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The islanders are keen to send out a clear signal to Argentina and the rest of the world with their referendum this weekend
The population of the Falkland Islands is going to the polls on Sunday and Monday in a referendum on whether to remain a British Overseas Territory.
Argentina has constantly reiterated its claims to the islands, 30 years after it was repelled by a British Task Force in a 74-day conflict.
The islanders decided to hold the vote in response to Argentine pressure for negotiations over sovereignty.
The tiny community is expected to overwhelmingly back remaining British.
But a "yes" vote backing the status quo is unlikely to resolve the dispute.
Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has said the inhabitants' wishes are not relevant in what is a territorial issue.
Most Argentinians regard the islands, which they call Las Malvinas, as Argentine and their recovery is enshrined in the national constitution.
Falkland Islanders will have their voices heard in the referendum, with 1,672 people eligible to vote out of the islands' total population of about 2,900.
BBC defence correspondent Caroline Wyatt, in Port Stanley, said that in the cafes and shops of the Falklands capital there was no mistaking the sentiment - union flags fly everywhere from cars to bunting in the windows, and posters ask islanders to vote "yes" to staying British.
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Staff and customers at the Bittersweet Cafe in Stanley talk about being islanders
Julie Clarke, owner of the Bittersweet cafe, said: "Without a shadow of a doubt, it'll be a big fat 'yes'. These are our islands, this is our home, and I think the rest of the world needs to hear us and see us for who we are."
Pam Devino, who runs a beauty salon, said: "Really, hopefully, that will get Argentina to back off, stop giving us so much hassle and it will let Britain know as well that we want to be British and part of them, and we're thankful for their support."
International observers will oversee the vote.
- Argentina says it inherited the islands from the Spanish crown in 1767 and the islands were seized by Britain in 1833
- But Britain says it had long previously established a settlement there and never relinquished sovereignty
- It says it has continuously inhabited and administered the islands since 1833
There are mobile polling stations, some of which will have to be flown out to and from the outer islands, hence the voting being held over two days.
Those who cannot vote include those aged under 18 and people who are not Falkland islanders.
Some Argentines living on the islands have "Falklands status" which makes them eligible to vote.
Argentine forces invaded the Falkland Islands on 2 April 1982, entering the capital Port Stanley early in the morning.
The garrison of Royal Marines was overwhelmed and other British South Atlantic territories including South Georgia were also seized.
In two months of fighting, 255 British and about 650 Argentine servicemen were killed, along with three Falklands civilians, before Argentine forces surrendered.
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