Background

The UK and Argentina fought the Falklands War in 1982. The Falkland Islands are a small chain of islands under British rule, in the Atlantic Ocean near Argentina, about 13,000 km from Britain. 

On 2 April 1982, Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands, a remote UK colony in the South Atlantic. The move led to a brief, but bitter war.

Argentina's military junta hoped to restore its support at a time of economic crisis, by reclaiming sovereignty of the islands. It said it had inherited them from Spain in the 1800s and they were close to South America.

The UK, which had ruled the islands for 150 years, quickly chose to fight. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said the 1,800 Falklanders were "of British tradition and stock". A task force was sent to reclaim the islands, 8,000 miles away. 

In the fighting that followed, 655 Argentine and 255 British servicemen lost their lives, as did three Falkland Islanders. ( BBC)