Compare Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) (2004) - Arctic Ocean (2003)

Compare Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) (2004) z Arctic Ocean (2003)

	Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) (2004)	Arctic Ocean (2003)

Administrative divisions	none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina)	-
Age structure	0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA (2004 est.)	-
Agriculture - products	fodder and vegetable crops; sheep, dairy products	-
Airports	5 (2003 est.)	-
Airports - with paved runways	total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)	-
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 3 under 914 m: 3 (2004 est.)	-
Area	total: 12,173 sq km land: 12,173 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes the two main islands of East and West Falkland and about 200 small islands	total: 14.056 million sq km note: includes Baffin Bay, Barents Sea, Beaufort Sea, Chukchi Sea, East Siberian Sea, Greenland Sea, Hudson Bay, Hudson Strait, Kara Sea, Laptev Sea, Northwest Passage, and other tributary water bodies
Area - comparative	slightly smaller than Connecticut	slightly less than 1.5 times the size of the US
Background	Although first sighted by an English navigator in 1592, the first landing (English) did not occur until almost a century later in 1690, and the first settlement (French) was not established until 1764. The colony was turned over to Spain two years later and the islands have since been the subject of a territorial dispute, first between Britain and Spain, then between Britain and Argentina. The UK asserted its claim to the islands by establishing a naval garrison there in 1833. Argentina invaded the islands on 2 April 1982. The British responded with an expeditionary force that landed seven weeks later and after fierce fighting forced Argentine surrender on 14 June 1982.	The Arctic Ocean is the smallest of the world's five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and the recently delimited Southern Ocean). The Northwest Passage (US and Canada) and Northern Sea Route (Norway and Russia) are two important seasonal waterways. A sparse network of air, ocean, river, and land routes circumscribes the Arctic Ocean.
Birth rate	NA births/1,000 population (2004 est.)	-
Budget	revenues: $66.2 million expenditures: $67.9 million, including capital expenditures of $23.2 million (FY98/99 est.)	-
Capital	Stanley	-
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	polar climate characterized by persistent cold and relatively narrow annual temperature ranges; winters characterized by continuous darkness, cold and stable weather conditions, and clear skies; summers characterized by continuous daylight, damp and foggy weather, and weak cyclones with rain or snow
Coastline	1,288 km	45,389 km
Constitution	3 October 1985; amended 1997 and 1998	-
Country name	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)	-
Currency	Falkland pound (FKP)	-
Death rate	NA deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)	-
Debt - external	NA (1999 est.)	-
Dependency status	overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina	-
Diplomatic representation from the US	none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina)	-
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina)	-
Disputes - international	claimed by Argentina whose forces briefly occupied it in 1982, but now declares it will no longer seek settlement by force; UK continues to reject Argentine requests for sovereignty talks	some maritime disputes (see littoral states)
Economic aid - recipient	none (1997 est.)	-
Economy - overview	The economy was formerly based on agriculture, mainly sheep farming, but today fishing contributes the bulk of economic activity. In 1987 the government began selling fishing licenses to foreign trawlers operating within the Falklands exclusive fishing zone. These license fees total more than $40 million per year, which goes to support the island's health, education, and welfare system. Squid accounts for 75% of the fish taken. Dairy farming supports domestic consumption; crops furnish winter fodder. Exports feature shipments of high-grade wool to the UK and the sale of postage stamps and coins. The islands are now self-financing except for defense. The British Geological Survey announced a 200-mile oil exploration zone around the islands in 1993, and early seismic surveys suggest substantial reserves capable of producing 500,000 barrels per day; to date no exploitable site has been identified. An agreement between Argentina and the UK in 1995 seeks to defuse licensing and sovereignty conflicts that would dampen foreign interest in exploiting potential oil reserves. Tourism, especially eco-tourism, is increasing rapidly, with about 30,000 visitors in 2001. Another large source of income is interest paid on money the government has in the bank. The British military presence also provides a sizeable economic boost.	Economic activity is limited to the exploitation of natural resources, including petroleum, natural gas, fish, and seals.
Electricity - consumption	15.19 million kWh (2001)	-
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2001)	-
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2001)	-
Electricity - production	16.33 million kWh (2001)	-
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Usborne 705 m	lowest point: Fram Basin -4,665 m highest point: sea level 0 m
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	endangered marine species include walruses and whales; fragile ecosystem slow to change and slow to recover from disruptions or damage; thinning polar icepack
Ethnic groups	British	-
Exchange rates	Falkland pounds per US dollar - 0.6125 (2003), 0.6661 (2002), 0.6944 (2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.618 (1999), 0.6037 (1998); note - the Falkland pound is at par with the British pound	-
Executive branch	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Governor Howard PEARCE (since 3 December 2002); Chief Executive Chris SIMPKINS (since NA March 2003); Financial Secretary Derek F. HOWATT (since NA) cabinet: Executive Council; three members elected by the Legislative Council, two ex officio members (chief executive and the financial secretary), and the governor elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch	-
Exports	NA (2001)	-
Exports - commodities	wool, hides, meat	-
Exports - partners	Spain 80%, UK 9.3%, US 3.6% (2003)	-
Fiscal year	1 April - 31 March	-
Flag description	blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Falkland Island coat of arms centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms contains a white ram (sheep raising is the major economic activity) above the sailing ship Desire (whose crew discovered the islands) with a scroll at the bottom bearing the motto DESIRE THE RIGHT	-
GDP	purchasing power parity - $75 million (2002 est.)	-
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: NA industry: NA services: NA	-
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $25,000 (2002 est.)	-
GDP - real growth rate	NA	-
Geographic coordinates	51 45 S, 59 00 W	90 00 N, 0 00 E
Geography - note	deeply indented coast provides good natural harbors; short growing season	major chokepoint is the southern Chukchi Sea (northern access to the Pacific Ocean via the Bering Strait); strategic location between North America and Russia; shortest marine link between the extremes of eastern and western Russia; floating research stations operated by the US and Russia; maximum snow cover in March or April about 20 to 50 centimeters over the frozen ocean; snow cover lasts about 10 months
Highways	total: 440 km paved: 50 km unpaved: 390 km (2002)	-
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA	-
Imports	NA (2001)	-
Imports - commodities	fuel, food and drink, building materials, clothing	-
Imports - partners	UK 62%, Spain 30.4%, Italy 2.5% (2003)	-
Independence	none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina)	-
Industrial production growth rate	NA	-
Industries	fish and wool processing; tourism	-
Infant mortality rate	total: NA male: NA female: NA (2004 est.)	-
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	3.6% (1998)	-
International organization participation	ICFTU, UPU	-
Irrigated land	NA sq km	-
Judicial branch	Supreme Court (chief justice is a nonresident); Magistrates Court (senior magistrate presides over civil and criminal divisions); Court of Summary Jurisdiction	-
Labor force	1,100 (est.)	-
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture 95% (mostly sheepherding and fishing)	-
Land boundaries	0 km	-
Land use	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (99% permanent pastures, 1% other) (2001)	-
Languages	English	-
Legal system	English common law	-
Legislative branch	unicameral Legislative Council (10 seats - 2 ex officio, 8 elected by popular vote, members serve four-year terms); presided over by the governor elections: last held 22 November 2001 (next to be held NA November 2005) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 8; note - 71% voter turnout	-
Life expectancy at birth	total population: NA years male: NA years female: NA years (2004 est.)	-
Location	Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, east of southern Argentina	body of water between Europe, Asia, and North America, mostly north of the Arctic Circle
Map references	South America	Arctic Region
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: 200 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm	-
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of the UK	-
Military branches	no regular military forces	-
Military expenditures - dollar figure	NA	-
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	NA	-
National holiday	Liberation Day, 14 June (1982)	-
Nationality	noun: Falkland Islander(s) adjective: Falkland Island	-
Natural hazards	strong winds persist throughout the year	ice islands occasionally break away from northern Ellesmere Island; icebergs calved from glaciers in western Greenland and extreme northeastern Canada; permafrost in islands; virtually ice locked from October to June; ships subject to superstructure icing from October to May
Natural resources	fish, squid, wildlife, calcified seaweed, sphagnum moss	sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules, oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals and whales)
Net migration rate	NA migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)	-
Political parties and leaders	none; all independents	-
Political pressure groups and leaders	none	-
Population	2,967 (July 2004 est.)	-
Population below poverty line	NA	-
Population growth rate	2.44% (2004 est.)	-
Ports and harbors	Stanley note: the primary port is located in Stanley Harbour and known locally as FIPASS (Falkland Interim Port and Storage System); the facility consists of seven permanently moored barges providing 300 meters of berthing space; it was installed by the military after 1982 and handed over to the Falkland Islands Government in 1988	Churchill (Canada), Murmansk (Russia), Prudhoe Bay (US)
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 7, shortwave 0 (1998)	-
Religions	primarily Anglican, Roman Catholic, United Free Church, Evangelist Church, Jehovah's Witnesses, Lutheran, Seventh-Day Adventist	-
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	-
Telephone system	general assessment: NA domestic: government-operated radiotelephone and private VHF/CB radiotelephone networks provide effective service to almost all points on both islands international: country code - 500; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) with links through London to other countries	-
Telephones - main lines in use	2,400 (2002)	-
Telephones - mobile cellular	0 (2001)	-
Television broadcast stations	2 (operated by the British Forces Broadcasting Service) note: cable television is available in Stanley (2002)	-
Terrain	rocky, hilly, mountainous with some boggy, undulating plains	central surface covered by a perennial drifting polar icepack that averages about 3 meters in thickness, although pressure ridges may be three times that size; clockwise drift pattern in the Beaufort Gyral Stream, but nearly straight-line movement from the New Siberian Islands (Russia) to Denmark Strait (between Greenland and Iceland); the icepack is surrounded by open seas during the summer, but more than doubles in size during the winter and extends to the encircling landmasses; the ocean floor is about 50% continental shelf (highest percentage of any ocean) with the remainder a central basin interrupted by three submarine ridges (Alpha Cordillera, Nansen Cordillera, and Lomonosov Ridge)
Total fertility rate	NA children born/woman (2004 est.)	-
Transportation - note	-	sparse network of air, ocean, river, and land routes; the Northwest Passage (North America) and Northern Sea Route (Eurasia) are important seasonal waterways
Unemployment rate	full employment; labor shortage (2001)	-

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