Falkland Islands

The isles have been conquered, abandoned, reconquered and envied in successive occupations by the French, Spanish, Argentinians and English up to the war of 1982. They were discovered by the English navigator, John Davis in 1592 but not explored until 1690 by another Englishman, John Strong. The isles were not inhabited until 1764 when some French sailors from Saint-Malo first colonised them, hence the French name of "Malouines".

They were thrown out of the islands in 1766 by the Spanish who were already masters of most of South America. In addition to the Spanish implantation, a British colony had already been established on part of the western isle in 1765 without suspecting that the French were living on the eastern isle. In 1774 the English left the islands, for financial reasons, to the Spanish who were in charge of the archipelago until 1811 which was the beginning of the revolution of South America countries.

At this agitated time Spain left the Isles which became then officially no man's land. In 1820 Argentina, no longer under Spanish domination set up a colony and a governor in the Falklands. In 1833 the English navy threw out the Argentinians and took sovereignty of the isles. There was then a period of 150 years of peace apart from the two world wars in which the strategic value of the Isles was demonstrated. In December 1914 a squadron of the British navy based in Stanley fought the German navy and retook control of the South Atlantic. In December 1939, the battle of the River Plate was won by a group of Royal Navy cruisers and after the battle one of the ships docked at Stanley for repairs.

On 2 April 1982, Argentina took back possession of the Isles. This action was supported by the majority of Latin-American states in spite of their opposition to the regime of the Argentinian junta. The geography seemed to play a role in this. England, thanks to the determination of its government and the capacity of its armed forces, managed to reconquer the Isles in two months with the support of the United Nations Security Council. On 14 June the Argentinians were defeated after violent fighting on land, sea and in the air.

The fighting-spirit of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher during this conflict, confirmed her nickname "The Iron Lady". This defeat contributed to the decline of the Junta in power in Argentina. In the Falklands it allowed an important economic boom and the creation of large infrastructures such as the airport of Mount Pleasant.

Capital: Stanley

Government: British Overseas Territory

Area: 12.173 km²

Population: 3.107 (2007)

Currency: Falkland Pound (20 shilling, 1 shilling = 12 pence); from 15 February 1971: Falkland Pound (100 pence)

Internet TLD: .fk

Dialling code: +500

Links

Falkland Islands in Wikipedia.

Flag of Falkland Islands in Flags of the World.

The website of the Philatelic Service.

Country description from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Country description of Falkland Islands from the CIA.

Country description of Falkland Islands from the BBC.

Official website of the government of Falkland Islands.

Stamp catalogue

UPU 75th anniversary

date: 10 October 1949

designer: -

printer: Waterlow & Sons, London (1 and 4), Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co., New Malden (2 and 3)

perforated: 13½:14 (1 and 4), 11:11½ (2 and 3)

1 1 d Hermes, globe, letter, airplane, boat, train, text "UNIVERSAL / POSTAL UNION / 1874 1949"

violet

(cat. Michel 98/SG 168/Yvert 97)

2 3 d hemispheres, airplane, steamer, text "1874 / UNIVERSAL POSTAL UNION / 1949"

deep blue

(cat. Michel 99/SG 169/Yvert 98)

3 1/3 Hermes scattering letters over globe, text "UNIVERSAL POSTAL UNION / 1874 / 1949"

deep blue-green

(cat. Michel 100/SG 170/Yvert 99)

4 2/- UPU monument, Berne, text "UNIVERSAL / POSTAL / UNION / 1874 / 1949" and "UNION

POSTALE UNIVERSELLE"

blue

(cat. Michel 101/SG 171/Yvert 100)

Freedom from Hunger Campaign

date: 4 June 1963

designer: Michael Goaman

printer: Harrison & Sons, London

perforated: 14½

5 1/- collection of 'protein foods', text "FREEDOM FROM HUNGER"

ultramarine

(cat. Michel 141/SG 211/Yvert 140)

ITU Centenary

date: 26 May 1965

designer: Michael Goaman

printer: Johan Enschede en Zonen, Haarlem

perforated: 11:11½

6 1 d globe and flash, text on telex tape "INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION UNION /

+ CENTENARY + 1865 + 1965"

light blue, deep blue

(cat. Michel 149/SG 219/Yvert 148)

7 2/- globe and flash, text on telex tape "INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION UNION /

+ CENTENARY + 1865 + 1965"

lilac, bistre yellow

(cat. Michel 150/SG 220/Yvert 149)

International Co-operation Year

date: 25 October 1965

designer: Victor Whiteley

printer: Harrison & Sons, London

perforated: 14½

8 1 d ICY emblem, text "1965 / INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATION YEAR"

reddish purple, turquoise green

(cat. Michel 151/SG 221/Yvert 150)

9 1/6 d ICY emblem, text "1965 / INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATION YEAR"

deep bluish green, lavender

(cat. Michel 152/SG 222/Yvert 151)

International Year for Human Rights

date: 4 July 1968

designer: Michael C. Farrar Bell

printer: Harrison & Sons, London

perforated: 14:14¾

10 2 D globe, IHRY emblem, Queen Elizabeth, text "1968" and "HUMAN RIGHTS YEAR"

multicoloured

(cat. Michel 157/SG 228/Yvert 156)

11 6 D globe, IHRY emblem, Queen Elizabeth, text "1968" and "HUMAN RIGHTS YEAR"

multicoloured

(cat. Michel 158/SG 229/Yvert 157)

12 1/- globe, IHRY emblem, Queen Elizabeth, text "1968" and "HUMAN RIGHTS YEAR"

multicoloured

(cat. Michel 159/SG 230/Yvert 158)

13 2/- globe, IHRY emblem, Queen Elizabeth, text "1968" and "HUMAN RIGHTS YEAR"

multicoloured

(cat. Michel 160/SG 231/Yvert 159)

UPU Centenary

date: 31 July 1974

designer: PAD Studio

printer: Questa Colour Security Printers, London

perforated: 14½

14 2 p mail coach, UPU emblem, text "CENTENARY / OF THE U.P.U.", "POSTAL TRANSPORT THROUGH THE AGES"

and "MAIL COACH EARLY 19th. CENTURY"

multicoloured

(cat. Michel 226/SG 300/Yvert 225)

15 5 p postal ship, UPU emblem, text "CENTENARY / OF THE U.P.U.", "POSTAL TRANSPORT THROUGH THE AGES"

and "PACKET SHIP 1841"

multicoloured

(cat. Michel 227/SG 301/Yvert 226)

16 8 p air planes, UPU emblem, text "CENTENARY / OF THE U.P.U.", "POSTAL TRANSPORT THROUGH THE AGES"

and "FIRST U.K. AERIAL POST 1911"

multicoloured

(cat. Michel 228/SG 302/Yvert 227)

17 16 p ship 'Ile de France' and plane, UPU emblem, text "CENTENARY / OF THE U.P.U.", "POSTAL TRANSPORT

THROUGH THE AGES" and "CATAPULT MAIL 1920's"

multicoloured

(cat. Michel 229/SG 303/Yvert 228)

Membership of the Universal Postal Union Centenary

date: 26 November 1979

designer: Arthur Peake, adapted by John Waddington Security Print, Leeds

printer: Questa Colour Security Printers, London

perforated: 14

18 3 p mail drop by De Havilland D.H.C. 2 Beaver airplane, house in landscape, UPU emblem, text "1879-1979"

and "MAIL DROP BY BEAVER AIRCRAFT"

multicoloured

(cat. Michel 292/SG 368/Yvert 290)

19 11 p horses walking in water, UPU emblem, text "1879-1979" and "MAIL BY HORSEBACK"

multicoloured

(cat. Michel 293/SG 369/Yvert 291)

20 25 p schooner Gwendolin arriving in harbour, UPU emblem, text "1879-1979" and "MAIL BY SCHOONER

'GWENDOLIN'"

multicoloured

(cat. Michel 294/SG 370/Yvert 292)

19th UPU Congress, Hamburg/Salon der Philatelie zum XIX. Weltpostkongress, Hamburg

date: 25 June 1984

designer: E. Nisbet, adapted by L. Curtis

printer: Questa Colour Security Printers, London

perforated: 14

21 22 p UPU emblem, sailing ship, airplane Lockheed C-130 Hercules, text "XIX UPU CONGRESS - HAMBURG"

multicoloured

(cat. Michel /SG 559/Yvert )

International Polar Year

date: 7 April 2008

designer: Andrew Robinson

printer: Johan Enschedé Security Print, Haarlem, Netherlands

perforated: 14¼

22 4 P James Weddell (1787-1834), sailing ship Jane, text "JAMES WEDDELL & JANE" and "INTERNATIONAL

POLAR YEAR"

multicoloured

(cat. Michel 1020/SG 1088/Yvert )

23 25 P James Clark Ross (1800-1862), HMS Erebus, text "JAMES CLARK ROSS & HMS EREBUS" and

"INTERNATIONAL POLAR YEAR"

multicoloured

(cat. Michel 1021/SG 1089/Yvert )

24 85 P William Spiers Bruce (1867-1921), sailing ship Scotia, text "WILLIAM SPIERS BRUCE & SCOTIA"

and "INTERNATIONAL POLAR YEAR"

multicoloured

(cat. Michel 1022/SG 1090/Yvert )

25 £1.61 James William Slessor Marr (1902-1965), ship Discovery II, text "JAMES MARR & DISCOVERY II"

and "INTERNATIONAL POLAR YEAR"

multicoloured

(cat. Michel 1023/SG 1091/Yvert )

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last revised: 15 August 2009