Location of Falkland IslandsFalkland Islands
Country

Falkland Islands

Falkland Islands / Malvinas · local name

51.61° S, 58.74° W

No land border at all — every neighbor is across water, along 1,288 km of coast, the 74th longest on Earth.

land borders 0 km · 164th/230 · coastline 1,288 km · 74th/229
CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · ranks computed across the countries in this atlas that carry the value

Population
3,398
Area
12,173 km²
Population density
≈ 0.3 / km²
ISO codes
FK · FLK
GDP (nominal)
$206.4 million
GDP per capita (PPP)
$70,800
Compare with…Open on map
How big, reallyDrawn at the same scale as Cyprus — the next country down in size. Equal-area projection, not the map you are used to.
Falkland Islands 12,173 km²Cyprus 9,251 km²

geometry: Natural Earth 1:50m · EPSG:6933 equal-area

Where Falkland Islands sits in the world

Each line is every country in this atlas that carries the value, ordered smallest to largest. The line down the middle is the world median; the mark on each line is this country.

  1. Population3,398231st of 235 · median 5,454,073
  2. Total area12,173 km²162nd of 228 · median 83,736 km²
  3. Coastline1,288 km74th of 229 · median 402 km

Overview

Geography

The Falkland Islands lie in the South Atlantic Ocean, east of southern Argentina, in Southern South America. The terrain is rocky and hilly, with mountainous areas and some boggy, undulating plains. Natural resources include fish, squid, wildlife, calcified seaweed, and sphagnum moss.

The Falkland Islands have a deeply indented coast that provides good natural harbors and a short growing season. Mount Usborne is the highest point. The Atlantic Ocean is the lowest point.

Source: CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · text generated from this source, approved by a person

Climate

Cold marine conditions characterize the Falkland Islands, with strong westerly winds, cloudy skies, and humid weather. Rain falls on more than half of the days in a year, while occasional snow typically does not accumulate.

Source: CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · text generated from this source, approved by a person

Government

A self-governing overseas territory of the UK, the Falkland Islands operates as a parliamentary democracy through its Legislative Assembly. Its legal system uses English common law and local statutes. The current constitution, The Falkland Islands Constitution Order 2008, entered into force 1 January 2009. The Falkland Islands has no independence and is an overseas territory of the UK; Argentina also claims it. Its national holiday is Liberation Day, 14 June (1982).

Source: CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · text generated from this source, approved by a person

Flag and symbols

A blue field carries the UK flag in its upper-left quadrant and the Falkland Islands coat of arms centered on its right half. The coat of arms shows a white ram above the ship "Desire," whose crew discovered the islands, with a scroll at the bottom bearing the motto "DESIRE THE RIGHT."

Source: CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · text generated from this source, approved by a person

Key figures

CIA World Factbook

Economy

GDP (nominal)
$206.4 million
GDP per capita (PPP)
$70,800

People

Birth rate
10.9 per 1,000
Death rate
4.9 per 1,000
Population growth
+0.01% a year
Urban population
79.7%
Languages
  • English89%
  • Spanish7.7%
  • others3.3%
Religions
  • Christian57.1%
  • other6%

Land

Total area
12,173 km²Land 12,173 km² · Water 0 km²
Coastline
1,288 km
Land borders
0 km
Highest point
705 m Mount Usborne

Values from the CIA World Factbook archive. Each carries the year it describes; open a year for the exact source field.

Connections

Within

Natural geography 4

Natural Earth outlines · features with a Wikidata ID

Oceans 1

Islands 2

Island groups 1

Sources