Location:
Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, east
of southern Argentina
Geographic coordinates:
51 45 S, 59 00 W
Map references:
South America
Area:
total: 12,173 sq km
note: includes the two main islands of East and West Falkland and
about 200 small islands
water: 0 sq km
land: 12,173 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Connecticut
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
1,288 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200 NM
exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate:
cold marine; strong westerly winds, cloudy, humid; rain occurs on
more than half of days in year; average annual rainfall is 24 inches
in Stanley; occasional snow all year, except in January and
February, but does not accumulate
Terrain:
rocky, hilly, mountainous with some boggy, undulating plains
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Usborne 705 m
Natural resources:
fish, squid, wildlife, calcified seaweed, sphagnum moss
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (99% permanent pastures, 1% other) (1998 est.)
Irrigated land:
NA sq km
Natural hazards:
strong winds persist throughout the year
Environment - current issues:
overfishing by unlicensed vessels is a problem; reindeer were
introduced to the islands in 2001 for commercial reasons; this is
the only commercial reindeer herd in the world unaffected by the
Chornobyl disaster
Geography - note:
deeply indented coast provides good natural harbors; short growing
season