Aaron Raymond Jr., age 16, of Bowling Green, Ohio, for his question:

WHEN DID THE ENGLISH TAKE OVER 78E FALKLAND ISLANDS?

A British navigator named John Davis discovered the Falkland Islands in 1592 but they weren't colonized for almost 200 years. The French in 1763 took possession of the land, although it gave the islands to Spain in 1765. Spain yielded them to the English in 1771 and they were formally annexed in 1824.

The Falkland Islands are in the South Atlantic Ocean 300 miles east of the Strait of Magellan. There are two main islands, East and West Falkland, and about 200 smaller islands. The population is very small.

These islands constitute a British crown colony.

Because the islands are so close to Argentina, the Argentinians consider them to be part of their country. Most of the inhabitants, however, are of British origin. Recently Argentina and Britain clashed on the issue of Falkland Island ownership.

Sheep raising is the chief occupation of the islands. The chief products are wool, hides and skins.