|
GEOGRAPHY |
|
|
| Location |
Southern
South America.
An archipelago in the
South Atlantic Ocean,
approximately 300 miles east of southern Argentina |
| Geographic
coordinates |
Between
latitude 51 and 53 degrees south and longitude 57 and 62 degrees
west |
| Total
Land Area |
12,173 square
kilometres or approximately 4,700 square miles |
| Area
- comparative |
Connecticut,
Ulster or Wales |
| Composition |
Two large
islands, East and West Falkland, and over 700 smaller islands
(mostly unpopulated) ranging from the Jason Islands in the
north-west to Beauchene Island in the south |
| Coastline |
1,288
kilometres; highly indented with many rocky headlands and sandy
beaches |
| Continental
shelf |
200 nautical
miles |
| Exclusive
fishing zone: |
200 nautical
miles |
| Territorial
sea |
12 nautical
miles |
| Capital |
Stanley
(formerly known as Port Stanley) |
| Population |
2,379 in 2001
Census, which excludes 112 residents temporarily absent on Census
Night, and approximately 1,700 military and civilian personnel at
the British military base of Mount Pleasant; 79% of residents are
age 55 or under. 94% claim British birth or descent. The
workforce exceeds 2,050 persons. Stanley's population at 1,989
is a 21.6% increase on 1996. Camp population (ie. everywhere
outside Stanley and Mount Pleasant) comprises 208 on East Falkland,
144 on West Falkland and 38 on the outer islands. |
| Crime |
Stanley
prides itself on being the safest capital in the world. There
are no recorded cases of mugging or pickpocketing. |
| Terrain |
Rocky, hilly,
mountainous with some boggy, undulating plains; A significant
feature in mountainous areas are the stone runs or 'rivers of
boulders' formed by glaciation;
3 principal rivers (San Carlos River on East Falkland, Warrah and
Chartres Rivers on West Falkland); no large inland bodies of water
but plenty of small lakes and peaty pools |
| Vegetation |
Low grasses,
ferns and shrubs; no trees other than those introduced by settlers |
| Lowest
point |
Atlantic
Ocean
- 0 metres |
| Highest
point |
Mount Usborne
in the Wickham Heights Range on East Falkland - 705 metres or 2,312
feet;
Mount Adam in the Hill Cove Mountains Range on West Falkland - 700
metres |
| Natural
resources |
Fish, squid,
wildlife, calcified seaweed, sphagnum moss |
| Wildlife |
The
only native mammal - the warrah - became extinct in the mid-19th
century and is thought to have been brought to the Islands as a
hunting dog by Patagonian Indians. Sea mammals include Peale's
and Commerson's dolphin, Southern Sea Lion, Fur Seals, the rare
Leopard Seal, Killer and Pilot Whales.. There have been
recorded sightings of approximately 190 bird species. The
Islands contain the world's largest breeding population of the
endangered black-browed albatross. "There are
around 500 pairs of King Penguins in the Falkland Islands, and
approximately 494,500 mature breeding pairs of penguins in total,
including rockhopper, magellanic, gentoo, king and macaroni." (Penguin
News Visitor's Guide 2004/5) |
| Principal
Industries |
Fishing,
wool and meat production, tourism |
| Natural
hazards |
Strong winds
persist throughout the year;
The strong sunshine coupled with the lack of pollution and dust in
the atmosphere and the holes in the ozone layer above Antarctica can
cause sunburn and sunstroke if precautions are not taken |
| Temperature |
Average
temperature of 9C in January (mean daily maximum 15.3C, mean daily
minimum 5.7C) and 2C in July (mean daily maximum 4.5C, mean daily
minimum 0.8C) with average rainfall of 576.8mm per annum and
average 1738 hours sunshine per annum
Climate Comparison |
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|
|
The
changeability of Falklands weather is best illustrated by two local
sayings:-
"If you don't like the weather, wait ten minutes"
"Be prepared for four seasons in
one day" |
