Statistics, penguins and proud people

On 23 Jan I started a (long) journey to the South Atlantic. More specifically, the Falkland Islands. There I spent a week with Brazilian academics from Rio, Brasilia, Porto Alegre and Foz do Iguaçu learning about the Islands’ political system, economy, education, development plans, science and research opportunities, but also got to know the friendly and proud Falkland Islanders. I listed below 10 things I learned about the Islands in 8 days.

1. So far away, so close

Since 1999, there’s only one weekly commercial flight to the Islands from Punta Arenas (Chile). So if you are flying from Brasilia, like me, you need to stop over in São Paulo (or Rio de Janeiro) and Santiago, before reaching Punta Arenas. It took me 27h to go the 4,095 km between Brasilia and Stanley (the same distance between Dublin and Halifax, in Canada). Thank God for books and music!

2. Incredibly detailed statistics!

As we mentioned previously, the Falkland Islands are composed of less than 3,000 inhabitants but the society is very diverse, with people from over 60 nations. This enables the government to conduct a detailed census. The 2013/2014 report showed:

• 86% of the population live in urban areas;
• Only 1% of the population (24 people) are unemployed while 20% have more than 1 job;
• There were 7 marriages and 26 births in 2013;
• Between July 2013-2014, the local hospital did 754 ultra sound scans;
• Wind turbines on camp allow for 24-hour power, whilst in Stanley, 6 large wind turbines provide over 40% of the electricity.

3. Economy: fisheries, fisheries, fisheries

The Falkland Islands real GDP, in 2012, was £128,4mi, and the real GDP per capita was £77,000 and 34% of that comes from fishing & aquaculture. If these two sectors are excluded from the calculation, GDP per capita drops to £30,000, which is still very high. With such a small number of inhabitants and a good level of income, the Islands can invest in a number of sectors, including education: the Falkland Islands Government (FIG) funds A-levels and university degrees for students overseas and nearly all that go overseas to study return, showing their strong link with their homeland.

4. Excellent lamb and squid

In 2013, the total number of sheep in farms in the Islands was around 486,000. Farming is almost exclusively done using natural pastures and little chemicals/treatments, so a number of farms are designated as organic suppliers. Because of its production, the lamb meat is amazing. Sadly, the same can’t be said about fruits and vegetables. The soil of the Falkland Islands is acid and infertile, plus, it is windy with cool oceanic climate, making it difficult to grow a number of plants. Food, drink, building material, clothing and fuel have to be imported, meaning expensive products.    

5. Cute penguins everywhere

The newly created South Atlantic Environmental Research Institute (SAERI) is an academic organisation conducting research in the South Atlantic initially funded by FIG, Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and the FCO. FIG believes that the Falklands can combine economic growth with conservation of the environment.

The local environment was little studied, so SAERI has great potential for research on Climate Change and its impacts on fauna and flora in the South Atlantic and Antarctic. The region is home to 79 bird species and 5 (very cute!) breeding penguin species; also 70% of the global population of Black-Browed Albatross are in the Falkland Islands.

6. 18,000 land mines to go

After the 1982 conflict, there were 25,000 land mines on the islands, 20,000 anti-personnel and 5,000 anti-vehicle. Right after the end of the conflict, a de-mining exercise took out the most dangerous devices and those remaining are on unused pastures and shorelines, well marked and monitored. Some can argue there is no need to de-mine, but the UK, as a signatory of the Ottawa Treaty (known as the Mine Ban Treaty), has the obligation to clear all mines.

The FCO funds the de-mining work in the Islands since 2009 and, in July 2014, committed to two more phases of the programme. Even with intense work from companies like BACTEC that brings in de-miners from Zimbabwe, there are still 18,000 mines in the ground on both East and West Falkland Islands, meaning a lot of work ahead.

7. Taxis with wings

The Falklands consist of two main islands and 778 smaller offshore islands. More than double the number of islands in Angra dos Reis (RJ)! With such territorial formation (capital in East Falklands and farms distributed in different islands), the Islanders depend heavily on FIGAS, the Falkland Islands Government Air Service, that has been flying since 1948. FIGAS operate with five Britten-Norman BN-2B Islanders that can carry up to 9 passengers and it is quite an experience to land on grass, without guiding lights!

8. Connectivity and social media

Broadband internet access is provided via satellite and has transformed life and local relationships, even within remote farms. Before the internet, communication was done through radio and everyone could listen in (zero privacy!). With the advent of social media, the Islanders have jumped right in! Based on 2013 stats from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the Falkland Islands ranked number one in the world on internet penetration scoring 96.9%. The Islands also have the highest Facebook penetration rate in South America, meaning 66.2% of the population have a Facebook account.

9. Hydrocarbons industry

It is still in exploratory phase, but the local government representatives are researching and putting legislation in place for when, and if, the exploitation goes ahead. FIG has the responsibility for issuing licences and regulating the industry and its regulation is based on the UK North Sea standards, which are recognised as one of the highest safety standards in the world.

10. Proud people!

As First Secretary Andrew Ford mentioned back in Nov 2013, in the Falklands there is no traffic, no pollution, no reason for people to lock their doors at night, and everyone knows everyone else. Some of the families have been in the Islands for nine generations, which is impressive. I, for example, don’t even know my great grandfather’s place of birth… Everyone that I talked to was proud to be a Falkland Islander and wishes for further development and connection with the rest of the world. For what I saw, they should indeed be proud and I can assure them: they are in the right track for a bright future!