Home > Factbook > Countries > Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
| Country name | conventional long form: none conventional short form: Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) etymology: the archipelago takes its name from the Falkland Sound, the strait separating the two main islands; the channel itself was named after the Viscount of Falkland, who sponsored an expedition to the islands in 1690; the Spanish name for the archipelago derives from the French "Iles Malouines," the name applied to the islands by French explorer Louis-Antoine de BOUGAINVILLE in 1764 |
| Dependency status | overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina |
| Government type | parliamentary democracy (Legislative Assembly); self-governing overseas territory of the UK |
| Capital | name: Stanley geographic coordinates: 51 42 S, 57 51 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology: named after Edward SMITH-STANLEY (1799-1869), the 14th Earl of Derby, a British statesman and three-time prime minister of the UK who never visited the islands |
| Administrative divisions | none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina) |
| Independence | none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina) |
| National holiday | Liberation Day, 14 June (1982) |
| Constitution | history: previous 1985; latest entered into force 1 January 2009 (The Falkland Islands Constitution Order 2008) |
| Legal system | English common law and local statutes |
| Citizenship | see United Kingdom |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Nigel PHILLIPS (since 12 September 2017) head of government: Chief Executive Barry ROWLAND (since 3 October 2016) cabinet: Executive Council elected by the Legislative Council elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; chief executive appointed by the governor |
| Legislative branch | description: unicameral Legislative Assembly, formerly the Legislative Council (10 seats; 5 members directly elected in the Stanley constituency and 3 members in the Camp constituency by simple majority vote, 2 appointed non-voting ex-officio members - the chief executive, appointed by the governor, and the financial secretary; members serve 4-year terms); note - several previous referendums - the latest in September 2020 - on whether to merge the Stanley and Camp constituencies into a single islands wide constituency, failed elections: last held on 9 November 2017 (next to be held in November 2021) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independent 8; composition (elected members) -men 8, women 2, percent of women 20% |
| Judicial branch | highest courts: Court of Appeal (consists of the court president, the chief justice as an ex officio, non-resident member, and 2 justices of appeal); Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice); note - appeals beyond the Court of Appeal are referred to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London) judge selection and term of office: all justices appointed by the governor; tenure specified in each justice's instrument of appointment subordinate courts: Magistrate's Court (senior magistrate presides over civil and criminal divisions); Court of Summary Jurisdiction |
| Political parties and leaders | none; all independents |
| International organization participation | UPU |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | embassy: none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina) |
| 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 was once 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 |
| National anthem | name: Song of the Falklands" lyrics/music: Christopher LANHAM note: adopted 1930s; the song is the local unofficial anthem; as a territory of the United Kingdom, "God Save the Queen" is official (see United Kingdom) |
| National symbol(s) | ram |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
