Saint Helena is a British
Overseas Territory consisting of Saint Helena and Ascension Islands, and
the island group of Tristan da Cunha. Saint Helena: Uninhabited
when first discovered by the Portuguese in 1502, Saint Helena was
garrisoned by the British during the 17th century. It acquired fame as the
place of Napoleon BONAPARTE's exile, from 1815 until his death in 1821,
but its importance as a port of call declined after the opening of the
Suez Canal in 1869. During the Anglo-Boer War in South Africa, several
thousand Boer prisoners were confined on the island between 1900 and 1903.
Ascension Island: This barren and uninhabited island was
discovered and named by the Portuguese in 1503. The British garrisoned the
island in 1815 to prevent a rescue of Napoleon from Saint Helena and it
served as a provisioning station for the Royal Navy's West Africa Squadron
on anti-slavery patrol. The island remained under Admiralty control until
1922, when it became a dependency of Saint Helena. During World War II,
the UK permitted the US to construct an airfield on Ascension in support
of trans-Atlantic flights to Africa and anti-submarine operations in the
South Atlantic. In the 1960s the island became an important space tracking
station for the US. In 1982, Ascension was an essential staging area for
British forces during the Falklands War, and it remains a critical
refueling point in the air-bridge from the UK to the South Atlantic.
Tristan da Cunha: The island group consists of the islands of
Tristan da Cunha, Nightingale, Inaccessible, and Gough. Tristan da Cunha
is named after its Portuguese discoverer (1506); it was garrisoned by the
British in 1816 to prevent any attempt to rescue Napoleon from Saint
Helena. Gough and Inaccessible Islands have been designated World Heritage
Sites. South Africa leases a site for a meteorological station on Gough
Island.
Geography
Saint Helena
Location:
islands in the South Atlantic
Ocean, about midway between South America and Africa; Ascension Island
lies 700 nm northwest of Saint Helena; Tristan da Cunha lies 2300 nm
southwest of Saint Helena
Geographic coordinates:
Saint Helena: 15 57 S, 5
42 W Ascension Island: 7 57 S, 14 22 W Tristan da Cunha
island group: 37 15 S, 12 30 W
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 413 sq km
land: Saint Helena Island 122 sq km; Ascension Island 90 sq km;
Tristan da Cunha island group 201 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly more than twice the
size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
Saint Helena: 60 km
Ascension Island: NA Tristan da Cunha: 40 km
Saint Helena: tropical
marine; mild, tempered by trade winds Ascension Island:
tropical marine; mild, semi-arid Tristan da Cunha: temperate
marine; mild, tempered by trade winds (tends to be cooler than Saint
Helena)
Terrain:
the islands of this group
result from volcanic activity associated with the Atlantic Mid-Ocean Ridge
Saint Helena: rugged, volcanic; small scattered plateaus and
plains Ascension: surface covered by lava flows and cinder
cones of 44 dormant volcanoes; ground rises to the east Tristan da
Cunha: sheer cliffs line the coastline of the nearly circular island;
the flanks of the central volcanic peak are deeply dissected; narrow
coastal plain lies between The Peak and the coastal cliffs
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic
Ocean 0 m highest point: Queen Mary's Peak on Tristan da Cunha
2,062 m; Green Mountain on Ascension Island 859 m; Mount Actaeon on Saint
Helena Island 818 m
active volcanism on Tristan da
Cunha, last eruption in 1961
Environment - current issues:
NA
Geography - note:
Saint Helena harbors at least
40 species of plants unknown anywhere else in the world; Ascension is a
breeding ground for sea turtles and sooty terns; Queen Mary's Peak on
Tristan da Cunha is the highest island mountain in the South Atlantic and
a prominent landmark on the sea lanes around southern Africa
People
Saint Helena
Population:
7,601 note: only
Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha islands are inhabited (July
2008 est.)
total: 37.1 years
male: 37.2 years female: 37 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.487% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
11.45 births/1,000 population
(2008 est.)
Death rate:
6.58 deaths/1,000 population
(2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
NA
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05
male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64
years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.86
male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2008
est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 18.31
deaths/1,000 live births male: 21.47 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 14.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.27
years male: 75.36 years female: 81.33 years (2008
est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.56 children born/woman (2008
est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: Saint Helenian(s)
adjective: Saint Helenian note: referred to locally
as 'Saints'
Ethnic groups:
African descent 50%, white 25%,
Chinese 25%
Religions:
Anglican (majority), Baptist,
Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic
Languages:
English
Literacy:
definition: age 20 and
over can read and write total population: 97% male:
97% female: 98% (1987 est.)
Government
Saint Helena
Country name:
conventional long form:
none conventional short form: Saint Helena
Dependency status:
overseas territory of the UK
Government type:
NA
Capital:
name: Jamestown
geographic coordinates: 15 56 S, 5 44 W time
difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard
Time)
Administrative divisions:
1 administrative area and 2
dependencies*; Ascension*, Saint Helena, Tristan da Cunha*
Independence:
none (overseas territory of the
UK)
National holiday:
Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II,
second Saturday in June (1926)
Constitution:
1 January 1989
Legal system:
English common law and
statutes, supplemented by local statutes
Suffrage:
NA years of age
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen
ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government:
Governor and Commander in Chief Andrew GURR (since 11 November 2007)
cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor, three
ex-officio officers, and five elected members of the Legislative Council
elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor is appointed by
the monarch
Legislative branch:
unicameral Legislative Council
(16 seats, including the speaker, three ex officio and 12 elected members;
members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 31 August 2005 (next to be held in 2009)
election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 12
Judicial branch:
Magistrate's Court; Supreme
Court; Court of Appeal
Political parties and leaders:
none
Political pressure groups and leaders:
none
International organization participation:
UPU
Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (overseas territory of the
UK)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (overseas territory of the
UK)
Flag description:
blue with the flag of the UK in
the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Saint Helenian shield centered on
the outer half of the flag; the shield features a rocky coastline and
three-masted sailing ship
Economy
Saint Helena
Economy - overview:
The economy depends largely on
financial assistance from the UK, which will amount to about $27 million
in FY06/07 or almost 70% of annual budgetary revenues. The local
population earns income from fishing, raising livestock, and sales of
handicrafts. Because there are few jobs, 25% of the work force has left to
seek employment on Ascension Island, on the Falklands, and in the UK.
Household income or consumption by percentage
share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.2% (1997 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $13.09 million
expenditures: $32.16 million note: revenue data
reflect locally raised revenues only; the budget deficit is resolved by
grant aid from the United Kingdom (FY06/07 est.)
Agriculture - products:
coffee, corn, potatoes,
vegetables; timber; fish, lobster (on Tristan da Cunha); livestock
fish (frozen, canned, and
salt-dried skipjack, tuna), coffee, handicrafts
Exports - partners:
Tanzania 37.7%, US 17.4%, Japan
15.2%, UK 8.4%, Nigeria 4.8%, Spain 4.5% (2006)
Imports:
$45 million c.i.f. (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities:
food, beverages, tobacco, fuel
oils, animal feed, building materials, motor vehicles and parts, machinery
and parts
Imports - partners:
UK 53.5%, South Africa 14.3%,
Spain 10.3%, Tanzania 8.5%, US 4.6% (2006)
Economic aid - recipient:
$29.56 million obtained in a
grant from the United Kingdom (FY06/07)
Debt - external:
Currency (code):
Saint Helenian pound (SHP)
Currency code:
SHP
Exchange rates:
Saint Helenian pounds per US
dollar - 0.4993 (2007), 0.5434 (2006), 0.5493 (2005), 0.5462 (2004),
0.6125 (2003) note: the Saint Helenian pound is on par with the
British pound
Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March
Communications
Saint Helena
Telephones - main lines in use:
2,200 (2002)
Telephone system:
general assessment: can
communicate worldwide domestic: automatic digital network
international: country code (Saint Helena) - 290, (Ascension
Island) - 247; international direct dialing; satellite voice and data
communications; satellite earth stations - 5 (Ascension Island - 4, Saint
Helena - 1)
Radio broadcast stations:
Saint Helena: AM 1, FM
1, shortwave 0 Ascension: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1 (2005)
Radios:
3,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
0 (3 television channels are
received via satellite and distributed by UHF) (2005)
Televisions:
2,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.sh; note - Ascension Island
assigned .ac
Internet hosts:
283 (2007)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)
Internet users:
1,000; note - includes
Ascension Island (2003)
Communications - note:
South Africa maintains a
meteorological station on Gough Island
Transportation
Saint Helena
Airports:
1 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1 over
3,047 m: 1 (2007)
Roadways:
total: 198 km (Saint
Helena 138 km, Ascension 40 km, Tristan da Cunha 20 km) paved:
168 km (Saint Helena 118 km, Ascension 40 km, Tristan da Cunha 10 km)
unpaved: 30 km (Saint Helena 20 km, Ascension 0 km, Tristan da
Cunha 10 km) (2002)
Ports and terminals:
Saint Helena: Jamestown
Ascension Island: Georgetown Tristan da Cunha:
Calshot Harbor
Transportation - note:
there is no air connection to
Saint Helena or Tristan da Cunha; an international airport for Saint
Helena is in development for 2010
