Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are located in the far southwestern regions of the Atlantic Ocean, being situated around 470 km
east from the coast of southern Argentina (see Falklands-Argentina panorama). The islands
form an archipelago consisting of two main islands and several hundred smaller islets with a combined land area of
12,175 km². The islands form an overseas territory of the United Kingdom, whose ownership has been a cause of
dispute with Argentina (where they are referred to as the Islas Malvinas). The neighbouring territories of South Georgia
and the South Shetland Islands lie 1,287 km and 2,050 km to the southeast, respectively.
The two main islands of East and West Falkland are separated by a narrow channel known as the Falkland Sound, and together account for the majority of the groups landmass — with East Falkland covering 7,039 km² and West Falkland covering 4,531 km². Weddell Island, located off the southwestern end of West Falkland, is the third largest of the islands with an area of 254 km². Other significant landmasses include: Saunders Island (132 km²), Pebble Island (120 km²), Speedwell Island (74 km²), Keppel Island (40 km²), and Lively Island. The most isolated islands of the archipelago are the Jason Islands of the northwest and Beauchene Island in the southeast. In all, the islands span across a region measuring 257 km in length (east to west) and 136 km in width (north to south).
The islands are bleak in appearance, consisting of a highly eroded and treeless terrain of low, rugged hills and valleys rising to a height of 710 m above sea level at Mt. Usborne in the Wickham Heights Range of East Falkland and to 679 m at Mt. Adam in the Hill Cove Mountains of West Falkland. The most extensive flat area of land is that of the grassy and undulating Lafonia Plain — occupying much of the southern section of East Falkland. Lafonia is connected to the northern half of East Falkland by a narrow land bridge. The coastlines of the main islands are highly convoluted, with numerous bays, peninsulas, deep inlets and hundreds of offshore islands. Coastlines can be rocky, cliff-lined, or lined by sweeping sandy bays.
The Falkland Islands experience a cold maritime climate with average monthly temperatures ranging from 9° C in summer to 2° C in winter. Minimum and maximum temperatures generally reach extremes of -5° C in winter and 22° C in summer. Near persistent winds averaging 8 m/sec blow from the west. Rainfall is quite low, but falls on around 250 days of the year, averaging 630 mm in the east and 430 mm in the west; November is generally the driest month. In winter, the long-term persistence of snow and frost is prevented by warm ocean currents coming from the north.
Vegetation on the islands consists of grasslands and heathlands with low-lying shrubs. At higher elevations vegetation is characterised as feldmark, with cushion-forming vascular plants, mosses and lichens. Although much of the original vegetation cover of the main islands has been lost due to overgrazing, many of the offshore islands retain their original dense communities of tussock grass.
image: earth sciences and image analysis laboratory, nasa johnson space center