In 1982, the Argentine and United Kingdom battled to control the archipelago in the North Atlantic ocean. Here is a quick look at the key facts of the Malvinas War as we enter the 40th anniversary of the end of the conflict. REASONS OF THE WAR: Nearly 200 years of conflict: The Malvinas Islands, or Falklands with its British name located 600 km from Argentine, are in the center of a sovereignty dispute that is going on for 189 years. The claim of Argentine: Buenos Aires claim that the islands were discovered by Spain in 1520. Following its independence from the viceroyalty of Rio de la Plata, Argentine claimed the rights of Spain on las Malvinas and took the sovereignty in 1820. The British claim: London, for its part, says that the islands were discovered by a British marine in 1592 and then competed with Spain for its sovereignty. Finally, in 1833, the United Kingdom expelled the Argentinian governor and garrison, taking the control of the islands by force to the present day. Initial negotiations: Argentine has never abandoned the sovereignty claim over the Malvinas, and, after taking the matter to the Special Committee on Decolonization of the UN, it managed to start negotiations with the United Kingdom through the resolution of 1514 in 1960. The war: But the negotiations were stalled and during the military dictatorship of Argentine from 1976 the tensions climbed, until on April 2 of 1982 Argentine troops took control of the Malvinas Islands by force, initiating the war. 649 Argentine soldiers were killed in the conflict while the toll on the British side was 255. The war concluded on June 14 with the surrender of Argentine soldiers and the British victory.
