2020 Edition

Background

Saint Helena is a British Overseas Territory off the coast of Africa in the South Atlantic Ocean, and it consists of Saint Helena, Ascension Island, and the island group of Tristan da Cunha. Saint Helena: The island was uninhabited when the Portuguese first discovered it in 1502, and the British garrisoned troops on Saint Helena 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. Saint Helena is one of the most remote populated places in the world. The British Government committed to building an airport on Saint Helena in 2005. After more than a decade of delays and construction, a commercial air service to South Africa via Namibia was inaugurated in 2017. The weekly service to Saint Helena from Johannesburg via Windhoek in Namibia takes just over six hours (including the refueling stop in Windhoek) and replaces the mail ship that had made a five-day journey to the island every three weeks. 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. 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 transatlantic 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. It remains a critical refueling point in the air-bridge from the UK to the South Atlantic. The island hosts one of four dedicated ground antennas that assist in the operation of the Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation system -- the others are on Diego Garcia (British Indian Ocean Territory), Kwajalein (Marshall Islands), and at Cape Canaveral, Florida (US). NASA and the US Air Force also operate a Meter-Class Autonomous Telescope (MCAT) on Ascension as part of the deep space surveillance system for tracking orbital debris, which can be a hazard to spacecraft and astronauts. Tristan da Cunha: The island group consists of Tristan da Cunha, Nightingale, Inaccessible, and Gough Islands. Tristan da Cunha, named after its Portuguese discoverer (1506), 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.

Area

land

122 sq km Saint Helena Island

total

394 sq km

water

0 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly more than twice the size of Washington, D.C.

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)

Coastline

Saint Helena: 60 km Ascension Island: NA Tristan da Cunha (island only): 34 km

Elevation

highest point

Queen Mary's Peak on Tristan da Cunha 2,060 m; Green Mountain on Ascension Island 859 m; Diana's Peak on Saint Helena Island 818 m

lowest point

Atlantic Ocean 0 m

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

Geography - note

Saint Helena harbors at least 40 species of plants unknown elsewhere 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

Irrigated land

0 sq km (2022)

Land boundaries

total

0 km

Land use

agricultural land

30.8% (2022 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 10.3% (2022 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 0% (2022 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 20.5% (2022 est.)

forest

5.1% (2022 est.)

other

64.1% (2022 est.)

Location

islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, about midway between South America and Africa; Ascension Island lies 1,300 km (800 mi) northwest of Saint Helena; Tristan da Cunha lies 4,300 km (2,700 mi) southwest of Saint Helena

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

exclusive fishing zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural hazards

active volcanism volcanism: the volcanoes of Tristan da Cunha (2,060 m) and Nightingale Island (365 m) are active

Natural resources

fish, lobster

Population distribution

Saint Helena: population is concentrated in and around the capital of Jamestown in the northwest, with another significant cluster in the interior Longwood area Ascension: most of the population lives in and around Georgetown Tristan da Cunha: most of the nearly 300 inhabitants live in the northern coastal town of Edinburgh of the Seven Seas

Terrain

the islands of this group are of volcanic origin 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; terrain 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

Age structure

0-14 years

14.3% (male 579/female 556)

15-64 years

66.5% (male 2,626/female 2,655)

65 years and over

19.2% (2024 est.) (male 773/female 754)

Birth rate

9.31 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Death rate

8.55 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

28.9 (2024 est.)

potential support ratio

3.5 (2024 est.)

total dependency ratio

50.4 (2024 est.)

youth dependency ratio

21.5 (2024 est.)

Drinking water source

improved: total

total: 99.1% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: total

total: 0.9% of population (2022 est.)

Ethnic groups

St. Helena 82.1%, UK 7.6%, South Africa 3.6%, Ascension 2.8%, other 3.9% (2021 est.)

Gross reproduction rate

0.79 (2025 est.)

Infant mortality rate

female

14.2 deaths/1,000 live births

male

21.7 deaths/1,000 live births

total

17.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)

Languages

English

Life expectancy at birth

female

83.9 years

male

78.1 years

total population

80.9 years (2024 est.)

Major urban areas - population

1,000 JAMESTOWN (capital) (2018)

Median age

female

45.4 years

male

44.8 years

total

45.5 years (2025 est.)

Nationality

adjective

Saint Helenian

noun

Saint Helenian(s)

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Population

female

3,965

male

3,978

total

7,943 (2024 est.)

Population growth rate

0.08% (2025 est.)

Religions

Anglican 63.2%, unspecified 11.4%, no religion 9%, Jehovah's Witness 3.8%, Baptist 2.3%, Salvation Army 2%, Roman Catholic 2.2%, Seventh Day Adventist 1.9%, New Apostolic 1.6%, other Christian 1.4%, other 1.1% (2021 est.)

Sanitation facility access

improved: total

total: 100% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: total

total: 0% of population (2022 est.)

Sex ratio

0-14 years

1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years

0.99 male(s)/female

65 years and over

1.03 male(s)/female

at birth

1.06 male(s)/female

total population

1 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.61 children born/woman (2025 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

0.98% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

40.7% of total population (2023)

Administrative divisions

3 administrative areas; Ascension, Saint Helena, Tristan da Cunha

Capital

etymology

founded in 1659 and named after James, Duke of York, who would become King JAMES II of England

geographic coordinates

15 56 S, 5 43 W

name

Jamestown

time difference

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

Citizenship

see United Kingdom

Constitution

history

several previous; latest effective 1 September 2009 (St. Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Constitution Order 2009)

Country name

conventional long form

Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha

conventional short form

none

etymology

on the feast day of Saint Helena in 1502, Spanish navigator Joao da NOVA (sailing for Portugal) sighted and named the island that now bears the saint's name; da NOVA originally named Ascension "Conception Island" in honor of the Virgin Mary, but Portuguese navigator Afonso de ALBUQUERQUE later found the island on the feast day of the Ascension in 1508 and renamed it; Portuguese explorer Tristao da CUNHA sighted the third island in 1506 and named it after himself (the name was later anglicized)

Dependency status

overseas territory of the UK

Diplomatic representation from the US

embassy

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Diplomatic representation in the US

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Executive branch

cabinet

Executive Council consists of the governor, 3 ex-officio officers, and 5 elected members of the Legislative Council

chief of state

King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022)

election/appointment process

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

head of government

Governor Nigel PHILLIPS (since 13 August 2022)

Flag

description: blue with the UK flag in the upper-left quadrant and the Saint Helenian shield centered on the right half of the flag; the upper third of the shield depicts a white plover on a yellow field; under the bird is a rocky coastline and a three-masted sailing ship with sails furled and flying an English flag history: the flag has been in use since 1984, when it was commissioned to mark the 150th anniversary of Saint Helena becoming a Crown Colony

Government type

parliamentary democracy

Independence

none (overseas territory of the UK)

International organization participation

UPU

Judicial branch

highest court(s)

Court of Appeal (consists of the court president and 2 justices); Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and judges)

judge selection and term of office

Court of Appeal and Supreme Court justices appointed by the governor acting upon the instructions from a secretary of state acting on behalf of the British monarch; justices of both courts serve until retirement at age 70, but terms can be extended

subordinate courts

Magistrates' Court; Small Claims Court; Juvenile Court

Legal system

English common law and local statutes

National anthem(s)

history

official anthem, as a UK overseas territory

lyrics/music

unknown

title

"God Save the King"

National coat of arms

the coat of arms of Saint Helena was officially granted on January 30, 1984; the national bird, the Saint Helena plover (Charadrius sanctaehelenae), is at the top of the shield; the lower part of the shield shows a three-masted sailing ship with the mountainous island to the left; below the shield is a scroll with the motto “Loyal and unshakable;” the crest shows an image of Saint Helena, holding a cross and a flower

National holiday

Official birthday of King Charles III, celebrated in April or June as designated by the governor (1948)

National symbol(s)

Saint Helena plover (wire bird)

Political parties

none

Suffrage

18 years of age

Agricultural products

coffee, corn, potatoes, vegetables; fish, lobster; livestock; timber

Economic overview

upper middle-income, British Atlantic Ocean territorial economy; native (but pegged to British pound) currency user on 2 of 3 islands; significant UK financial support; unique land/farming commune structure; military-related economic activity; sport fishing locale

Exchange rates

Currency

Saint Helena pounds (SHP) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2019

0.783 (2019 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

0.78 (2020 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

0.727 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

0.811 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

0.805 (2023 est.)

Exports - commodities

fish, shellfish, natural gas, trucks, construction vehicles (2023)

Exports - partners

Singapore 33%, USA 16%, Japan 10%, Turkey 10%, Senegal 8% (2023)

Imports - commodities

refined petroleum, baked goods, plastic products, vehicle parts/accessories, air pumps (2023)

Imports - partners

UK 34%, Greece 26%, Spain 16%, South Africa 15%, Namibia 2% (2023)

Industries

construction, crafts (furniture, lacework, fancy woodwork), fishing, collectible postage stamps

Coal

imports

70 metric tons (2022 est.)

Electricity

consumption

6.962 million kWh (2023 est.)

installed generating capacity

5,000 kW (2023 est.)

transmission/distribution losses

1.5 million kWh (2023 est.)

Electricity access

electrification - total population

100% (2021)

Electricity generation sources

fossil fuels

100% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Petroleum

refined petroleum consumption

85 bbl/day (2023 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

17 (2020 est.)

total

1,000 (2018 est.)

Broadcast media

Saint Helena: no local TV station; 2 local radio stations, one of which is relayed to Ascension Island; satellite TV stations rebroadcast terrestrially Ascension Island: no local TV station; 1 local radio station and receives relays of broadcasts from radio station on Saint Helena; broadcasts from the British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) available, as well as US military TV  Tristan da Cunha: 1 local radio station and receives BFBS TV and radio broadcasts

Internet country code

.sh

Internet users

percent of population

37.6% (2021 est.)

Telephones - fixed lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

74 (2021 est.)

total subscriptions

4,000 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

74 (2021 est.)

total subscriptions

4,000 (2021 est.)

Airports

2 (2025)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

VQ-H

Heliports

2 (2025)

Ports

key ports

Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, Georgetown, Jamestown, North Point

large

1

medium

1

ports with oil terminals

2

small

1

total ports

4 (2024)

very small

1

Transportation - note

the new airport on Saint Helena opened for limited operations in 2016, and the first commercial flight took place in 2017; the military airport on Ascension Island is closed to civilian traffic; there is no air connection to Tristan da Cunha and very limited sea connections

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Carbon dioxide emissions

from petroleum and other liquids

12,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

total emissions

12,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

Environmental issues

development threatens wildlife on Saint Helena