The Hill News

Visiting the United States, with its bustling streets in Washington and Manhattan, is always a bit of a culture shock for a Falkland Islander. While we have much in common â€" a shared ancestry and language, and the democratic values that underpin our societies â€" we have a few differences too. 

With just over 3,000 inhabitants, our island is smaller than Connecticut, with a population less numerous than the staff of Georgetown University. You have skyscrapers on your streets; we have the occasional sea lion. It is always going to be a tale of contrasts when one of the world’s smallest democracies comes to call on the world’s most powerful one.

Many Americans will not know who we are; that is understandable. We live over 5,500 miles away, at the very southern tip of the Americas. Those who have heard of the Falkland Islands are most likely to know us from nearly 30 years ago, when Argentine forces invaded our country. We were saved by the heroic ef! forts of Britain’s armed forces, and remain grateful for their sacrifices. But we also continue to thank the U.S., for its discreet but vital support to restore our liberties.

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