1991 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1991 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
tropical; marine; mild, tempered by trade winds
Coastline
60 km
Comparative area
slightly more than 2.3 times the size of Washington, DC
Environment
very few perennial streams
Land boundaries
none
Land use
arable land 7%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 7%; forest and woodland 3%; other 83%
Maritime claims
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm
Natural resources
fish; Ascension is a breeding ground for sea turtles and sooty terns; no minerals
Note
located 1,920 km west of Angola, about two-thirds of the way between South America and Africa; Napoleon Bonaparte's place of exile and burial; the remains were taken to Paris in 1840
Terrain
rugged, volcanic; small scattered plateaus and plains
Total area
410 km2; land area: 410 km2; includes Ascension, Gough Island, Inaccessible Island, Nightingale Island, and Tristan da Cunha
People and Society
Birth rate
13 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate
8 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Ethnic divisions
NA
Infant mortality rate
46 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Labor force
NA
Language
English
Life expectancy at birth
70 years male, 75 years female (1991)
Literacy
98% (male 97%, female 98%) age 15 and over can read and write (1987)
Nationality
noun--Saint Helenian(s); adjective--Saint Helenian
Net migration rate
NEGl migrants/1,000 population (1991)
Organized labor
Saint Helena General Workers' Union, 472 members; crafts 17%, professional and technical 10%, service 10%, management and clerical 9%, farming and fishing 9%, transport 6%, sales 5%, and other 34%
Population
6,695 (July 1991), growth rate 0.6% (1991)
Religion
Anglican majority; also Baptist, Seventh-Day Adventist, and Roman Catholic
Total fertility rate
1.4 children born/woman (1991)
Government
Administrative divisions
2 dependencies and 1 administrative area*; Ascension*, Saint Helena, Tristan da Cunha
Capital
Jamestown
Communists
probably none
Constitution
1 January 1967
Diplomatic representation
none (dependent territory of the UK)
Elections
Legislative Council--last held October 1984 (next to be held NA); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(15 total, 12 elected) number of seats by party NA
Executive branch
British monarch, governor, Executive Council (cabinet)
Flag
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
Independence
none (dependent territory of the UK)
Judicial branch
Supreme Court
Leaders
Chief of State--Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); Head of Government--Governor and Commander in Chief Robert F. STIMSON (since 1987)
Legal system
NA
Legislative branch
unicameral Legislative Council
Long-form name
none
Member of
ICFTU
National holiday
Celebration of the Birthday of the Queen (second Saturday in June), 10 June 1989
Political parties and leaders
Saint Helena Labor Party, G. A. O. THORNTON; Saint Helena Progressive Party, leader unknown; note--both political parties inactive since 1976
Suffrage
NA
Type
dependent territory of the UK
Economy
Agriculture
maize, potatoes, vegetables; timber production being developed; crawfishing on Tristan da Cunha
Budget
revenues $3.2 million; expenditures $2.9 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1984)
Currency
Saint Helenian pound (plural--pounds); 1 Saint Helenian pound (5S) = 100 pence
Economic aid
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $184 million
Electricity
9,800 kW capacity; 10 million kWh produced, 1,390 kWh per capita (1989)
Exchange rates
Saint Helenian pounds (5S) per US$1--0.5171 (January 1991), 0.5603 (1990), 0.6099 (1989), 0.5614 (1988), 0.6102 (1987), 0.6817 (1986), 0.7714 (1985); note--the Saint Helenian pound is at par with the British pound
Exports
$23.9 thousand (f.o.b., 1984); commodities--fish (frozen and salt-dried skipjack, tuna), handicrafts; partners--South Africa, UK
External debt
$NA
Fiscal year
1 April-31 March
GDP
$NA, per capita $NA; real growth rate NA%
Imports
$2.4 million (c.i.f., 1984); commodities--food, beverages, tobacco, fuel oils, animal feed, building materials, motor vehicles and parts, machinery and parts; partners--UK, South Africa
Industrial production
growth rate NA%
Industries
crafts (furniture, lacework, fancy woodwork), fish
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
- 1.1% (1986)
Overview
The economy depends primarily on financial assistance from the UK. The local population earns some income from fishing, the rearing of livestock, and sales of handicrafts. Because there are few jobs, a large proportion of the work force has left to seek employment overseas.
Unemployment rate
NA%
Communications
Airports
1 with permanent-surface runway 2,440-3,659 m on Ascension
Highways
87 km bitumen-sealed roads, 20 km earth roads on Saint Helena; 80 km bitumen-sealed on Ascension; 2.7 km bitumen-sealed on Tristan da Cunha
Merchant marine
1 passenger-cargo ship totaling 6,767 GRT/5,600 DWT
Ports
Jamestown (Saint Helena), Georgetown (Ascension)
Telecommunications
1,500 radio receivers; stations--1 AM, no FM, no TV; 550 telephones in automatic network; HF radio links to Ascension, then into worldwide submarine cable and satellite networks; major coaxial cable relay point between South Africa, Portugal, and UK at Ascension; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations
Military and Security
Note
defense is the responsibility of the UK _%_