Background
Saint Helena is a British Overss 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 dth 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 ar 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 lses a site for a meteorological station on Gough Island.
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Geography
Saint Helena harbors at lst 40 species of plants unknown anywhere else in the world; Ascension is a breeding ground for s turtles and sooty terns; Queen Mary's Pk on Tristan da Cunha is the highest island mountain in the South Atlantic and a prominent landmark on the s lanes around southern Africa.
Loion:
islands in the South Atlantic Ocn, 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
Ar:
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 kmSize comparison: 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
Maritime claims:
territorial s: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Climate:
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-Ocn Ridge Saint Helena: rugged, volcanic; small stered platus and plains Ascension: surface covered by lava flows and cinder cones of 44 dormant volcanoes; ground rises to the st Tristan da Cunha: sheer cliffs line the coastline of the nrly circular island; the flanks of the central volcanic pk are deeply dissected; narrow coastal plain lies between The Pk and the coastal cliffs
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocn 0 m
highest point: Queen Mary's Pk on Tristan da Cunha 2,062 m; Green Mountain on Ascension Island 859 m; Mount Actaeon on Saint Helena Island 818 m
Natural resources:
fish, lobster
Land use:
arable land: 12.9%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 87.1% (2005)
Irrigated land:
NA
Natural hazards:
active volcanism on Tristan da Cunha, last eruption in 1961
Current Environment Issues:
NA
People
Population:
7,601 note: only Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha islands are inhabited (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 yrs: 18.5% (male 716/female 690)
15-64 yrs: 70.7% (male 2,754/female 2,618)
65 yrs and over: 10.8% (male 381/female 442) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 37.1 yrs
male: 37.2 yrs
female: 37 yrs (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.487% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
11.45 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Dth rate:
6.58 dths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
NA (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 yrs: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 yrs: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 yrs and over: 0.86 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 18.31 dths/1,000 live births
male: 21.47 dths/1,000 live births
female: 14.98 dths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.27 yrs
male: 75.36 yrs
female: 81.33 yrs (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 - dths:
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 holic
Languages:
English
Literacy:
definition: age 20 and over can rd and write
total population: 97%
male: 97%
female: 98% (1987 est.)
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Saint Helena
Government type:
NA
Capital:
name: Jamestown
geographic coordinates: 15 56 S, 5 44 W
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahd of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
1 administrative ar and 2 dependencies*; Ascension*, Saint Helena, Tristan da Cunha*
Independence:
none (overss 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 yrs of age
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
hd of government: Governor and Commander in Chief Andrew GURR (since 11 November 2007)
cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor, three ex-officio rs, 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 sts, including the spker, three ex officio and 12 elected members; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-yr terms)
elections: last held 31 August 2005 (next to be held in 2009)
election results: percent of vote - NA; sts - independents 12
Judicial branch:
Magistrate's Court; Supreme Court; Court of Appl
Political parties and lders:
none
Political pressure groups and lders:
other: private sector; unions
International organization participation:
UPU, WFTU
Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (overss territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (overss territory of the UK)
Economy
The economy depends largely on financial assistance from the UK, which amounted to about $27 million in FY06/07 or almost 70% of annual budgetary revenues. The local population rns 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.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$18 million (1998 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$NA
GDP - rl growth rate:
NA%
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$2,500 (1998 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Labor force:
2,486 note: 1,200 work offshore (1998 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 6%
industry: 48%
services: 46% (1987 est.)
Unemployment rate:
14% (1998 est.)
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.2% (1997 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $12.33 million
expenditures: $30.28 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:
Industries:
construction, crafts (furniture, lacework, fancy woodwork), fishing, philatelic sales
Industrial production growth rate:
Electricity - production:
8 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
7.44 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
60 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
85.42 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Exports:
$19 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities:
fish (frozen, canned, and salt-dried skipjack, tuna), coffee, handicrafts
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
Debt - external:
$NA
Currency ():
Saint Helenian pound (S)
Exchange rates:
Saint Helenian pounds (S) 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 yr:
1 April - 31 March
Communiions
Tele in use:
2,200 (2002)
Cellular in use:
Telephone system:
eral assessment: can communie worldwide
domestic: automatic digital network
international: country (Saint Helena) - 290, (Ascension Island) - 247; international direct dialing; satellite voice and data communiions; satellite rth 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)
Television broadcast stations:
0 (3 television channels are received via satellite and distributed by UHF) (2005)
Internet country :
.sh; note - Ascension Island assigned .ac
Internet hosts:
306 (2008)
Internet users:
1,000; note - includes Ascension Island (2003)
Transportation
Airports:
1 (2007)
Airports (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
Military
Defense is the responsibility of the UK
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