Why Argentina insists on owning the Falkland Islands

It's the same reason anyone wants more land

The Falklands also have penguins. 😊 Photo by Ian Parker on Unsplash

Writing about, or talking about, the Falkland Islands (Isla Malvinas) will upset everyone and please nobody. There’s really no winning with this topic. If you refer to it as the Falkland Islands, as I have, there’s bound to be someone in Argentina who will insist that it be called Isla Malvinas. Likewise, though, if you call it Isla Malvinas, most people in North America, Europe (especially the United Kingdom) and those that live on the Falklands themselves, will insist that it’s the Falkland Islands. So why am I wading into this muck-of-a-topic? Because the Falklands are geographically very interesting! So much so that I made a whole YouTube video about them which you can watch right here:

But this article isn’t really about the Falklands themselves, at least not directly. Instead it’s about the geopolitical tug-of-war that the otherwise tiny islands find themselves in. Specifically, it’s about Argentina’s continued claims on the Falkland Islands (or Isla Malvinas, don’t @ me Argentines). So let’s just dive in and get right to the meat of the matter.

Argentina’s claim to the Falkland Islands isn’t just about national pride, there’s actually some solid history here to back it up. In fact, Argentina has maintained a steadfast claim over them since the 1800s. This actually makes a certain amount of sense because, between 1774 and 1811, Spain was the sole operator on the islands. Britain, which had a colony there prior to 1774 withdrew willingly. So of course, when Argentina gained its independence, first as the United Provinces of the Rio De La Plata, it naturally claimed all of the land Spain had claimed in the general region, including Isla Malvinas. It’s really not that much of a stretch to assume this would be the case, to be honest.

In fact, Argentina (then the United Provinces of the Rio De La Plata, that’s gonna get old so I’m just going to write Argentina from here on even if it’s not accurate) even granted permission to a merchant by the name of Luis Vernet to try and make it economically viable. At this point, Argentina really did control the Falkland Islands. There’s really no dispute over this.

This was all well and good for Vernet, but he ran into some problems with some American fisherman who ultimately called in the United States navy which basically levelled Vernet’s settlement. I don’t know why the United States always seems to find its way into everything, but they do. 🙄

After Vernet’s settlement was destroyed in 1831, Argentina established a small garrison on the islands but nothing more. And sensing that the islands were now up for grab again, the British Empire came knocking. In 1833, the British navy expelled the Argentine garrison from the islands and took control, sparking the current sovereignty dispute that has never truly ended.

It’s at this point that you might be thinking:

“Wow! Geoff is really on Argentina’s side here”

I can see how you might think that. But given the history we know, in 1833, yes it did seem like Argentina kind of got the islands stolen out from under them. That said, though, at this point there doesn’t really appear to be any reason for the Falklands to belong to Argentina. How something was acquired nearly 200 years ago matters little compared to the development and settlement that came after, especially because there are no indigenous peoples of the Falklands. And for their part, Falklanders have maintained steadfast that they wish to remain a British Overseas Territory and not part of Argentina.

But that doesn’t mean Argentina hasn’t tried to get them back. They actually tried really hard about 40 years ago. In 1982, Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands and controlled the islands briefly before being swiftly, and violently, repelled by British forces. This war, known as the Falklands War, only deepened the wound that many in Argentina feel when they think of the islands. Because while reacquiring the islands had long been a nationalist carrot to bat in front of oppressed Argentinians prior to the war, afterwards it became a national embarrassment. How could Argentina, who’s military force was so close, lose so badly to the United Kingdom, who’s navy largely sits about 12,000 kilometers away? There are reasons for that, of course, but it’s still a bit of a ‘yikes’ moment for Argentina.

But there’s more to this than just historic grievance. The Falklands are actually quite wealthy! All told, controlling the islands provide control over a vast swath of the South Atlantic Ocean. Under international maritime law, owning the islands grants the United Kingdom an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) extending 200 nautical miles in every direction. That EEZ includes valuable fisheries and potentially untapped oil and gas reserves. For Argentina, reclaiming the islands would mean access to the same resources, boosting its struggling economy and expanding its regional influence.

Argentina is not alone in this kind of territorial ambition. Around the globe, countries are increasingly seeking to extend their maritime and territorial claims, whether it’s Denmark’s (and I guess the United States’ now 🙄) interest in the North Pole via Greenland, China’s construction of artificial islands in the South China Sea, or Canada’s push for Arctic seabed rights. The logic is simple: in a world where land and resources are finite, controlling more territory means greater long-term security and economic opportunity. The Falklands may look like a lonely outpost, but to Argentina, they represent something much larger.