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Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

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Road leading to Darwin and Goose Green.

Michael Heffernan

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Overview

The Falkland Islands are a popular addition to many Antarctic voyages, but they’re well worth seeing on their own for their spectacular penguin, seal and albatross populations. Surrounded by the South Atlantic, the islands lie 490km east of Patagonia. Two main islands, East Falkland and West Falkland, and more than 700 smaller ones cover 12,173 sq km. Alternately settled and claimed by France, Spain, Britain and Argentina, the Falklands (known as the Islas Malvinas in Argentina) have been an overseas territory of the UK since 1833, a status the Argentines have fought and still contest.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Christ Church Cathedral

    Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

    The great peat slip of 1886, a landslide which killed two people and damaged numerous buildings, wiped out Stanley’s Holy Trinity Church. The foundation…

  • Grave of Matthew Brisbane

    Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

    Vernet’s lieutenant Matthew Brisbane was murdered by gauchos after British naval officer JJ Onslow left him in charge of Port Louis in August 1833. In…

  • Falkland Islands Museum

    Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

    Open whenever tour ships are in port, this museum contains artifacts from everyday life, natural-history specimens and a fine collection relating to the…

  • Barnard Memorial Museum

    Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

    This museum incorporates the remains of a rough stone hut built by Captain Barnard, marooned here after an encounter with the crew of a shipwrecked…

  • Stanley Cemetery & Memorial Wood

    Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

    At the eastern end of Ross Rd, Stanley Cemetery holds among its graves the tombstones of three young Whitingtons, children of an unsuccessful 19th-century…

  • Government House

    Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

    Perhaps Stanley’s most photographed landmark, rambling Government House has been home to London-appointed governors since 1845 and was briefly occupied by…

  • 1914 Battle of the Falklands Memorial

    Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

    This obelisk, just past Government House, commemorates a WWI naval engagement. On December 8, 1914, nine British ships, refueling in Stanley, quickly…

  • British War Cemetery

    Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

    The immaculate British War Cemetery is close to the edge of San Carlos Water. A total of 252 British servicemen died during the Falklands conflict; the…

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