Town of Stanley: Falkland Islands

The town of Stanley lies along the southern shore of the Port William inlet on the northeast coast of the island of East Falkland. Founded in 1843 as Port Stanley, it is the capital of the Falkland Islands, or Islas Malvinas, the Spanish name for the archipelago.

Stanley is the only town in the Falkland Islands, and about two-thirds of the population of the archipelago resides there. As of the 2016 census, the town had a population of 2,460.

Before the construction of the Panama Canal, Stanley was a significant repair stop for boats traveling through the Straits of Magellan. The rough waters and intense storms found at the continent's tip forced many ships to Stanley Harbour, and the ship repair industry helped drive the island economy.

Later, support for the Antarctic sealing and whaling boats became a significant industry. Today, most of the town's residents are employed by the government, with tourism also a top source of employment; when two or more large cruise ships dock in the town, tourists may outnumber the residents.

Stanley is the island's main shopping center and the hub of East Falkland's road network. Attractions include the Falkland Islands Museum, Government House (built in 1845 and home to the Governor of the Falkland Islands), a golf course, a whale-bone arch, a totem pole, several war memorials, and the shipwrecks in its harbor.

The climate is classified as a subpolar oceanic climate (Cfc), as the mean temperature is greater than 10 °C (50 °F) for two months of the year, bordering very closely on a tundra climate. Unlike typical tundra climates, however, the winters are very mild, and vegetation grows there that typically couldn't in a climate this close to being a polar climate.

Gypsy Cove, known for its Magellanic penguins, and Cape Pembroke, the easternmost point of the Falklands, lie nearby. Gypsy Cove is four miles (6 km) from Stanley and can be reached by taxi or on foot.

Falklands War

Argentina and the United Kingdom dispute sovereignty over the Falkland Islands. The dispute escalated in 1982 when Argentina invaded the islands, precipitating the Falklands War. Argentine troops occupied Stanley for about ten weeks during the war.

The Argentines renamed the town Puerto Argentino. Although Spanish names for places in the Falklands were historically accepted as alternatives, many islanders considered this one offensive.

Stanley suffered considerable damage during the war from the Argentine occupation and the British naval shelling of the town, which killed three civilians.

After the British secured the high ground around the town, the Argentines surrendered with no fighting in the town itself. However, the beaches and land around it were heavily mined, and some areas remain marked minefields.

Since the Falklands War, Stanley has benefited from the growth of the fishing and tourism industries in the Islands. Stanley has significantly developed in that time, with the building of a large amount of residential housing, particularly to the east of the town center. Stanley is now more than a third larger than it was in 1982.

Today, roughly one-third of the town's residents are employed by the government, and tourism is also a significant source of employment. On days when two or more large cruise ships dock in the town, tourists frequently outnumber the residents.