1998 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1998 (Internet Archive)
Geography
Area
total: 410 sq km land: 410 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Ascension, Gough Island, Inaccessible Island, Nightingale Island, and Tristan da Cunha Island
Area-comparative
slightly more than two times the size of Washington, DC
Climate
Saint Helena-tropical; marine; mild, tempered by trade winds; Tristan da Cunha-temperate; marine, mild, tempered by trade winds (tends to be cooler than Saint Helena)
Coastline
60 km
Elevation extremes
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Queen Mary's Peak 2,060 m
Environment-current issues
NA
Environment-international agreements
party to: NA signed, but not ratified: NA
Geographic coordinates
15 56 S, 5 42 W
Geography-note
Napoleon Bonaparte's place of exile and burial (his remains were taken to Paris in 1840); harbors at least 40 species of plants unknown anywhere else in the world; Ascension is a breeding ground for sea turtles and sooty terns
Irrigated land
NA sq km
Land boundaries
0 km
Land use
arable land: 6% permanent crops: NA% permanent pastures: 6% forests and woodland: 6% other: 82% (1993 est.)
Location
islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, about mid-way between South America and Africa
Map references
Africa
Maritime claims
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Natural hazards
active volcanism on Tristan da Cunha
Natural resources
fish
Terrain
Saint Helena-rugged, volcanic; small scattered plateaus and plains note: the other islands of the group have a volcanic origin
People and Society
Age structure
0-14 years: 20% (male 718; female 694) 15-64 years: 71% (male 2,643; female 2,423) 65 years and over: 9% (male 249; female 364) (July 1998 est.)
Birth rate
14.1 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate
6.49 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Ethnic groups
African descent, white
Infant mortality rate
28.81 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Languages
English
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 75.73 years male: 72.66 years female: 78.96 years (1998 est.)
Literacy
definition: age 20 and over can read and write total population: 97% male: 97% female: 98% (1987 est.)
Nationality
noun: Saint Helenian(s) adjective: Saint Helenian
Net migration rate
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Population
7,091 (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate
0.76% (1998 est.)
Religions
Anglican (majority), Baptist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.09 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate
1.5 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Government
Administrative divisions
1 administrative area and 2 dependencies*; Ascension*, Saint Helena, Tristan da Cunha*
Constitution
1 January 1989
Country name
conventional long form: none conventional short form: Saint Helena
Data code
SH
Dependency status
dependent territory of the UK
Executive branch
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II of the UK (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Governor and Commander in Chief David Leslie SMALLMAN (since NA 1995) cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor, two ex-officio officers, and six elected members of the Legislative Council elections: none; the queen is a hereditary monarch; governor is appointed by the queen
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
Government type
NA
Independence
none (dependent territory of the UK)
International organization participation
ICFTU Diplomatic representation in the US: none (dependent territory of the UK) Diplomatic representation from the US: none (dependent territory of the UK)
Judicial branch
Supreme Court Political parties and leaders: none
Legal system
NA
Legislative branch
unicameral Legislative Council (15 seats, including the governor, 2 ex-officio and 12 elected members; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 9 July 1997 (next to be held NA July 2001) election results: percent of vote-NA; seats-independents 15
National capital
Jamestown
National holiday
Celebration of the Birthday of the Queen, 10 June 1989 (second Saturday in June)
Suffrage
NA years of age
Economy
Agriculture-products
maize, potatoes, vegetables; timber production being developed; fishing, including crawfishing on Tristan da Cunha
Budget
revenues: $11.2 million expenditures: $11 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY92/93)
Communications-note
Gough Island has a meteorological station
Currency
1 Saint Helenian pound (£S) = 100 pence
Debt-external
$NA
Economic aid
recipient: $5.3 million from UK (1997)
Economy-overview
The economy depends primarily on financial assistance from the UK. The local population earns some income from fishing, the raising of livestock, and sales of handicrafts. Because there are few jobs, a large proportion of the work force has left to seek employment overseas.
Electricity-capacity
4,000 kW (1995)
Electricity-consumption per capita
887 kWh (1995)
Electricity-production
6 million kWh (1995)
Exchange rates
Saint Helenian pounds (£S) per US$1-0.6115 (January 1998), 0.6047 (1997), 0.6403 (1996), 0.6335 (1995), 0.6529 (1994), 0.6658 (1993); note - the Saint Helenian pound is at par with the British pound
Exports
total value: $704,000 (f.o.b., 1995) commodities: fish (frozen, canned, and salt-dried skipjack, tuna), handicrafts partners: South Africa, UK
Fiscal year
1 April-31 March Communications
GDP
purchasing power parity-$NA
GDP-composition by sector
agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%
GDP-per capita
purchasing power parity-$NA
GDP-real growth rate
NA%
Imports
total value: $14.434 million (c.i.f., 1995) 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), fishing
Inflation rate-consumer price index
NA%
Labor force
total: 2,416 (1991 est.) by occupation: professional, technical, and related workers 8.7%, managerial, administrative, and clerical 12.8%, sales people 8.1%, farmer, fishermen, etc. 5.4%, craftspersons, production process workers 14.7%, others 50.3% (1987) note: a large proportion of the work force has left to seek employment overseas
Radio broadcast stations
AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0
Radios
2,500 (1993 est.)
Telephone system
domestic: automatic network; HF radiotelephone from Saint Helena to Ascension, then into worldwide submarine cable and satellite networks international: major coaxial submarine cable relay point between South Africa, Portugal, and UK at Ascension; satellite earth stations-2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones
550
Television broadcast stations
0
Televisions
NA
Unemployment rate
NA%
Transportation
Airports
1 (1997 est.) Airports-with paved runways: total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (1997 est.)
Highways
total: NA km (Saint Helena 118 km, Ascension NA km, Tristan da Cunha NA km) paved: 180.7 km (Saint Helena 98 km, Ascension 80 km, Tristan da Cunha 2.70 km) unpaved: NA km (Saint Helena 20 km, Ascension NA km, Tristan da Cunha NA km) Ports and harbors: Georgetown (on Ascension), Jamestown
Merchant marine
none
Railways
0 km
Military and Security
Military-note
defense is the responsibility of the UK
Transnational Issues
Disputes-international
none