| Background: |
Uninhabited when
first discovered by the Portuguese in 1502, St. 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. Ascension Island is the site of a US Air Force
auxiliary airfield; Gough Island has a meteorological
station. |
| Location: |
islands in the
South Atlantic Ocean, about mid-way between South America
and Africa |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
15 56 S, 5 42 W |
| Area: |
total:
410 sq km
land: 410 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes St. Helena Island, Ascension,
and the island group of Tristan da Cunha, which consists of
Tristan da Cunha Island, Gough Island, Inaccessible Island,
and the three Nightingale Islands |
| Area
- comparative: |
slightly more
than two times the size of Washington, DC |
| Maritime
claims: |
exclusive
fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
| Climate: |
Saint Helena -
tropical; marine; mild, tempered by trade winds; Tristan da
Cunha - temperate; marine, mild, tempered by trade winds
(tends to be cooler than Saint Helena) |
| Terrain: |
Saint Helena -
rugged, volcanic; small scattered plateaus and plains
note: the other islands of the group have a
volcanic origin |
| Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Queen Mary's Peak on Tristan da
Cunha 2,060 m |
| Land
use: |
arable land:
6%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 6%
forests and woodland: 6%
other: 82% (1993 est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
active volcanism
on Tristan da Cunha |
| Environment
- current issues: |
NA |
| Geography
- note: |
harbors at least
40 species of plants unknown anywhere else in the world;
Ascension is a breeding ground for sea turtles and sooty
terns |
| Population: |
7,266 (July 2001
est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
19.08% (male 699; female 687)
15-64 years: 71.72% (male 2,711; female 2,500)
65 years and over: 9.2% (male 286; female 383)
(2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
0.72% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
13.49
births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
6.33 deaths/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
0 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth:
1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.08 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female
total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2001
est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
22.38
deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 77.01 years
male: 74.13 years
female: 80.04 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
1.53 children
born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
NA% |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
NA |
| Nationality: |
noun:
Saint Helenian(s)
adjective: Saint Helenian |
| Ethnic
groups: |
African descent
50%, white 25%, Chinese 25% |
| Religions: |
Anglican
(majority), Baptist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic |
| Literacy: |
definition:
age 20 and over can read and write
total population: 97%
male: 97%
female: 98% (1987 est.) |
| Country
name: |
conventional
long form: none
conventional short form: Saint Helena |
| Dependency
status: |
overseas
territory of the UK |
| Administrative
divisions: |
1 administrative
area and 2 dependencies*; Ascension*, Saint Helena, Tristan
da Cunha* |
| Independence: |
none (overseas
territory of the UK) |
| National
holiday: |
Birthday of Queen
ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926) |
| Constitution: |
1 January 1989 |
| Suffrage: |
NA years of age |
| Executive
branch: |
chief of
state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
head of government: Governor and Commander in
Chief David HOLLAMBY (since NA June 1999)
cabinet: Executive Council consists of the
governor, two ex officio officers, and six elected members
of the Legislative Council
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary;
governor is appointed by the monarch |
| Legislative
branch: |
unicameral
Legislative Council (15 seats, including the speaker, 3 ex
officio and 12 elected members; members are elected by
popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 9 July 1997 (next to be
held NA August 2001)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats
- independents 15 |
| Judicial
branch: |
Supreme Court;
Magistrate's Court; Small Debts Court; Juvenile Court |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
none |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
none |
| International
organization participation: |
ICFTU |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
none (overseas
territory of the UK) |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
none (overseas
territory of the UK) |
| 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
- 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, the raising of 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. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power
parity - $18 million (1998 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
NA% |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $2,500 (1998 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA% |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
3.2% (1997 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
3,500 (1998 est.)
note: 1,200 of whom are working offshore |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
agriculture and
fishing 6%, industry (mainly construction) 48%, services 46%
(1987 est.) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
14% (1998 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$11.2 million
expenditures: $11 million, including capital
expenditures of $NA (FY92) |
| Industries: |
construction,
crafts (furniture, lacework, fancy woodwork), fishing |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
NA% |
| Electricity
- production: |
6 million kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
5.6 million kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
corn, potatoes,
vegetables; timber; fish, crawfish (on Tristan da Cunha) |
| Exports: |
$704,000 (f.o.b.,
1995) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
fish (frozen,
canned, and salt-dried skipjack, tuna), coffee, handicrafts |
| Exports
- partners: |
South Africa, UK |
| Imports: |
$14.434 million
(c.i.f., 1995) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
food, beverages,
tobacco, fuel oils, animal feed, building materials, motor
vehicles and parts, machinery and parts |
| Imports
- partners: |
UK, South Africa |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$12.6 million
(1995); note - $5.3 million from UK (1997) |
| Currency: |
Saint Helenian
pound (SHP) |
| Exchange
rates: |
Saint Helenian
pounds per US dollar - 0.6764 (January 2001), 0.6596 (2000),
0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6047 (1997), 0.6403 (1996);
note - the Saint Helenian pound is at par with the British
pound |
| Fiscal
year: |
1 April - 31
March |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
2,000 (1997) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
0 (1997) |
| Telephone
system: |
general
assessment: can communicate with any place in the
world
domestic: automatic network
international: HF radiotelephone from Saint
Helena to Ascension which is a major coaxial submarine cable
relay point between South Africa, Portugal, and UK ;
satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 1, FM 0,
shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
0 (1997) |
| Televisions: |
2,000 (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.sh |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
1 (2000) |
| Communications
- note: |
Gough Island has
a meteorological station |
| Highways: |
total:
158 km (Saint Helena 118 km, Ascension 40 km, Tristan da
Cunha 0 km)
paved: 138 km (Saint Helena 98km, Ascension 40
km, Tristan da Cunha 0 km)
unpaved: NA km 20 km (Saint Helena 20 km,
Ascension 0 km, Tristan da Cunha 0 km) |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Georgetown (on
Ascension), Jamestown |
| Merchant
marine: |
none (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total:
1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
| Military
- note: |
defense is the
responsibility of the UK |
| Disputes
- international: |
none |
|
