The Falkland Islands have been contested since their discovery, with disputes over who discovered them and who owns them. The islands have been claimed by the Dutch, Spanish, French, British, and Argentina. The British have had control since the mid-18th century, but Argentina continues to claim ownership. In 1982, Argentina invaded British territory, leading to a war that resulted in Britain recapturing the islands. The status of the Falkland Islands remains hotly contested, with Argentina and many Latin American countries refusing to recognize Britain’s claim.
Arguably the most famous thing about the Falkland Islands isn’t a particular geographical feature, or remnant of a past civilization, or strange and exotic life form – rather, the Falkland Islands’ claim to fame is simply how much it has been contested throughout modern history. . Countries have competed for ownership of the Falkland Islands essentially since their discovery by Western powers, and this debate continues into the modern era.
When and by whom the Falkland Islands were discovered is also a dispute. The Dutch claim that one of their sailors first spied the islands in the year 1600. Some claim that the Falkland Islands were first sighted by a Spanish sailor and featured on Spanish maps dating back to the early 1600s. 1500.
The islands, which lie about 300 miles (483 km) off the Argentine coast and less than 600 miles (965 km) north of Antarctica, received their name in the late 17th century from an English captain who called them in honor of the financier of the trip, Anthony Cary, 5th Viscount Falkland. It was not until the mid-18th century that the French finally settled the Falkland Islands, on the site of today’s Port Louis.
Just a year later an English captain claimed a number of the Falkland Islands for England, not even realizing the existence of the French settlement. The Spanish soon took control of the French settlement and claimed the islands in the name of Spain. The Spanish drove the British out a few years later, but the British soon returned and stayed for three years before leaving, leaving a plaque attesting their ownership of the Falkland Islands. Two decades later the British finally relinquished control of the islands to the Spanish.
The Spanish maintained control of the Falkland Islands throughout the rest of the 18th century and when Argentina gained independence from Spain they claimed the islands as their own. Argentina warned US sealers that they had no right to hunt in their islands, and when the US continued to hunt on the islands, Argentina seized a number of US vessels. In response, the United States destroyed the Argentine settlement.
Just two years after this action, Britain returned to the Falkland Islands to reassert its control. They quickly moved into their own citizens and fortified a number of bases. The British repeatedly used their naval base in the Falkland Islands as a strategic point for raids around Cape Horn, and it was vital to their naval operations during World War I and World War II.
While Argentina did not actively seek to remove the British from the Falkland Islands during this period, they never relinquished their ownership claims. After World War II, with the creation of the United Nations, they began to reassert their right to the islands and took their case to the United Nations. One issue that came up again and again over the next fifty years was that with the most pertinent United Nations resolutions, Falkland Islanders themselves should have the right to vote for independence, or who to ally with. Since they were virtually all descendants of British citizens, it was evident that they would vote to remain allied with Britain, which was obviously not Argentina’s desired outcome.
In 1982 the struggle for control of the Falkland Islands boiled over for the first time in more than a century, when Argentina invaded British territory. Britain responded by sending a large force and recapturing the islands, then substantially increasing their military presence.
To this day the status of the Falkland Islands is hotly contested, and is by far the most famous thing about that remote little chain. While most of the world recognizes Britain’s claim to the islands, Argentina and many Latin American countries continue to refuse. The name Malvinas is often used to refer to the Falkland Islands by those claiming Argentine claim to them, although it is considered offensive by most citizens of the islands themselves.
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