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Geography of Falkland Islands- The Ultimate Free Guide 2021

Learn facts and Geography of Falkland Islands including Major Geographical Features, Natural resources, Region, area, Capital, Border countries, rivers in Falkland Islands.

• Falkland Islands are located in the South Atlantic Ocean between 51°S and 53°S on a projection of the Patagonian Shelf, part of the South American continental shelf. In ancient geological time this shelf was part of Gondwana, and around 400 million years ago split from what is now Africa and drifted westwards from it. Today the islands are subjected to the Roaring Forties, winds that shape both their geography and climate.

• The Falklands comprise two main islands, West Falkland and East Falkland, and about 776 small islands.

Geography of Falkland Islands

Sovereign state:

United Kingdom

Area:

12,200 Km²

Capital:

Stanley

Population:

3,398

First Settlement:

1764

Total Size:

4700 Sq Mil

Geographical Coordinates:

51.7963° S, 59.5236° W

World Region or Continent:

South America

General Terrain:

The landscape comprises of mountain ranges, flat plains, rugged coastline, sandy beaches and cliffs. The highest point in the Falklands is Mount Usborne on East Falkland and its highest peak is 705m (2,312 ft.). United Kingdom

Geographical Low Point:

Northernmost point – West Jason Cay.
Southernmost point – Beauchene Island.
Westernmost point – West Jason Cay.
Easternmost point – Cape Pembroke.
Highest point – Mount Usborne: 705 m.
Lowest point – Atlantic Ocean: 0 m.

Geographical High Point:

Highest elevation 705 m (2313 ft)
Highest point Mount Usborne

Climate:

• The Falkland Islands have a maritime climate in the transition region between the tundra and subarctic zones (Köppen classifications ET and Cfc respectively) which is characterized by both low seasonal and diurnal temperature ranges and no marked wet and dry season while in the sub-arctic zone the average monthly maximum temperature exceeds 10 °C (50 °F) for no more than four months of the year and the average monthly minimum does not drop below −3 °C (27 °F).
• The Falkland Islands climate is very much influenced by both the cool ocean currents and the shielding effect of the Andes.

Major cities:

• Stanley
• Fox Bay West
• Port Howard
• Port San Carlos
• Hill Cove
• Fitzroy
• North Arm
• Goose Green
• Darwin
• Dos Lomas

Major Land forms:

• Sheep farming remains the major form of land use.

• The soils of the Islands are acidic and infertile. These inherent difficulties, when coupled with a windy and cool oceanic climate, and added to the geographic isolation of the Falklands, have ensured that wool is still the main land based export.
• Farmland extends to approximately 1,140,500 hectares and carries approximately 500,000 sheep and 5,000 cattle. Pre-1979 there were 36 farms in the Islands.
• Farms in the Falkland Islands are extensively managed and lend themselves to the production of sheep meat, wool and beef grazed almost exclusively on natural pastures with very little use of synthetic chemicals or treatments.

Major Rivers and Lakes:

Major Rivers:

• San Carlos River
• Malo River
• Blackburn River
• Murrell River
• Warrah River
• Mullet Creek
• Charters River
• Moody Brook
• Orqueta Creek

Lakes in Falkland:

• Lake Sulivan
• Sulivan
• Paloma Pond
• Lorenzo Pond
• Shingly Pond
• Loch Head Pond
• Lake Hammond
• Pebbly Pond
• Gull Island Pond
• Laguna Isla
• Terra Lake

Natural Resources:

• Fish,
• Squid,
• Wildlife,
• Calcified seaweed,
• Sphagnum moss.

Major Geographical Features:

Biomes & Ecosystems:

Most of the area is covered by shrubby plants, but it also has grasslands. The Falkland Islands are also a little bit of an alpine biome because of high altitude, but it is warm and dry instead of cold and wet. The Falkland Islands are located in the temperate part of the southern hemisphere.

Topography:

• Ranges of hills run east-west across the northern parts of the two main islands, reaching 2,312 feet (705 metres) at Mount Usborne in East Falkland.

• The coastal topography features many drowned river valleys that form protected harbors. The small rivers occupy broad, peat-covered valleys.

Oceans:

South Atlantic

Islands:

• East Falkland
• West Falkland
• Pebble Island
• Saunders Island
• Carcass Island
• Bleaker Island
• Sea Lion Island
• West Point Island

Mountains of the Falkland Islands:

Countries of Falkland Islands:

• Stanley
• Goose Green Settlement
• Port Howard

Facts about Falkland Islands:

• The islands are about 4,700 square miles big.
• The last census recorded only 2,955 people on the island.
• The Islands are a favorite destination for wildlife enthusiasts of all kinds.

See Also:

World Map

References:

• Wikipedia.com – (Geography of Falkland Islands)
• FIDC – (Geography of Falkland Islands)
• Falklands Government (Geography of Falkland Islands)