The Falkland Islands are located some 500 km east of Argentina. Almost all 3500 inhabitants are of British descent and
consider themselves 200% British.
Most Falklanders live and work in or around the capital Stanley, leaving the rest of the cold, windswept hinterland
to scores of sheep, birds and seals.
Once the Warrah,
or Falkland Islands wolf, lived here but by 1880 this mammal
was hunted into extinction.
European
explorers may have spotted the isles in the 16th century but first to set foot here was John Strong in 1690, en route to Peru. The
first permanent settlements appeared in the 1760's and soon tension between Spain and Britain flared up on the issue of sovereignty.
Since
1833 the Falklands are under British rule, but Argentina claims sovereignty over what they call the Islas Malvinas and even
invaded the islands in 1982.
In the ensuing Falklands War a British Expeditionary Force solidly defeated the invaders.
More than 900 soldiers lost their lives in this bloody conflict. Large stretches of land are stil closed to the public as they
are littered with landmines.
Before the Falklands War, sheep farming carried the flailing economy, but, with help from
the UK,
fishing and tourism now carry the economy. The seas around the Falklands may hold large reserves of oil that
could further boost the economy.
The Falklands were excluded from the Brexit deal and now face EU import duties on fish. Also
the EU no longer supports the UK against the Argentinian claims.
