Falkland Islands – UPSC Prelims

Falkland Islands is also called Malvinas Islands or Spanish Islas Malvinas.

It is an internally self-governing overseas territory of the United Kingdom in the South Atlantic Ocean.

It lies about 300 miles northeast of the southern tip of South America and a similar distance east of the Strait of Magellan.

The capital and major town is Stanley, on East Falkland.

There are also several scattered small settlements as well as a Royal Air Force base that is located at Mount Pleasant.

There are two main islands, East Falkland and West Falkland, and about 200 smaller islands.

The government of the Falkland Islands also administers the British overseas territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, including the Shag and Clerke rocks.