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Falkland Islands (Malvinas)

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Photo: Privado (imagen donada al publicador) / Wikimedia Commons (resized) Image licenceCC BY-SA 4.0Photograph by Privado (imagen donada al publicador) / Wikimedia Commons (resized). Display crop may differ from the original.

AT A GLANCE

Falkland Islands (Malvinas) in facts

  • CapitalStanley
  • Population4,5502018
  • Area12,200 km²slightly smaller than Connecticut
  • CurrencyFalkland Islands pound
Map: Natural Earth (public domain) · Open in the world map
All geographic & statistical details (28)
Density
0 people per km²
World region
Americas · Latin America and the Caribbean · South America
Government
parliamentary democracy (Legislative Assembly); self-governing overseas territory of the UK
Official language
British English
Founded
1833
Time zone
UTC−03:00
Calling code
+500
Drives on the
left
Land borders
None
Coastline
1,288 km
Topographic elevation profile
Mount Usborne 705 m
0 mAtlantic Ocean▲ 705 mSummit
Climate
Cold marine; strong westerly winds, cloudy, humid; rain occurs on more than half of days in year; average annual rainfall is 60 cm in Stanley; occasional snow all year, except in January and February, but typically does not accumulate
Terrain
Rocky, hilly, mountainous with some boggy, undulating plains
Major urban areas
Stanley (capital) (000)
Land use
Agri 93.2%Forest 0%Other 6.8%
Railways & airports
34 airports
Natural resources
fish, squid, wildlife, calcified seaweed, sphagnum moss
Urban population
Urban 79.7%Rural 20.3%(2023)
Ethnic groups
Falkland Islander 48.3%, British 23.1%, St. Helenian 7.5%, Chilean 4.6%, mixed 6%, other 8.5%, unspecified 2% (2016 est.)
Religions
Christian 57.1%, other 1.6%, none 35.4%, unspecified 6% (2016 est.)
Plug types
BS 1363
Mains voltage
240 V
Internet domain
.fk
ISO & UN codes
FK · FLK · M49 238
Capital location
51.7°S, 57.8°W
Name origin
The archipelago takes its name from the Falkland Sound, the strait separating the two main islands; the channel was named after the Fifth Viscount of Falkland, who sponsored an expedition to the islands in 1690; the Spanish name for the archipelago derives from the French "Iles Malouines," meaning Islands of Malo, the name French explorer Louis-Antoine de Bougainville gave the islands in 1764 in honor of the French port of Saint-Malo
Names in other languages
Isole Falkland, Falklandinseln, Islas Malvinas, Falklandeilanden, îles Malouines, Фолклендские острова
+ 22 moreShow lessหมู่เกาะฟอล์กแลนด์, フォークランド諸島, Ilhas Malvinas, Фолклендські острови, Falklandy, جزر فوكلاند, ফকল্যান্ড দ্বীপপুঞ্জ, جزایر فالکلند, ફૉકલેન્ડ ટાપુઓ, फ़ॉकलैंड द्वीपसमूह, Kepulauan Falkland, ಫಾಕ್ಲ್ಯಾಂಡ್ ದ್ವೀಪಗಳು, 포클랜드 제도, ഫോക്ക്ലാന്റ് ദ്വീപുകൾ, फॉकलंड द्वीपसमूह, ਫ਼ਾਕਲੈਂਡ ਟਾਪੂ, போக்லாந்து தீவுகள், ఫాల్క్లాండ్ దీవులు, Falkland Adaları, جزائر فاکلینڈ, Quần đảo Falkland, 福克蘭群島

Facts: Wikidata Q9648 and the CIA World Factbook (public domain: geography, demographics, borders, coastline and symbols), retrieved 1 November 2026. Figures can change; check the source for the latest.

FLAG & SYMBOLS

The flag and symbols of Falkland Islands (Malvinas)

The flag

Blue with the UK flag in the upper-left quadrant and the Falkland Island coat of arms centered on the right half of the flag; the coat of arms has a white ram above the ship "Desire" (whose crew discovered the islands), with a scroll at the bottom bearing the motto Desire The Right.

National coloursRedWhiteBlue
Coat of arms
Coat of arms or emblem of Falkland Islands (Malvinas)

Image: Escondites and Echando una mano / Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

National animals and emblems
Ram
National anthem

"God Save the King"
unknown

National day

Liberation Day, 14 June (1982)

Independence

none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina)

Flag description and meaning, colours, symbols, anthem details, national day and independence: CIA World Factbook (public domain). Coat of arms, motto and recording: Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (credited above). Flag artwork: flag-icons (MIT), retrieved 1 November 2026.

ON THE ATLAS · CHRONICLE IN PREPARATION

Discover Falkland Islands (Malvinas)

This is a sourced directory entry. A researched regional chronicle and verified location photography are in preparation.

UK-listed overseas territory

UK overseas listing: United Kingdom. Status & relationship source ↗

Association follows the cited UK listing; it does not resolve sovereignty disputes.

A CLOSER LOOK

Explore the regions

0 entries

Explore the first-order regions in this GeoNames snapshot. Local names and levels vary.

No named first-order entries are available for this place in the selected export. Local administrative structures may still exist.

Names and immediate parent assignments: GeoNames, CC BY 4.0, 28 October 2026. Unspecified code 00 excluded. This is not an exhaustive list of districts, counties or municipalities. Photographs are credited individually beneath each image; one pictured place does not represent every landscape in its region.

FROM THE JOURNAL

Stories from Falkland Islands (Malvinas)

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Directory: UN M49 countries or areas, with 193 UN members, 2 observers and 53 other areas. Subdivisions: GeoNames, CC BY 4.0; filtered to this catalogue. Flags/symbols: flag-icons (MIT). Snapshot: 28 October 2026. Geographic groups are statistical. Associated-country links describe the cited relationship and do not settle sovereignty claims.

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