GEOGRAPHY The Falkland Islands Biodiversity and wildlife WARM-UP Attribuisci i termini alla definizione corretta. Aiutati poi con il dizionario a tradurre i termini. VOCABULARY 1. 2. 3. 4. 48 Cliff Seal Descent Specimen a. An individual animal, plant, piece of a mineral, etc. used as an example of its species. b. A high rock at the edge of the sea. c. The origin of a person in terms of family or nationality. d. A marine mammal. Geography and climate The Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas in Spanish) are an archipelago of 740 little islands in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf , 650 km off the southeast coast of South America. The two largest islands are East Falkland where the capital, Stanley, is located and West Falkland. The total mass of the Falklands territory is so small that it is about half the size of Wales, but it is very varied: it comprises mountains, flat plains , rugged coastline, sandy beaches and cliffs. The Falklands have an oceanic climate: mild , humid summers and cold but not freezing winters, with a relatively narrow annual temperature range. Summer is from October to March; in winter April to September the sunshine hours decrease to an average of 3 hours per day. Population and economy Tourists visit the Falklands for their wildlife. Their biodiversity has strong connections to the flora and fauna of Patagonia, with over 2,800 native species recorded in the islands. Among them, there are five species of penguins, for a total of about one million specimens on the islands. There are no native reptiles or amphibians, but the archipelago is a paradise for those who love marine fauna, in fact there are fourteen species of marine mammals , including blue whales , sea lions, dolphins, elephant seals and leopard seals. Unfortunately, the number of whales has drastically decreased because of illegal whaling. History The islands were uninhabited until France established a colony in 1764. In 1765, John Davis, a British captain, claimed the islands for Britain. In early 1770, a Spanish commander arrived from Argentina with five ships and 1,400 soldiers, forcing the British to leave and in October 1832, Argentinian sovereignty over the Falkland Islands was established. A year later, the British Royal Navy evicted the Argentinian military post and established permanent British administration. In 1845 Stanley was founded. On 1st April 1982, the Argentinian military force invaded the Falklands, but the British army liberated the Islands on 14th June, after 74 days of occupation. As of 2022, the Falklands have 3,667 inhabitants, with the majority of people living in Stanley. The rest of the people live in the countryside. The Falkland Islands are a British territory, and the population is mainly of British descent, so the official language is English, even if Spanish is widely spoken. Their economy is based on sheep farming, tourism and commercial fishing. Its economic prosperity GLOSSARY makes the islands one of the chick: pulcino richest places on earth, with a per to claim: reclamare capita income as high as those of to evict: espellere to forage: nutrirsi Norway and Qatar. 96 mammal: mammifero mild: temperato narrow: stretto per capita income: reddito pro capite plain: pianura prey: preda rugged: aspro, accidentato shelf: piattaforma side-by-side: fianco a fianco sovereignty: sovranità starvation: fame whale: balena