STANLEY, FALKLAND ISLANDS (Port No. 8, 1/28/12)

FALKLANDS

• GEOGRAPHY 101

          • Land Mass/ Continent: The Falkland Islands are an archipelago (chain or cluster of islands) about 250 nautical miles from the coast of South America
          • About Stanley: Stanley (aka Port Stanley) is the capital and only true city in the Falkland Islands, a British Overseas Territory; Stanley is located on the Isle of East Falkland

          • Estimated Population: 3,140 (yes, that's all!) - about 70% British
          • Distance from Home (San Diego, CA): 6,842 miles
          • The Water That'll Get Us There: South Atlantic Ocean, east of Argentina; Scotia Sea

THE SOUTHERN CROSS, VISIBLE IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE

          • (Unofficial) Theme Song for Our Journey ("The Southern Cross" by Crosby, Stills & Nash):  . . . it even references our future port of Papeete, Tahiti!
                    • Audio:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cBsnopTVmo
                    • Lyrics:  "Got out of town on a boat, Goin' to Southern islands.  Sailing a reach, Before a followin' sea.  She was makin' for the trades, On the outside.  And the downhill run To Papeete.  Off the wind on this heading Lie, the Marquesas.  We got eighty feet of the waterline.  Nicely making way.  In a noisy bar in Avalon, I tried to call you.  But on a midnight watch I realized, Why twice you ran away.
                              Chorus:  Think about how many times, I have fallen, Spirits are using me, larger voices callin'.  What heaven brought you and me, Cannot be forgotten.  I have been around the world, Lookin' for that woman/girl, Who knows love can endure.  And you know it will.  And you know it will. . . .
                              When you see the Southern Cross for the first time.  You understand now why you came this way.  'Cause the truth you might be runnin' from is so small.  But it's as big as the promise, The promise of a comin' day.
                               So I'm sailing for tomorrow, My dreams are a dyin'.  And my love is an anchor tied to you, Tied with a silver chain.  I have my ship, And all her flags are a flyin'.  She is all that I have left, And music is her name.
                               [Chorus.] . . .
                               So we cheated and we lied, And we tested.  And we never failed to fail, It was the easiest thing to do.  You will survive being bested.  Somebody fine, Will come along Make me forget about loving you.  In the Southern Cross . . ."

• ITS PLACE IN HISTORY/INTERESTING FACTS
          • Currency:  Falkland pound (FKP) (the first money I've found that's worth more than the American dollar! -- almost double)
          • Official Language:  English
          • Local time: 
          • “Scotland under the Southern Cross”
          • Known for its moorlands, pubs, red phone booths, sheep ranches, a “cuppa tea”, and penguins of every type
          • Its police station contains the islands’ only prison, with a capacity of 13 in the cells
          • Their newspaper is a weekly publication, called the “Penguin News”
          • Argentina invaded and occupied The Falklands in 1982, precipitating the "Falklands War" with the British, until the UK retook the Islands 74 days later
          • The War was fought because sovereignty over the Islands is disputed - to this day, Argentina claims it is their territory, and the UK claims it as their own
          • Stanley suffered considerable damage during the war, and some minefields remain in outlying areas
          • Their school is called an IJR: Infant & Junior School, with about 250 students ages 4 to 11
          • Travel video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kskil0pyZU4

• CLIMATE
          • The climate of Stanley is subpolar oceanic; brrrrrr -- that's why the penguins like it, see?
          • Average low for January: 41.2
          • Average high for January: 57.4

• HIGHLIGHTS/THINGS TO SEE
          • One goes here for a single purpose:  to see the Magellanic and other penguins

KING PENGUINS