West Falkland

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

West Falkland (Spanish: Gran Malvina) is the second largest of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic, with an area of approximately 4,532 km² (5,413 km² including the adjacent small islands). It is a hilly island, separated from East Falkland by the Falkland Sound.

Contents 1 Population 2 History 3 Geography and wildlife 4 External links

[edit] Population

The island has a population of fewer than 200 people, scattered around the coastline. The largest settlement is Port Howard 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.

[edit] History

West Falkland saw little action during the Falklands War in 1982. These days it 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. These military units are openly listed in the RAF document "RAF Today" (see below).

[edit] Geography and wildlife

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.

The southernmost point of West Falkland is Cape Meredith. On the southerly side lie high cliffs with an abundance of seabirds and 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 favourite haunt for elephant seals and are unpolluted save for the occasional piece of wreckage and the odd washed-up tree trunk.

[edit] External links

• RAF Today