Port Stanley, Falkland Islands

Stanley, also commonly known as Port Stanley, is the capital of the Falkland Islands. It is the largest settlement in the Falklands and serves as the administrative and political base. The islands are categorized as a self-governing overseas territory of the United Kingdom, and a majority of the inhabitants of Stanley and the Falkland Islands are British citizens. However, Argentina continues to claim the Falkland Islands, a position that led to the disastrous Falkland Islands War of 1982, when Stanley was occupied by Argentine troops. Following the expulsion of the Argentines by the British military, the inhabitants of Stanley and the Falklands cemented their ties to the United Kingdom by becoming full citizens.

Landscape

The Falkland Islands consist of two main islands, East Falkland and West Falkland. Stanley is on the eastern side of East Falkland, near the natural deepwater harbor. The islands are situated in the extreme South Atlantic, between the latitudes 51 degrees and 53 degrees south and longitudes 57 degrees and 62 degrees west. The islands are located over 300 miles (482 kilometers) from the mainland of South America. While Stanley is the capital of the territory, there is not much land to administer, since the total land area of the Falklands is a little over 4,700 square miles (12,172 square kilometers). From Stanley, it is only 148 miles (238 kilometers) to New Island, the westernmost point on West Falkland.

Stanley is built in the shelter of a northern slope, but the town itself is mostly flat. Outside the city the land is mostly low-lying; much of the terrain is made of pastures and bogs. Along the coastline are numerous coves and inlets that form natural harbors, the most famous of which is the Gypsy Cove, located only four miles outside Stanley and renowned for its colony of Magellanic penguins.

Located in the extreme South Atlantic, Stanley and the rest of the Falkland Islands are affected by the cool ocean currents that surround them. The maritime climate varies in temperature, approaching 66 degrees Fahrenheit (19 degrees Celsius) in summer and 36 degrees Fahrenheit (2 degrees Celsius) in winter. Rain and occasional snow showers the islands throughout the year, and the annual average precipitation is twenty-four inches.

While the Falkland Islands has not yet been significantly impacted by climate change, but, as of 2023, experts were concerned about its future impact. They predicted that in the future, the region could face soil drying out and losing its carbon content and a greater risk of wildfires.

People

The people of the Stanley and the Falkland Islands are overwhelmingly British in ancestry. Prior to the colonization of the Falkland Islands in the mid-nineteenth century, the islands were uninhabited. The first migrants were the families of British sailors and soldiers serving in the Falklands. Later, Scottish immigrants who helped form the backbone of the island's sheep industry arrived.

Throughout its brief history, Stanley has served as a major refit and refuel station for ships in the South Atlantic. Some sailors settled there, and many of their descendents remain in Stanley. There have also been migrants from Chile and the mid-Atlantic island of St. Helena, who have come and worked both in Stanley and in many of the outlying farms. Most people in Stanley are Christian: populations of Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans are common in the city.

The population of Stanley is approximately 2,213 inhabitants, according to a 2024 estimate by the World Population Review. Outside of the civilian population of Stanley, nearby military installations maintain rotating numbers of British troops.

Economy

For a relatively isolated city that calls itself the southernmost capital in the world, Stanley supports a very robust economy. The key to this economic success has been the Falkland Islands Development Corporation (FIDC), which was established in the wake of the Falkland Islands War to help stimulate and encourage business growth and investment in the Falklands.

Historically, the economy of Stanley and the rest of the Falkland Islands has relied on ships making trips into port and the export of sheep and wool. By the time of the war in 1982, the markets for both industries were in steep decline. However, in the wake of the Argentine invasion, the Royal Navy established a 150-mile (241-kilometer) wide maritime exclusion zone around the islands, which helped establish the basis for the future economy. In 1987, the local government at Stanley declared the maritime zone to be a protected fishery. The fishery zone is rich with squid and other deepwater species that are in high demand in European and Asian markets. Stanley began selling licenses to foreign fishing boats, a practice that provides the city with tens of millions of dollars annually.

Due to this increased revenue, the administration in Stanley has invested heavily in improving the infrastructure around the islands. Roads connecting the interior of the islands to the capital have vastly improved, and the dock and port facilities have been thoroughly modernized and expanded. This increased harbor capacity has led to a surge in tourism; travelers flock to the Falklands to view the diverse wildlife and the natural beauty of the islands. Tourism has been a boon for many of the islanders who operate hotels and other guest services.

Since 1998, exploration of the waters off Stanley for deepwater oil fields has increased. Six test wells brought back some positive results, and there is speculation that the Falklands basin contains rich potential for future oil development. Further testing is needed to determine the viability of any major offshore oil drilling. In addition, companies seeking to drill for oil off the Falkland Islands may face opposition from Argentina, which does not recognize the British claim to the islands.

Landmarks

Aside from being the capital, Stanley is the only large settlement on the whole of the Falkland Islands. The town contains nearly all of the country's government buildings, shopping centers, churches, pubs, social clubs, and restaurants.

There are few landmarks in Stanley. The country's three main churches are all in Stanley. The beautiful Christ Church Cathedral is built nearby the harbor, where it replaced an earlier church destroyed by a landslide in 1862, while the simple, plain St. Mary's Church lies a few blocks away to the west and remains a classic example of Falkland Island architecture. There is also the Tabernacle Free Church, which was built out of corrugated iron brought over from England in 1891. The Tabernacle Free Church is one of the most distinct buildings in Stanley.

On the western outskirts is one of the town's larger homes, the Government House, which was built in 1845 and serves as the residence for the governor of the islands. In the center of town is the whalebone arch. Constructed from the massive ribs of whales, this arch was built in 1933 to commemorate the centenary of British rule.

The Falklands have seen much violent conflict. Stanley has many commemorations and memorials to the soldiers and sailors who have died there. West of town lies the 1918 Battle Memorial, a standing pillar that commemorates the end of World War I as well as the sailors who died in the sea battles that were waged by the Royal Navy in the waters off the Falklands. Closer to town, the Liberation Monument is a tribute to the 255 British servicemen who died in the 1982 conflict. Another tribute to the Falklands War is the 1982 Memorial Wood, which lies east of the town, where people planted 255 trees to recognize the sacrifices of the fallen.

History

The first confirmed sighting of the Falkland Islands occurred in 1690, when a Dutch sea captain landed there. Ninety years later, English Captain John Strong circumnavigated the islands and named them the Falklands in honor of the head of the admiralty, Viscount Falkland.

In the eighteenth century, Britain and Spain had minor clashes over the Falkland Islands, and both sides claimed the islands as their own. In 1820, the newly independent country of Argentina claimed the islands as their possession and raised their flag over the islands. While largely deserted, the islands did continue to provide shelter for a number of whalers and seal hunters. In 1832, the Argentine government attempted to establish a penal colony on the islands, but the soldiers stationed there rebelled. In the confusion, the British Navy seized control of the islands and expelled the Argentine forces from the shores.

In 1843, construction was begun on Stanley. Two years later, the settlement became the capital. The town was built as a deepwater port and served as a major repair stop for ships entering and leaving the Straits of Magellan. As this was in an era before the Panama Canal, Stanley saw a large volume of maritime traffic. Ship repair, agriculture, and sheep became the three mainstays of the Stanley economy. By the late nineteenth century, the city continued to grow as whale and seal ships used the town as a base for Antarctic hunting expeditions.

During the early twentieth century, the Royal Navy established a major coaling station at Stanley. A major sea battle was fought in the waters off Stanley in 1914. During the Battle of the Falkland Islands, the Royal Navy was able to strike a decisive blow against the German commerce raider fleet, a victory that helped guarantee British domination of the high seas for much of World War I. During World War II, Stanley again served as a major base for naval operations as it helped refuel and repair ships returning from the Battle of the River Plate off the coast of Uruguay.

After the war, hostility continued to build between Argentina and the United Kingdom over which country controlled the islands. In 1965, the United Nations passed Resolution 2065, which called for both nations to enter immediate talks to find a peaceful settlement to the issue. The talks did not occur. In 1982, faced with a moribund economy and an increasingly rebellious population, the military junta ruling Argentina invaded the island. On April 2, 1982, the Argentine navy and army carried out a joint operation that overwhelmed the small Royal Marine forced based in Stanley.

The British, under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, drew together a large naval task force and announced they would retake the Falklands. By early May, the task force was in position in the waters off Stanley. On May 21, British forces landed on the island and the next week saw vicious fighting between the two sides. By June 14, the British had reached the outskirts of Stanley. With their forces exhausted and little chance of reinforcement, the Argentines surrendered.

The war resulted in the deaths of over eight hundred people and led to the downfall of the Argentine military junta. Stanley and the Falklands remained under British control. The Falkland Islands have seen new investments and increased tourism to Stanley since the end of the war. In 2013, the government of the Falkland Islands held a referendum on the country's political status, which resulted in 99.8 percent of the population voting to retain the country's status as a British overseas territory.

Bibliography

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Dodds, Klaus. "Stormy Waters: Britain, the Falkland Islands, and UK-Argentine Relations." International Affairs 88.4 (2012): 683–700. Print.

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