Located in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf is a an archipelago that has caused a lot of controversy. Welcome to the Falkland Islands, which have been claimed by France, Britain, Spain and Argentina in its brief 500 year history. However, the biggest conflict was the Falkland’s War.
Conflict first erupted when Argentina invaded the British controlled Falklands on April 2, 1982. It took only 600 men to conquer the Falklands, and only 65 to conquers nearby South Georgia. This act of force angered the British as the Falklands were occupied by English speaking people since 1833 and no Argentine had ever been born on the island.
The invasion was planned by General Fortunato Galtieri who was the president of Argentina at the time. This invasion he hoped would distract the people from their domestic problems, such as unemployment and inflation. Galtieri hoped that the conservative British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, may not retaliate, and simply allow the invasion of the Falklands. However, he was greatly mistaken.
British forces were mobilized, and frankly, the Argentinian’s did not stand a chance. The British, who had been highly trained, and prepared to fight in the cold weather conditions against the Russians during the time of the Cold War, easily overpowered the enemy. The weather greatly effected Argentinian forces though, as their two months training in warm north Argentina left them ill-prepared. The Argentinian army quickly began to flee after a few hard fought battles, and the Falklands were liberated on June 14, 1982. Now called Liberation Day, this event is a celebrated moment in the history of the Falkland Islands.
Upon researching the Falkland Islands I discovered that they are somewhat modern, and endorse activities such as indoor tennis, motocross, jet-skiing and windsurfing, as well as many others, on their tourist attraction website.
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