She has repeatedly said that she wants to hold talks with Britain over the sovereignty of the islands, but has never recognised the Falkland Islands local government itself. <\/p>\n
The Port Stanley government announced in June that the Falklands would be holding a referendum on its sovereignty early next year in response to Mrs Kirchner taking the Argentine case to the UN. <\/p>\n
I dont know if they (Argentina) are deluding themselves or trying to delude others. They seem to refuse to recognise that there are people here who are Falkland Islanders, said Mrs Cheek. <\/p>\n
The census showed that the average annual income of Falkland Islanders was 20,000, which is significantly higher than that of the average Argentine adult at 6,000. <\/p>\n
It is thought the islands average salary would increase significantly should oil exploration take off. <\/p>\n
The islands population has not grown since the last survey was done in 2006, while the population is ageing rapidly, too, with the ranks of people older than 65 increasing by 14 per cent in the last six years. <\/p>\n
If the Falklands is to progress we need to increase our population, said Les Harris, a 73-year-old retired power station manager who was born in Chile. <\/p>\n
The census showed unemployment at just one per cent, with one-fifth of all workers having multiple jobs. The largest employer by far is the government, at 28 per cent, followed by agriculture and hospitality and tourism, both on 11 per cent. <\/p>\n
Offshore oil and gas development could bring sudden wealth to the islands, but the effort currently employs just 26 islanders. Texas-based Noble Energy last month became the first US firm to sign an exploration deal in the disputed territories. <\/p>\n
However, immigration had slowed due to one of the worlds most restrictive policies. Newcomers are not allowed to apply for islander status, giving them voting rights among other things, until they have completed seven years of residency. That can be done only by repeatedly renewing temporary labour contracts. Even then, only 40 people can apply each year, and not all are accepted. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Read more from the original source:<\/p>\n
Falkland Islands census delivers blow to Argentina<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" She has repeatedly said that she wants to hold talks with Britain over the sovereignty of the islands, but has never recognised the Falkland Islands local government itself. The Port Stanley government announced in June that the Falklands would be holding a referendum on its sovereignty early next year in response to Mrs Kirchner taking the Argentine case to the UN. I dont know if they (Argentina) are deluding themselves or trying to delude others Continue reading