| 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 |
territorial sea: 12 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 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) (2001) |
| 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 |
| Environment - international agreements |
|
| Geography note |
deeply indented coast provides good natural harbors; short growing season |