 |
 |
| Falkland Islands |
 |
Position: South Atlantic, 300 miles east of Argentina.
Capital: Port Stanley, the Islands’ only town.
Main economic activity: Fishing.
Population: Nearly 3,000 people and lots of sheep.
Terrain: Mountains, bogs, rocks, hills.
Size: 12,173 sq km, split between 200 islands.
Weather: Cold, windy and mostly rainy.
Celebrations: Liberation Day on 14 June, after the war that
ended on that date in 1982.
Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II, represented by Governor
Donald Lamont.
Experience:
1522 – According to Argentina, Spanish and Portuguese
seamen were the first visitors to the islands.
1592 – According to English sources, Englishman John Davis
was the first to settle the islands.
1690 – English make first recorded landing and claim the
territory for the Crown. The islands are named after Royal Navy’s
treasurer Viscount Falkland.
1764 – People from St Malo form a French settlement on
the east island. To them, the islands become known as Iles Malouines,
which mutates through the Argentine connection to Islas Malvinas.
1765 – British settle on the west island.
1766 – Spain buys French settlement.
1770 – Spanish expel British, who then return on threat
of war, only to leave again for economic reasons a few years later
in 1774.
1816 – Argentina declares independence from Spain.
1820 – Argentina claims sovereignty over islands.
1828 – Argentinians set up settlement on islands.
1833 – Britons set up naval garrison, expel Argentinians
and establish a settlement, which has lasted to the present day. Argentina
and Britain dispute sovereignty, despite other states and the UN calling
for a settlement. |
| Leopoldo Fortunato Galtieri |
 |
Date of birth: 1926
Education: Graduate of the School of the Americas.
Experience:
1976 – First junta takes power. He is commander of the
Second Army Corps.
1981 – Becomes Army Chief, after rising steadily through
the ranks.
1981 – Becomes third president of military government,
uniting the post of Army Chief for the first time. Mass disappearances
of political opponents and dissenters accelerate.
1982 – Is ousted in wake of Falklands War failure. Democracy
is instituted. Acquitted in trials of the junta on charges of crimes
against the Argentine people.
1986 – Convicted on charges of incompetence while leading
the army in the Falklands War. Sentenced to 12 years imprisonment.
Military pressure secures his freedom after serving only four years
of his sentence. |
|
 |
 |
|
|
 |
 |
| Margaret Thatcher (nee Roberts) |
 |
Date of birth: 1925
Education: Degree in chemistry from Somerville College, Oxford.
Experience:
1950 – Ran for Parliament but lost and continued work
as a research chemist.
1959 – Wins Finchley constituency for Conservative Party.
1961 – First government post as joint parliamentary secretary
of Pensions and National Insurance.
1970 – Secretary of Education and Science. Gains nickname
'the milk-snatcher' for abolishing break-time milk in schools.
1975 – With the help of right wing elements, wins leadership
of Conservative Party from Edward Heath.
1976 – Dubbed the Iron Lady by press in former Soviet
Union for her tough talking on foreign policy.
1979 – Wins general election to become Britain’s
first woman Prime Minister. A free economy and commercial interests
are paramount.
1981 – Ronald Reagan becomes president in US. He and Thatcher
go on to become indivisible partners on the world stage.
1982 – The Falklands War turns her into one of the most
popular leaders ever. Her anti-union policies, confrontation with
communism, strident support for military expansion and staunch pro-nuclear
stance are given free reign.
1983 – Landslide general election victory.
1987 – Third term in office, thanks to an improving economy.
1989 – Berlin Wall comes down, and the whole world seems
to be adopting Thatcher’s policies, which see the profit motive
as the driving force in running everything from hospitals to railways.
1990 – Resigns in the face of growing opposition to her
ruthless economic policies while public services crumble. John Major
becomes Prime Minister.
1992 – Becomes Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven and continues
work on worldwide lecture circuit.
2002 – Health concerns force retirement from public arena. |
|
|
 |
|
