Reassertion of British sovereignty over the Falkland Islands (1833) Reassertion of British sovereignty over the Falkland Islands (1833) In December 1832, two naval vessels were sent by the United Kingdom to re-assert British sovereignty over the Falkland Islands (), after the United Provinces of the River Plate (part of which later became Argentina) ignored British diplomatic protests over the appointment of Luis Vernet as governor of the Falkland Islands and a dispute over fishing rights. In 1765, Captain John Byron explored Saunders Island, which lies 1.5 miles (2.5 km) off the coast of West Falkland. He named the harbour Port Egmont, and claimed this and other islands for Britain,
Geography of the Falkland Islands Australia to the United Kingdom via Cape Horn. Over 80% of the islands' land is given over to sheep farming, with half a million animals being supported on 11,239 km of farmland, of which 40 km was perennial pasture. Roughly 40% of the national flock are on West Falkland and 60% on East Falkland. In addition to dairy and pig farming, a small amount of reindeer farming is carried out, for example on the Beaver group of islands. This herd was the only herd in the world that was unaffected by the Chernobyl disaster. In the last decade of the