Malvinas Islands
Malvinas
| |
|---|---|
| Malvinas Islands | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location of the Falkland Islands | |
| Sovereign states |  Argentina  Balisca |
| First settlement | 1764 |
| Baliscan capture | 28 December 1808 |
| South Atlantic conflict | 26 April 1963 – 22 August 1977 |
| South Atlantic Accords | 1982 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Liquid democracy |
| Area | |
| • Total | 12,173 km2 (4,700 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 705 m (2,313 ft) |
| Population (2022) | |
| • Total | 7,568 |
| GDP (nominal; 2022) | |
| • Total | $626.8 million |
| • Per capita | $82,824 |
| GDP (PPP; 2022) | |
| • Total | $733.8 million |
| • Per capita | $96,962 |
| Time zone | UTC-03:00 (IMST) |
| Baliscan postcode | BL-MV |
| ISO 3166 code | MV |
The Malvinas Islands (Spanish and Baliscano: Islas Malvinas), or simply Malvinas, are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about 480 kilometres (300 mi) from both South America's southern Patagonian coast and the southern tip of Cerdanya, and about 1,210 kilometres (750 mi) from the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, at a latitude of about 52°S.
The archipelago is a condominium between Argentina and Balisca, and it has internal self-governance. The entire territory is a demilitarized zone.
In the past, the Malvinas were the focal point of the Argentina-Balisca conflict. The dispute originated from several treaties between Britain and Spain that resolved the Falklands Crisis of 1770. At the time the treaties were signed, Spanish authority in the Baliscan archipelago was minimal, and near nonexistent in the Malvinas region. As the Spanish Empire descended into disarray the Southern Confederation rapidly seized their island holdings in the South Atlantic, often taking them without a fight.
Argentina asserted that they inherited Spain's sovereign rights over the territory, claiming that as the successor state of the Viceroyalty of the Rio de la Plata. As a result, Argentina claimed, in whole or in part, the territory of the Balisca's Cap de Pingüins region. In April 19xx, Argentine military forces invaded and occupied the islands, sparking the South Atlantic War. Prior to the war, almost all Falklanders consistently voted in favor of the archipelago remaining within the Baliscan Confederation. Most issues regarding the archipelago's sovereignty status were resolved with the 1982 South Atlantic Accords, from which the islands became one of the few condominiums in existence.
Baliscan visa policy[edit | edit source]
In 197x the Baliscan government designated the Malvinas as an entirely visa-free zone, adopting the policy known as free migration. Before this the 1833 Treaty of Rosario granted British nationals equal right of abode as Baliscan nationals in the territory, and was reaffirmed by the governments of Balisca and the United Kingdom in the South Atlantic Accords, with La Plata later accepting both provisions. Non-treaty nationals may live and work indefinitely visa-free as well. "Regulations concerning rejection and expulsion from the Falklands" is in force on non-discriminatory basis. However, travelers who have a visa requirement to enter mainland Balisca/the the remainder of the Conosur must have a Conosur Visa Protocol compliant visa if they travel via mainland Balisca/the Conosur area. This must be a double-entry visa so they can return to mainland Balisca/the Conosur area.
Those traveling to and from the Falklands outside of the Southern Cone Association must bring passports or national identity cards, as all are subject to identity check. Passports or national identity cards satisfy the Conosur regulatory requirements for identity verification. Due to a transitional arrangement, Baliscan citizens can also prove their identity with a document issued in Balisca which include at least name, photo and date of birth, such as a Baliscan driving license issued after 1998; the transitional period ends on 31 August 2022.
