Thirty years after Britain liberated the Falkland Islands from Argentinian occupation, the islanders are keen not to solely be defined by the events of 1982.

On the anniversary of the end of the war, Falklanders stood side by side with the veterans who fought for their freedom and said they wanted to show the loss of 255 British servicemen and three Falklanders were not in vain.

During last week's visit to the islands Foreign Office Minister Jeremy Browne was shown parts of the island's successful fishing and farming industries, their improved education system and witnessed their passion for self-determination.

But it is the prospect of local oil and gas industries that is potentially the most significant and kicking up a storm in the South Atlantic.

It is one of the reasons Britain believes Argentina has been ratcheting up the rhetoric over the territory it calls Las Malvinas and has been trying to implement an economic blockade on the isolated islands.

Argentina's president Cristina de Kirchner took her country's claim to the Falkland Islands to the United Nations on the 30th anniversary of Britain's ousting of an Argentinian invasion force from the Falklands.

However, Prime Minister David Cameron sent a clear message there would be "no negotiation" on the Falklands and warned that Britain would defend the territory by force again if necessary.

The legacy of the Falklands conflict has been political freedom and physical security, but it is the hard work and ingenuity of the islands people and their fishing industry that has provided an economic boom and prosperity.

The Falklands' economy is "booming with significant government surplus", Governor Nigel Haywood said during his state of the nation annual speech to the Legislative Assembly in May.

This was based on an excellent year for the fishing industry, higher prices for wool and meat plus the Tourism Strategy, aimed at increasing the number of tourists and transforming the industry. But it is the discovery of potentially lucrative oil and gas reserves around the Falklands that could radically transform the country's economy. It would also mean the islands are well-placed to economically withstand pressure placed on them by the G20 country.

Continued here:

Falkland Islands lifted by economy