For alternate uses, see Saint Helena (disambiguation).

Saint Helena refers to both an island and administrative unit in the South Atlantic Ocean 2,800 km off the west coast of Angola, and to the British Overseas territory that includes it and the dependencies of Ascension and Tristan da Cunha; this article describes both.

The island of Saint Helena (administrative area), including tiny satellite islets and rocks like Castle Rock, Speery Island, The Needle, Lower Black Rock, Upper Black Rock (South), Bird Island (Southwest), Black Rock, Thompson's Valley Island, Peaked Island, Egg Island, Lady's Chair, Lighter Rock (West), Long Ledge (Northwest), Shore Island, George Island, Rough Rock Island, Flat Rock (East), The Buoys, Sandy Bay Island, The Chimney, White Bird Island and Frightus Rock (Southeast), all of which are within one kilometer of the shore, but excluding the dependencies of Ascension (1270 km Northwest) and Tristan da Cunha (2420 km SSW), is further subdivided into eight districts:

The dependencies do not have a comparable subdivision into districts. For Ascension, which - apart from a few tiny satellite islands and rocks - consist of just one island, usually a breakdown by the five settlements is given. For Tristan da Cunha, which has just one settlement, but consists of several separate islands, usually a breakdown by islands is given.

Saint Helena

coat of arms (In Detail) (Full size )
National motto: Loyal and Unshakeable
Official language	English
Political status	Overseas territory of the UK
Capital	Jamestown
Governor and Commander-in-Chief	David Hollamby
Area	410 km²
Population  - Total (2003 E)  - Density	7,367 18/km²
Currency	Saint Helenian pound (SHP) at parity with the UK Pound Sterling (GBP)
Time zone	UTC +0
National anthem	God Save the Queen, My St. Helena Island (unofficial)
Internet TLD	.sh
Calling Code	290

History

See main article History of Saint Helena.

The island was uninhabited in 1502 when it was discovered by Portuguese mariners.

Like every remote island in the age of sail, it was a crucial resource for sailing ships that ventured into its waters. (The important ships among these were of naval and commercial nature.) Its position on the only practical route, until construction of the Suez Canal, between Western Europe to the Indian Ocean enhanced that general role. It became a British military garrison for those reasons.

Napoleon Bonaparte spent the last part of his life in exile on St. Helena. Prominent Anglo-Boer War prisoners, including General Piet Cronje were also detained on St. Helena.

Demographics

See main article Demographics of Saint Helena.

St. Helena has a small population that remains loyal to Britain. However, the island's diminutive size and geopolitical insignificance has led many Islanders to accuse the British government of ignoring the island.

Economy

See main article Economy of Saint Helena.

The island's economy was a one crop economy for many years, but is now very weak, and is almost entirely sustained on aid from London.

The St. Helena tourist industry is heavily based around the promotion of Napoleon's imprisonment. Two sites where Napoleon lived and the valley where he was buried are French territory.

Geography

See main article Geography of Saint Helena.

Politics

See main article Politics of Saint Helena.

Communications

See main article Communications on Saint Helena.

Transport

See main article Transport on Saint Helena.

Military

See main article Military of Saint Helena.

External links

• Saint Helena - The Official Government Website
• The French possessions on St Helena
• Saint Helena - St. Helena Foundation
• Saint Helena - St. Helena News
• Saint Helena - Geographical research of the identity of the St Helenians
• Bank of Saint Helena