Falkland Islands

HOLIDAYS AND TRADITIONS

Festivals and Events in Falkland Islands

All Government Offices other than those providing essential services are closed from 25 December to 1 January inclusive each year. Margaret Thatcher Day is on January 10, but is not a Public or Government Holiday. Falkland Day is on August 14, but is not a Public or Government Holiday.

SHORT INFORMATION

The population of the Falkland Islands

The Falkland Islands are a homogeneous society, with the majority of inhabitants descended from Scottish and Welsh immigrants who settled the territory in 1833. The 2006 census listed some Falklands residents as descendants of French, Gibraltarians and Scandinavians.

SHORT INFORMATION

Geography of Falkland Islands

The Falkland Islands are located in the South Atlantic Ocean on a projection of the Patagonian continental shelf about 250 nautical miles (288 mi; 463 km) from the Patagonia coastline and slightly to the north of the southerly tip of Cape Horn and of its undersea extension, the Scotia Arc. In ancient geological time this shelf was part of Gondwana, which around 400 million years ago broke from what is now Africa and drifted westwards relative to Africa.