MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands 1690, when English Captain John Strong made the first recorded landing

Captain John Strong in 1690 named Falkland Sound the waterway dividing East and West islands in Falklands

The Falkland Islands derive their name from Falkland Sound, the name given to the waterway between the two main islands, East and West Falkland by Captain John Strong, who spent several days in the Islands on his ship Welfare in January 1690.

Falkland Sound was itself named after the 5th Viscount Falkland, one of the owners of Welfare, and then Lord of the Admiralty. Captain Strong was the first person to have been recorded as landing in the Islands, although the first reported sighting was by English navigator Captain John Davis in 1592.

The Falkland Islands have never had any native inhabitants and no indigenous people have ever been displaced, instead the Islands were entirely unoccupied until 1764/66, when they were first claimed by the British who established a garrison at Port Egmont. Over the years, the British, French and Spanish periodically had garrisons within the Islands.

In effect the first recorded landing was not until 1690, when the English sea captain, John Strong, came ashore at Bold Cove near Port Howard from the “Welfare”. The Falkland Islands were not settled until 1764 (by the French) and 1766 (by the British). Davis’ ship “Desire” is featured prominently on the Falkland Islands coat of arms and in the motto: ‘Desire the Right’.