The FALKLANDS / MALVINAS - Though a Part of the Great South Georgia / South Sandwich / South Scotia Islands Chain, -The Falkand Islands or Malvinas also Sufficiently Stand Off Apart from It, in it's Own Right.

Like South Georgia, It is Stand Out Large in the Chain! In Fact, a Good Deal even Larger than South Georgia!

It's also Very Near Argentina, Tierra Del Fuego, and South America, Unlike the Others. (If you can Call being some Three or Four Hundred Miles Off as Quite Near! But Relative to the Rest of the Chain, -It Is!)

It also has a Long Established British Settler Prescence.

And the Whole Matter of British and Argentine Counterclaims to the Twin Island. And the Falklands War which had Resulted. Though Places such as South Georgia, also Played a Minor Supporting Role, and Acted as a Side Front, in that War. But Vastly and Virtually, the Falklands Stands Apart and Alone, in This Regard as well!

The Falklands or Malvinas Themselves are Two Main, Large, Rocky Plateau type Islands, of about the Same Size and Shape, Facing Each Other across a relatively Narrow, Split Down the Middle, of a Channel. Many Other Smaller Islands and Rocks Accompany it so.

It has a Quite Cool to Cold Climate too. But it is Not as Bad as South Georgia and the Other South Sandwiches. The Falklands has More of a Scottish type Climate than They. However, the Falklands or Malvinas is Right Next to Southernmost Patagonia! And it's Only a Little Ways North of Tierra Del Fuego and the Horn! So it Gets More than a Little, of the Same Bad Seas and Weather! The Falklands or Malvinas are at a somewhat More Northerly Latitude than South Georgia. And Certainly over any Others among the South Sandwiches or Scotias! This Accounts for it's somewhat Warmer and More Hospitable Clime!

Now as to Why I also Call them the Malvinas. This goes back to the British Calling them the Falklands, and the Argentines Liking to Call them as the Malvinas. Very British and Argentine Spanish Sounding Names!, I'll Add. It's Easy to Call Them as One or the Other, if you Personally Lean or Stand, Behind One or the Other! But When you See Areas of Merit and Possibility to Both Claims, It's Not so Easy. And so I Do Fairly Make Mention of Both. I Give a Little More Weight to "Falklands", since that is the Conventionally Understood Name. And the Brits will Feel that if they Have Rights to the Territory, then they also Have Right to the Name.

But Beyond Fairness and Consideations to Both Sides Angles, -I Personally just Happen to Like, Love, and Prefer the Name "Malvinas" Anyway! While at the Same Time, Not Particularly or Personally Liking or Careing For!, the Name "Falklands" (With All Due Respect, -because I can See How in Itself, -It is a Fine Name! As is Also "Malvinas"!)

As to the Pro and Positive Aspects of the Argentine Feeling and Claim, -It Shud be the Malvinas!

But Just as Much to the Pro and Positive Aspects of the British Feeling and Claim, -It Shud be the Falklands!

Briefly, Without Getting into the All Round Controversial and Political Issues, the Argentines have a Natural Proximity on their Side, While the British have a Long Established Settlage. The Climate is Far More British and Scottish, than Warmer Argentine or Latin American. Also, the British have essentially Developed the Place, to the Extent that it's been Developed, -Whereas it's Always been a Forgotten Backwater to the Argentines, even back when they earlier had any Chance.

Argentina Feels that by Rights, this very Proximate Land is Their's. And I'm Personally Inclined to Very Much Agree. It's Obviously Much Closer to Argentina, and Well within it's Normal and Natural Sphere of Influence. In at least This Way, It shud only Naturally Belong to Argentina.

But I Understand and Respect the British Points and Feelings too. I Understand How They'd Feel, if we had Gone In and Annexed their Bahamas Possession, (Before it's Independence.), which is Proximate to us. In a Similar Falklands / Malvinas Situation.

A Good Compromise Solution, might be to Divide Up the Islands Between them Both. East Falkland goes to the British, West Falkland to the Argentines. With Each getting all appropriate Accompanying Islands. They are, After All, Mirror Images of Each Other in Nearly All Respects!, It's Not like One would be Getting More than the Other!

But Until This or any Other Settlement may Possibly someday Come Along, the Falkland Islands are British.

Thats That on That.

Now as to Survival Down Here! It's something of a Ruff Scrabble type of Scottish Sheepherder and Fisherman, type of Survival and Living Down Here! Everything so far said concerning South Georgia and Co.,-Largely Applies Here as Well ! Minus the Glaciers. Minus the Mega Mountains. Minus Some, but Only Some!, of the Roughness!

Few People Live here! Even the British Population is Not that Great! There is Far, Far More Sheep and Other Livestock here, than People. That can be a Boon and Have it's Food Value, in a Survival Situation! Thats Another Difference with South Georgia!, Wild, Empty, Mega Mountainous South Georgia, Doesn't have Sheep Grazing and Raising! So Far as I know, anyway.

Work your Way to one of it's Many Inlets, or elsewhere on it's Coast! You Have even More Food Sources Available to you here! Many such Coastal Locations will be Ruff and Rocky. But it's as a Plateau Mergeing into the Sea, -Not as Mountains Crowding Right onto the Beach, as you might often have in South Georgia!

It's Cool to Cold Survival again! It's Sea and Coast Survival. It's "Grasslands" Survival!, certainly of the Thatch, Turf, and Sod type! You Can't Avail yourself of Forests or Firewood here! You Don't Really have any Mountains to Speak of. So Mountain Survival to a Good Measure, Does Not Apply.

Food and Water are Much as on South Georgia, and here again, your Focus and Aim would be More the Coast! Except that here on the Falklands or Malvinas, You have Much Better Inland Food Sources and Survival Resources / Capability, as well! You can also get to Coaxing Along a Garden, and May be Able to Make the Land your Primary Food Source, over the Coast.

Shelter would Have to be of the Ground / Rocks / and Sod House type!

Fires and Stoves would Have to be of such Grassland Materials and Types, as well!

In the Falklands, however, it shud be a Fairly Quick and Easy Matter, to Come Upon Settlers or British Personnel and Authorities. As such, It's Not Really a Survival Situation, or if so, Wouldn't be so for Long! Though a Quite Wild and Frontiersy Place, the Falklands are Settled, though with Few. Unlike so Many of the Other World's Wild Places as we've Talked On, or Will Come to Yet Meet! These are the Falklands / Malvinas Survival Imperatives. But you probably Won't be Needing them!, -Not for Long Anyway! It would be for a Lot Longer, however, -if you Wanted to "Survive as a Settler", Down There!

Finally, a Very Important Falklands Survival "Last but Not Least"! And that is the Matter of Minefields! Going Back to that Falklands War mentioned earlier. The Argentines had Sowed it with Thousands upon Thousands! Maps are Inaccurate or Missing!, if They've even been Made at All! The Argentines had Made the First Land Grab Move in that Conflict. They had Time to Sit and Wait, Before the Distant Brits were even Able to Get There. They Prepared the Meadows and Moorlands Well with Minefields! I'm Sure the British have Located and Cleared Many by now. But Chances are Good that Many yet Remain! Minefields have a Notorious Way of Being Like That! So Beware and Be Aware of Mines and Minefields!, if ever Down in the Falklands, for any reason!

See!, Truly Wild and Untouched Areas of the World *Aren't* Mined! *Some* of Man's Touched Areas Are! The Falklands / Malvinas is Such a One! Be Aware and Beware!

This is It now, for the Falklands / Malvinas. Now it's Time to Go Back North! [color:"black"] [/color] [email]ScottRezaLogan[/email]