Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
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Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)⌘K
Overview
- Background
- 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 in 1982. The British responded with an expeditionary force and after fierce fighting forced an Argentine surrender on 14 June 1982. With hostilities ended and Argentine forces withdrawn, UK administration resumed. In response to renewed calls from Argentina for Britain to relinquish control of the islands, a referendum was held in 2013 that resulted in 99.8% of the population voting to remain a part of the UK.
Geography
Area
- Land
- 12,173 sq km
- Note
- note: includes the two main islands of East and West Falkland and about 200 small islands
- Water
- 0 sq km
- Total
- 12,173 sq km
- Climate
- 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
- Terrain
- rocky, hilly, mountainous with some boggy, undulating plains
Land Use
- Other
- 6.8% (2023 est.)
- Forest
- 0% (2022 est.)
- Agricultural land
- 93.2% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land: arable land
- arable land: 0% (2022 est.)
- Agricultural land: permanent crops
- permanent crops: 0% (2022 est.)
- Agricultural land: permanent pasture
- permanent pasture: 93.2% (2023 est.)
- Location
- Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, about 500 km east of southern Argentina
- Coastline
- 1,288 km
Elevation
- Lowest point
- Atlantic Ocean 0 m
- Highest point
- Mount Usborne 705 m
- Irrigated land
- NA
- Map references
- South America
Land Boundaries
- Total
- 0 km
Maritime Claims
- Territorial sea
- 12 nm
- Continental shelf
- 200 nm
- Exclusive fishing zone
- 200 nm
- Natural hazards
- strong winds persist throughout the year
- Geography note
- deeply indented coast provides good natural harbors; short growing season
- Natural resources
- fish, squid, wildlife, calcified seaweed, sphagnum moss
- Area comparative
- slightly smaller than Connecticut
- Geographic coordinates
- 51 45 S, 59 00 W
- Population distribution
- a very small population, with most residents living in and around Stanley
People & Society
- Languages
- English 89%, Spanish 7.7%, other 3.3% (2006 est.)
- Religions
- Christian 57.1%, other 1.6%, none 35.4%, unspecified 6% (2016 est.)
Sex Ratio
- Total population
- 1.12 male(s)/female (2016 est.)
- Birth rate
- 10.9 births/1,000 population (2012 est.)
- Death rate
- 4.9 deaths/1,000 population (2012 est.)
Population
- Male
- 1,645
- Note
- note: data include all persons usually resident in the islands at the time of the 2021 census
- Total
- 3,142 (2021)
- Female
- 1,497
Nationality
- Noun
- Falkland Islander(s)
- Adjective
- Falkland Island
Urbanization
- Urban population
- 79.7% of total population (2023)
- Rate of urbanization
- 0.53% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
- Ethnic groups
- Falkland Islander 48.3%, British 23.1%, St. Helenian 7.5%, Chilean 4.6%, mixed 6%, other 8.5%, unspecified 2% (2016 est.)
Dependency Ratios
- Total dependency ratio
- 38.4 (2021)
- Youth dependency ratio
- 21.8 (2021)
- Potential support ratio
- 6 (2021)
- Elderly dependency ratio
- 16.6 (2021)
Drinking Water Source
- Improved: urban
- urban: 100% of population (2022 est.)
- Unimproved: rural
- rural: 21.8% of population
- Unimproved: urban
- urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)
- Population growth rate
- 0.01% (2014 est.)
- Population distribution
- a very small population, with most residents living in and around Stanley
Life Expectancy at Birth
- Male
- 75.6
- Female
- 79.6
- Total population
- (2017 est.) 77.9
Sanitation Facility Access
- Improved: rural
- rural: 100% of population (2022 est.)
- Improved: total
- total: 100% of population (2022 est.)
- Improved: urban
- urban: 100% of population (2022 est.)
- Unimproved: rural
- rural: 0% of population (2022 est.)
- Unimproved: total
- total: 0% of population (2022 est.)
- Unimproved: urban
- urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)
- Major urban areas population
- 2,000 STANLEY (capital) (2018)
- Currently married women (ages 15 49)
- 47.7% (2016 est.)
Government
- Flag
- description: blue with the UK flag in the upper-left quadrant and the Falkland Island coat of arms centered on the right half of the flag; the coat of arms has a white ram above the ship "Desire" (whose crew discovered the islands), with a scroll at the bottom bearing the motto DESIRE THE RIGHT
Capital
- Name
- Stanley
- Etymology
- named in 1844 after Edward SMITH-STANLEY, the 14th Earl of Derby
- Time difference
- UTC-3 (2 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
- Geographic coordinates
- 51 42 S, 57 51 W
- Suffrage
- 18 years of age; universal
- Citizenship
- see United Kingdom
Constitution
- History
- previous 1985; latest entered into force 1 January 2009 (The Falkland Islands Constitution Order 2008)
Country Name
- Etymology
- the archipelago takes its name from the Falkland Sound, the strait separating the two main islands; the channel was named after the Fifth 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 French explorer Louis-Antoine de BOUGAINVILLE gave the islands in 1764 in honor of the French port of Saint-Malo
- Conventional long form
- none
- Conventional short form
- Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
- Independence
- none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina)
- Legal system
- English common law and local statutes
- Government type
- parliamentary democracy (Legislative Assembly); self-governing overseas territory of the UK
Judicial Branch
- Note
- note: appeals beyond the Court of Appeal are referred to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London)
- 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)
- Subordinate courts
- Magistrate's Court (senior magistrate presides over civil and criminal divisions); Court of Summary Jurisdiction
- 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
Executive Branch
- Cabinet
- Executive Council elected by the Legislative Council
- Chief of state
- King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor Colin MARTIN-REYNOLDS (since 29 July 2025)
- Head of government
- Chief Executive Andrea Patricia CLAUSEN (since 1 April 2025)
- Election/appointment process
- the monarchy is hereditary; monarch appoints the governor, who appoints the chief executive
- National holiday
- Liberation Day, 14 June (1982)
- Dependency status
- overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina
- National color(s)
- red, white, blue
- Political parties
- none; all independents
Legislative Branch
- Term in office
- 4 years
- Number of seats
- 10 (8 directly elected, 2 appointed)
- Electoral system
- plurality/majority
- Legislature name
- Legislative Assembly
- Scope of elections
- full renewal
- Legislative structure
- unicameral
- Most recent election date
- 12/11/2025
- Expected date of next election
- November 2025
- Percentage of women in chamber
- 25% note: does not include the speaker
National Anthem(s)
- Title
- "God Save the King"
- History
- official anthem, as a UK territory
- Lyrics/music
- unknown
- National symbol(s)
- ram
- National coat of arms
- the Falkland Islands adopted its coat of arms in 1948; the shield highlights the national symbol, the ram, which represents the country’s agricultural industry and stands on native tussock grass; English navigator John Davis’s sailing vessel, the Desire, is shown, referencing his sighting of the islands in 1592; below the shield is the national motto, “Desire the Right”
- Diplomatic representation in the US
- none (administered by the UK; claimed by Argentina)
Diplomatic Representation from the US
- Embassy
- none (administered by the UK; claimed by Argentina)
- International organisations
- UPU
Economy
- Industries
- fish and wool processing; tourism
Exchange Rates
- Currency
- Falkland pounds (FKP) per US dollar -
- Exchange rates 2020
- 0.78 (2020 est.)
- Exchange rates 2021
- 0.727 (2021 est.)
- Exchange rates 2022
- 0.811 (2022 est.)
- Exchange rates 2023
- 0.805 (2023 est.)
- Exchange rates 2024
- 0.78 (2024 est.)
- Economic overview
- 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
- Exports partners
- Spain 68%, Morocco 10%, USA 8%, Namibia 3%, Germany 2% (2023)
- Imports partners
- UK 68%, Greece 19%, Spain 11%, Netherlands 1%, NZ 0% (2023)
Real GDP Per Capita
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- $70,800 (2015 est.)
- Real GDP per capita 2014
- $63,000 (2014 est.)
- Real GDP per capita 2015
- $70,800 (2015 est.)
- Agricultural products
- fodder and vegetable crops; venison, sheep, dairy products; fish, squid
- Exports commodities
- shellfish, fish, wool, sheep and goat meat (2023)
- Imports commodities
- refined petroleum, aircraft parts, prefabricated buildings, plastic products, surveying equipment (2023)
- GDP (official exchange rate)
- $206.4 million (2015 est.)
Energy
Petroleum
- Refined petroleum consumption
- 200 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Electricity
- Consumption
- 18.257 million kWh (2023 est.)
- Installed generating capacity
- 10,000 kW (2023 est.)
- Transmission/distribution losses
- 900,000 kWh (2023 est.)
Electricity Generation Sources
- Wind
- 26.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
- Fossil fuels
- 73.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Communications
Internet Users
- Percent of population
- 99% (2021 est.)
- Broadcast media
- TV service provided by a multi-channel service provider; radio provided by public broadcaster Falkland Islands Radio Service and the British Forces Broadcasting Service (2007)
- Internet country code
- .fk
Telephones Fixed Lines
- Total subscriptions
- 2,000 (2021 est.)
- Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
- 53 (2021 est.)
Telephones Mobile Cellular
- Total subscriptions
- 6,420 (2022 est.)
- Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
- 184 (2022 est.)
Broadband Fixed Subscriptions
- Total
- 1,000 (2020 est.)
- Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
- 33 (2020 est.)
Transport
Ports
- Large
- 0
- Small
- 0
- Medium
- 1
- Key ports
- Stanley
- Very small
- 0
- Total ports
- 1 (2024)
- Ports with oil terminals
- 1
- Airports
- 34 (2025)
Merchant Marine
- Total
- 2 (2023)
- BY type
- general cargo 1, other 1
- Civil aircraft registration country code prefix
- VP-F
Environment
- Climate
- 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
Land Use
- Other
- 6.8% (2023 est.)
- Forest
- 0% (2022 est.)
- Agricultural land
- 93.2% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land: arable land
- arable land: 0% (2022 est.)
- Agricultural land: permanent crops
- permanent crops: 0% (2022 est.)
- Agricultural land: permanent pasture
- permanent pasture: 93.2% (2023 est.)
Urbanization
- Urban population
- 79.7% of total population (2023)
- Rate of urbanization
- 0.53% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
- Environmental issues
- overfishing by unlicensed vessels; grazing threatens important habitats; soil erosion from fires
Carbon Dioxide Emissions
- Total emissions
- 36,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
- From petroleum and other liquids
- 36,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
Military & Security
- Military note
- defense is the responsibility of the UK, which maintains a military presence on the islands
- Military and security forces
- no regular military forces
Cite this page
Cite this page
Civica. (2026). Civica Atlas — Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) — vintage 2026-Q1: Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) factbook. Civica Atlas. Retrieved May 7, 2026, from https://civicaatlas.org/factbook/falkland-islands-islas-malvinas
Sources: CIA World Factbook