Falkland Islands

Official nameFalkland Islands
Name in local languageFalkland Islands (en)
ContinentAmericas
SubcontinentSouth America
Population (ranking: 245e)3,617 inhabitants (2019)
Population growth2.10 % / year
Area12,173 km²
Density0.30 inhabitants / km²
GDP (ranking: 228e)0.193 billions $USD (2017)
GDP/capita (ranking)55,620 $USD (2017)
GDP growth1.20 % / year (2017)
Life expectancy (ranking)77.90 years (2012)
Birth rate10.90 ‰ (2012)
Fertility rate0.00 children / woman (2018)
Death rate (ranking)4.90 ‰ (2012)
Infant mortality rate (ranking)0.00 ‰ (2018)
Literacy rate100.00 % (2019)
Official languagesEnglish
CurrencyFalklands Pound (£ FKP)
HDI (ranking: 21e)0.933 / 1 (2008)
EPI (ranking)0.00 (2018)
GovernmentBritish Overseas Territory. Claimed by Argentina
Head of StateQueen Elizabeth II ; Governor Nigel Phillips
National Day21 April (Queen's birthday in 1926)
ISO CodesFK, FLK
DemonymFalkland Islander
Tourists (ranking)55,600 people (2016)
Malouines – petite
An Argentine claim still relevant

The Falkland Islands are an archipelago of the South Atlantic belonging to the United Kingdom, located off Argentina, north-east of the eastern end of Tierra del Fuego, and to 1 216 km from the north end of the Antarctic Peninsula. They form a British overseas territory. The archipelago is composed of two main islands, the West Falkland and East Falkland separated by a wide channel, the Falkland Sound, as well as 778 islands and islets.

Stanley, capitale des Malouines
Stanley, capital of the Falkland Islands

They are claimed by Argentina and were the stake of a military confrontation, the Falklands War, between the two countries in 1982. Argentina continues to claim, with the UN in particular, the possession of this archipelago. The United Kingdom repulsed an attack in 1982, after Argentine soldiers invaded the islands.
The different names of this archipelago, Falkland Islands in English, Malouines in French and Islas Malvinas in Spanish, derive from the different nations that once occupied this territory. Since 1833, it is therefore an overseas territory of the United Kingdom.

Malouines
Falklands. Photo: Jim Richardson, National Geographic
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Urban areas (2016)
Urban areasPopulation
Stanley2,634 inhabitants
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See also