| What makes it historical? |
These islands have a complicated history! Though they sit very close to the bottom of Argentina, they were first sighted in 1592 and claimed in 1594 by the British! Captain John Strong named them the Falkland Islands after the Treasurer of the Royal Navy in 1690, but the Spanish colonists who eventually forced the British from the islands named them las Islas Malvinas in 1770. So, as you can see, these have long been some hotly contested islands!
Fast forward, through a number of colonization attempts and conflicts, the UN listed the Falklands as a Non-Self Governing Territory in 1947 as part of their post-war decolonization process. The Falkland Islands were a semi-autonomous British territory but still strongly desired by Argentina, who invaded in 1982 and launched a two-month war of possession that ended with a British victory. Today, residents of the Falkland Islands voted to continue as a British territory, but Argentina still considers the islands theirs. This may go on a while! |
