what continent do the falkland islands belong to?
South America
contradiction
 The Falkland Islands ( / ˈfɔːlklənd / ; Spanish : Islas Malvinas [ malˈβinas ] ) are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf . The principal islands are about 300 miles ( 483 kilometres ) east of South America 's southern Patagonian coast , at a latitude of about 52 ° S. The archipelago , with an area of 4 @,@ 700 square miles ( 12 @,@ 000 square kilometres ) , comprises East Falkland , West Falkland and 776 smaller islands . As a British overseas territory , the Falklands have internal self @-@ governance , and the United Kingdom takes responsibility for their defence and foreign affairs . The islands ' capital is Stanley on East Falkland . 

entailment
 Both the British and Spanish settlements coexisted in the archipelago until 1774 , when Britain 's new economic and strategic considerations led it to voluntarily withdraw from the islands , leaving a plaque claiming the Falklands for King George III . Spain 's Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata became the only governmental presence in the territory . West Falkland was left abandoned , and Puerto Soledad became mostly a prison camp . Amid the British invasions of the Río de la Plata during the Napoleonic Wars in Europe , the islands ' governor evacuated the archipelago in 1806 ; Spain 's remaining colonial garrison followed suit in 1811 , except for gauchos and fishermen who remained voluntarily . 

entailment
 The Falkland Islands , off the south coast of Argentina , were simultaneously claimed for Louis XV of France , in 1764 , and George III of the United Kingdom , in 1765 , though the French colony was ceded to Charles III of Spain in 1767 . By 1833 , however , the islands were under full British control . The South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands were discovered by Captain James Cook for George III in January 1775 , and from 1843 were governed by the British Crown @-@ in @-@ Council through the Falkland Islands , an arrangement that stood until the South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands were incorporated as a distinct British overseas territory in 1985 . The monarch is represented in these regions by Colin Roberts , who is both the Governor of the Falkland Islands and the Commissioner for South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands . 

entailment
 The Falklands are situated approximately at latitude 51 ° 40 ′ – 53 ° 00 ′ S and longitude 57 ° 40 ′ – 62 ° 00 ′ W. The archipelago 's two main islands are separated by the Falkland Sound , and its deep coastal indentations form natural harbours . East Falkland houses Stanley ( the capital and largest settlement ) , the UK military base at RAF Mount Pleasant , and the archipelago 's highest point : Mount Usborne , at 2 @,@ 313 feet ( 705 m ) . Outside of these significant settlements is the area colloquially known as " Camp " , which is derived from the Spanish term for countryside ( Campo ) . 

entailment
 Controversy exists over the Falklands ' discovery and subsequent colonisation by Europeans . At various times , the islands have had French , British , Spanish , and Argentine settlements . Britain reasserted its rule in 1833 , although Argentina maintains its claim to the islands . In April 1982 , Argentine forces temporarily occupied the islands . British administration was restored two months later at the end of the Falklands War . Most Falklanders favour that the archipelago remain a UK overseas territory , but its sovereignty status is part of an ongoing dispute between Argentina and the United Kingdom . 
