Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha






























































































































Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha




Flag of the United Kingdom of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha

Flag of the United Kingdom


Anthem: "God Save the Queen"

Location of  Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha  (circled in red)
Location of  Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha  (circled in red)

Status British Overseas Territory
Capital
Jamestown[1]
15°56′S 005°43′W / 15.933°S 5.717°W / -15.933; -5.717
Largest settlement
Half Tree Hollow
15°56′0″S 5°43′12″W / 15.93333°S 5.72000°W / -15.93333; -5.72000
Official languages English
Religion


Christians 96.5%
Irreligious 3.3%
Other 0.2%[2]
Parts
 Saint Helena
 Ascension Island
 Tristan da Cunha
Leaders
• Monarch
Elizabeth II
• Governor
Lisa Honan
• Administrator of Ascension
Justine Allan
• Administrator of Tristan da Cunha
Sean Burns
• Chief Islander of Tristan da Cunha
Ian Lavarello
• UK government minister[a]
Tariq Ahmad

Established 
as a dependency of the United Kingdom

• St Helena charter granted
1657
• East India Company rule ended
22 April 1834[3]
• Ascension added
12 September 1922
• Tristan da Cunha added
12 January 1938
• Current constitution
1 September 2009

Area
• Total
394 km2 (152 sq mi)
Population
• 2016 census
5,633[4]
• Density
13.4/km2 (34.7/sq mi)
Currency


  • Saint Helena pound (SHP) (Saint Helena & Ascension)


  • Pound sterling (GBP) (Tristan)

Time zone
UTC⁠ (GMT)
Driving side left
Calling code


  • +290 (Saint Helena & Tristan)


  • +247 (Ascension)

ISO 3166 code SH
Internet TLD

  • .sh

  • .ac



  1. ^ Minister of State in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office with responsibility for the British Overseas Territories.


Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha[5] is a British Overseas Territory located in the South Atlantic and consisting of the island of Saint Helena, Ascension Island and the archipelago of Tristan da Cunha.


Its name was Saint Helena and Dependencies until 1 September 2009, when a new constitution came into force giving the three islands equal status within the territory.[6] Despite this change, the whole territory is still commonly referred to as simply Saint Helena after its main island.[citation needed] Similarly, the demonym Saint Helenians (or "Saints") and the derived name for the local nationality is commonly understood to include Ascension Islanders and Tristanians, as well.[1][not specific enough to verify]




Contents






  • 1 History


    • 1.1 Portuguese discovery


    • 1.2 English and British colonisation


    • 1.3 World War II and subsequent military presence




  • 2 Geography


    • 2.1 Climate


    • 2.2 Territorial waters


    • 2.3 Administrative divisions




  • 3 Constitution


    • 3.1 European Union




  • 4 Religion


  • 5 Currency


  • 6 Communications


    • 6.1 Telecommunications


    • 6.2 Mail




  • 7 Flags


    • 7.1 Saint Helena


    • 7.2 Ascension Island


    • 7.3 Tristan da Cunha




  • 8 Transport


    • 8.1 Maritime transport


    • 8.2 Airports


    • 8.3 Vehicular traffic




  • 9 Maps


  • 10 See also


  • 11 References


  • 12 External links





History



Of volcanic origin, the islands of Saint Helena, Ascension Island, and Tristan da Cunha were all formerly separate colonies of the English crown, though separately discovered by several Portuguese explorers between 1502 and 1504.



Portuguese discovery


The Portuguese found Saint Helena uninhabited, with an abundance of trees and freshwater. They imported livestock, fruit trees and vegetables, and built a chapel and one or two houses. Though they formed no permanent settlement, the island became crucially important for the collection of food and as a rendezvous point for homebound voyages from Asia. English privateer Francis Drake very probably located the island on the final lap of his circumnavigation of the world (1577–1580).[7] Further visits by other English explorers followed, and, once St Helena's location was more widely known, English warships began to lie in wait in the area to attack Portuguese carracks on their way home from India. In developing their Far East trade, the Dutch also began to frequent the island and made a formal claim to it in 1633, but did not settle the isle and by 1651 largely abandoned it in favour of their colony at the Cape of Good Hope.



English and British colonisation





A View of the Town and Island of St Helena in the Atlantic Ocean belonging to the English East India Company (engraving c. 1790).


In 1657, the English East India Company was granted a charter to govern Saint Helena by Oliver Cromwell,[8] and the following year the Company decided to fortify and colonise the island with planters. The first governor, Captain John Dutton, arrived in 1659, and it is from this date that St Helena claims to be Britain’s second oldest remaining colony, after Bermuda. A fort was completed and a number of houses were built. After the Restoration of the British monarchy in 1660, the East India Company received a Royal Charter giving it the sole right to fortify and colonise the island. The fort was renamed James Fort and the town Jamestown, in honour of the Duke of York and heir apparent, later King James II of England and VII of Scotland.





Gough and Inaccessible Islands were declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1995.


The Kingdom of England became part of the new Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707 and then the United Kingdom in 1801; the British Empire grew into a global great power. The most important and first settled, the island of Saint Helena, had been governed by the East India Company since 1659. It became internationally known as the British government's chosen place of exile of Napoleon Bonaparte, who was detained on the island from October 1815 until his death on 5 May 1821, and it was made a British crown colony in 1834 by the Government of India Act 1833.[3] Unoccupied Ascension Island was garrisoned by the Royal Navy on 22 October 1815, shortly after which the end of the Age of Sail made its difficult location in the equatorial doldrums less important relative to its strategic importance as a centrally positioned naval coaling station. For similar reasons Tristan da Cunha was annexed as a dependency of the Cape Colony (British South Africa) on 14 August 1816, at the settlement of the Napoleonic wars. For a short period just previously, Tristan da Cunha had been inhabited by a private American expedition who named the territory the Islands of Refreshment.


The political union between these colonies began to take shape on 12 September 1922, when by letters patent Ascension Island became a dependency of Saint Helena. Lightly populated Tristan da Cunha, even today little more than an outpost with a population of less than three hundred, followed suit on 12 January 1938. The three island groups shared this constitutional relationship until 1 September 2009, when the dependencies were raised to equal status with St. Helena and the territory changed its name from "Saint Helena and Dependencies" to "Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha".



World War II and subsequent military presence


During the Battle of the Atlantic of World War II and the following several years of U-boat warfare in the Atlantic, both Saint Helena and Ascension Island were used by the Allies to base patrolling anti-surface-commerce-raider and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) forces against the Axis powers' naval units. Initially long range naval patrol flying boats were used in the effort, and later in the war during the struggle to improve air coverage over the commercially important sea lanes, air strips were built to support land based aircraft which supplied, augmented and complemented the PBY Catalina patrol planes in the vitally important ASW mission.


The United Kingdom and the United States still jointly operate the airfield (RAF Ascension Island) on Ascension, which also serves as a space-based communications, signals intelligence, and navigation nexus and hub (Ground station). One of only four GPS satellite ground antennas is located there.



Geography





Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, Tristan da Cunha.



The territory stretches across a huge distance of the South Atlantic Ocean with the northern-most island, Ascension, having a latitude of 7° 56′ S of the equator and the southern-most island, Gough Island, at 40° 19′ S. Between Saint Helena and Tristan da Cunha is the Tropic of Capricorn. The distance between the northern tip of Ascension Island and the southern tip of Gough Island is 2,263 miles (3,642 km) (an equivalent distance between London and the Dead Sea). The whole territory lies in the Western Hemisphere and has the same time zone: Greenwich Mean Time. Daylight saving time is not observed.


Although all three parts of the territory were formed by volcanic activity, only the Tristan da Cunha group of islands are volcanically active at the moment.


The highest point of the territory is Queen Mary's Peak on the island of Tristan da Cunha, with an elevation of 2,062 metres (6,765 ft) above sea level. The mountain is listed as an ultra prominent peak.



Climate


Because of the massive distance from north to south (over 3,600 kilometres (2,200 mi)), the territory has various climates. Ascension has a warm, arid climate, with temperatures all year long into the 20 °C. St Helena is more moderate (and arid near the coasts). Tristan da Cunha, being closer to the Antarctic Circle, is much cooler and a lot wetter. The uninhabited southernmost Gough Island is wetter and has freezing winter temperatures.



Territorial waters




Tristan da Cunha on 6 February 2013, as seen from the International Space Station.


The territorial waters of the islands extend out to 12 nautical miles (22 km) from their coastal baselines. The Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) extend 200 nautical miles (370 km) from the islands' baselines. Despite their size, the three EEZs do not overlap or touch one another, nor do they reach the EEZs of any other country or territory. The territory has the largest EEZ of any of the British overseas territories (indeed larger than the United Kingdom's) and if included in the ranking of countries by size of EEZ, the territory would be 21st, behind Portugal and ahead of the Philippines. Neither the islands nor their EEZs are the subject of any current international dispute.
































EEZs of the three parts of the territory[9]
Part km2
sq mi
Ascension Island 441,658
170,525
Saint Helena 444,916
171,783
Tristan da Cunha 754,720
291,400
Total 1,641,294 633,708

An application was made in 2008 by the United Kingdom to the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf to extend the limit of the continental shelf claim of Ascension Island beyond 200 nautical miles (370 km). The Commission recommended in 2010 that the limit not be extended beyond the standard limit, based on scientific surveys.[10]



Administrative divisions




Sh blu.gif

Administratively, the territory is divided into the same three parts as the territory's geography, namely Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. Each is governed by a council. The Governor of the territory presides over the Saint Helena Legislative Council, while he or she is represented by an Administrator on Ascension Island and an Administrator on Tristan da Cunha that preside over these two areas' Island Councils. See Constitution section below.


































































Administrative
area
Area
km2
Area
sq mi
Population[4]
Administrative
centre
Saint Helena 122 47 4,534
Jamestown
Ascension Island 88 34 806
Georgetown
Tristan da Cunha 184 71 293
Edinburgh of the Seven Seas
   Main island
98 39 293
   Inaccessible Island
14 5 0
   Nightingale Islands
3.4 1.3 0
   Gough Island
68 26 0
Total 394 152 5,633
Jamestown

The island of St Helena is then further divided into eight districts.[11]



Constitution






























Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg

This article is part of a series on the
politics and government of
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha


















  • Other countries

  • Atlas







Ascension Government House.




Map of the European Union in the world with overseas countries and territories and outermost regions


The Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Constitution Order 2009 (an Order in Council of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom) enacted a new constitution for the territory, which came into effect on 1 September 2009. Although raising Ascension and Tristan da Cunha to equal status with Saint Helena, the constitution is divided into three chapters, one for each part of the territory. Saint Helena has a Governor and a Legislative Council, whilst Tristan da Cunha and Ascension each have an Administrator and an Island Council. Notably the constitution includes (for each part of the territory) the "fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals".[6]























Part Crown representative Council
Saint Helena Governor of Saint Helena
Legislative Council of Saint Helena
Ascension Island Administrator of Ascension Island
Ascension Island Council
Tristan da Cunha Administrator of Tristan da Cunha
Tristan da Cunha Island Council

Saint Helena also has an Executive Council. The Governor of Saint Helena is the British monarch's representative across the territory. The three parts of the territory share the same Attorney General, and the same Supreme Court and Court of Appeal.



European Union


The territory is an Overseas Country or Territory of the European Union, with limited aspects of European Union membership applied to its administration, its laws and its citizens. It does not however form part of the European Union (the only British overseas territory that does is Gibraltar).



Religion


Most residents of St. Helena belong to the Anglican Communion through the Anglican Church of Southern Africa and are members of the Diocese of St Helena, which has its own bishop and includes Ascension Island.


Roman Catholics are pastorally served by the Missio sui iuris of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, whose office of ecclesiastical superior is vested in the Apostolic Prefecture of the Falkland Islands.



Currency



Saint Helena used sterling currency as in the United Kingdom until 1976 when it began to issue its own banknotes at par with sterling. In 1984, the territory also began to issue its own coinage, similar to the coinage of the United Kingdom but with different designs on the reverse. The Saint Helena currency also circulates on Ascension Island, but not in the other part of the territory, Tristan da Cunha, where UK currency circulates.


The Currency Commissioners, part of the Government of Saint Helena, issue the St Helena pound banknotes and coins. There is no central bank, with the currency pegged to pound sterling which is controlled by the Bank of England in London. The Bank of Saint Helena is the territory's only bank. The bank sets its own deposit and lending rates and has branches in Jamestown on Saint Helena and Georgetown on Ascension Island. Although the bank does not have a physical presence on Tristan da Cunha, the residents of Tristan are entitled to use its services.[12]



Communications




Telecommunications


Sure South Atlantic provide the telecommunications service in the territory. Saint Helena has the international calling code +290 which, since 2006, Tristan da Cunha shares. Telephone numbers are four digits long. Numbers start with 1–9, with 8xxx being reserved for Tristan da Cunha numbers and 2xxx for Jamestown.[13] Ascension Island has the calling code +247 and also has four-digit numbers on the island.[14] Ascension Island also held an extensive broadcast facility for international shortwave transmissions to Africa and South America.



Mail


Ascension Island, Tristan da Cunha and Saint Helena all issue their own postage stamps, which provide a significant income. The three main islands of the territory each has its own Royal Mail postal code:



  • Ascension Island: ASCN 1ZZ

  • Saint Helena: STHL 1ZZ

  • Tristan da Cunha: TDCU 1ZZ



Flags


Currently as of October 2018 there is no official flag for the whole of the overseas territory so the Flag of the United Kingdom is used for all official purposes; however, each of the three individual islands does have its own flag for official use. Between 2002 and 2013 Saint Helena and Tristan da Cunha each had their own separate flags, whilst Ascension Island used the Union Flag, and before 2002 the flag of Saint Helena was used in Tristan da Cunha for all official purposes.



Saint Helena





The flag of Saint Helena


The flag of Saint Helena was adopted on 4 October 4 1984. It is a defaced (i.e. differentiated) Blue Ensign, i.e. a blue field with the Union Jack in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the shield from the coat of arms of Saint Helena centred on the outer half of the flag. The shield features a rocky coastline and a three-masted sailing ship, with a Saint Helena plover, also known as a wirebird, atop.



Ascension Island





The flag of Ascension Island


The flag of Ascension Island was adopted on 11 May 2013 [15] The flag is a blue ensign design, defaced with the coat of arms of Ascension Island. Prior to the adoption of this flag, the island used the Union Flag of the United Kingdom for official purposes. Prior to the adoption of the current flag the Union Flag was used for all official purposes.



Tristan da Cunha





The flag of Tristan da Cunha


The flag of Tristan da Cunha was adopted on 20 October 2002, in a proclamation made by the Governor of Saint Helena under a Royal Warrant granted by Queen Elizabeth II. Prior to this, as a dependency of Saint Helena, Tristan da Cunha used the flag of Saint Helena for official purposes.


The flag is a blue ensign design, defaced with the coat of arms of Tristan da Cunha — a Tristan longboat above a Naval Crown, with a central shield decorated with four yellow-nosed albatrosses and flanked by two Tristan rock lobsters. Below this is a scroll with the territory's motto, Our faith is our strength.



Transport




Maritime transport


Each of the three main islands has a harbour or small port, situated in the islands' chief settlement (Georgetown, Jamestown, and Edinburgh). In addition St. Helena has a 118m long permanent wharf facility, built as part of the airport project, in Rupert's Bay for bulk, containerised and general cargos as well as passenger landings.[16]



Airports




The airport of Saint Helena


St. Helena Airport received its first scheduled commercial flight on 14 October 2017.[17] Commercial flights, operated by Airlink, using an Embraer E190, are scheduled from OR Tambo Airport in Johannesburg each Saturday, returning the same day (or Sunday on weekends where the extension to Ascension Island is operating).


Commercial flights between St. Helena and Ascension Island operate on the second Saturday of each month, with the aircraft returning to St. Helena on the Sunday, before continuing on to Johannesburg.[18]


A military airfield exists on Ascension Island (RAF Ascension Island), though potholes on the runway resulted in the April 2017 cancellation of all but essential personnel/supply flights as well as emergency medical evacuations.[19][20] Regular RAF flights connected Ascension with RAF Brize Norton in the UK and RAF Mount Pleasant in the Falkland Islands, a transport link called the South Atlantic Air Bridge. The flights are mainly to transport military personnel, though the RAF did allow fare-paying civilians to use them. Ascension Island is also used by the US military (which supply the base using MV Ascension) and was a designated emergency landing site for the Space Shuttle program. The islands of Tristan da Cunha can only be accessed by sea since the lack of an own airport.



Vehicular traffic


Saint Helena has 138 kilometres (86 mi)—118 kilometres (73 mi) paved and 20 kilometres (12 mi) unpaved—of roads. Tristan da Cunha has approximately 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) of paved roads, while Ascension has around 40 kilometres (25 mi) paved.[21] Each island has its own vehicle registration plate system. Traffic drives on the left in all three parts of the territory, as is the case in the United Kingdom itself. Two of the nearest countries to the islands—South Africa and Namibia—also drive on the left.



Maps




See also


  • ISO 3166-2:SH



  • Bibliography of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha

  • British Overseas Territories

  • List of towns in Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha

  • Public holidays in Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha




References





  1. ^ ab "The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency". www.cia.gov. Archived from the original on 28 December 2010. Retrieved 14 April 2018..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}


  2. ^ Pew Forum Research 2010 Archived 24 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Page 49. December 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2017.


  3. ^ ab St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Constitution Order 2009 Archived 11 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine. "...the transfer of rule of the island to His Majesty's Government on 22 April 1834 under the Government of India Act 1833, now called the Saint Helena Act 1833" (Schedule Preamble)


  4. ^ ab "Census 2016 – summary report" (PDF). St Helena Government. June 2016. p. 9. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 October 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2017.


  5. ^ "St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Constitution Order 2009, see "EXPLANATORY NOTE"". Archived from the original on 12 March 2010. Retrieved 26 September 2009.


  6. ^ ab The St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Constitution Order 2009 Archived 11 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine. The Constitution (in the Schedule to the Order).


  7. ^ Drake and St Helena, privately published by Robin Castell in 2005


  8. ^ "History: St. Helena homepage". Archived from the original on 16 July 2012. Retrieved 24 December 2009.


  9. ^ Seaaroundus.org Archived 29 December 2006 at the Wayback Machine.


  10. ^ Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Summary of recommendations re: Ascension Island


  11. ^ "Census 2016 – summary report" (PDF). St Helena Government. June 2016. p. 7. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 October 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2017.


  12. ^ "The Bank of Saint Helena". Sainthelenabank.com. Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 2010-04-18.


  13. ^ World Telephone Numbering Guide Archived 1 January 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Saint Helena and Tristan da Cunha


  14. ^ World Telephone Numbering Guide Archived 17 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Ascension Island


  15. ^ http://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/news.php/863/first-ever-ascension-island-flag-to-fly[permanent dead link]


  16. ^ Design of new permanent wharf at Rupert's Bay, St. Helena. The maritime transport is the only posibility to bring loads and passengers to Tristan da Cunha since this island does not have a own airport.

    http://www.saicerailwayandharbour.co.za/Portals/0/Papers%20and%20Articles/Technical/Rupert%27s%20Bay%20Wharf%20under%20Construction.PDF



  17. ^ "A HISTORY MAKING WEEKEND FOR ST HELENA". St Helena. 16 October 2017. Archived from the original on 20 November 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2017.


  18. ^ "FIRST COMMERCIAL FLIGHT TO ASCENSION ISLAND". St Helena. 14 November 2017. Archived from the original on 15 November 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2017.


  19. ^ "South Atlantic Airbridge ops at Ascension Island suspended". ch-aviation. Archived from the original on 28 April 2017. Retrieved 12 December 2017.


  20. ^ editor, Patrick Wintour Diplomatic (2 May 2017). "Runway potholes halt regular Ascension Island flights". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2 May 2017. Retrieved 12 December 2017.


  21. ^ CIA World Factbook Archived 28 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine. St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha




External links











  • The Official Government Website of Saint Helena

  • The Official Government Website of Ascension Island

  • The Official Tristan da Cunha Website

  • Radio Saint FM (live broadcasting from Saint Helena)

  • St Helena Online (UK-based news website, in partnership with the St Helena Independent)


  • "Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency.











Popular posts from this blog

Italian cuisine

Bulgarian cuisine

Carrot