Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

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 land: 12,173 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes the two main islands of East and West Falkland and about 200 small islands
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 typically 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) (2005)
Irrigated land	NA
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 1986 Chornobyl disaster
Geography - note	deeply indented coast provides good natural harbors; short growing season