The Falkland Islands have been claimed and occupied by several nations throughout its history, who generally used their national flags on the islands. It was not until 1876 that the islands were given a flag of their own, which consisted of a Blue Ensign defaced with the seal of the islands. The Governor of the Falkland Islands uses a Union Flag defaced with the coat of arms. It was this flag that was raised at Government House in Stanley by the Royal Marines at the end of the Falkland War, signifying the liberation of the islands.
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about 480 kilometres east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about 1,210 kilometres from the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, at a latitude of about 52°S. The archipelago, with an area of 12,000 square kilometres, comprises East Falkland, West Falkland, and 776 smaller islands. As a British overseas territory, the Falklands have internal self-governance, and the United Kingdom takes responsibility for their defence and foreign affairs. The capital and largest settlement is Stanley on East Falkland.
Alternative Flag:
For most of the Falkland Islands' existence as a British territory, the civil ensign was the same as that of the United Kingdom, an undefaced red ensign. In 1998, the first warrant for the use of a defaced red ensign was issued, to be effective on 25 January 1999. This warrant prescribed the coat of arms of the Falkland Islands within a white disc. However, a revision of territorial flags issued later that year removed the white disc and enlarged the coat of arms.