Disputed territory · South Atlantic

Falkland Islands

Quiet on the ground, but a new row over oilUpdated October 12, 2026

The Falkland Islands are a self-governing British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic, about 480 km from the tip of South America. Britain has held them since 1833. Argentina claims them as the Islas Malvinas and invaded in 1982. Britain won the 74-day war. In 2013, 99.8% of voters chose to stay British. In 2026, Argentina is trying to stop the islands' first oil field.

Christ Church Cathedral and its whalebone arch in Stanley, the capital. Photo: Godot13, CC BY-SA 4.0.

British since: 1833; and at Port Egmont from 1766 to 1774
Area: 12,173 km²; two main islands and hundreds of small ones
People: 3,662; 2021 census; the next is on October 18, 2026
Referendum: 99.8%; voted to stay British in 2013
Held by: United Kingdom
Claimed by: Argentina

Falkland Islands in 30 seconds

Britain has held the islands since 1833. Argentina says it inherited them from Spain and that Britain took them by force.
Argentina's military government invaded on April 2, 1982. Britain retook them 74 days later. 649 Argentines, 255 Britons and 3 islanders died.
Islanders are British citizens. The 2021 census counted 3,662 residents. In 2013, 1,513 voters chose to stay British and 3 voted against.
Sea Lion, the islands' first oil field, is due to produce oil in 2028. Argentina is sanctioning firms that work on it.

Who owns the Falkland Islands?

Britain holds the Falkland Islands. The islands are a self-governing British Overseas Territory. They run their own affairs. Britain handles defense and foreign policy. The islands are not part of the United Kingdom itself. Islanders became full British citizens under a 1983 law passed after the war. Britain says it has no doubt about its sovereignty and will not discuss it unless the islanders want to.

Argentina claims the islands and calls them the Islas Malvinas. Argentina also claims South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, a separate British territory to the east. Argentina's 1994 constitution calls recovering them "a permanent and unrenounceable goal," pursued "respecting the way of life of their inhabitants." The United States recognizes British administration but takes no side on sovereignty. On August 31, 2026, President Trump said he was reviewing the US position.

Map of the Falkland Islands and the southern tip of Argentina — Held by the United Kingdom Sea Lion oil field, about 220 km north of the islands Map data: Natural Earth. The oil field's position is approximate.

Why does Argentina claim the Falklands?

Argentina says it inherited the islands from Spain and that Britain seized them by force in 1833.

France founded the first settlement, Port Saint Louis, in 1764. Britain claimed the islands in 1765 and built Port Egmont in 1766. France handed its settlement to Spain in 1767. Britain left in 1774, leaving a plaque claiming the islands. Spain left in 1811. The United Provinces of the Río de la Plata (later Argentina) claimed the islands in 1820. In 1829 Buenos Aires named Luis Vernet, a merchant who ran a settlement at Port Louis, the old French site, "political and military commander." Between December 1831 and January 1832, the USS Lexington raided his settlement after Vernet seized American sealing ships. On January 2, 1833, HMS Clio arrived at Port Louis. The Argentine garrison sailed away days later. The British commander urged civilians to stay, and most did. By the usual count, only about four left. Argentina calls 1833 an expulsion.

Britain says its claim dates from 1765, that it has no doubt about its sovereignty, and that the islanders have the right to decide.

Who has held the islands

1764France founds the first settlement
1766Britain builds Port Egmont on another island
1767France hands its settlement to Spain
1774Britain leaves Port Egmont, leaving a plaque claiming the islands
1811Spain leaves the islands
1820Buenos Aires claims the islands as the Malvinas
1833Britain takes control. The Argentine garrison leaves.
1982Argentina invades. Britain retakes the islands after 74 days.
201399.8% of voters choose to stay British

What happened in the Falklands War?

Argentina's military government under General Leopoldo Galtieri invaded on April 2, 1982. As Argentine troops stormed the islands' radio station, its head, Patrick Watts, stayed on air on the governor's orders. Watts told the Argentine officer he would not broadcast "with a gun in his back." Watts later received an MBE.

Britain, under Margaret Thatcher, sent a task force about 13,000 km south. On May 2 the British submarine HMS Conqueror sank the cruiser ARA General Belgrano outside the zone around the islands where Britain had said it would attack Argentine ships, killing 323. The sinking is still controversial. In all, 649 Argentine personnel, 255 British personnel and 3 islanders died in the war.

Argentine forces surrendered at Stanley on June 14. Galtieri was forced out three days later. Argentina returned to democracy with elections on October 30, 1983. Diego Maradona later called Argentina's 1986 World Cup win over England, which included his "Hand of God" goal, revenge for the Malvinas.

Deaths in the Falklands War, 1982

Argentine649
British255
Islanders3

April 2 to June 14, 1982. 323 of the Argentine dead were on the ARA General Belgrano.

Who lives on the Falklands?

The islands had 3,662 people at the 2021 census. Most live in Stanley. A new census is on October 18, 2026. Fishing, mostly for two kinds of squid, makes up over 60% of the economy. License fees brought the government £30.5 million in 2022. There are just under half a million sheep on about 70 farms. Five kinds of penguin breed on the islands. Around 1,500 British military personnel are based at Mount Pleasant, with four Typhoon fighter jets and the patrol ship HMS Forth.

The 2013 referendum

1,513 to 3

Stay British: yes or no

On March 10-11, 2013, islanders were asked whether they wished to remain a British Overseas Territory. 1,513 voted yes and 3 voted no. Turnout was 92%. One ballot was spoiled. Britain cites the result as backing for its position.

Why is Falklands oil causing a new row?

Sea Lion, about 220 km north of the islands, is the Falklands' first oil field. It is operated by Israel's Navitas Petroleum (65%) with Britain's Rockhopper Exploration (35%). The partners decided to build it in December 2025. Phase 1 calls for 11 wells and a floating production ship, peaking at about 50,000 barrels a day. Drilling is planned for 2027 and first oil for the first half of 2028. Certified resources are 319 million barrels.

Argentina calls the project illegal. On September 3, 2026, President Javier Milei said the islanders "have no legitimate right to self-determination." Milei announced wider sanctions on firms working there. Baker Hughes, SLB and Halliburton said they would not work on Sea Lion.

On September 28, Argentina announced arbitration under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Argentina gave Britain two weeks to stop work. The deadline ran out on October 12. Argentina is preparing to ask the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in Hamburg for emergency measures. The tribunal cannot rule on who owns the islands. Britain rejected the move on September 30. Navitas says it is replacing two contractors and expects no material effect.

The oil row, 2026

Aug 31Trump says the US is reviewing its position
Sep 3Milei denies the islanders' right to decide and announces wider sanctions
Sep 5Baker Hughes and SLB say they will not work on Sea Lion
Sep 23Milei renews the claim at the UN General Assembly
Sep 28Argentina announces arbitration and a two-week deadline
Sep 30Britain rejects the arbitration and summons Argentina's ambassador
Oct 2Halliburton says it will not work on Sea Lion

What is at stake in the Falklands?

The islanders' choice
Britain's case rests on the islanders' right to self-determination under the UN Charter. In 2013, 99.8% voted to stay British. Argentina says the islanders were implanted by Britain and do not have that right.
Fish
Fishing, mostly for squid, makes up over 60% of the islands' economy. Fishing license fees brought the Falklands government £30.5 million in 2022.
Oil and Antarctica
Sea Lion could make the Falklands an oil producer from 2028. Analysts also point to access to the South Atlantic and to Antarctica, where Britain's territorial claim overlaps Argentina's. The 1959 Antarctic Treaty froze both claims. Britain does not cite these as reasons for holding the islands.

Questions about the Falkland Islands

Are the Falklands part of the United Kingdom?

No. The Falkland Islands are a British Overseas Territory. They are under British sovereignty but not part of the United Kingdom itself. The islands have their own government, laws and elections. Britain handles defense and foreign affairs. Islanders have been full British citizens since 1983, when a law passed after the war gave them that status.

Why does Argentina call them the Malvinas?

The name comes from the French Îles Malouines, after sailors from the port of Saint-Malo who visited the islands. Spanish turned Malouines into Malvinas. Argentina uses the name Islas Malvinas in its 1994 constitution and in all official documents. English speakers say Falklands.

Did the United States back Britain in 1982?

Yes. The United States first tried to mediate, then backed Britain in the war with intelligence and supplies. Since the war, the United States has recognized British administration of the islands but taken no side on sovereignty. In April 2026 the State Department said its position "remains one of neutrality." In August 2026, President Trump said he was reviewing that position.

Could Argentina take the Falklands?

Not by force, in practice. Britain keeps around 1,500 military personnel, four Typhoon fighter jets and the patrol ship HMS Forth at Mount Pleasant. Argentina's governments since the war have said they will pursue the claim peacefully. President Milei calls the claim "legitimate and peaceful" while pressing companies through sanctions and pursuing arbitration under the Law of the Sea.