The Falklands of course offer a home to other penguins too, half a million are said to be spread out here: Magellanic penguins, gentoo penguins and even king penguins breed here. And king penguins do not carry their name by chance; they are about one meter tall and weigh almost 20 kilograms. What all species have in common is that they don't really care about you as a visitor.

The Bird World of the Falkland Islands

However, penguins are not the only remarkable birds of the Falklands: Skuas, seagulls, albatrosses, cormorant live in more or less quiet unity side by side. Their breeding colonies lie on the rocks, the meadows and generously supply the land with guano. Only at easily inclined slopes, none of the birds roams around or even builds a nest; because here, the launch pads of the albatrosses lie. They need the momentum. All of them find plenty of food in the fish-rich waters around the Falklands. Or they live on the offspring of its feathered neighbors.

From the people of the Falklands

It was also the natural wealth that led the British to plant their flag here in 1833 and to defend it in the Falklands War in 1982. The remains of the war have not completely disappeared. If you visit the small capital Port Stanley, you will pass for example a monument for fallen British soldiers.

Although the archipelago is barren and the weather is rough, Argentinians and British still argue. Today it is pride and strategic considerations that drive both nations. The only thing you as a guest will notice is that everything here is very British - from the tea time to the red telephone booths.

In the past, the British used to hunt whales and breed sheep from here. Even today, hundreds of thousands of them roam the vast moorland and grasslands. Their "mowing" competes with the cries of the birds. And sometimes with the click of a camera shutter release.

Find out about trips to the Falkland Islands, which Arctos Travel presents to you on this website.