Malvinas Island

  • IASbaba
  • August 30, 2022
  • 0
Geography
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In News: India reiterates support to Argentina for resumption of talks on the Malvinas issue.

  • Falkland Islands, also called Malvinas Islands or Spanish Islas Malvinas, internally self-governing overseas territory of the United Kingdom in the South Atlantic Ocean.
  • It lies about 300 miles northeast of the southern tip of South America and a similar distance east of the Strait of Magellan.
  • The capital and major town is Stanley, on East Falkland, there are also several scattered small settlements as well as a Royal Air Force base that is located at Mount Pleasant.

History of the Falkland Islands

  • In 1820 the Argentina Government, which had declared its independence from Spain in 1816, proclaimed its sovereignty over the Falklands.
  • In early 1833, a British force expelled the few remaining Argentine officials from the island without firing a shot. In 1841, a British civilian lieutenant governor was appointed for the Falklands, and by 1885 a British community of some 1,800 people on the islands was self-supporting.
  • Argentina regularly protested Britain’s occupation of the islands.
  • After World War II (1939-45) the issue of sovereignty over the Falkland Islands shifted to the United Nations (UN) when, in 1964, the islands’ status was debated by the UN committee on decolonization.
  • In 1965, the UN General Assembly approved a resolution inviting Britain and Argentina to hold discussions to find a peaceful solution to the dispute.
  • These protracted discussions were still proceeding in February 1982, but in April Argentina’s military government invaded the Falklands.
  • This act started the Falkland Islands War, which ended 10 weeks later with the surrender of the Argentine forces at Stanley to British troops who had forcibly reoccupied the islands.
  • Although Britain and Argentina reestablished full diplomatic relations in 1990, the issue of sovereignty remained a point of contention.
  • In the early 21st century Britain continued to maintain some 2,000 troops on the islands.
  • In a referendum held in March 2013, islanders voted nearly unanimously to remain a British overseas territory.

Source: The Hindu

Previous Year Question

Q.1) Which one of the following statements best reflects the issue with Senkaku Islands, sometimes mentioned in the news? (2022)

  1. It is generally believed that they are artificial islands made by a country around South China Sea.
  2. China and Japan engage in maritime disputes over these islands in East China Sea.
  3. A permanent American military base has been set up there to help Taiwan to increase its defence capabilities.
  4. Though International Court of Justice declared them as no man’s land, some South-East Asian countries claim them.

 

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