West Falkland
Encyclopedia
West Falkland is the second largest of the Falkland Islands
in the South Atlantic. It is a hilly island, separated from East Falkland
by Falkland Sound
. Its area is 4532 square kilometres (1,749.8 sq mi) and its coastline is 1258.7 kilometres (782.1 mi) (1258.7 km) long. Including the adjacent small islands the land area is 5413 square kilometres (2,090 sq mi) (5413 km2).
on the east coast, which has an airstrip. Other settlements include Albemarle, Chartres
, Dunnose Head
, Fox Bay
, Fox Bay West, Hill Cove
, Port Stephens
, and Roy Cove
, most of which are linked by road and also have airstrips and harbours. In 1986, the population was 265, in 2001, it had fallen to 144.
Because West Falkland is outside Stanley
or RAF Mount Pleasant
on East Falkland
it is considered part of the "camp
", a Falklander term for the area outside the main settlement.
West Falkland is more hilly on the side closest to East Falkland
; the principal mountain range, the Hornby Hills, runs north and south parallel with Falkland Sound
. Mount Adam
, the highest hill in the islands, is 700 metres (2,296.6 ft) above sea level.
Formerly it was thought that Mount Robinson at 695 metres (2,280.2 ft) above sea level was the highest point. However, a later survey found that Mount Adam was higher. At this, the Argentines transferred the name Monte Independencia from Mount Robinson to Mount Adam.
The major industry on the island is sheep farming, while it is also known for its penguin
and cormorant
colonies. Fishing is also popular in the two main rivers, the Warrah
and the Chartres
.
In the 19th century as today, indigenous land fauna was very scanty. A small wolf, the warrah, the loup-renard of Louis Antoine de Bougainville
, is extinct, the last having been seen about 1875 on West Falkland. It is commemorated in the name of one of the island's rivers, the "Warrah". Some herds of cattle and horses ran wild; but these were introduced by settlers as were the wild hogs, the numerous rabbits and the less common hares. All these have greatly declined in numbers, being profitably replaced by sheep.
The southernmost point of West Falkland is Cape Meredith, and the most south-westerly point is Calm Head
. On the southerly side lie high cliffs with an abundance of seabirds. To the west are some white sandy beaches with beautiful clean water and rolling sand dunes with tall grass. Set just back from the top of the cliffs is a single wooden hut locally referred to as Uncle Tom's Cabin. The beaches are a habitat for elephant seal
s and are unpolluted save for the occasional piece of wreckage and the odd washed-up tree trunk.
and Stanley
are more resistant than the arenaceous sediments of the formation at Fox Bay
. The Hornby Mountains, near Falkland Sound
have experienced tectonic forces of uplift and folding by which the quartzite beds of Stanley are inclined to the vertical.
In West Falkland there are several dykes that cut the rocks of the western islands, but these dykes, unlike the previous ones, are chemically more unstable and have been eroded. The only indications of their existence are the aligned linear depressions. In the margins of these depressions there is evidence of contact baking or hornfels
formation adjacent to the once molten basalt dyke.
Early explorers reported the remains of canoes on West Falkland but it is unclear whether it was a one way trip, or indeed if the canoes were not swept in from Patagonia
.
Captain John Strong
of the Welfare made the first recorded landing on either of the main islands (West and East Falkland) on 29 January 1690 at Bold Cove
on the other side of the headland from Port Howard
. He said:
The lack of wood is somewhat surprising, as while there were no trees growing there, driftwood frequently washes up on Falkland beaches. This may be accounted for by the sheltered nature of Bold Cove. Strong named Falkland Sound
, which gave its name to all the islands.
While the first recorded landing on the main islands of the Falklands was on West Falkland, it was settled remarkably late. In 1867 there were no settlers on West Falkland. The government issued a proclamation offering leases of grazing stations on very moderate terms and in 1868 all the available land was occupied.
Modern West Falkland is also home to two RAF
Reporting Posts: Mount Alice, which is near Port Albermarle in the south of the island, and Mount Byron in the north.
In early 2007 the Falkland Islands Government awarded a contract to supply an East-West ferry to Workboat Services Ltd. The service runs between Port Howard
and New Haven
.
in 1982; Fox Bay
, Port Howard
and Pebble Island
were all occupied by Argentine troops during the hostilities and were subjected to occasional British naval
bombardment and air attacks.
The most significant skirmish on West Falkland was perhaps the skirmish at Many Branch Point, near Port Howard.
Shag Cove
saw several Argentine helicopters downed after British Harrier jump jets attacked them. The raid on Pebble Island
has gone down in British Special Forces
history.
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
in the South Atlantic. It is a hilly island, separated from East Falkland
East Falkland
East Falkland the largest of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic, has an area of and a coastline long. Most of the population of the Falklands live in East Falkland, almost all of them living in the northern half of the island...
by Falkland Sound
Falkland Sound
The Falkland Sound is a sea strait in the Falkland Islands. Running south west - north east, it separates West and East Falkland.-Name:The sound was named by John Strong in 1690 for Viscount Falkland, the name only later being applied to the archipelago and its two largest islands...
. Its area is 4532 square kilometres (1,749.8 sq mi) and its coastline is 1258.7 kilometres (782.1 mi) (1258.7 km) long. Including the adjacent small islands the land area is 5413 square kilometres (2,090 sq mi) (5413 km2).
Population
The island has fewer than 200 people, scattered around the coastline. The largest settlement is Port HowardPort Howard
Port Howard is the largest settlement on West Falkland . it is in the east of the island, on an inlet of Falkland Sound...
on the east coast, which has an airstrip. Other settlements include Albemarle, Chartres
Chartres, Falkland Islands
Chartres is one of the main settlements on West Falkland, in the Falkland Islands. It is on the west coast of West Falkland, at the mouth of Chartres River, at the eastern shore of King George Bay. One of the two only proper roads on West Falkland runs between Chartres and Port Howard....
, Dunnose Head
Dunnose Head
Dunnose Head is a small settlement on West Falkland, on Philomel Pass on Queen Charlotte Bay of Bay. It is about 80km west south west of Port Howard, and does not have a proper road connection....
, Fox Bay
Fox Bay
Fox Bay is the second largest settlement on West Falkland in the Falkland Islands. It is located on a bay of the same name, and is on the south east coast of the island...
, Fox Bay West, Hill Cove
Hill Cove
Hill Cove is the third largest settlement on West Falkland, in the Falkland Islands, in the north west. It is on the north coast, on the shore of Byron Sound, and overlooks Port Egmont on Saunders Island, the first British settlement in the islands...
, Port Stephens
Port Stephens, Falkland Islands
Port Stephens is a settlement on West Falkland, in the Falkland Islands. It is on the far south west of the island, near Calm Head and Cape Meredith and South Harbour is the nearest other settlement. Until recently, it was one of the Falkland Island Company's largest sheep stations. In 1989 the...
, and Roy Cove
Roy Cove
Roy Cove is a settlement on West Falkland, in the Falkland Islands, in the north west. It faces southwards, onto King George Bay....
, most of which are linked by road and also have airstrips and harbours. In 1986, the population was 265, in 2001, it had fallen to 144.
Because West Falkland is outside Stanley
Stanley, Falkland Islands
Stanley is the capital and only true cityin the Falkland Islands. It is located on the isle of East Falkland, on a north-facing slope in one of the wettest parts of the islands. At the 2006 census, the city had a population of 2,115...
or RAF Mount Pleasant
RAF Mount Pleasant
RAF Mount Pleasant is a military base for the Royal Air Force in the British Overseas Territory of the Falkland Islands. The facility is part of the British Forces South Atlantic Islands...
on East Falkland
East Falkland
East Falkland the largest of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic, has an area of and a coastline long. Most of the population of the Falklands live in East Falkland, almost all of them living in the northern half of the island...
it is considered part of the "camp
Camp (Falkland Islands)
The camp is the term used in the Falkland Islands to refer to any part of the islands outside of the islands' only significant town, Stanley, and often the large RAF base at Mount Pleasant...
", a Falklander term for the area outside the main settlement.
Geography and wildlife
East Falkland
East Falkland the largest of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic, has an area of and a coastline long. Most of the population of the Falklands live in East Falkland, almost all of them living in the northern half of the island...
; the principal mountain range, the Hornby Hills, runs north and south parallel with Falkland Sound
Falkland Sound
The Falkland Sound is a sea strait in the Falkland Islands. Running south west - north east, it separates West and East Falkland.-Name:The sound was named by John Strong in 1690 for Viscount Falkland, the name only later being applied to the archipelago and its two largest islands...
. Mount Adam
Mount Adam, Falkland Islands
Mount Adam is a mountain on West Falkland, part of the Hill Cove Mountains range. It is the highest mountain on West Falkland and is one of the highest in the islands. It has the remains of glacial cirques on it, and is of similar height to Mount Usborne on East Falkland...
, the highest hill in the islands, is 700 metres (2,296.6 ft) above sea level.
Formerly it was thought that Mount Robinson at 695 metres (2,280.2 ft) above sea level was the highest point. However, a later survey found that Mount Adam was higher. At this, the Argentines transferred the name Monte Independencia from Mount Robinson to Mount Adam.
The major industry on the island is sheep farming, while it is also known for its penguin
Penguin
Penguins are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere, especially in Antarctica. Highly adapted for life in the water, penguins have countershaded dark and white plumage, and their wings have become flippers...
and cormorant
Cormorant
The bird family Phalacrocoracidae is represented by some 40 species of cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed recently, and the number of genera is disputed.- Names :...
colonies. Fishing is also popular in the two main rivers, the Warrah
Warrah River
Warrah River is one of the two largest watercourses on West Falkland. It is named after the Falkland Island Fox or "Warrah". The last Warrah was shot on this island in 1876....
and the Chartres
Chartres River
Chartres River is one of the two largest watercourses on West Falkland, along with the Warrah River. It is fairly popular with anglers....
.
In the 19th century as today, indigenous land fauna was very scanty. A small wolf, the warrah, the loup-renard of Louis Antoine de Bougainville
Louis Antoine de Bougainville
Louis-Antoine, Comte de Bougainville was a French admiral and explorer. A contemporary of James Cook, he took part in the French and Indian War and the unsuccessful French attempt to defend Canada from Britain...
, is extinct, the last having been seen about 1875 on West Falkland. It is commemorated in the name of one of the island's rivers, the "Warrah". Some herds of cattle and horses ran wild; but these were introduced by settlers as were the wild hogs, the numerous rabbits and the less common hares. All these have greatly declined in numbers, being profitably replaced by sheep.
The southernmost point of West Falkland is Cape Meredith, and the most south-westerly point is Calm Head
Calm Head
Calm Head is the most south westerly point of the Falkland Islands, and is on West Falkland. It is to the south west of Port Stephens, and shelters it.Bird Island is nearby....
. On the southerly side lie high cliffs with an abundance of seabirds. To the west are some white sandy beaches with beautiful clean water and rolling sand dunes with tall grass. Set just back from the top of the cliffs is a single wooden hut locally referred to as Uncle Tom's Cabin. The beaches are a habitat for elephant seal
Elephant seal
Elephant seals are large, oceangoing seals in the genus Mirounga. There are two species: the northern elephant seal and the southern elephant seal . Both were hunted to the brink of extinction by the end of the 19th century, but numbers have since recovered...
s and are unpolluted save for the occasional piece of wreckage and the odd washed-up tree trunk.
Geology
Most of the layers of West Falkland and its surrounding islands are slightly inclined from the horizontal. This inclination shows different types from rocks in different places. The quartzites of Port StephensPort Stephens, Falkland Islands
Port Stephens is a settlement on West Falkland, in the Falkland Islands. It is on the far south west of the island, near Calm Head and Cape Meredith and South Harbour is the nearest other settlement. Until recently, it was one of the Falkland Island Company's largest sheep stations. In 1989 the...
and Stanley
Stanley, Falkland Islands
Stanley is the capital and only true cityin the Falkland Islands. It is located on the isle of East Falkland, on a north-facing slope in one of the wettest parts of the islands. At the 2006 census, the city had a population of 2,115...
are more resistant than the arenaceous sediments of the formation at Fox Bay
Fox Bay
Fox Bay is the second largest settlement on West Falkland in the Falkland Islands. It is located on a bay of the same name, and is on the south east coast of the island...
. The Hornby Mountains, near Falkland Sound
Falkland Sound
The Falkland Sound is a sea strait in the Falkland Islands. Running south west - north east, it separates West and East Falkland.-Name:The sound was named by John Strong in 1690 for Viscount Falkland, the name only later being applied to the archipelago and its two largest islands...
have experienced tectonic forces of uplift and folding by which the quartzite beds of Stanley are inclined to the vertical.
In West Falkland there are several dykes that cut the rocks of the western islands, but these dykes, unlike the previous ones, are chemically more unstable and have been eroded. The only indications of their existence are the aligned linear depressions. In the margins of these depressions there is evidence of contact baking or hornfels
Hornfels
Hornfels is the group designation for a series of contact metamorphic rocks that have been baked and indurated by the heat of intrusive igneous masses and have been rendered...
formation adjacent to the once molten basalt dyke.
History
Patagonia
Patagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...
.
Captain John Strong
John Strong (mariner)
John Strong was an English mariner.During an expedition from London to South America in 1689–91, commanding the HMS Welfare, he discovered the sound between the two main islands in the Falkland Islands. He named it Falkland Sound for Anthony Cary, 5th Viscount of Falkland, a part-owner in the Welfare...
of the Welfare made the first recorded landing on either of the main islands (West and East Falkland) on 29 January 1690 at Bold Cove
Bold Cove
Bold Cove is a small inlet on West Falkland near Port Howard on Falkland Sound, notable for its history. It runs parallel to the northern end of Port Howard, and Peake Ridge forms the west coast...
on the other side of the headland from Port Howard
Port Howard
Port Howard is the largest settlement on West Falkland . it is in the east of the island, on an inlet of Falkland Sound...
. He said:
- "Wednesday this morning we weighed and stood unto an harbour on ye west side and there came to ane anchor and sent our boat on shoar for fresh water and did kill abundance of geese and ducks but as far as wood there is none."
The lack of wood is somewhat surprising, as while there were no trees growing there, driftwood frequently washes up on Falkland beaches. This may be accounted for by the sheltered nature of Bold Cove. Strong named Falkland Sound
Falkland Sound
The Falkland Sound is a sea strait in the Falkland Islands. Running south west - north east, it separates West and East Falkland.-Name:The sound was named by John Strong in 1690 for Viscount Falkland, the name only later being applied to the archipelago and its two largest islands...
, which gave its name to all the islands.
While the first recorded landing on the main islands of the Falklands was on West Falkland, it was settled remarkably late. In 1867 there were no settlers on West Falkland. The government issued a proclamation offering leases of grazing stations on very moderate terms and in 1868 all the available land was occupied.
Modern West Falkland is also home to two RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
Reporting Posts: Mount Alice, which is near Port Albermarle in the south of the island, and Mount Byron in the north.
In early 2007 the Falkland Islands Government awarded a contract to supply an East-West ferry to Workboat Services Ltd. The service runs between Port Howard
Port Howard
Port Howard is the largest settlement on West Falkland . it is in the east of the island, on an inlet of Falkland Sound...
and New Haven
New Haven, Falkland Islands
New Haven is an inlet in the Falkland Islands. It is situated on the west coast of East Falkland, facing Falkland Sound, the stretch of water which divides East Falkland from West Falkland....
.
Falklands War
West Falkland saw some activity during the Falklands WarFalklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
in 1982; Fox Bay
Fox Bay
Fox Bay is the second largest settlement on West Falkland in the Falkland Islands. It is located on a bay of the same name, and is on the south east coast of the island...
, Port Howard
Port Howard
Port Howard is the largest settlement on West Falkland . it is in the east of the island, on an inlet of Falkland Sound...
and Pebble Island
Pebble Island
Pebble Island is one of the Falkland Islands, lying north of West Falkland.The island stretches about 19 miles from east to west and is about 4.3 miles at its widest point, with a total area of square miles .It has three high points: First Mountain , Middle Mountain and...
were all occupied by Argentine troops during the hostilities and were subjected to occasional British naval
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
bombardment and air attacks.
The most significant skirmish on West Falkland was perhaps the skirmish at Many Branch Point, near Port Howard.
Shag Cove
Shag Cove
Shag Cove is a bay in the east of West Falkland, between Mount Maria and Mount Moody on Falkland SoundDuring the Falklands War, two Pumas and an Agusta A109 Hirundo helicopters were destroyed by British GR3 Harrier jets here, when trying to extract the Argentine 601 Commando Company....
saw several Argentine helicopters downed after British Harrier jump jets attacked them. The raid on Pebble Island
Raid on Pebble Island
The Raid on Pebble Island took place on 14-15 May 1982 during the Falklands War. Pebble Island is part of the Falkland Islands.-Background:Immediately after the Argentines had seized the Falkland Islands they established a small airbase on Pebble Island using the local airstrip on which were based...
has gone down in British Special Forces
Special forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...
history.