Stanley is the capital city and only large urban centre on the Falkland Islands. Located in the north-east of East Falklands and sprawled along Stanley harbour on the sheltered north facing slope of Stanley Common, Stanley was originally known as ‘Port Jackson’ but was renamed after Edward Smith Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby, who was Secretary of State for the Colonies at the time although he never visited the islands.
Over three quarters of the population of the Falklands lives in Stanley. At the 2016 census there were 3200 residents, an increase of 360 and 12.7% since 2012. The inhabitants are heavily concentrated in Stanley. After the Falklands War in 1982 fishing and tourism industries grew rapidly resulting in the expansion of the town so that it is now at least a third bigger than before the war.
Stanley is the hub of the islands, having a good selection of shops, hotels restaurants and pubs, a hospital, schools, police station and tourism office. Recreational facilities include a golf course, a football pitch, swimming pool, and a modern leisure centre. The Town Hall houses the Post Office, Philatelic Bureau and Law Court and is also a dance hall. Horse races are traditionally held on the 26th and 27th of December on a race course to the west of the town.
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