The people of the Falkland Islands have voted overwhelmingly to remain British in an unsurprising but still historical referendum that aims to send a defiant message to Argentina and the outside world.
Despite near zero temperatures and flurries of snow and rain, the turnout was 92% from an electorate of 1,650 and all but three of the voters voted yes on the question posed on the ballots: "Do you wish the Falkland Islands to retain their current political status as an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom?"
Nobody expected anything but a landslide in a vote that the Argentine administration dismissed as illegal. Regardless, the islanders said they were delighted at the strong show of unity at a time when the Falklands are coming under increasing pressure from Buenos Aires and its allies in South America.
"I'm very happy. Everyone has come together to express ourselves," said Kyle Biggs, who guides tourists to see penguins and battlefield sites from the 1982 war between Britain and Argentina. "I think this is massively significant. It's important to show how much we want to stay British."
After the results were announced, Biggs said, islanders celebrated late into the night despite temperatures of 3 degrees Celsius.
The Falklands have moved back into the international spotlight in the past couple of years due to the 30th anniversary of the war and an increased push by President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner of Argentina to assert her country's longstanding sovereignty claims.
Argentina has raised the issue at the UN and regional bodies, placed full-page advertisements in British newspapers and – most controversially – restricted access to the islands. It has persuaded South American neighbours to turn away Falklands-flagged ships, curtailed overflights and imposed sanctions on companies that exploit the resources of the islands.
The islanders have a high degree of legislative autonomy although they are still under a governor sent by London. They organised their first ever referendum to show their determination to resist what some of them say is a blockade.
Mike Summers, a member of the Falklands' Legislative Assembly, told the Guardian before the election that Argentina had become "aggressive and difficult".
"Our relationship with the UK is strong and mutually productive, and we would like to be left in peace to continue to develop that relationship for the benefit of future generations," he said.
The British foreign secretary, William Hague, said the referendum result demonstrated more clearly than ever the Falkland Islanders' wish to remain an overseas territory of Britain. "All countries should accept the results of this referendum and support the Falkland Islanders as they continue to develop their home and their economy. I wish them every success in doing so," he said.
The vote is unlikely to shift opinion in Argentina. In 2012 a poll to mark the 30th anniversary of the war indicated that 89% of Argentinians support the sovereignty claims of Buenos Aires. Many believe the timing of the referendum is linked to the discovery of extensive oil and gas deposits, as well as growing interest in the Antarctic, which is likely to become an important source of fresh water and other resources. Veterans say it is absurd that the small community of islands should decide the fate of an strategically important area of land and sea that is bigger than Argentina itself.
