Forgotten World (223): Falkland Islands
The British – who control them – call them the Falkland Islands, but Argentina – which lays claim to them – knows them as the Malvinas and in 1982 they went to war over them with the British defeating an Argentinean invasion. The fighting cost the lives of 655 Argentine and 255 British servicemen.
London and Buenos Aires restored diplomatic relations in 1990, but the status of the Falklands remains a sore point, with disagreements over flights to the islands and fishing rights. The dispute again came to the fore in 2009. In May, Britain rejected a request by Argentina for talks on the future sovereignty over the islands. In December, the Argentine parliament passed a law laying claim to the Falklands, along with nearby South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands, in a move rejected by the UK. In February 2010, tensions rose further when a British company began exploring for oil near the Falklands’ waters.
All this over islands hosting less than 2, 400 citizens.