2007 Edition

Administrative divisions

1 administrative area and 2 dependencies*; Ascension*, Saint Helena, Tristan da Cunha*

Age structure

0-14 years: 18.8% (male 717/female 692) 15-64 years: 71.2% (male 2,751/female 2,593) 65 years and over: 10% (male 342/female 407) (2006 est.)

Agriculture - products

coffee, corn, potatoes, vegetables; timber; fish, lobster (on Tristan da Cunha)

Airports

1

note

Wideawake Field on Ascension Island (2006)

Airports - with paved runways

over 3,047 m

1 (2006)

total

1

Area

land

Saint Helena Island 122 sq km; Ascension Island 90 sq km; Tristan da Cunha island group 201 sq km

total

413 sq km

water

0 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC

Ascension

surface covered by lava flows and cinder cones of 44 dormant volcanoes; ground rises to the east

AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1 (2005)

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.

7 57 S, 14 22 W

NA

tropical marine; mild, semi-arid

Georgetown

Background

Saint Helena is a British Overseas Territory consisting of Saint Helena and Ascension Islands, and the island group of Tristan da Cunha.

Birth rate

12.13 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$11 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (FY92/93)

revenues

$11.2 million

Capital

geographic coordinates

15 56 S, 5 44 W

name

Jamestown

time difference

UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Communications - note

South Africa maintains a meteorological station on Gough Island Transportation Saint Helena

Constitution

1 January 1989

Country name

conventional long form

none

conventional short form

Saint Helena

Currency (code)

Saint Helenian pound (SHP)

Currency code

SHP

Death rate

6.53 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Debt - external

$NA

Dependency status

overseas territory of the UK

Diplomatic representation from the US

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Diplomatic representation in the US

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Disputes - international

none This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

Economic aid - recipient

$12.6 million (1995); note - $5.3 million from UK (1997)

Economy - overview

The economy depends largely on financial assistance from the UK, which amounted to about $5 million in 1997 or almost one-half 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.

Electricity - consumption

6.51 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2004)

Electricity - production

7 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

100%

hydro

0%

nuclear

0%

other

0% (2001)

Elevation extremes

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

lowest point

Atlantic Ocean 0 m

Environment - current issues

NA

Ethnic groups

African descent 50%, white 25%, Chinese 25%

Exchange rates

Saint Helenian pounds per US dollar - 0.55 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002), note, the Saint Helenian pound is on par with the British pound

Executive branch

cabinet

Executive Council consists of the governor, three ex-officio officers, and five elected members of the Legislative Council

chief of state

Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)

elections

none; the monarch is hereditary; governor is appointed by the monarch

head of government

Governor and Commander in Chief Michael CLANCY (since 15 October 2004)

Exports

$19 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities

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% (2005)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March Communications Saint Helena

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

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

NA%

industry

NA%

services

NA%

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$2,500 (1998 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

NA%

GDP (official exchange rate)

NA

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$18 million (1998 est.)

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

Government type

NA

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

NA%

lowest 10%

NA%

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% (2005)

Independence

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

construction, crafts (furniture, lacework, fancy woodwork), fishing, philatelic sales

Infant mortality rate

female

14.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

male

21.96 deaths/1,000 live births

total

18.34 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

3.2% (1997 est.)

International organization participation

UPU

Internet country code

.sh; note - the IANA has assigned .ac as the ccTLD for Ascension Island

Internet hosts

329 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

1 (2000)

Internet users

1,000 note - includes Ascension Island (2003)

Irrigated land

NA

Judicial branch

Magistrate's Court; Supreme Court; Court of Appeal

Labor force

2,486

note

1,200 work offshore (1998 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

6%

industry

48%

services

46% (1987 est.)

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land

12.9%

other

87.1% (2005)

permanent crops

0%

Languages

English

Legal system

British common law and statutes, supplemented by local statutes

Legislative branch

unicameral Legislative Council (16 seats, including the speaker, 3 ex officio and 12 elected members; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

election results

percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 12

elections

last held 31 August 2005 (next to be held NA 2009)

Life expectancy at birth

female

80.98 years (2006 est.)

male

75.02 years

total population

77.93 years

Literacy

definition

age 20 and over can read and write

female

98% (1987 est.) Government Saint Helena

male

97%

total population

97%

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

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

exclusive fishing zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Median age

female

35.8 years (2006 est.)

male

36.2 years

total

36 years

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of the UK Transnational Issues Saint Helena

National holiday

Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926)

Nationality

adjective

Saint Helenian

note

referred to locally as "Saints"

noun

Saint Helenian(s)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2004 est.)

Natural hazards

active volcanism on Tristan da Cunha, last eruption in 1961

Natural resources

fish, lobster

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Oil - consumption

100 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports

NA bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports

NA bbl/day (2001)

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Political parties and leaders

none

Political pressure groups and leaders

none

Population

7,502

note

only Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha islands are inhabited (July 2006 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Population growth rate

0.56% (2006 est.)

Radios

3,000 (1997)

Religions

Anglican (majority), Baptist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic

Roadways

paved

168 km (Saint Helena 118km, Ascension 40 km, Tristan da Cunha 10 km)

total

198 km (Saint Helena 138 km, Ascension 40 km, Tristan da Cunha 20 km)

unpaved

30 km (Saint Helena 20 km, Ascension 0 km, Tristan da Cunha 10 km) (2002)

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.

15 57 S, 5 42 W

60 km

tropical marine; mild, tempered by trade winds

rugged, volcanic; small scattered plateaus and plains

AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0

Jamestown

Sex ratio

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

total population

1.03 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

under 15 years

1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female

Suffrage

NA years of age

Telephone system

domestic

automatic digital network

general assessment

can communicate worldwide

international

country code - 290; international direct dialing; satellite voice and data communications; satellite earth stations - 5 (Ascension Island - 4, Saint Helena - 1)

Telephones - main lines in use

2,200 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular

NA

Television broadcast stations

note

three television channels are received in Saint Helena via satellite and distributed by UHF (2005)

Televisions

2,000 (1997)

Terrain

the islands of this group result from volcanic activity associated with the Atlantic Mid-Ocean Ridge

Total fertility rate

1.55 children born/woman (2006 est.)

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 Military Saint Helena

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 the site for a meteorological station on Gough Island. Geography Saint Helena

40 km

temperate marine; mild, tempered by trade winds (tends to be cooler than Saint Helena)

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

Calshot Harbor

Tristan da Cunha island group

37 15 S, 12 30 W

Unemployment rate

14% (1998 est.)