Islam in Falkland Islands: history and Muslim population data

History of Islam in Falkland Islands

The Islands were uninhabited when they were first sighted by the British in 1592, but there is evidence that the Islands were settled sometime in the past by Indians from South America. The first recorded landing on the Falkland Islands occurred in 1690 and was made at Bold Cove near Port Howard on West Falkland to replenish the water supplies of British ship “Welfare” commanded by John Strong, who named the stretch of water between West and East Falkland “Falkland Sound” after Lord Falkland, who was a financial supporter of Strong's voyage, Treasurer to the Navy and shortly to become First Lord of the Admiralty.

The Islands were first settled by the French in 1764 who established Fort St. Louis settlement with a population of thirty, increasing to 130 the following year. This settlement was later renamed Port Louis in 1830 and is located in Berkeley Sound on the East Island, north of the capital Stanley. The French named the Islands Isles Malouines after St. Malo, the port from which their expedition set out. The French however, ceded the Islands to Spain in 1767 who named them Islas Malvinas. But the British also claimed the Islands in 1765 who established a settlement in Port Egmont on Saunders Island, northwest of the West Island, about 200Km from the French settlement. The British left in 1774, and the Spaniards left in 1811, leaving the Islands deserted from permanent population. The Islands were claimed by Argentina in 1820 after its independence from Spain in 1816. By 1832, the population of the Islands was twenty.

The Islands were conquered by the British in 1833, who established the capital Port Stanley in 1845, named after the British Secretary of State for the Colonies, Edward Stanley. The Islands remain an overseas territory of the UK and have an area of 12,173 sq km which comprises two main islands of East (6,605 sq km) and West (4,532 sq km) Falkland and almost a thousand of much smaller islands. However, almost all population lives in East Falkland.

According to census data as shown in Table 5.4.7, the Muslim population changed from none before 1980s to nine or 0.3% in 2006, to two or 0.1% in 2012, to seven or 0.2% in 2016, all live in East Falkland. Based on country of birth, those born in a Muslim majority country changed from none prior to 1980, to two (Iran and UAE) or 0.1% in 1986, to three or 0.1% in 1991 (one in Senegal and two in UAE), 1996 (two in Indonesia and one in UAE) and 2001 (Iran, Malaysia and UAE). The number increased to eighteen in 2006, born in thirteen majority Muslim countries.

Thus, assuming that the percentage of Muslims will increase by a tenth of a percentage point per decade, then the Muslim population is expected to remain less than thirty throughout this century.

Historical Muslim population dataset for Falkland Islands

The figures below are from the CoMPS historical dataset. Population values are expressed in thousands; 2100 is a modelled projection, not a present-day count.

For the full time series and visualisation, use the interactive map above.