]! ^! Although first sighted by an English navigator in 1592, the first landing (English) did not occur until almost a century later in 1690, and the first settlement (French) was not established until 1764. The colony was turned over to Spain two years later and the islands have since been the subject of a territorial dispute, first between Britain and Spain, then between Britain and Argentina. The UK asserted its claim to the islands by establishing a naval garrison there in 1833. Argentina invaded the islands on 2 April 1982. The British responded with an expeditionary force that landed seven weeks later and after fierce fighting forced an Argentine surrender on 14 June 1982. 
]" ^" Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, east of southern Argentina ^# 51 45 S, 59 00 W ^$ South America ^% `! 12,173 sq km `" 12,173 sq km `# 0 sq km `* includes the two main islands of East and West Falkland and about 200 small islands ^& slightly smaller than Connecticut ^' 0 km ^( 1,288 km ^) `$ 12 nm `O 200 nm `l 200 nm ^* cold marine; strong westerly winds, cloudy, humid; rain occurs on more than half of days in year; average annual rainfall is 24 inches in Stanley; occasional snow all year, except in January and February, but does not accumulate ^+ rocky, hilly, mountainous with some boggy, undulating plains ^, `% Atlantic Ocean 0 m `& Mount Usborne 705 m ^- fish, squid, wildlife, calcified seaweed, sphagnum moss ^. `' 0% `( 0% `) 100% (99% permanent pastures, 1% other) (2005) ^/ NA ^0 strong winds persist throughout the year ^1 overfishing by unlicensed vessels is a problem; reindeer were introduced to the islands in 2001 for commercial reasons; this is the only commercial reindeer herd in the world unaffected by the 1986 Chornobyl disaster ^2 deeply indented coast provides good natural harbors; short growing season 
]# ^3 3,105 (July 2007 est.) ^4 `+ NA `, NA `- NA ^6 2.44% (2007 est.) ^7 NA ^8 NA ^9 NA ^; `! NA `. NA `/ NA ^< `2 NA `. NA `/ NA ^= NA ^> NA ^? NA ^@ NA ^A `3 Falkland Islander(s) `4 Falkland Island ^B British ^C primarily Anglican, Roman Catholic, United Free Church, Evangelist Church, Jehovah's Witnesses, Lutheran, Seventh-Day Adventist ^D English ^E NA 
]$ ^F `6 none `7 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) ^G overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina ^H NA ^I `8 Stanley `9 51 42 S, 57 41 W `: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) `p +1hr, begins first Sunday in September; ends third Sunday in April ^J none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina) ^K none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina) ^L Liberation Day, 14 June (1982) ^M 3 October 1985; amended 1997 and 1998 ^N English common law ^O 18 years of age; universal ^P `; Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) `< Governor Alan HUCKLE (since 25 August 2006); Chief Executive Chris SIMPKINS (since March 2003) `= Executive Council; three members elected by the Legislative Council, two ex officio members (chief executive and the financial secretary), and the governor `> none; the monarchy is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch ^Q unicameral Legislative Council (10 seats - two ex officio, eight elected by popular vote, members serve four-year terms); presided over by the governor `> last held 17 November 2005 (next to be held in November 2009) `? percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 8 ^R Supreme Court (chief justice is a nonresident); Magistrates Court (senior magistrate presides over civil and criminal divisions); Court of Summary Jurisdiction ^S none; all independents ^T none ^U ICFTU, UPU ^V none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina) ^W none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina) ^X blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Falkland Island coat of arms centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms contains a white ram (sheep raising was once the major economic activity) above the sailing ship Desire (whose crew discovered the islands) with a scroll at the bottom bearing the motto DESIRE THE RIGHT 
]% ^Y The economy was formerly based on agriculture, mainly sheep farming, but today fishing contributes the bulk of economic activity. In 1987 the government began selling fishing licenses to foreign trawlers operating within the Falkland Islands' exclusive fishing zone. These license fees total more than $40 million per year, which help support the island's health, education, and welfare system. Squid accounts for 75% of the fish taken. Dairy farming supports domestic consumption; crops furnish winter fodder. Exports feature shipments of high-grade wool to the UK and the sale of postage stamps and coins. The islands are now self-financing except for defense. The British Geological Survey announced a 200-mile oil exploration zone around the islands in 1993, and early seismic surveys suggest substantial reserves capable of producing 500,000 barrels per day; to date, no exploitable site has been identified. An agreement between Argentina and the UK in 1995 seeks to defuse licensing and sovereignty conflicts that would dampen foreign interest in exploiting potential oil reserves. Tourism, especially eco-tourism, is increasing rapidly, with about 30,000 visitors in 2001. Another large source of income is interest paid on money the government has in the bank. The British military presence also provides a sizeable economic boost. ^Z $75 million (2002 est.) ^[ NA ^\ NA% ^] $25,000 (2002 est.) ^^ `@ 95% `A NA% `B NA% ^_ 1,724 (est.) (1996) ^` `@ 95% (mostly sheepherding and fishing) industry and services: 5% ^a full employment; labor shortage (2001) _! NA% _" `C NA% `D NA% _# 3.6% (1998) _$ `E $66.2 million `F $67.9 million; including capital expenditures of $23.2 million (FY98/99 est.) _& fodder and vegetable crops; sheep, dairy products; fish, squid _' fish and wool processing; tourism _( NA% _) 16 million kWh (2004) _* 14.88 million kWh (2004) _+ 0 kWh (2004) _, 0 kWh (2004) _- 0 bbl/day (2004 est.) _. 230 bbl/day (2004 est.) _/ NA bbl/day _0 NA bbl/day _1 0 cu m (2004 est.) _2 0 cu m (2004 est.) _3 $125 million (2004 est.) _4 wool, hides, meat, fish, squid _5 Spain 81.9%, US 6%, UK 4.5% (2005) _6 $90 million (2004 est.) _7 fuel, food and drink, building materials, clothing _8 UK 72.5%, US 15.1%, Netherlands 8.5% (2005) _9 $NA _: $0 (1997 est.) _; Falkland pound (FKP) _< Falkland pounds per US dollar - 0.5434 (2006), 0.5504 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002) `* the Falkland pound is at par with the British pound _= 1 April - 31 March 
]& _> 2,400 (2002) _? 0 (2001) _@ `G NA `H government-operated radiotelephone and private VHF/CB radiotelephone networks provide effective service to almost all points on both islands `I country code - 500; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) with links through London to other countries _A AM 1, FM 7, shortwave 0 (British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides Radio 1 and Radio 2 service) (2006) _B 2 (British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides multi-channel satellite service to members of UK Forces as well as islanders); cable television is available in Stanley (2006) _C .fk _D 103 (2006) _E 1,900 (2002) 
]' _F 5 (2006) _G `! 2 `J 1 `c 1 (2006) _R `! 3 `W 3 (2006) _H `! 440 km `K 50 km `L 390 km (2003) _I Stanley 
]( _J no regular military forces _U NA _M defense is the responsibility of the UK 
]) _N Argentina, which claims the islands in its constitution and briefly occupied them by force in 1982, agreed in 1995 to no longer seek settlement by force; UK continues to reject Argentine requests for sovereignty talks 