Culture of the Falkland Islands 1481218 225088283 2008-07-11T20:38:40Z MacRusgail 238113 /* Miscellaneous */ add pioc The '''culture of the [[Falkland Islands]]''' is essentially analogous to that of [[United Kingdom|British]] culture. The Falkland Islands have a large non-native born population, mainly white and from [[England]] (and to a much lesser extent, other parts of the [[British Isles]]), but also from [[Saint Helena]]. The native born population is mainly of English and [[Scotland|Scottish]] descent, with some more exotic strains such as [[Gibraltar|Gibraltarian]]. == Language == {{main|Falkland Islands English|Languages of the Falkland Islands}} The [[English language]] is used, mainly in its [[British English]] form. However, due to the isolation of the islands, the small population retains its own accent/dialect. In rural areas (i.e. anywhere outside [[Port Stanley]]), known as the "[[Camp (Falkland Islands)|camp]]" (from [[Spanish language|Spanish]] ''campo''), the Falkland accent tends to be stronger. The accent has resemblances to both Australia-NZ English, [[West Country dialects|West Country]] and that of [[Norfolk]] in England. Other notable Falkland island terms are the words "[[kelper]]" meaning a Falkland islander, from the [[kelp]] surrounding the islands (sometimes considered pejorative); and "[[smoko]]" referring to a smoking break. == Literature == ''For culture inspited by the [[Falklands War]] please see [[Cultural impact of the Falklands War]]'' Due to the low population of the islands, most of the literature of the islands has been written by outsiders, and is non-fiction. However some poetry has been written by [[Falklanders]], including, Ernest Spencer's ''Motherland'' == Architecture == The ''[[1911 Britannica]]'' states: :''The houses [of Stanley], mostly white with coloured roofs, are generally built of wood and iron, and have glazed porches, gay with fuchsias and pelargoniums. [[Government House (Falkland Islands)|Government House]], grey, stone-built and slated, calls to mind a [[manse]] in [[Shetland]] or [[Orkney]]. The government barrack is a rather imposing structure in the middle of the town, as is the cathedral church to the east, built of stone and buttressed with brick.'' The government barrack is now a guesthouse and is somewhat more in keeping with the surrounding houses. Since this date, many more buildings have been erected in Stanley. In 1998 the [[Government of the Falkland Islands]] started a program to encourage building of private houses, the development is known as '''East Stanley''' as it developed Stanley to the East. This led to a boom in the housing construction market with many new timber kit houses imported, largely from Scotland. These range from single bedroom bungalows to large 4-5 bedroom houses, the style of cladding and colours vary immensely. Falkland houses are renowned for being brightly painted with immaculately maintained gardens, older houses frequently have intricately carved wooden fascia boards. The [[Bodie Creek Suspension Bridge]] is sometimes stated to be the most southerly in the world. == Miscellaneous == [[Image:Gnomecity.jpg|right|thumb|250px|[[Gnome]]s in a Stanley Garden, a peculiary British taste]] {{seealso|Sport in the Falkland Islands}} There is one major newspaper, the [http://www.penguin-news.com Penguin News] and also a radio station the [http://www.firs.co.fk Falkland Islands Radio Service] or FIRS. The islands also have their own national [[Falkland Islands national football team|football team]] and [[Falkland Islands cricket team|cricket team]]. == External links == * [http://www.falklands.info/background/poetry.html Falkland Islands Poetry] * [http://www.falklandislandsjournal.org/ Falkland Islands journal] * [http://www.falklandsconservation.com/ Falkland Islands Conservation] * [http://www.falklands-museum.com/ Falkland Islands Museum and National Trust] * [http://www.shackletonfund.com/ Falkland Islands Shackleton Scholarship Fund] <div class="Boxmerge"> {{Falkland Islands topics}} {{South America topic|Culture of}} </div> [[Category:Falkland Islander culture| ]]