Myths about The Falklands busted

The Falklands first entered the British public's consciousness with the conflict in 1982, but that was 26 years ago so people of my age (26) tend to know very little about the place as they are too young to remember the war.

Over the years I have been asked many bizarre questions about the islands (including 'do you have electricity?' and 'do you have money?') and corrected a few myths along the way.

Here are a few of the most common misconceptions I have come across:

1. The Falkland Islands are off the north coast of Scotland.
When I first arrived at university in Leicester, unbeknown to me at the time, my new friends were all having a bet on where the Falklands actually were in the world. Off the north coast of Scotland is a common guess, but 'somewhere near New Zealand' was another stab in the dark.
The Falklands are in fact off the coast of Argentina, South America.

2. It is perpetual winter in the Falklands.
Those who do know something about the Falklands tend to have gathered their knowledge from the conflict in 1982, which was fought in May and June. Obviously this is summer in the UK but in the southern hemisphere it is the middle of winter so all the grainy news footage sent back from the war correspondents showed a cold and harsh land with soldiers shivering under blankets.
It is not like that all year round and in actual fact the climate is similar to the UK's, although the Falklands get more sunshine and less rain than Britain.

3. It is always hot in the Falklands.
Some people think that because the islands are off the coast of Argentina, we have year-round sunshine. Sadly, the southern tip of South America is a world away from the near-tropical climate of Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro.

4. The Falkland Islands belong to Argentina.
The Falklands are a former British colony, now known as a British Overseas Territory. Argentina has long claimed the Islands and invaded in 1982 to seize them by force. The British Task Force re-took them but Argentina has never given up its sovereignty claim. The islanders themselves are resolutely British and vehemently resist any attempts by Argentina to change the status quo. There is a still a 1,500-strong British garrison in the islands to deter any possible acts of aggression by Argentina.

5. Spanish is the main language spoken.
Despite the geographical location of the islands, the inhabitants are largely of British descent and although Spanish is taught in school as a second language, English is spoken everywhere.

6. Everyone is a sheep farmer.
This was once true but the decline in the price of wool over the last 20 years has meant less and less people make their living from sheep farming. Many more people now work in the service industries in the capital and only town, Stanley. Most of the income for the islands now comes from selling licences to Spanish and Asian ships for offshore deep sea fishing. Tourism is another burgeoning industry and dozens of cruise ships visit each summer.