Goose Green facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Goose Green
|
|
|---|---|
Goose Green in mid-August 2012
|
|
 Goose Green
Location in Falkland Islands
Goose Green
Location in South America
|
|
| British Overseas Territory |  Falkland Islands |
| Population
(2012)
|
|
| • Total | 40 |
| Time zone | UTC−3 (FKST) |
Goose Green is a small village, also called a hamlet, located in Lafonia on East Falkland in the Falkland Islands. It sits on the edge of Choiseul Sound, which is a body of water, on the eastern side of the island's narrow middle section, called an isthmus. It is about 2 miles (3.2 km) south-southwest of Darwin. With around 40 people living there, it is the third-largest settlement in the Falkland Islands. Only Stanley and Mount Pleasant are bigger.
Goose Green has a local shop and a small airfield where planes can land. Fun places to visit nearby include the Bodie Suspension Bridge and the old shipwreck of the Vicar of Bray. This ship was famous for being part of the California gold rush a long time ago.
The Goose Green farm is very large, covering about 430,000 acres (1,740 km²). This makes it twice the size of farms in places like Port Howard and North Arm. During the Falklands War, Goose Green was where an important fight, known as the Battle of Goose Green, took place.
History of Goose Green
Goose Green was first set up in 1875. It began as a place where a factory made tallow, which is a type of animal fat used for things like candles and soap.
Around the year 1900, many people living in Goose Green were from Scotland. This is why a nearby place is named Brenton Loch. At that time, only thirteen people were recorded as living there. Goose Green started to grow more in the early 1900s.
A canning factory was opened in 1911 at Goose Green, and was extremely successful for nine years. It absorbed a large proportion of surplus sheep, but during the slump of the postwar years, the concern suffered a serious loss and in 1921 it closed down.
Even with this problem, the village grew after 1922. This was when it became the main base for the Falkland Islands Company's sheep farm in Lafonia. The number of people living there grew to almost 200. Better ways to handle sheep and a new shed for wool were built. In 1927, a huge shed for shearing sheep was built. Some people say it is the biggest in the world, able to hold five thousand sheep at once. In 1979, over 100,000 sheep had their wool cut there.
Until the 1970s, Goose Green had a boarding school. This school was run by the government. Children from outside the main towns, known as "Camp" children, stayed and studied there. There were 40 spots for students. Later, the boarding school moved to Stanley. Now, the focus is on having schools closer to where children live. The old school building in Goose Green was used as a headquarters by Argentine forces during the war and was later burned down. A new day school has since been built for local children.
The number of people living in Goose Green has become smaller since the Falklands War. In 1982, there were 100 residents. By 2000, there were only 40. Today, Goose Green is part of the Falkland Landholdings Corporation. This is a company managed by the government.
There are two buildings in Goose Green that are considered listed buildings. This means they are important for their history or special design. These are the Stone Cottage and the village hall.
The area is also home to a special radar system. It is part of the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN). This is an international network of radars that helps scientists study the upper atmosphere and ionosphere (a part of the atmosphere with electrically charged particles). This radar system has 16 tall masts, each 50 feet (15 meters) high, and it started working in 2010.
Goose Green and the Falklands War
During the Falklands War, Argentine forces took control of Goose Green. More than one hundred islanders were kept in the community hall. Over 1,200 Argentine troops occupied the village and nearby Darwin.
On May 28–29, 1982, Goose Green was the site of the very first land battle of the war. This was because it was quite close to where British troops first landed, at San Carlos. British leaders wanted an early victory, even if Goose Green was not the most important military target.
Images for kids
-
A map showing Darwin and Goose Green in the Falkland Islands.
See also
In Spanish: Pradera del Ganso para niños
