The IslandersThe people living on the Falkland Islands are often overlooked during this conflict. Their sovereignty is often brought into question as a means to justify the actions of each nation. The islanders have their own national anthem, a variation of the national anthem of Great Britain. The people are English speaking and are predominantley of British descent. Population In 1982, the year of the war, the population of the entire Falkland Islands was 2 500. Two thirds of the inhabitants live close to the capital city Port Stanley, whilst the remainder live in small groups, predominantly on isolated farms. Economy The main source of income, since the early 19th century, revolved around the sheep industry. They islanders traded for the most part with the Britan, whose residents own the farming companies based on the Falklands. After 1987 there has been a small attempt at economic diversification for the islands through the sale of fishing licences to other nations. The islands currency is the Falklands pound, which is an equal value of the British pound. There is also no unemployment in the Falklands, however there is a housing shortage which has discouraged immigration in recent years. |
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