The Falkland Islands..
The first recorded landing on the islands is attributed to the English in 1690.
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- The first people to inhabit the islands were the French in 1764 followed by the British in 1766.
- France surrendered its claim to the Falklands in 1766.
- Spain officially claimed the French part of the Falklands in 1767.
- 1774: the British laid a plaque claiming the Falklands for King George III.
- 1816: Argentina laid claim to the Falklands, being consider one of Spain’s territories in the region.
- 1833: British rule was reasserted.
- 1970: In the 1970’s the UK considered transferring sovereignty to Argentina, due to economic reasons, but the population was against it.
- 1982: Argentina invaded the Falklands and other British territories in the South Atlantic. This caused the Falklands war between 2 April – 14 June 1982.
- 1982: Britain regained the Falklands and other British territories.
- 2013: The Falkland Islands held a referendum with 99.8% voting to remain British.
Falkland Islands Referendums
2013 Falkland Islands Referendum:
10th-11th March 2013: The Falkland Islands held an official referendum with 99.8% voting yes to the question: “Do you wish the Falkland Islands to retain their current political status as an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom?” 1,513 were in favour, 3 were against.
The Argentine President, at the time of the 2013 referendum, said the inhabitants’ wishes are not relevant.
1986 Falkland Islands Referendum:
2 April 1986: An unofficial referendum was held to choose the Status of the Falkland Islands. 88% of registered voters took part, and 96.5% chose British Sovereignty. 1.7% chose Independence, and 0.3% chose Argentinian sovereignty.
Population of the Falkland Islands
The population of the Falkland Islanders in 2016 was about 3,400 with British citizenship being the citizenship of the islands.
81.1 - 866,602