Argentina Omits Falkland Islands from Map; Online Uproar Swiftly Follows

Many Argentines were outraged when the Social Development Ministry of Argentina posted a New Year’s greeting on Twitter, and a map of the country failed to include Antarctica and the Falkland Islands, or Islas Malvinas, in Spanish. Veterans of the 1982 Falklands War, in which Argentina unsuccessfully attempted to claim sovereignty over the islands, were particularly upset. The incident coincides with veterans and nationalist groups protesting on January 3rd, a date that “marks the 184th anniversary of the British occupation of the archipelago,” reports El País. The ministry blamed the design department. The card also omitted Antarctica – another area of conflict for the two nations because portions of British claims to the ice sheet overlap with Argentine claims. While apologies have been issued, territorial claims continue to be politically treacherous terrain. Some politicians have warned that they will oppose bilateral treaties that benefit the United Kingdom in the Falkland Islands. – YaleGlobal