Falkland Islands — books & literature

The story of Falkland Islands

The Falkland Islands were uninhabited by any known people before Europeans arrived. English captain John Davis is credited with the first sighting in 1592, and in 1690 Captain John Strong made the first recorded landing, naming the sound between the two main islands after Viscount Falkland, a name later given to the whole archipelago. The first settlement came in 1764, when French explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville founded Port Louis on East Falkland; France ceded its claim to Spain in 1766-1767, and Spain renamed the settlement Puerto Soledad. Britain, which had also planted a small outpost, formally reasserted control in 1833, and the islands developed as a British colony built on sheep farming, with Stanley founded and named the capital in 1845. Argentina has long disputed British sovereignty, a dispute that erupted into the Falklands War in 1982 after an Argentine invasion; British administration was restored after ten weeks of fighting. Today the Falkland Islands are a self-governing UK Overseas Territory with their own elected Legislative Assembly, an economy built on fishing licences, tourism, and sheep farming, and a population that voted overwhelmingly in 2013 to remain British.

Timeline — key moments

1. 1592

   English captain John Davis makes the first recorded sighting of the islands.

2. 1690

   Captain John Strong makes the first recorded landing, naming the islands after Viscount Falkland.

3. 1764

   French explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville founds Port Louis, the first settlement, on East Falkland.

4. 1766-1767

   France cedes its claim to Spain, which renames the settlement Puerto Soledad.

5. 1833

   Britain reasserts control over the islands.

6. 1845

   Stanley is founded and named the capital.

7. 1982

   Argentina invades the islands in April; British administration is restored in June after the Falklands War.

8. 2013

   A sovereignty referendum returns an overwhelming vote to remain a UK Overseas Territory.

Top 10 things to know about Falkland Islands

1. The Falkland Islands are a self-governing British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic.
2. Stanley, on East Falkland, is the capital and the only town of any size.
3. Argentina disputes British sovereignty and calls the islands "Islas Malvinas".
4. The 1982 Falklands War between the United Kingdom and Argentina lasted about ten weeks.
5. A 2013 referendum saw the overwhelming majority of voters choose to remain British.
6. The islands host huge seabird colonies, including some of the world's largest albatross populations.
7. Five penguin species breed on the islands, including king, gentoo, and rockhopper penguins.
8. Sheep farming and high-quality wool exports have long been central to the economy, alongside fishing licences and tourism.
9. Naturalist Charles Darwin visited the islands aboard HMS Beagle in the 1830s.
10. The Falkland Islands pound is pegged one-to-one with the British pound sterling.

Famous people from Falkland Islands

Say it in Falkland Islands's language

Did you know?

• ★Sheep have long outnumbered people on the Falklands by a wide margin, a legacy of the islands' farming economy.
• ★The Falklands National flag carries a coat of arms showing a ram (sheep farming) and the ship Desire, linked to the islands' naming.
• ★The islands sit closer to Antarctica and South America than to Britain, yet remain a British Overseas Territory.

Falkland Islands culture

• The population is predominantly of British descent, and English is the everyday language.
• Liberation Day, 14 June, marks the end of the 1982 Falklands War and is a major public holiday.
• Life outside Stanley is known locally as "Camp" , remote sheep farms and settlements reached by light aircraft or Land Rover.
• Wildlife tourism, especially penguin and albatross viewing, has grown into an important part of island life.

Why read Falkland Islands's books

The Falkland Islands' shelf is small but distinctive: naturalist writing that traces back to Darwin's Beagle voyage, firsthand accounts of the 1982 war, and island natural-history guides documenting one of the South Atlantic's richest wildlife sanctuaries.