Quote:
Originally Posted by stormrider_sp
You may call it whatever you like tho.
I call it Malvinas. Its original name, given by its first settlers, was îles Malouines!
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I can accept both îles Malouines as well as Falkland Islands to be islands correct names although I personally prefer Falklands. Reason to this is that Falklands is name given by party with longest presence there. However I don't see why those island should be called Islas Malvinas. I know Spain used that name when they had presence there, but Islas Malvinas was just third name used for it (after french and english names).
Islands were first spotted by Dutch who didn't visit there nor claim them. Then came French and after them Britons - at first without knowing about each other. Then Spain took control of French part of islands. After that islands were some time uninhabited by anyone but claimed by Britain and Spain. Then moved to British control.
After all this I don't see Argentine claim to islands to be strong or valid. Ofcourse this is my opinion (and most likely British too) and others (including Argentinians) are free to disagree.
EDIT: Forgot from list above that Argentine claimed sovereignity to islands from 1812 (their independence) to 1833 (settlers removed by British) on grounds that when they declared independence from Spain sovereignity of Falkland Islands moved to Argentina.
EDIT2: Also forgot to mention that Argentine held
de facto control of islands only from December 1832 to January 1833 and during Falklands War in 1982. I also forgot that Dutch (United Provinces) actually held
de facto control from August 1829 to December 1831.
EDIT2B - CORRECTION: United Provinces in this context refers to United Provinces of South America not to todays Netherlands. My apologizes for error.
EDIT3: United States
de facto sovereignity from December 1831 to January 1832.