2021 Edition

Background

Saint Helena is a British Overseas 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 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 October of 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

note

88 sq km Ascension Island, 184 sq km Tristan da Cunha island group (includes Tristan (98 sq km), Inaccessible, Nightingale, and Gough islands)

total

394 sq km

water

0 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC

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 859 m; Green Mountain on Ascension Island 818 m; Mount Actaeon on Saint Helena Island 2,060 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 (2012)

Land boundaries

total

0 km

Land use

agricultural land

30.8% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 10.3% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 20.5% (2018 est.)

forest

5.1% (2018 est.)

other

64.1% (2018 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 on Tristan da Cunhavolcanism: the island volcanoes of Tristan da Cunha (2,060 m) and Nightingale Island (365 m) experience volcanic activity; Tristan da Cunha erupted in 1962 and Nightingale in 2004

Natural resources

fish, lobster

Population distribution

Saint Helena - population is concentrated in and around the capital Jamestown in the northwest, with another significant cluster in the interior Longwood area; Ascension - largest settlement, and location of most of the population, is 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 RidgeSaint 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

14.86% (male 599/female 577)

15-24 years

11.84% (male 477/female 460)

25-54 years

42.59% (male 1,679/female 1,692)

55-64 years

13.18% (male 514/female 529)

65 years and over

17.54% (male 710/female 678) (2021 est.)

Birth rate

9.35 births/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

NA

Contraceptive prevalence rate

NA

Current Health Expenditure

NA

Death rate

7.96 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Demographic profile

The vast majority of the population of Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha live on Saint Helena. Ascension has no indigenous or permanent residents and is inhabited only by persons contracted to work on the island (mainly with the UK and US military or in the space and communications industries) or their dependents, while Tristan da Cunha – the main island in a small archipelago – has fewer than 300 residents. The population of Saint Helena consists of the descendants of 17th century British sailors and settlers from the East India Company, African slaves, and indentured servants and laborers from India, Indonesia, and China. Most of the population of Ascension are Saint Helenians, Britons, and Americans, while that of Tristan da Cunha descends from shipwrecked sailors and Saint Helenians.Change in Saint Helena’s population size is driven by net outward migration. Since the 1980s, Saint Helena’s population steadily has shrunk and aged as the birth rate has decreased and many working-age residents left for better opportunities elsewhere. The restoration of British citizenship in 2002 accelerated family emigration; from 1998 to 2008 alone, population declined by about 20%.In the last few years, population has experienced some temporary growth, as foreigners and returning Saint Helenians, have come to build an international airport, but numbers are beginning to fade as the project reaches completion and workers depart. In the long term, once the airport is fully operational, increased access to the remote island has the potential to boost tourism and fishing, provide more jobs for Saint Helenians domestically, and could encourage some ex-patriots to return home. In the meantime, however, Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha have to contend with the needs of an aging population. The elderly population of the islands has risen from an estimated 9.4% in 1998 to 20.4% in 2016.

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

NA

potential support ratio

NA

total dependency ratio

NA

youth dependency ratio

NA

Drinking water source

improved: total

total: 100% of population

unimproved: total

total: 0% of population (2017 est.)

Education expenditures

NA

Ethnic groups

African descent 50%, White 25%, Chinese 25%

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Infant mortality rate

female

15.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.)

male

23.74 deaths/1,000 live births

total

19.77 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

English

Life expectancy at birth

female

83.31 years (2021 est.)

male

77.34 years

total population

80.25 years

Major urban areas - population

1,000 JAMESTOWN (capital) (2018)

Median age

female

43.3 years (2020 est.)

male

43.2 years

total

43.2 years

Nationality

adjective

Saint Helenian

note

note: referred to locally as "Saints"

noun

Saint Helenian(s)

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Population

7,915 (July 2021 est.)

note

note: Saint Helena's Statistical Office estimated the resident population to be 4,439 in 2021; only Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha islands are inhabited, none of the other nearby islands/islets are

Population distribution

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

Population growth rate

0.14% (2021 est.)

Religions

Protestant 75.9% (includes Anglican 68.9, Baptist 2.1%, Seventh Day Adventist 1.8%, Salvation Army 1.7%, New Apostolic 1.4%), Jehovah's Witness 4.1%, Roman Catholic 1.2%, other 2.5% (includes Baha'i), unspecified 0.8%, none 6.1%, no response 9.4% (2016 est.)

note

note: data represent Saint Helena only

Sanitation facility access

improved: total

total: 100% of population

unimproved: total

total: 0% of population (2017)

Sex ratio

0-14 years

1.04 male(s)/female

15-24 years

1.04 male(s)/female

25-54 years

0.99 male(s)/female

55-64 years

0.97 male(s)/female

65 years and over

1.04 male(s)/female

at birth

1.06 male(s)/female

total population

1.01 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.6 children born/woman (2021 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

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

urban population

40.3% of total population (2021)

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 (r. 1785-1788)

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

Saint Helena was discovered in 1502 by Galician navigator Joao da NOVA, sailing in the service of the Kingdom of Portugal, who named it "Santa Helena"; Ascension was named in 1503 by Portuguese navigator Afonso de ALBUQUERQUE who sighted the island on the Feast Day of the Ascension; Tristan da Cunha was discovered in 1506 by Portuguese explorer Tristao da CUNHA who christened the main island after himself (the name was subsequently 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

Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)

elections/appointments

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

head of government

Governor Philip RUSHBROOK (since 11 May 2019)

note

note: the constitution order provides for an administrator for Ascension and Tristan da Cunha appointed by the governor

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 upper third of the shield depicts a white plover (wire bird) on a yellow field; the remainder of the shield depicts a rocky coastline on the left, offshore is a three-masted sailing ship with sails furled but flying an English flag

Government type

parliamentary democracy

Independence

none (overseas territory of the UK)

International organization participation

UPU

Judicial branch

highest courts

Court of Appeal (consists of the court president and 2 justices); Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice - a nonresident - and NA judges); note - appeals beyond the Court of Appeal are heard by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London)

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 Queen ELIZABETH II; 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

Legislative branch

description

unicameral Legislative Council (17 seats including the speaker and deputy speaker; 12 members directly elected in a single countrywide constituency by simple majority vote and 3 ex-officio members - the chief secretary, financial secretary, and attorney general; members serve 4-year terms)

election results

percent of vote - NA; seats by party - independent 12; composition - men 14, women 3, percent women 17.6%

elections

last held on 13 October 2021 (next to be held in 2025)

note

note: the Constitution Order provides for separate Island Councils for both Ascension and Tristan da Cunha

National anthem

note: as a territory of the UK, "God Save the Queen" is official (see United Kingdom)

National holiday

Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, third Monday in April (1926)

National symbol(s)

Saint Helena plover (bird)

Political parties and leaders

none

Suffrage

18 years of age

Agricultural products

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

Budget

expenditures

20.7 million (FY06/07 est.)

note

note: revenue data reflect only locally raised revenues; the budget deficit is resolved by grant aid from the UK

revenues

8.427 million (FY06/07 est.)

Debt - external

NA

Economic overview

The economy depends largely on financial assistance from the UK, which amounted to about $27 million in FY06/07 or more than twice the level 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.

Exchange rates

currency

Saint Helenian pounds (SHP) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2013

0.6391 (2013 est.)

Exchange rates 2014

0.607 (2014 est.)

Exchange rates 2015

0.6542 (2015)

Exchange rates 2016

0.6542 (2016 est.)

Exchange rates 2017

0.7836 (2017 est.)

Exports

Exports 2004

$19 million (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities

crustaceans, fish, integrated circuits, air conditioners, clothing and apparel (2019)

Exports - partners

United States 47%, Japan 12%, South Korea 10%, France 9%, Australia 5% (2019)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture

NA

industry

NA

services

NA

GDP (official exchange rate)

NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

NA

lowest 10%

NA

Imports

Imports 2010

$20.53 million (2010 est.)

Imports - commodities

refined petroleum, cranes, communion wafers, iron sheeting, cars and vehicle parts (2019)

Imports - partners

United Kingdom 65%, South Africa 21% (2019)

Industrial production growth rate

NA

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2012

4% (2012 est.)

Labor force

2,486 (1998 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

6%

industry

48%

services

46% (1987 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2009

$31.1 million (2009 est.)

Real GDP growth rate

NA

Real GDP per capita

Real GDP per capita FY09/10

$7,800 (FY09/10 est.)

Unemployment rate

Unemployment rate 1998

14% (1998 est.)

Crude oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Crude oil - imports

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Crude oil - production

0 bbl/day (2018 est.)

Crude oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2018 est.)

Electricity - consumption

6.51 million kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity - from fossil fuels

100% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity - from other renewable sources

0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity - installed generating capacity

8,000 kW (2016 est.)

Electricity - production

7 million kWh (2016 est.)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2017 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2017 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2017 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2017 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2014 est.)

Refined petroleum products - consumption

70 bbl/day (2016 est.)

Refined petroleum products - exports

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Refined petroleum products - imports

65 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Refined petroleum products - production

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

16.64 (2019 est.)

total

1,000 (2017 est.)

Broadcast media

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

Communications - note

Ascension 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)); South Africa maintains a meteorological station on Gough Island in the Tristan da Cunha archipelago

Internet country code

.sh; note - Ascension Island assigned .ac

Internet users

percent of population

23.1% (July 2016 est.)

total

2,281 (2020 est.)

Telecommunication systems

domestic

automatic digital network; fixed-line 50 per 100 and mobile-cellular 67 per 100 persons (2019)

general assessment

capability to communicate worldwide; ADSL- broadband service; LTE coverage of 95% of population, includes voice calls, text messages, mobile data as well as inbound and outbound roaming; Wi-Fi hotspots in Jamestown, 1 ISP, many services are not offered locally but made available for visitors; some sun outages due to the reliance of international telephone and Internet communication relying on single satellite link (2020)

international

country code (Saint Helena) - 290, (Ascension Island) - 247; landing point for the SaEx1 submarine cable providing connectivity to South Africa, Brazil, Virginia Beach (US) and islands in Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan de Cunha; international direct dialing; satellite voice and data communications; satellite earth stations - 5 (Ascension Island - 4, Saint Helena - 1) (2019)

note

note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced downturn, particularly in mobile device production; many network operators delayed upgrades to infrastructure; progress towards 5G implementation was postponed or slowed in some countries; consumer spending on telecom services and devices was affected by large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home became evident, and received some support from governments

Telephones - fixed lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

49.93 (2018 est.)

total subscriptions

3,000 (2018)

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

66.58 (2019 est.)

total subscriptions

4,000 (2018)

Airports

total

2 (2015)

Airports - with paved runways

1,524 to 2,437 m

1 Saint Helena (HLE); (2019)

note

note - weekly commercial air service to South Africa via Namibia commenced on 14 October 2017

over 3,047 m

1 Ascension Island - Wideawake Field (ASI)

total

2

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

VQ-H

Ports and terminals

Ascension Island

Georgetown

major seaport(s)

Saint Helena

Saint Helena

Jamestown

Tristan da Cunha

Calshot Harbor (Edinburgh)

Roadways

paved

168 km (Saint Helena 118 km, Ascension 40 km, Tristan da Cunha 10 km) (2002)

total

198 km (Saint Helena 138 km, Ascension 40 km, Tristan da Cunha 20 km) (2002)

unpaved

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

Transportation - note

the new airport on Saint Helena opened for limited operations in July 2016, and the first commercial flight took place on 14 October 2017, marking the start of weekly air service between Saint Helena and South Africa via Namibia; 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 making it one of the most isolated communities on the planet

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Disputes - international

none

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)

Environment - current issues

development threatens unique biota on Saint Helena

Land use

agricultural land

30.8% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 10.3% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 20.5% (2018 est.)

forest

5.1% (2018 est.)

other

64.1% (2018 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

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

urban population

40.3% of total population (2021)