THE GEOGRAPHY (Foreign Office UK)
Status: UK Overseas Territory
Area: 2,173 sq km (4,700 sq mi)
Population: 2,379 (2001 Census)
Capital City: Stanley
Languages: English
Religion(s): Christian, with Catholic,
Anglican and United Reformed
Churches in Stanley. Other Christian
churches are also represented.
Currency: Falkland Island Pound (at par
with sterling)
GEOGRAPHY
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago
of around 700 islands in the South
Atlantic, the largest being East Falkland
and West Falkland. They are situated
about 770 km (480 miles) north-east
of Cape Horn and 480 km (300 miles)
from the nearest point on the South
American mainland.The Islands have a
total land area of 12,173 sq km (4,700
sq miles) – more than half the size of
Wales – and a permanent population of
2,913 (2001 census). Stanley, the
capital (population 1981 in 2001), is the
only town. Elsewhere in Camp (the
local term for the countryside), there
are a number of smaller settlements.
The population is almost exclusively of
British birth or descent, and many
families can trace their origins in the
Islands back to the early post-1833
settlers. English is the national language
and 99 per cent of the population speak
English as their mother tongue. There
are Anglican, Roman Catholic and
Nonconformist churches in the
Islands.The climate is characterised by
a narrow temperature range (–5° C
to 24°C), strong winds, fairly low
rainfall evenly distributed throughout
the year, and higher sunshine hours
than most parts of Britain. The Islands
are generally hilly – the highest points
are Mount Usborne (705m) on East
Falkland and Mount Adam (700m) on
West Falkland. There are few trees,
the natural vegetation being grassland
with some species of heath and dwarf
shrubs.
THE HISTORY (Foreign Office UK)
Navigators of several countries have
been credited with first sighting the
Falklands but the earliest sighting that
has been conclusively authenticated
was by the Dutch sailor Sebald van
Weert in 1600. The first known landing
was made in 1690 by a British naval
captain, John Strong. He named the
Islands after Viscount Falkland, First
Lord of the Admiralty at the time.
French seal hunters, who were
frequent visitors to the area in the
eighteenth century, called the Islands
'les Iles Malouines' after the port of St
Malo, and it was from this that the
Spanish designation, las Islas Malvinas,
originated.
In 1764, a small French colony, Port
Louis, was established on East Falkland.
Three years later this was handed
over to Spain on payment of £24,000.
The Spanish renamed the settlement
Puerto de la Soledad.
A British expedition reached West
Falkland in 1765, and anchored in a
harbour which it named Port Egmont. It
took formal possession of it and of 'all
the neighbouring islands' for King
George III. The following year, another
British expedition established a
settlement of about 100 people at Port
Egmont. This settlement was
withdrawn on economic grounds in
1774, but British sovereignty was
never relinquished or abandoned. The
Spanish settlement on East Falkland
was withdrawn in 1811, leaving the
Islands without inhabitants or any form
of government. In November 1820,
Colonel Daniel Jewett, an American
national, claimed formal possession of
the Islands in the name of the
Government of Buenos Aires, but only
stayed on the Islands for a few days.
At the time, the Government of Buenos
Aires, which had declared
independence from Spain in 1816, was
not recognised by Britain or any other
foreign power. No act of occupation
followed Jewett's visit and the Islands
remained without effective
government. On 10 June 1829, the
Buenos Aires Government issued a
decree setting forth its rights,
purportedly derived from the Spanish
Viceroyalty of La Plata, and purported
to place the Islands under the control
of a political and military governor,
Louis Vernet. Britain protested that the
terms of the decree infringed British
sovereignty over the Islands, which she
had never relinquished.
In 1831, a United States warship, the
Lexington, destroyed the fort at
Puerto de la Soledad as a reprisal for
the arrest of three American vessels
by Vernet, who was attempting to
establish control over sealing in the
Islands. The captain of the Lexington
declared the Falklands free from all
government and they remained once
again without visible authority until
September 1832, when the Government
of Buenos Aires appointed Juan
Mestivier as Civil and Political
Governor on an interim basis. The
British Government once again
protested to the Buenos Aires
Government that this appointment
infringed British sovereignty over the
Islands. Mestivier sailed to the Falklands
at the end of 1832 and was murdered
shortly after his arrival by his own
soldiers. In January 1833, after
receiving instructions to visit the
Islands to exercise British rights of
sovereignty, the British warship HMS
Clio arrived at Puerto de la Soledad and
requested that the Argentines leave.
British occupation was therefore
resumed and the Islands were
administered by a naval officer.
In 1841, a civil Lieutenant Governor was
appointed and, in 1843, the civil
administration was put on a permanent
footing by an Act of the British
Parliament. The Lieutenant Governor's
title was changed to Governor and, in
1845, the first Executive and
Legislative Councils were set up.
Although there was a majority of
official members in the Legislative
Council until 1951, nominated members
played an increasingly important part,
and in 1949 members elected by
universal adult suffrage were
introduced into the Council. The
Falklands were invaded and illegally
occupied by Argentine military forces
on 2 April 1982. A British task force
was despatched immediately and,
following a conflict in which over 1,000
British and Argentine lives were lost,
the Argentine forces surrendered on
14 June 1982. Since then, the pace of
development in the Islands has
accelerated with the construction of a
new hospital, a new senior school, port
facilities and an international airport.
20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE
FALKLANDS CONFLICT
Throughout 2002 a series of events
were held for the 20th Anniversary of
the Falklands conflict. A
commemoration of the Liberation of
the Islands took place on 14th June, and
was attended by the British Minister
for the Armed Forces, Adam Ingram,
MP. This followed an earlier visit in the
year, by the British Defence
Secretary, Geoff Hoon MP. A
pilgrimage of 217 South Atlantic Medal
Association veterans and pilgrims for
Remembrance Sunday took place in
November 2002, which coincided with
a visit by HRH The Duke of York.. In his
New Year Address to the Falklands the
Prime Minister stated that he hoped
these events would be approached in
an atmosphere of 'remembrance and
reconciliation'; remembrance for
those lost during the conflict and
reconciliation with Argentina, which has
renounced the use of force against the
Islands. The media coverage of the
20th Anniversary events also offers an
opportunity for Islanders to present
their Islands as they are today: a
vibrant community with a rapidly
developing economy.
SOVEREIGNTY OF THE ISLANDS
The British Government has no doubt
about Britain's sovereignty over the
Falkland Islands. With the exception of
the two months of illegal occupation in
1982, the Falklands have been
continuously, peacefully and effectively
inhabited and administered by Britain
since 1833. Argentina's claim to the
Falklands is based on the grounds that,
at the time of British repossession of
the Islands in 1833, Argentina had
sovereignty over them through her
inheritance, upon independence, of
Spain's possessory title (uti
possedetis), through her attempts to
settle the Islands between 1826 and
1833, and through the concept of
territorial contiguity. However, uti
possedetis is not accepted as a general
principle of international law. Moreover
Spain's title to the Islands was disputed
and in 1811 the Spanish settlement was
evacuated. Argentina's subsequent
attempts at settlement were sporadic
and ineffectual. As for territorial
contiguity, this has never been a
determinant for title to islands
(otherwise the Canary Islands, for
example, might be Moroccan) and
should not be used to overrule the
right of self-determination. The
Argentine Government has argued that
the Falkland Islanders do not enjoy the
right of self-determination, on the
(false) basis that they replaced an
indigenous Argentine population
expelled by force. However there was
no indigenous or settled population on
the Islands until British settlement.
The people who live in the Falklands
now are not a transitory population.
Many can trace their origins in the
Islands back to the early nineteenth
century. Britain is committed to defend
their right to choose their own future.
The Islanders are fully entitled to enjoy
the right of self-determination. It is a
right which cannot be applied
selectively or be open to negotiation,
and one which is recognised in the UN
Charter and the International Covenant
on Civil and Political Rights.
Self-determination does not
necessarily mean independence. Britain
has willingly granted independence
where it has been requested, and will
continue to do so where it is an option,
while remaining committed to those of
its Overseas Territories which choose
to retain the British connection. In
exercise of their right of
self-determination, the Falkland
Islanders have repeatedly made known
their wish to remain British. An
Argentine-inspired poll, conducted in
1994, revealed that 87 per cent of
them would be against any form of
discussion with Argentina over
sovereignty, under any circumstances.
In 1960 the United Nations General
Assembly adopted its Declaration of the
Granting of Independence to Colonial
Countries and Peoples (GAR 1514). A
committee was set up to oversee
implementation of this resolution. This
Committee, which became known as
the Committee of Twenty-four,
considered the question of the
Falklands for the first time in 1964.
Following its recommendations, the
General Assembly adopted Resolution
2065 in 1965. The Resolution invited the
British and Argentine Governments to
begin negotiations 'with a view to
finding a peaceful solution to the
problem, bearing in mind the provisions
and objectives of the UN Charter and
of GAR 1514 and the interests of the
population of the Falkland Islands
(Malvinas).' During 1967 and 1968
Britain entered into negotiations with
Argentina based on a willingness to
transfer sovereignty. Although the
British Government had no
doubt about British sovereignty of the
Falklands, they were concerned by the
difficulty of defending the Islands, and
by the threat to the Islands' economy
from declining world demand for wool
and from their isolation without links to
the mainland. However Britain
maintained throughout that any
transfer of sovereignty must be
subject to the wishes of the Islanders.
It was on this issue that negotiations
foundered.
After the 1982 conflict, Britain sought
ways to restore normal relations with
Argentina while upholding her
commitment to the Falkland Islanders.
Diplomatic relations were
re-established in February 1990, less
than a year after Dr Carlos Menem
was elected President of Argentina.
The resumption of links followed a
series of talks in Madrid, in which the
two sides agreed a formula to protect
their respective positions on
sovereignty and maritime jurisdiction
over the Falkland Islands, South
Georgia and the South Sandwich
Islands. The formula has enabled the
two Governments to make progress in
many fields Nonetheless, Argentina
continued to claim the Falklands.
President Menem asserted that the
Islands would be Argentine by the year
2000 and suggested shared
sovereignty as a possible intermediate
step. His Foreign Minister, Dr Guido di
Tella, also suggested other possible
forms of association between the
Falklands and Argentina.
In 1994, the Argentine Constitution was
amended to include a clause asserting
sovereignty over the Islands, which
would be pursued 'in accordance with
international law'. Argentina continued
to ask the United Nations to call for
negotiations on the issue of
sovereignty. Although the United
Nations General Assembly has not
debated the question of the Falklands
since 1990, the Committee of
Twenty-four has continued to adopt
resolutions calling for negotiations
between Britain and Argentina. These
resolutions are flawed because they
make no reference to the Islanders'
right to choose their own future.
Several members of the Committee
have acknowledged this omission. The
principle of self-determination is
included in every other resolution
considered by the Committee. The
British position that sovereignty is not
for negotiation remains unaltered.
There will be no change in the status
of the Falklands without the Islanders'
consent. The White Paper Britain and
the Overseas Territories, presented to
Parliament by the Foreign Secretary in
March 1999, did not propose any
change of status. It charted a new
partnership with all our Overseas
Territories, founded on several core
principles including the right of
self-determination. In the White Paper
the Government said, 'Our Overseas
Territories are British for as long as
they wish to remain British. The UK
has a very special relationship with the
Falkland Islands. Numbers of Islanders
coming to the UK for higher education
are rising annually and, crucially, most
of those students later return to the
Islands. The UK Government remains
committed to developing the links.
Both Baroness Patricia Scotland and
John Battle visited the Islands in 2001
when they were Foreign Office
Ministers, and both were impressed by
the dynamism of the Islanders. In 2002
the Secretary of State for Defence,
Geoff Hoon, visited the Islands in
March, and in June 2002, Adam
Ingram, Minister for the Armed
Forces, joined veterans of the
Falklands conflict for the 20th
Anniversary Liberation Day events. In
addition, in November 2002, HRH The
Duke of York will pay a visit to the
Falklands to commemorate
Remembrance Sunday. Each year the
Prime Minister makes a traditional New
Year's Address to the Falkland
Islands. In 2001 the Prime Minister
stated in his Address that, 'The
firmness of Britain's commitments on
the security and sovereignty of the
Falkland Islands and on your right to
self-determination provides the basis
for you to shake off the insecurity of
the past, and to plan your future with
certainty'.
CONTACTS WITH ARGENTINA
The former President, Carlos Menem,
visited Britain on 27 October to 1
November 1998, the first visit to
Britain by an Argentine Head of State
since the 1982 conflict. During his visit
British and Argentine veterans watched
him lay a wreath at the Falklands war
memorial in St Paul's Cathedral. In a
lecture at Lancaster House, he
reiterated remarks he had made in
Argentina renouncing the use of force
against the Falklands. HRH The Prince
of Wales made official visits to
Argentina, Uruguay and the Falklands
from 9 to 15 March 1999. His visit to
Argentina helped to develop the spirit
of reconciliation and co-operation that
President Menem had promoted during
his visit to Britain. His visit to the
Falklands demonstrated Britain's
continued support for the Islands and
for HM Forces stationed in the South
Atlantic. He referred to the Falklands
as follows in a speech in Buenos Aires:
'My hope is that the people of modern,
democratic Argentina, with their
passionate attachment to their national
traditions, will in the future be able to
live amicably alongside the people of
another modern, if smaller, democracy
lying a few hundred miles off your
coast – a people just as passionately
attached to their traditions – and be
able to do so in a spirit of mutual
understanding and respect, so that
neither will again need to feel any fear
from, or hostility towards, the other.'
In the light of the improved relations
between Britain and Argentina, in May
1999 the elected Legislative Councillors
of the Falklands Islands asked Britain to
arrange talks with Argentina on South
Atlantic issues of mutual interest. The
British Government, which had
consistently encouraged the Islanders
to broaden their contacts with
Argentina while reassuring them that
this would have no implications for
sovereignty, welcomed their decision.
Following meetings in London and New
York, the Foreign Secretary and the
Argentine Foreign Minister signed a
Joint Statement and exchanged letters
on 14 July to record the
understandings reached. As a result:
The Falkland Islands Government lifted
their ban on Argentine visitors
introduced in 1982;
Argentina secured the consent of Chile
to the immediate resumption of the
weekly Chilean airline flight between
Chile and the Falklands (suspended by
Chile since April in connection with the
detention of General Pinochet in
Britain). Since 16 October 1999 the
flights have made one stop per month
in each direction at Rio Gallegos in
Argentina;
The parties enhanced co-operation on
conservation of fish stocks and
implemented practical measures
against poaching of fish stocks by
unlicensed vessels from third
countries;
A memorial to members of the
Argentine armed services killed in
action in 1982 will be constructed at
the Argentine cemetery in the Islands;
The Argentine Government will review
the Spanish names by which it refers
to some places in the Falklands, for
example 'Puerto Argentino' for Stanley
(changed from the previous name of
'Port Stanley' in September 1991). It
says in the Joint Statement that 'the
United Kingdom delegation included
members of the Falkland Islands
Legislative Council'. Argentina had not
been prepared formally to
acknowledge this reality before.
Falklands Councillors participated
actively in the talks. Seven of the eight
Councillors approved the Joint
Statement before signature by two of
them, among others, as witnesses. The
Joint Statement has shown how Britain
and Argentina can manage their
differences arising from the
sovereignty issue while making
practical arrangements on matters of
common interest. It was an important
milestone on the path towards
reconciliation. Since 1999 Argentina has
made plain its commitment to
continuing the dialogue and policy
launched by the Joint Statement.
Former President De La Rua assured
the Prime Minister of this when they
met in Argentina in August 2001,
following a meeting in July between the
Foreign Secretary and the former
Argentine Foreign Minister. We
continue to make progress on
implementing the Joint Statement and
to extend cooperation to other areas
where it makes sense to do so.
THE ECONOMY (Foreign Office UK)
Basic Economic Facts
GDP: £45 million (estimated 2001)
GDP per head: £14,780 (2001)
Annual Growth: 3% (estimated)
Inflation: 1% (estimated)
Major Industries: Fisheries, Tourism,
Agriculture
Major trading partners: United
Kingdom, Spain, Chile
Exchange rate: UK£1 = FI£1
In the past, economic development was
hindered by the lack of natural
resources, the small size of the
population and the remoteness of
external markets. Wool was the
traditional mainstay of the economy but
the price of wool fell dramatically in
real terms during the twentieth
century. Since 1982 the economy has
grown rapidly, initially as a result of
UK aid but more recently from the
development of fisheries. The Falkland
Islands Government is working hard to
ensure a diverse and sustainable
economy for the future.
Since 1 February 1987 all fishing within
150 nautical miles of the Falklands has
been subject to licensing by the
Falkland Islands Government. (This limit
was extended to 200 nautical miles in
1990.) The fishery now generates over
£20 million per annum in licence fees,
roughly half of government revenue.
The Islands have received no aid from
Britain since 1992 and are now
self-sufficient in all areas except
defence. Since 1990 Britain and
Argentina have worked together to
conserve fish stocks under the
auspices of a British-Argentine South
Atlantic Fisheries Commission.
A growing number of tourists are
visiting the Falkland Islands, many of
them attracted by the wildlife. Besides
land-based tourism, over 30,000
passengers land in Stanley each year
from cruise ships. A visitor and
heritage centre has just been built at
the jetty in Stanley. The Falkland
Islands Government and the Falkland
Islands Development Corporation are
working to improve hotel
accommodation, access and marketing.
Agriculture remains important, despite
its poor economic performance in
recent years, as the largest source of
employment. The Falkland Islands
Government has built a modern
abattoir designed to meet EU standards
and hopes to capitalise on the Falklands'
certification as an organic country.
Exploratory drilling for oil in the
continental shelf to the north of the
Falklands began in 1998. The initial
phase, which ended in November 1998,
encountered traces of hydrocarbons
and gave some cause for optimism. But
there is no evidence yet of oil deposits
in recoverable quantities. Most
recently, in March 2002 licences were
awarded to the Falklands Hydrocarbon
Consortium to conduct oil exploration
surveying work in the South Falklands
Basin, a previously underexplored area.
In 1995 the UK and Argentina signed a
Hydrocarbons Agreement committing
both sides to co-operation in
hydrocarbons exploration in a region
known as the Special Co-operation
Area (SCA) to the South-West of the
Islands. A South_West Atlantic
Hydrocarbons Commission was created
under the Agreement which met until
2000, when the Argentine side
announced it needed time for reflection
before holding new talks. The UK
stands ready to resume co-operation
in the SCA with Argentina. The Falkland
Island Government recently introduced
'The Islands Plan 2002/05' laying out
plans to take the Islands forward over
the next few years in sectors such as
financial management, sustainable
economy, quality of life and
communications. Part of the plan also
focuses on relations with Latin
America, including cooperation with
Argentina on practical matters of
common interest such as oil exploration
and fisheries
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