The Falkland Islands (Spanish: Islas MalvinasWordReference, English-Spanish Dictionary. Falklands: the Falklands, las (islas) Malvinas.) are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located 300 miles (483 km) from the coast of Argentina, 671 miles (1,080 km) west of the Shag Rocks (South Georgia), and 584 miles (940 km) north of British Antarctica (Elephant Island). They consist of two main islands, East Falkland and West Falkland, together with 776 smaller islands.The Islands: Location. Falkland Islands Government web site (2007). Retrieved on 2007-04-08. Stanley, on East Falkland, is the capital. The islands are a self-governing Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom, but have been the subject of a claim to sovereignty by Argentina since the re-assertion of British sovereignty in 1833.Argentine official claim — Origin of the sovereignty dispute (Spanish and English)