Falkland occidentale 1880949 31559060 2008-07-14T04:24:31Z SieBot 236006 robot Ajoute: [[he:אי פוקלנד המערבי]] {{Ébauche|île}} [[Image:Falkland Islands - West Falkland.PNG|right|thumb|250px|Grande Malouine (en rouge) dans l'archipel des Malouines]] '''Falkland occidentale''' ou '''Grande Malouine''' (en [[anglais]] ''West Falkland'' et en [[espagnol]] ''Gran Malvina'') est la seconde plus grande île des [[îles Malouines|Malouines]] (Falkland Islands), archipel britannique d'Atlantique du Sud. Elle a une superficie d'environ 4&nbsp;532 km² (5&nbsp;413 km² en incluant les nombreuses petites îles côtières). C'est une île lègérement montagneuse séparée de [[Falkland orientale]], l'île principale par le [[détroit des Falkland]]. == Population == L'ile a une population d'environ 200 habitants, dispersés sur la côte surtout sur celle du détroit. Cela représente moins de 10 % de la population totale de l'archipel, très majoritairement regroupée au nord de [[Falkland occidentale]] et de la capitale de l'archipel [[Port Stanley]] qui s'y trouve. Le principal village de l'île est Port Howard sur la côte orientale et qui possède une piste d'atterrissage. Parmi les autres hameaux, on peut citer Albermarle, Chartres, Dunnose Head, Fox Bay, Fox Bay West, Hill Cove, Port Stephens et Roy Cove, la plupart reliés par la route, certains possèdant un port et une piste d'atterrissage. == Géographie et vie sauvage == [[Image:FalklandIslandFox2.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Le dernier [[loup des Falkland]] a été tué sur Falkland occidentale]] [[Image:Falkland Islands topographic map-fr.svg|thumb|250px|Carte des Falkland]] West Falkland est plus montagneuse à l'est, vers le détroit ; la principale chaine de montagne est Hornby Hills, qui court du nord au sud, parallèlement au détroit. Le mont Adam est le plus haut point de l'île avec une altitude de 705 mètres. La principale activité de l'île est l'élevage de moutons. L'île est aussi connue pour ses colonies de [[manchot]]s et de [[cormoran]]s. La pêche est aussi populaire dans les 2 principales rivières la rivière Warrah et la rivière Chartres. <!-- In the 19th century as today, indigenous land fauna was very scanty. A small wolf, the [[warrah]], the ''loup-renard'' of [[Louis Antoine de Bougainville]], is extinct, the last having been seen about 1875 on the West Falkland. It is commemorated in the name of one of the island's rivers, the "Warrah". Some herds of cattle and horses ran wild; but these were, of course, introduced, as were also the wild hogs, the numerous rabbits and the less common hares. All these have greatly declined in numbers, being profitably replaced by sheep. The southernmost point of West Falkland is [[Cape Meredith]], and the most south-westerly [[Calm Head]]. On the southerly side lie high cliffs with an abundance of seabirds and to the west are some white sandy beaches with beautiful clean water and rolling sand dunes with tall grass. Set just back from the top of the cliffs is a single wooden hut locally referred to as Uncle Tom's Cabin. The beaches are a favourite haunt for [[elephant seal]]s and are unpolluted save for the occasional piece of wreckage and the odd washed-up tree trunk. ===Geology=== Most of the layers of West Falkland and its surrounding islands are slightly inclined from the horizontal. This inclination shows different types from rocks in different places. The quartzites of [[Port Stephens]] and [[Stanley, Falkland Islands|Stanley]] are more resistant than the arenaceous sediments of the formation at [[Fox Bay]]. The [[Hornby Mountains]], near [[Falkland Sound]] have experienced tectonic forces of uplift and folding by which the quartzite beds of Stanley are inclined to the vertical. In West Falkland there are several dykes that cut the rocks of the western islands, but these dykes, unlike the previous ones, are chemically more unstable and have been eroded and the only indication of their existence is the aligned linear depressions. In the margins of these depressions there is evidence of contact baking or [[hornfels]] formation adjacent to the once molten basalt dyke. ==History== Despite the first recorded landing on the (main islands) of the Falklands taking place on West Falkland, it was settled remarkably late. Early explorers reported the remains of canoes on West Falkland, and while the [[warrah]] provides compelling evidence of a native American discovery it is unclear whether it was a one way trip, or indeed if the canoes were not swept in from [[Patagonia]]. Captain [[John Strong]] of the ''Welfare'' made the first recorded landing on either of the main islands (West and East Falkland) on 29th January, 1690, at [[Bold Cove]] on the other side of the headland from [[Port Howard]]. He said: :"Wednesday this morning we weighed and stood unto an harbour on ye west side and there came to ane anchor and sent our boat on shoar for fresh water and did kill abundance of geese and ducks but as far as wood there is none." The lack of wood is somewhat surprising, since while there were no trees growing there, driftwood frequently washes up on Falkland beaches, although this may be accounted for by the sheltered nature of Bold Cove. Strong ended up giving his name to the islands, by naming [[Falkland Sound]] which gave its name to all the islands. In 1867 there were no settlers on the west island, and the government issued a proclamation offering leases of grazing stations on very moderate terms. In 1868 all the available land was occupied. West Falkland saw some activity during the [[Falklands War]] in 1982; [[Fox Bay]], [[Port Howard]] and [[Pebble Island]] where all occupied by Argentine troops during the hosilities and where subjected to occasional British Naval bombardment and air attacks. [[Operation Canbelow]] took place to the west of the island and the [[raid on Pebble Island]] has gone down in British Special Forces history. These days it is also home to two [[Royal Air Force|RAF]] Reporting Posts: [[Mount Alice]], which is near [[Port Albermarle]] in the south of the island, and [[Mount Byron]] in the north. These military units are openly listed in the RAF document "RAF Today" (see below). In early 2007 the Falkland Islands Government awarded a contract to supply an East-West ferry to Workboat Services Ltd. This is due to start in late 2007 and will run between [[Port Howard]] and [[New Haven]]. --> == External links == *[http://www.raf.mod.uk/downloads/documents/raftoday2004.pdf RAF Today] == Références == * {{1911}} {{coord|51|47|51|S|60|07|55|W|region:FK_type:isle|display=title}} {{Portail|Antarctique|maritime}} [[Catégorie:Île des Malouines]] [[Catégorie:Île de l'océan Atlantique Sud]] [[de:Westfalkland]] [[en:West Falkland]] [[es:Isla Gran Malvina]] [[fi:Länsi-Falkland]] [[gl:Illa Gran Malvina]] [[he:אי פוקלנד המערבי]] [[hu:Nyugat-Falkland]] [[ja:西フォークランド島]] [[nl:West-Falkland]]