Falkland Islands

The Falkland Islands is a self-sufficient country with a long history and unique culture. The people of the Falkland Islands have the right to self-determination, enshrined in international law.

The Falkland Islands Government is far from just an administration. It provides a diversity of services to support our thriving community. From provision of power and fresh drinking water, to building roads or carrying out scientific fisheries research, the Falkland Islands Government fulfills a variety of roles that make it the largest employer in the Islands.

The civil service is headed up by the Chief Executive, and divided into a number of Directorates. The heads of these Directorates form the Corporate Management Team, and are supported by a number of specialist Heads of Service. These Directorates contain numerous departments.

The Falklands are a wonderful place to bring up children, with the safety of a small community coupled with the freedom of our countryside and the proximity of our abundant wildlife.

78% of our people are under the age of 55, and our excellent health and education services and zero unemployment make ours a community that we are rightly proud of. Our people enjoy an excellent quality of life in a modern and thriving society. There is a workforce of over 2,000 people in the Falkland Islands. Recruits from overseas on fixed term contracts fill technical and professional posts that cannot be filled from local resources. They aim to ensure, through investment in career development, succession planning and management development schemes, that Falkland Islanders provide the skills we need. There is a compulsory scheme for the payment of contributions for Old Age Pensions, which are paid out from the age of 64 years. We have dedicated sheltered housing available to our older people, providing them with the care and the freedom they need to continue to enjoy life in our wonderful country.

The culture of the Falkland Islands is essentially analogous to that of British culture. The Falkland Islands have a large non-native born population, mainly white and from England (and to a much lesser extent, other parts of the British Isles), but also from Saint Helena.

Due to the archipelago's lack of indigenous inhabitants, almost all of the population is of British, primarily English, origin. As a result, English is the main spoken language on the islands and the architecture and cuisine are dominated by British influences.

The majority of the population of the Falkland Islands are Christian. Denominations such as Catholic, Anglican and the United Reformed Church of Stanley exist

Falkland Island Wildlife

Wildlife and nature are what most visitors to the Falkland Islands come to see. Along with its famous colonies of penguins and albatrosses, sea lions, and elephant seals, 15 species of whales, dolphins, and a wide variety of birds (approximately 200 species of them) can be found throughout the islands. Two bird species, the Cobb's Wren and the Falkland Flightless Steamer Duck, are both unique to the Falklands.

Probably the most popular creatures here, however, are the island's six varieties of penguins. These include king, gentoo, rockhopper, macaroni, royal, and Magellanic penguins. While they can be seen in various locations across the islands, the most popular locations to see them are Gypsy Cove or Volunteer Point.