Falkland Islands

Falkland Islands

Basic Data

Official Country Name:	Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
Region (Map name):	South America
Population:	2,826
Language(s):	English
Literacy rate:	N/A

Although the Falkland Islands lies east of southern Argentina in the South Atlantic Ocean, it has been claimed by the French, the British, and the Spanish.

Press freedoms in the Falkland Islands equal those of Great Britain. There is no daily newspaper but the country boasts two weeklies, The Penguin News and theTeaberry Express. The Penguin News is published every Friday by Mercopress, and the Teaberry Express is published by Falkland Islands News Network. The staunchly pro-British Falkland Islands Newsletter is published in London by the non-profit Falkland Island Association and appears quarterly. The Web portal Falkland Island News Network, www.sartma.com, provides online access to a number of publications, including the Teaberry Express.

There are seven FM radio stations and one AM radio station for approximately 1,000 radios. There are two local television stations, both of which are run by the British Forces Broadcasting Service. There are approximately 1,000 televisions on the island. There are two Internet service providers.

The English made the first sighting, in 1592, and the first landing, in 1690, but the French established the first colony in 1764. This colony was turned over to the Spanish two years later, and the collection of islands has been subject to sporadic territorial dispute ever since, first between Britain and Spain, then between Britain and Argentina. Tensions flared most recently in 1982 when Argentina invaded the Islands. The British beat them back and Queen Elizabeth II remains the chief of state. The head of the government is the Governor, who is appointed by the monarch to preside over a unicameral Legislative Council. The estimated population of the Falklands, which includes the two main islands of East and West Falkland and about 200 smaller islands, is nearly 3,000. English is the official language. Sheep farming and wool exports are the traditional staples of the economy, but in the late 1980s, the government began to ramp up the sale of fishing licenses to subsidize social services.

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). "Falkland Islands." World Factbook 2001. Available from www.cia.gov.

Falkland Islands News Network home page. 2002. Available from www.sartma.com.

Falkland Islands Tourist Board. 2002. Available from www.tourism.org.fk.

Jenny B. Davis