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The Falkland Islands took their English name from "Falkland Sound", the channel between the two main islands, which was in turn named after Anthony Cary, 5th Viscount of Falkland, by Captain John Strong, who landed on the islands in 1690.[1] The Spanish name, las (Islas) Malvinas,[2] is derived from the French name, Îles Malouines,[3] named by Louis Antoine de Bougainville in 1764 after the first known settlers, mariners and fishermen from the Breton port of Saint-Malo in France.[3] The United Nations designation is Falkland Islands (Malvinas)[4] and its ISO two and three-letter codes are FK and FLK respectively.[4][5]

As a result of the sovereignty dispute, the use of many Spanish names is considered offensive in the Falkland Islands, particularly those associated with the 1982 invasion.[6] General Sir Jeremy Moore would not allow the use of Islas Malvinas in the surrender document, dismissing it as a propaganda term.[7]

The Falkland Islands are named after the Falkland Sound, a strait that separates the archipelago's two main islands.[8] The name "Falkland" was applied to the channel by John Strong, the captain of an English expedition that landed on the islands in 1690. Strong named the strait in honor of Anthony Cary, 5th Viscount of Falkland, the Treasurer of the Navy who had sponsored the long journey.[9][10] The Viscount's title in turn comes from the town of Falkland, Scotland, whose name comes from the term "folkland" (meaning land held by folkright).[10] Nevertheless, the name would not be applied to the islands until 1765, when British captain John Byron claimed them for King George III as "Falkland's Islands".[10][11]

The Spanish name for the archipelago, Islas Malvinas, comes from the French Îles Malouines, the name given to the islands by French explorer Louis-Antoine de Bougainville in 1764.[12] Bougainville, who founded the islands' first settlement, named the area after the port of Saint-Malo, the point of departure for his ships and colonists.[10][12] The port, located in the Brittany region of western France, was in turn named after St. Malo (or Maclou), the Christian evangelist who founded the city.[13]

The United Nations uses both the Spanish and English names "when referring to the islands";[14] its official designation for the territory is "Falkland Islands (Malvinas)".[4]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Pepper, Peter J (2001). "Port Desire and the Discovery of the Falklands". Falkland Islands Newsletter (78 ed.). Retrieved 6 March 2010. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  2. ^ "Falklands". WordReference.com. Retrieved 15 March 2010.
  3. ^ a b "Part 2 – Fort St. Louis and Port Egmont". A Brief History of the Falkland Islands. Falkland Islands Information Portal. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
  4. ^ a b c "Countries or areas, codes and abbreviations". United Nations Statistics Division. December 2012. Retrieved 2013-05-18. Cite error: The named reference "std_name" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Country names and code elements". International Organization for Standardization. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
  6. ^ "Agreement of 14th July 1999". Falklands.info. Retrieved 23 July 2007.
  7. ^ "PSYOP of the Falkland Islands War". Psywar.org. Retrieved 23 July 2007.
  8. ^ Jones 2009, p. 73.
  9. ^ Dotan 2010, p. 165.
  10. ^ a b c d Room 2006, p. 129.
  11. ^ Paine 2000, p. 45.
  12. ^ a b Hince 2001, p. 121.
  13. ^ Balmaceda 2011, p. Chapter 36.
  14. ^ Osmańczyk 2003, p. 1373.