The Falkland Islands took their English name from "Falkland Sound", the channel between the two main islands, which was in turn named after Anthony Cary, 5th Viscount of Falkland, by Captain John Strong, who landed on the islands in 1690.

The Spanish name, las (Islas) Malvinas, is derived from the French name, Îles Malouines, named by Louis Antoine de Bougainville in 1764 after the first known settlers, mariners and fishermen from the Breton port of Saint-Malo in France.
The ISO designation is Falkland Islands (Malvinas) and its ISO country code is FK.

The Falkland Islands are located in the South Atlantic Ocean on a projection of the Patagonian continental shelf about 250 nautical miles (288 mi; 463 km) from the Patagonia coastline and slightly to the north of the southerly tip of Cape Horn and of its undersea extension, the Scotia Arc. In ancient geological time this shelf was part of Gondwana, which around 400 million years ago broke from what is now Africa and drifted westwards relative to Africa.
The Falkland Islands consist of two main islands and several hundred smaller islands in the south Atlantic Ocean, off the east coast of southern South America.
They are a United Kingdom Overseas Territory, but nearby Argentina claims jurisdiction under the name Islas Malvinas.

Most visitors to the islands come between October and March to enjoy the spectacular wildlife and quaint rural lifestyle.

The Falklands are a UK Overseas Territory and are an associated territory of the European Union.
The Falklands are also claimed by Argentina as the Islas Malvinas and were the site of a major conflict between the two countries in 1982.

As the Falklands are a British overseas territory, English is the official language.