Could a penal colony in those islands have been created, or is it so hard to live there that no significant numbers of people could be supported.
Falklands Penal Colony
- Thread starter Derek Jackson
- Start date
I reckon you could. It's grim, cold and wet, but then so are many places back in England!
Seriously though, yes, you probably could, but not in enormous numbers. You can actually grow some crops on the Falklands, it's not just pastoral. Maybe it would kick-start a food processing industry on the islands, and up it's population to more in the range of 3,000 or maybe even more as opposed to the 2,000 OTL.
Maybe a better idea would have been to send prisoners to Aden, though. Climate is better and there's more work they can be forced to do.
Seriously though, yes, you probably could, but not in enormous numbers. You can actually grow some crops on the Falklands, it's not just pastoral. Maybe it would kick-start a food processing industry on the islands, and up it's population to more in the range of 3,000 or maybe even more as opposed to the 2,000 OTL.
Maybe a better idea would have been to send prisoners to Aden, though. Climate is better and there's more work they can be forced to do.
Ramp-Rat
Monthly Donor
The Falklands would in fact make a very good penal colony, though I think the estimate of 3,000 people there is way to small, think more in the 15,000 to 25,000 range.
As for food, it should be possible to grow root crops, and brassica, also potatoes; barley and oats, would probably have to be the grain crops. Mutton and beef, along with fish would provide a good source of protein. There is plenty of peat to provide flue for cooking etc, and lots of rock for building purposes. In fact the only thing missing is trees for timber, but these can be planted.
Aden is not a good choice as it has very little useful land and most of that is already occupied by the local people.
As for food, it should be possible to grow root crops, and brassica, also potatoes; barley and oats, would probably have to be the grain crops. Mutton and beef, along with fish would provide a good source of protein. There is plenty of peat to provide flue for cooking etc, and lots of rock for building purposes. In fact the only thing missing is trees for timber, but these can be planted.
Aden is not a good choice as it has very little useful land and most of that is already occupied by the local people.
Ramp-Rat
Monthly Donor
Why would you need or want to build ships? The big question is whether you are going to allow the convicts to breed and what you do with them after their sentence is completed? Are they going to be permitted to return to Britain, or will they be required to stay on the islands?
If you allow convicts to have a family, their children and their children’s children, will in time demand the end of transportation, as happened in America and Australia. Then there is the guards and their families, they too will want to change the nature of the colony in time.
This is always the problem with penal colonies, as time goes on the desire to become normal, and not be seen as just a place for convicts.
If you allow convicts to have a family, their children and their children’s children, will in time demand the end of transportation, as happened in America and Australia. Then there is the guards and their families, they too will want to change the nature of the colony in time.
This is always the problem with penal colonies, as time goes on the desire to become normal, and not be seen as just a place for convicts.
Because the seas are boiling with food. You can support some people on potatoes, rhubarb, etc, but not a lot. Berries, bird eggs, penguins, etc add a bit.
But if you can harvest the seas, you can suport a far larger population base. The problem is, if you cannot replace your own ships, you are extremely vulnerable, with a population much bigger than what the islands themselves can support.
Yes but such disasters are unlikely since well Britain was at the time the greatest naval power on earth and in such a case food could be brought from England. (Or just bought from south america).
Short term unlikly, may not be the same in long term. If there is a war, with France, or USA again (what kind of timeframe are we looking at?) or germany, etc, you would need the navy ships to be there when the enemy ships was.
Not easy without modern comunications. If an enemy Copenhagened the local ships, or blockaeded the place, it could be months before the admirality learned.
And how many ships would be spared for it when there was a war between great powers on?
This does not take account of more low probablility climate or other extremes that may be a once in a millenia thing.
Not easy without modern comunications. If an enemy Copenhagened the local ships, or blockaeded the place, it could be months before the admirality learned.
And how many ships would be spared for it when there was a war between great powers on?
This does not take account of more low probablility climate or other extremes that may be a once in a millenia thing.
Max Sinister
Banned
The Falklands are too small for all the British prisoners, the islands would be full very soon. Or did you have a special sort of prisoners in mind?
Thande
Donor
The Falklands are larger than most people think. They have approximately the same land area as Northern Ireland, for example.
Thande
I think their a similar sort of size to Wales, which has ~2M people and while they have a lack of trees and a lot of bogs they don't have mountains so they could probably support an similar number.
Actually I think the basis of the Argentinean claim is that they used the islands as a prison for displaced Indians from Patagonia for a while. Think they were removed when Britain formally reposed the islands about 1820 odd.
The islands could be a location for transportees after the American colonies became independent or, as in the suggested TL blocked further transportation to there. Wonder why it was never thought of at the time as about that period Britain and Spain nearly came to blows over possession of them so it would have been a useful way to cement the claim. Interesting little idea.
True they couldn't have supported such large numbers then but a decent amount, even at possibly a poor standard. Also if the death toll had been fairly large that might not have been too objectionable for the authorities.
Steve
It was pointed out to me in a different thread that Inuit seem to get a passable diet from their surroundings, so they should manage to as well.
As for ships, you wouldn't want the initial convicts to have any, but there would be non-convicts making money off supplying them. Later, their descendandts might crew ships. The Australians seem to manage.
As for ships, you wouldn't want the initial convicts to have any, but there would be non-convicts making money off supplying them. Later, their descendandts might crew ships. The Australians seem to manage.