The
Falkland Islands (
Spanish Islas Malvinas[2]) are an
archipelago in the
South Atlantic Ocean, located 300&_160;miles (483&_160;km) from the coast of
Argentina, 671&_160;miles (1,080&_160;km) west of the
Shag Rocks (
South Georgia), and 584 miles (940 km) north of the
British Antarctic Territory (which overlaps with the
Argentine and
Chilean claims to
Antarctica in that region). They consist of two main islands,
East Falkland and
West Falkland, together with 776 smaller islands.
[3] Stanley, on East Falkland, is the capital. The islands are a self-governing
Overseas Territory of the
United Kingdom, but have been the subject of a
claim to sovereignty by Argentina since the
re-assertion of British sovereignty in 1833.
[4]In pursuit of this claim in 1982, the islands were invaded by Argentina, precipitating the two-month-long undeclared Falklands War between Argentina and the United Kingdom, which resulted in the defeat and withdrawal of Argentine forces. Since the war there has been strong economic growth in both fisheries and tourism. The inhabitants of the islands are full British citizens (since a 1983 Act) and under Argentine Law are eligible for Argentine citizenship.[5] Many trace their origins on the islands to early 19th-century Scottish immigration. The islands' residents reject the Argentine sovereignty claim.[6]
The islands are referred to in the English language as "[The] Falkland Islands". This name dates from an expedition led by John Strong in 1690, who named the islands after his patron, Anthony Cary, 5th Viscount Falkland. The Spanish name for the islands, "Islas Malvinas", is derived from the French name "Îles Malouines", bestowed in 1764 by Louis Antoine de Bougainville, after the mariners and fishermen from the Breton port of Saint-Malo who became the island's first known settlers. The ISO designation is "Falkland Islands (Malvinas)".
As a result of the continuing sovereignty dispute, the use of many Spanish names is considered offensive in the Falkland Islands, particularly those associated with the 1982 invasion of the Falkland Islands.[7] General Sir Jeremy Moore would not allow the use of Islas Malvinas in the surrender document, dismissing it as a propaganda term.[8]
