The Falkland Islands and Their History

Evidence of prehistoric human activity in the Falkland Islands

“…Multiple independent lines of evidence from New Island indicate that people were in the Falkland Islands centuries before European colonization: an orders-of-magnitude increase in charcoal that overlaps in age with multiple mixed vertebrate bone deposits and a locally sourced stone point consistent with technology used by Indigenous Fuegian cultures. The earliest possible European sightings of the Falkland Islands date to the 16th century ( 22 ), and the first confirmed landing was in 1690 CE (Supplementary Text) ( 23 ). The Falkland Islands were not permanently settled until 1764 CE ( 7 ); there are no recorded landings at New Island until 1774 CE ( 24 ).…”

Early charts of the Falklands Part 2, the first settlements

“…Dr Wallis suggests an absence of evidence that Captain John Strong identified the Falkland Islands as Hawkins land in 1690. Rather, he interpreted his landing as a new discovery, a point repeated by Shackleton (1983). Also, from a study of French charts from 1700 onwards, Dr Wallis believes that the islands became known to the Malouins entirely from Halley's chart of Strong's voyage.…”

The Effects of Commodity Discoveries on Small Open Economies: Empirical Evidence from the Falkland Islands

“…The economy of the Falkland Islands has traditionally been based on a single commodity which was wool (Shackleton 1983), although there have been suspicions that natural resources were present around the Islands for a considerable length of time. 2 Over recent years the economy has become more diversified with a rise in the importance of fishing and tourism among other industries.…”