louis Antoine de Bougainville on Berkeley Sound.
A World War I naval combat (Battle of the Falkland Islands) took place in December 1914, with a British victory over the smaller Imperial German Asiatic Fleet. During World War II, the port of Stanley served as a Royal Navy station and serviced ships which took part in the 1939 Battle of the River Plate.
On 2 April 1982, Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands and other British territories in the South Atlantic (South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands). The military junta which had ruled Argentina since 1976 sought to maintain power by diverting public attention from the nation's poor economic performance and exploiting the long-standing feelings of the Argentines towards the islands. The United Nations Security Council issued Resolution 502, calling on Argentina to withdraw forces from the Islands and for both parties to seek a diplomatic solution.
The British sent an expeditionary force to retake the islands, leading to the Falklands War. After short but fierce naval and air battles, the British landed at San Carlos Water on 21 May, and a land campaign followed leading the British taking the high ground surrounding Stanley on 11 June. The Argentine forces surrendered on 14 June 1982. The war resulted in the deaths of 255 British and 649 Argentine soldiers, sailors and airmen, as well as 3 civilian Falklanders.
Doomsday[]
Doomsday had forced the Falkland Islands in a precarious position. The bulk of the military forces defending the islands immediately sailed for Britain to repel the expected Soviet invasion. The invasion never materialized, though a number of the ships from the Falklands would see action in the Battle of the Skaggerak, when they defeated a Soviet fleet trying to break out of the Baltic.
Annexation[]
Argentina launched a second invasion early in 1984. Cut off from Britain and with food supplies running short, the Falkland Islands' civilian government knew that resistance would be in vain. Under the terms of surrender, remaining British military forces were allowed to evacuate the islands, along with any civilians who wished to accompany them. Some would head for Anglophone territory - Australia, South Africa, Canada, or Guyana. Another group sailed for South Georgia, hoping to maintain an independent existence there. A majority, though not a huge one, chose to remain on the Islands rather than risk a dangerous journey.
The South Georgia colony fell to Argentina in the spring of 1985. By then, many of the remaining fragments of the British navy had relocated to South Africa, where a new Dominion of South Africa had formed led by former opposition leaders and the exiled Prince - now King - Andrew. A detachment came to take possession of South Georgia in 1987 in the name of the United Kingdom; the DSA itself would annex them outright a few years later. The British decided against attacking the Falklands, and Argentina decided not to attack the Bon South Georgia. Both sides wanted to avoid large-scale combat.
Back in the Falklands, Argentina kept its promise not to expel anyone by force, but the whole episode now inspired a few more families to leave voluntarily for South Africa. Both of these groups of Falklander exiles later helped South Africa to resettle Ascension Island.
Argentine Territory[]
Argentina encouraged new settlers to move to the islands. Initially, they stepped into the existing economy, working on raising sheep. A small tourist industry also developed around curiosity-seekers looking to visit Argentina's new, hard-won territory. This industry faded along with the novelty, but tourism slowly picked up in later decades. Commercial fishing also began to develop in earnest.
The Dominion of South Africa officially claimed all British territories in the South Atlantic in 1989, and initially this included the Falklands. This sparked a long dispute between the Dominion and Argentina. Though the claim was eventually dropped, it left some lingering tension between the two countries.
Culture and Society[]
A majority of the islanders are Argentinian and have links with the mainland. This has served to end the islands' historic isolation; in most ways, it is integrated into Argentine life and society. The remaining anglophone community is small but proud and tight-knit. They continue to put out a newspaper and a radio station in English.
Territorial Government[]
The Malvinas are a federal territory, the same status as Tierra del Fuego and Argentine Antarctica. It has limited self-government. Some of the old British governing apparatus has stayed in place. The Legislative Council was restored not long after annexation, and other institutions like the post office are carryovers from the British era.
See Also[]
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