Safari to the Falklands

a significant human population

The Falklands is a collection of islands, located 480 km (300 mi) the Patagonian coast of southern Argentina and about 1210 km (752 mi) from the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula.

The islands are a British Antarctic Territory, administered from London and with a permanent population of around 3400 people, centred on the capital, Port Stanley.

The islands were first recorded in 1690 by British sailor, John Strong. They were first settled by the French in 1764 and by the British in 1766. The territory was formally claimed for the British crown shortly after, but it did not come under full control until 1840.

The ownership of the territory has been long disputed by Argentina, which mounted an invasion in 1982. This was rebuffed by a task force sent out from the UK, in what became known as the Falklands War. The removal of mines from this period was finally completed in 2020.

The Falkland Islands have a land area of 12,000 sq km (4700 sqm), comprising two main landmasses, West Falkland and East Falkland, plus 776 smaller islands.

The landscape is a mix of low-lying marshes and gentle hills, surrounded by some nice sandy beaches.

The climate of the Falklands is generally cool and windy, with relatively high precipitation year round. The Dec-Mar summer is brief and cold with temperatures reaching 14C (73F). The long Apr-Nov winters often remain below freezing for long periods, with significant snow cover.

The islands are widely used for sheep farming, which is the primary industry.
Wildlife includes 63 species of land birds, 13 of which are endemic. The islands’ only native terrestrial mammal, the warrah or Falklands wolf, was hunted to extinction by European settlers in the late 1800s.

The islands are visited by marine mammals including the southern elephant seal and the South American fur seal, as well as various dolphins and whales. There are also five different penguin species and some of the largest albatross colonies on the planet.

Introduced species include reindeer, hares, rabbits, Patagonian foxes, brown rats and cats, although in recent years there have been increasing efforts to exterminate these intruders, some of which threaten the existence of native birds on all but the smallest and most remote islands.