Name The islands are called in English the Falkland Islands. This name dates from the expedition led by John Strong in 1690 , who named the islands after his master, Anthony Cary, 5th Viscount of Falkland (a small town in south-east of Scotland in Fife ). The Spaniards called the Islas Malvinas, derived from the French name "Islas Malvinas", given in 1764 by Louis Antoine de Bougainville , from sailors and fishermen of Saint-Malo , the first known settlers of these islands.
Designation ISO is "Falkland Islands (Malvinas)." Argentines call international name as the "Malvinas". Because of disagreement over sovereignty over the archipelago, the use of Spanish names is considered to be aggressive on the archipelago, particularly those associated with the recovery of the islands after being occupied by British troops in 1833 by Argentine 1982. . British General Sir Jeremy Moore would not allow the use of Islas Malvinas in the surrender document of the Argentines, seeing it as a propaganda name .
These islands are also called "southern islands of Davis," a name given to them by John Davis , who discovered them in 1592.
In 1594 , the English navigator Richard Hawkins called them "Hawkins's Maiden Land" .
In 1600 , Dutch navigator Sebald van Weert accosted them and gave them the name "Sebald Islands" , a name they still carry on some Dutch maps.
The Falkland Islands have the code SF , according to the list of prefixes ICAO airport codes.
History
Before the arrival of European settlers
The Falklands were then probably no indigenous population, but recent discoveries of arrowheads and remaining canoes to suggest that they were probably visited by Indians Yagan of Tierra del Fuego.
Louis-Antoine de Bougainville
Bougainville dedicates two chapters to the Falklands in the first part of his book travel around the world by the king's frigate La Boudeuse and flute Ensign, in 1765.1766, 1767, 1768 and 1769 (published in 1771). Bougainville first traces the history of the discovery of the islands, then one of the first settlement of Europeans, which he directed. The next chapter describes the flora, fauna and resources of the islands.
According to Bougainville , the islands were sighted by an expedition Spanish in 1502 : Amerigo Vespucci described the approach and during his third voyage of discovery, but not landed there. Then Jacques Gouin de Beauchene , returning from the "South Sea" (the Pacific ) in 1700, anchored in the eastern part of the Falklands. Then Richard Hawkins approached, and named "Virginia Hawkins." There was still the St. Louis of St. Malo , who anchored the southeast coast to watering, and named a small island at the shelter where he had anchored "Anican island" of name of its owner.
Without doubt the sealers , whalers and traders took malouins they used, following Beauchesne Goin and St. Louis to release on these islands, and they gave them their name. They were mapped to the east, by Amde-Franois Frezier in 1712. Besides their natural resources, these islands had some importance at the time, because, as rightly says Bougainville, "Their happy position to serve as lay the ships that go in the South Seas, and scale for the discovery of southern lands, struck mariners of all nations. "
Exactly, Louis-Antoine de Bougainville , lawyer, mathematician, diplomat and soldier (he was brilliantly taken to Canada and had been appointed colonel), was plunged into inaction by the Treaty of Paris. He sought and received permission to found a colony in the Falklands, at its expense, with the help of his uncle Mr. Arboulin, and cousin of Mr. Nerville. They built in Saint-Malo two ships, the Eagle (20 guns) and the Sphinx (12 guns), under the control of those who will subsequently be the faithful during their second circumnavigation of Bougainville: the master-Duclos Guyot.
As early settlers, Bougainville wrote: "I boarded family Acadian , laborious race of men, intelligent, and who should be dear to France by the inviolable attachment to him proved the honest and unfortunate citizens. "
Etching of the bay of Port-Louis (1769).
They traveled from St. Malo on 15 September 1763 , and took off to the Falklands 3 February 1764 in the Bay of Port-Louis . Their first surprise: they had thought, like everyone who had skirted the coast, as forests cover large areas. But there were no trees, just high and thick reeds, and heather on the hills. The animals approached the unsuspecting man, birds alighted on the heads and shoulders of the settlers. But "this trust them not last long. They soon learned to distrust their worst enemy. "
Bougainville is the settlers (27 people including 5 women and 3 children) at work: they build the walls of sod huts, covered with reeds, which will serve homes and stores. It elevates the stone walls of a small fort. Bougainville an expedition secondary, and went on the Eagle look in the wooded part of the Strait of Magellan lumber for framing. The village takes shape, we built two boats , were seeded fields reclaimed from the bog rushes with seeds brought from Europe , the prosperous cattle brought from France. An obelisk was erected in the center of town, on which is engraved with the profile of the king, with the motto: Tibi serviat ultima Thule.
Bougainville, at a ceremony, solemnly took possession of the islands (the 5 April 1764 ) then he entrusts the care of his cousin M. de Nerville, April 8 and returned to France.
He is back on 5 January 1765 , with supplies and new settlers, has its islanders' healthy and happy. " The hunt for seals and " penguins "has been fruitful, oil and leather form the return cargo. Bougainville restarts to cut wood in the Strait of Magellan , where it counts relate as seedlings. But there he meets the squadron of Commodore John Byron , en route to the Pacific. The Briton has just recognized the east coast of the Falklands, and even took possession of the islands for King George III.
Bougainville returned to France to secure his rights and also for provisions and other settlers, and he returned the same year 1765, with his ship the Eagle, and a flute of the Royal Navy, the Star. The colony now has 150 French, counting the staff, and was built in drive.
But British colonists landed in 1766 and settled in the port of the Crusade, they renamed Port Egmont. And in December 1766, relates Bougainville, the frigate HMS Japan anchored in Port Louis facing the fort of the French. Captain McBride went ashore, uttered threats "and set sail on the same day."
For its part, Madrid takes umbrage at this French institution, albeit populated by allies (this is the time of the family compact ), but so close to its colonial empire, and which can only facilitate the access of smugglers and of pirates to the coast of Peru. Bougainville was ordered to dismantle its colony, to give the keys to the Spaniards, and to return by the Cape of Good Hope. January 31, 1767, he met in Rio de la Plata Don Felipe Ruiz Puente, commanding the frigate La Esmeralda and La Liebre (Hare) and future governor of the Islas Malvinas, to take possession of the islands, and to evacuate French population. After crossing in very bad weather (the Spaniards had damage, and almost all the cattle they had boarded died), three frigates arrived in the Falklands 25 March 1767. Bougainville wrote simply: "On 1 April (1767) , I delivered our hotel to the Spaniards, who took possession of it by displaying the flag of Spain, the land and the vessels saluted by 21 guns at sunrise and at sunset. "
Bougainville, who sailed to Rio de Janeiro , stop disappointing that it can not supply, then returns (July 31, 1767) in La Plata, for supplies and repair the Star, which has serious problems with caulking.
It then describes how settlers were evacuated from the islands by the Spaniards (except a few families that the King authorized a letter signed by him to stay put if they so desire), grouped in Montevideo , and repatriated to Europe on Venus, a frigate of 26 guns , together with the Jesuits expelled from their missions of Paraguay. Bougainville wrote that the construction of the Ensenada de Barragn "he had gone to Cadiz , at the end of September (1767), Venus and four other vessels laden with leather, and carrying 250 Jesuits and French families Falklands, except 7 who could not find space, were forced to wait another day. The Marquis de Buccarelli (representing the Governor and Vice-King) brought them to Buenos Aires , where he appealed to their livelihoods and their homes. " Perhaps these families they stayed on the banks of La Plata, Bougainville describes each of its passages as an ideal base for settlers, and even too attractive for his sailors and soldiers, who were only too likely to desert.
The Falklands have they been sold by France to Spain? Bougainville mentions as a footnote on page problem are enormous (603,000 pounds at the time) that the colony has cost him, and he thanked the King of Spain to have spontaneously offered a refund, whereas, he says, nothing compelled the king very Catholic. However, it will use that money to pay for repairs at Montevideo's boats and supplies he embarks on his world tour. He writes (beginning of Chapter VIII) he could leave La Plata in October 1767, but that "it was not until the end of this month we were able to settle with the purveyor general Spanish and other providers. I resolved to pay the money had been refunded for the sale of Falkland Islands, rather than drawing bills of exchange on the royal treasury (French). I kept the same for all the expenses of our various breaks in foreign countries. Purchases are made there by this means cheaper, and more shipping (speed).
The Falklands Crisis
Mutual harassment between British and Spanish ships in the waters of the Falklands led to the Falklands crisis: in 1770 the Spanish General Madariaga 1400 soldiers landed four troop transports, and the British were forced back to sea A British ship returned However, in 1776, and its occupants settled a bronze plaque at Port Egmont. This plate was a text by which the British claimed possession of the premises.
In 1790 occurred the Nootka Convention, by which Great Britain undertook not to harass the Spanish colonies. But the Falklands were not mentioned there.
Subsequently, the Falkland Islands remained largely uninhabited.
After the independence of Argentina in 1810, the country went on its own the Spanish claims to the islands, and installed a penal colony in 1832. The United Kingdom conquered them in 1833 , and will gradually implantation of settlers of British origin, but Argentina maintained the principle of sovereignty.
A naval battle, the Battle of the Falklands , took place off the islands during the First World War on 8 December 1914. The German squadron of the Pacific , commanded by Maximilian von Spee (who had just defeated the British Admiral Craddock in Coronel) crossed the Strait of Magellan to find his coal boats in the Falklands. There she met the British fleet (commanded by Sturdee), much stronger, sent there in secret. Germany lost the flagship Scharnhorst, the Gneisenau, the Leipzig and Nuremberg. Only Dresden escaped, but the British caught him and sank to the Juan Fernandez Islands.
After tensions between Britain and the military regime of General Leopoldo Galtieri , the Argentina invaded the islands in April 1982 but was expelled in less than three months later by the British response to the outcome of the Falklands War.
893 men were killed: 3 Kelpers, 255 Britons and 635 Argentines. Many of them were buried on Soledad ( East Falkland ) in a small military cemetery. In the years following the conflict, the number of suicides among veterans Argentine and British surpassed the number killed in battle
In 2009, the British government has allocated funds to complete the demining of the islands, mainly around Port Stanley where 117 minefields were closed. Demining should be completed in 2013 or 2014 .
Since the conflict, 1700 British soldiers are still stationed in the Falklands .
Politics
Executive power is exercised by the Governor, on behalf of the sovereign. Defense, and all outdoor activities, are provided by the United Kingdom. There is a constitution, promulgated in 1985 , providing eight Legislative Councillors elected for four years: five representing Port Stanley and three from Camp (name the rest of the islands off Port Stanley).
Geography
Topographic map of the archipelago of the Falkland Islands
Penguins with their young on the island.
There are two main islands, East Falkland (Soledad) and West Falkland (Gran Malvina Malouine or Large) and envrion 776 smaller islands and islets. The total represents an area of 12,173 km 2.
The islands are located at 343 km from the Argentine de los Estados Island and 463 km from the mainland coast of Argentina, Chile 489 km, 1,078 km west of Shag Rocks and South Georgia 928 km Antarctica. The South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands are under the same jurisdiction as the Falkland Islands.
The total area of the Falklands is 12 173 km2, roughly the size of Northern Ireland or one and half times that of Corsica. The coast at an estimated length of 1288 km)
The two main islands are located on each side of the Strait of Falkland (Falkland Sound). East Falkland is home to the capital and thus the vast majority of the population. Both islands have mountain ranges, the highest point of the archipelago is Mount Usborne, 705 meters on East Falkland. There are also marshy plains, mainly Lafonia in the southern halves of East Falkland. Virtually the entire territory serves as grazing area for sheep.
Several smaller islands surround the main island which Barren Island, Beaver Island, Bleaker Island, Carcass Island, George Island, Keppel Island, Lively Island, New Island, Pebble Island, Saunders Island, Sealion Island , Speedwell Island, Staats Island, Weddell Island (the 3rd largest island of the archipelago) and West Point Island. The Jason Islands lie northwest of the archipelago and Beauchene Island (Beauchene Island) to the south. Speedwell Island and George Island (George Island) are separated from East Falkland by Eagle Passage.
The archipelago states territorial waters to 12 nautical miles (22.2 km and an EEZ of 200 nautical miles (370 4 km, which is a source of disagreement with Argentina.
Climate
Surrounded by cold waters of the South Atlantic , the Falkland Islands have a sub-Arctic oceanic climate ( Kppen classification : Cfc) is heavily influenced by the ocean as seen from the small annual range of temperatures. The average maximum temperature is 13 C in January and 4 C in July. The average annual rainfall is 573.6 mm, the eastern part of the Malvinas Islands is generally wetter than the west . The humidity and winds are consistently strong. Snow is rare but can occur at almost any time of year. Storms are frequent, especially in winter . The climate is similar to the Shetland Islands to the United Kingdom , but with less rain and the winters longer and slightly more severe .
Port Stanley , Falkland Islands | months | January | February | March | April | May | jul. | jul. | Aug. | September | October | November | December | year |
|---|
| Average minimum temperature ( C ) | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2,2 |
|---|
| Average maximum temperature ( C) | 13 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 8,9 |
|---|
| Sunshine ( h ) | 7 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 7 |
|---|
| Relative humidity (%) | 78 | 79 | 82 | 86 | 88 | 89 | 89 | 87 | 84 | 80 | 75 | 77 |
|---|
| Rainfall ( mm ) | 71 | 58 | 64 | 66 | 66 | 53 | 51 | 51 | 38 | 41 | 51 | 71 | 681 |
|---|
| Record cold ( C) | -1 | -1 | -3 | -6 | -7 | -11 | -9 | -11 | -11 | -6 | -3 | -2 |
|---|
| Record heat ( C) | 24 | 23 | 21 | 17 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 15 | 18 | 22 | 22 |
|---|
| Climate diagram |
| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
| | | | | | | 51 div style = "overflow: hidden; background: # 000; position: absolute; left: .4 em; width: 0.8em; z-index: 4; bottom: 7.8em; height: 1.2em"> 5 -1 | | | | |
| Temp. Maxi and mini Average ( C) Rainfall (mm) |
Economy
The main activities are fishing and agriculture. There were concerns of substantial raw material, but untapped.
Raising sheep is the main activity of the island (in 2002 , there were 583 000 sheep on the island) . The islands have become a regular port liners in the growing market for cruises australis. But Argentina still closing its airspace to transport to the Falkland Islands , tourism is limited to arrivals by boat. It includes tours of the island, its wildlife (mostly penguins , seabirds , seals and sea lions ), the battlefields of the Falklands War, golf, fishing and diving on wrecks.
The largest company in the island is the Falkland Islands Company (FIC), a company listed on the London Stock Exchange. She is responsible for most economic activity in the archipelago, though its farms were sold in 1991 at the Falkland Islands Government. The FIC now operates commercially in Stanley and in port services and maritime transport activities.
The currency is the Falkland Pound , who has the same parity as the pound sterling. Banknotes and coins in circulation and sterling traded in the archipelago with the local currency. The Falklands also strike their own coins and issue their own stamps , constituting a small source of additional income.
Oil
Around 2009-2010, small oil companies, the British trio Desire Petroleum , Rockhopper and Falkland Oil & Gas , , have considered exploring possible resources oil from the island and started from February a drilling campaign. This has attracted the attention of U.S. Secretary of State , Hillary Clinton , who demanded in January 2010 at his embassy additional information about this, especially concerning the attitude of the Argentine government . Resolution 407 (2007) the government Kirchner threatened any company exploring the area without its consent be prohibited from operating in Argentina .
An agreement was then reached with the Argentines for the exploitation of offshore resources, which until late 2010 it was estimated that there were large reserves of oil , but the climatic conditions of southern seas make this operation difficult, disagreements persistent on the sovereignty of the archipelago hinder this development. The defense of the islands is provided by the United Kingdom and military spending on the islands contribute to the local economy. The islands are self-sufficient, except for defense exports .
On 6 December 2010 , Desire Petroleum confirmed that "the examination of data from drilling conducted in the north of Falklands showed that the drilling was of poor quality" and therefore unusable, the only one being considered potentially vulnerable. The company says it means enough to finance the drilling of two wells and seismic studies .
Population
The island was populated by 3140 inhabitants in 2008 , mainly of European origin (British and Scandinavian), but there are also a small minority of Chile. Two thirds of residents live in the capital, Port Stanley. Others live in what is called Camp (12 173 km of the archipelago, off Port Stanley).
The inhabitants are called the Falklands Kelpers (English kelp ( seaweed ), which is plentiful around the island) but the locals call the Islanders, finding the name Kelpe pejorative.
Fauna
Among breeding birds occurs including the key shearwater (Puffinus gravis) on Kidney Island who breeds only on this site and three islands of Tristan da Cunha .
The Falklands are also home to the black-browed albatross and 5 of the 18 penguin species existing in the world with colonies of penguins , the northernmost habitat of this species .
A rodent control program was conducted on forty small islands.
References
- a and b According to the CIA world factbook 2008.
- AGREEMENT OF 14th JULY 1999 , Falklands.info. Retrieved on 2007-07-23
- PSYOP Of The Falkland Islands War , psywar.org. Retrieved on 2007-07-23
- Around the World by M. Lesson , Revue des Deux Mondes
- Coins of Argentina
- "Port Louis" in Bougainville's "Voyage of the frigate Boudeuse ..." does not cite a single Christian name of his establishment, as if it were granted. Besides dedicating an obelisk to the colony Louis XV will be drawn up subsequently in the village square. Maybe so it is too painful for Bougainville to write the name of his colony, he will abandon without protest and without reference to his moods, from the profits and losses over the enormous sums that are swallowed.
- The Falkland Islands have been the French February 3, 1764 April 1, 1767, three years and two months ...
- "The frigate Venus": Bougainville does not specify his nationality. This name does not appear eminently secular appoint a Spanish warship, but a French ship ...
- Ensenada: it is a mudflat estuary of a small river upstream from Montevideo , where large ships can kill in hull. Bougainville humorously describes the place as pretty sorry (some reed huts with roofs of skin), and especially conducive to deliver things to the next.
- a , b , c , d , e and f The Falklands documentary Arte Series 360, September 2010.
- http://www.visitorfalklands.com/assets/documents/falklands-factsheet.pdf
- a and b Weather Centre - World Weather - Country Guides - Falkland Islands , BBC. Retrieved on 2011-01-30
- (en) BBC Weather: Stanley, Falkland Islands , BBC. Accessed January 30, 2010
- http://www.falklands-meat.com/statement.htm
- AFP, " The British Desire in search of black gold in the Falklands ", L'Express, 22 February 2010. Accessed December 12, 2010
- a , b and c View the cables published by Wikileaks in December 2010: 10STATE9565 published on 2010-01-29 9:09 p.m., 9:09 p.m. released on 2010-12-01, SECRET, Secretary of State ; 10BUENOSAIRES71; published 2010-02-04 16:04, released on 2010-12-01 9:09 p.m., CONFIDENTIAL Embassy Buenos Aires ; 10BUENOSAIRES95 Posted on 2010-02-17 22:10, released on 2010-12-01 9:09 p.m., CONFIDENTIAL / / NOFORN Embassy Buenos Aires ; 10LONDON439 2010-02-24 2010-12-01 7:07 p.m. 9:09 p.m. CONFIDENTIAL / / NOFORN Embassy London
- Rockhopper Falkland Basin Oil Finds First , by SubseaIQ, Thursday, May 06, 2010
- AFP: " Oil exploration in the Falklands: Desire suffers a new setback ", Le Matin, December 6, 2010. Accessed December 12, 2010
- del Hoyo J., Elliott A. Sargatal & J. (1992) Handbook of the Birds Of The World, Volume 1, Ostrich to Ducks. ICBP, Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, 696 p.
See also
Related articles
Isolated farm in the Camp
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