The Nootka Sound Convention of 1790: International Recognition of British Rights in the Southern Oceans
La Convención de Nootka Sound de 1790: Reconocimiento Internacional de los Derechos Británicos en el Mar Austral
On 28 October 1790, Great Britain and Spain signed the Nootka Sound Convention at San Lorenzo del Escorial, settling colonial maritime disputes following the crisis in the Pacific Northwest.
Article VI specifically governed the southern coasts and islands of South America, recognizing the absolute right of British subjects to navigate, fish, and form temporary settlements in all unsettled areas south of established Spanish occupation.
Because Spain had never occupied West Falkland or eradicated the British settlement at Port Egmont, Nootka Sound legally prevented Spain—and later its successor republics—from claiming an exclusive territorial monopoly over the archipelago.
📜 Primary Evidentiary Citations Fuentes Primarias y Evidencia Documental
The Nootka Sound Convention (Anglo-Spanish Convention of 1790)
Recognized British navigation, fishing, and settlement rights along South American coasts and adjacent islands south of occupied settlements.
The Nootka Sound Convention (Anglo-Spanish Convention of 1790)
Recognized British navigation, fishing, and settlement rights along South American coasts and adjacent islands south of occupied settlements.
Convention for Re-establishing Perfect Relations of Friendship (Arana-Southern Treaty)
Comprehensive bilateral peace settlement terminating all pre-existing differences without reservation of the Falkland Islands.
Convention for Re-establishing Perfect Relations of Friendship (Arana-Southern Treaty)
Comprehensive bilateral peace settlement terminating all pre-existing differences without reservation of the Falkland Islands.