NationMaster - Encyclopedia: St. Helena

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. For other uses, see Atlantic (disambiguation) The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one-fifth of its surface. ... Angola is a country in southwestern Africa bordering Namibia, Congo-Kinshasa, and Zambia, and with a west coast along the Atlantic Ocean. ... A United Kingdom overseas territory (formerly known as a dependent territory or earlier as a crown colony) is a territory that is under the sovereignty and formal control of the United Kingdom but is not part of the United Kingdom proper ( Great Britain and Northern Ireland). ... Ascension Island is a Crown Colony of the United Kingdom located in the South Atlantic Ocean. ... Tristan da Cunha is a remote island in the south Atlantic Ocean, at latitude 37°S, longitude 12°W. It is a dependency of St. ...

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: Jamestown (population c. ... Ascension Island is a Crown Colony of the United Kingdom located in the South Atlantic Ocean. ... Georgetown is the capital of Ascension Island. ... Tristan da Cunha is a remote island in the south Atlantic Ocean, at latitude 37°S, longitude 12°W. It is a dependency of St. ... Jamestown (population c. ...

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. Ascension Island is a Crown Colony of the United Kingdom located in the South Atlantic Ocean. ... Tristan da Cunha is a remote island in the south Atlantic Ocean, at latitude 37°S, longitude 12°W. It is a dependency of St. ...

The island of Saint Helena issues its own currency, the Pound, which is linked to the Pound Sterling. ... -1... UTC also stands for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Coordinated Universal Time or UTC, also sometimes referred to as Zulu time, is an atomic realization of Universal Time or Greenwich mean time, the astronomical basis for civil time. ... The National Anthem is the name of a song by the band Radiohead. ... This article is on the British patriotic anthem. ... A top-level domain (TLD) is the last part of which Internet domain names consist of. ... .sh is the Internet country code top-level domain ( ccTLD) for Saint Helena. ...

History

See main article History of Saint Helena. Uninhabited when first discovered by the Portuguese in 1502, who named it for Helena of Constantinople, the island now known as Saint Helena was garrisoned by the British during the 17th century. ...

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. The age of sail is the period in which international trade and naval warfare were both dominated by sailing ships. ... Any ship is a total institution; a sailing ship on the open seas, being dependent on the winds, is especially isolated; in the age of sail, the technology of shipboard life and the lack of technology for communicating emergencies and of timely means of rescue made ships the probable epitome... 1881 drawing of the Suez Canal The Suez Canal ( Arabic, Qanā al-Suways), west of the Sinai Peninsula, forms a 163 km (118 miles) ship canal in Egypt between Port Said (Būr Saīd) on the Mediterranean Sea and Suez (al-Suways) on the Red Sea. ... Western Europe is distinguished from Eastern Europe by differences of history and culture rather than by geography. ... The Indian Ocean is the third-largest body of water in the world, covering about 20% of the Earths water surface. ...

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. Bonaparte as general Napoleon Bonaparte ( 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821) was a general of the French Revolution and was the ruler of France as First Consul (Premier Consul) of the French Republic from November 11, 1799 to May 18, 1804, then as Emperor of the French (Empereur des Français... Boer guerrillas during the Second Boer War There were two Boer wars, one in December 16, 1880- March 23, 1881 and the second from October 11, 1899- May 31, 1902 both between the British and the settlers of Dutch origin (called Boere, Afrikaners or Voortrekkers) in South Africa that put... General Piet Arnoldus Cronje (1840?-4 February 1911) was a leader of the Zuid Afrika Republics military forces during the Anglo-Boer wars. ...

Demographics

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. Economy - overview: The economy depends largely on financial assistance from the UK, which amounted to about $5 million in 1998. ...

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.

The Saint Helenian pound is the local currency, and is on a par with the Pound Sterling. The government of St. Helena produces its own coinage and banknotes. The island of Saint Helena issues its own currency, the Pound, which is linked to the Pound Sterling. ... The pound sterling, which strictly speaking refers to basic currency unit of sterling, now the pound, can generally refer to the currency of the United Kingdom (UK). ... The British overseas territory of St Helena and Ascension have their own currency, the Saint Helenian pound, which is linked to the Pound Sterling. ... A £20 Ulster Bank banknote. ...

Geography

See main article Geography of Saint Helena. Location: islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, about mid-way between South America and Africa Geographic coordinates: 15 56 S, 5 42 W Map references: Africa Area: total: 410 km² land: 410 km² water: 0 km² note: includes Saint Helena Island (121 km²), Ascension, and the island group of Tristan...

Politics

See main article Politics of Saint Helena. Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Saint Helena Data code: SH Dependency status: overseas territory of the UK Government type: NA Capital: Jamestown Administrative divisions: 1 administrative area and 2 dependencies*; Ascension*, Saint Helena, Tristan da Cunha* Independence: none (overseas territory of the United Kingdom) National holiday...

Communications

See main article Communications on Saint Helena. Telephones - main lines in use: 2,000 (1997) Telephones - mobile cellular: 0 (1997) Telephone system: domestic: automatic network; HF radiotelephone from Saint Helena to Ascension, then into worldwide submarine cable and satellite networks international: HF radiotelephone from Saint Helena to Ascension, which is a major coaxial submarine cable relay point...

Transport

See main article Transport on Saint Helena. Saint Helena has no major railways, and most of the highways are on the island of Saint Helena, which has 118 km (98 km paved and 20 unpaved). ...

Military

See main article Military of Saint Helena. Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK See also : Saint Helena Categories: Military stubs | Saint Helena ...

External links

Capitals Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Santa Cruz de Tenerife Area – Total – % of Spain Ranked 13th 7 447 km 1,5% Population – Total (2003) – % of Spain – Density Ranked 8th 1 843 755 4,4% 247,58/km Demonym – English – Spanish Canary Islander canario/a Statute of Autonomy August 16, 1982... Ceuta is a Spanish exclave in North Africa, located on the northernmost tip of Maghreb, on the Mediterranean coast near the Straits of Gibraltar. ... Melilla, known in Arabic as مليلة, and in Tamazight as Tamlit is a Spanish autonomous city on the coast of eastern Morocco, in North Africa. ... For other uses of the word, see Madeira (disambiguation) Madeira Islands location. ... Mayotte is an overseas collectivity of France at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean, between northern Madagascar and northern Mozambique, in the Comoros Archipelago. ... Réunion is an island, as well as an overseas département (département doutre-mer, or DOM) of France, located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar. ...

Categories: Saint Helena A United Kingdom overseas territory (formerly known as a dependent territory or earlier as a crown colony) is a territory that is under the sovereignty and formal control of the United Kingdom but is not part of the United Kingdom proper (Great Britain and Northern Ireland). ... Union Flag / Union Jack: Flag of the United Kingdom For more information, see Court of the Lord Lyon, Flags. ... Map of Akrotiri (Western) SBA Akrotiri (also known as the Western Sovereign Base Area or WSBA) and Dhekelia (also known as the Eastern Sovereign Base Area or ESBA) are UK Sovereign Base Areas (SBAs) in Cyprus, a former British Crown Colony. ... National motto: Each Endeavouring, All Achieving Official language English Political status Non-sovereign, Overseas territory of the U.K Capital The Valley Governor Alan Huckle Chief Minister Osbourne Fleming Area - Total - % water Ranked n/a 91 km² Negligible Population - Total (2002) - Density 12,800 140/km² Currency East Caribbean dollar... Bermuda is an internally self-governing island Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom, situated in the Atlantic Ocean. ... British claim to land and islands in Antarctica, and is the oldest territorial claim on the continent. ... National motto: In tutela nostra Limuria (Limuria is in our charge) Official language English Capital Diego Garcia Largest city Diego Garcia Island Commissioner Tony Crombie Administrator Tony Humphries Area - Total - % water Ranked 78 (United Kingdom) 60 km² 0 Population - Total - Density uninhabited N/Akm² GDP - Total - GDP/head N/A... The British Virgin Islands are a group of over 50 islands and Cays located in the northeast Caribbean. ... National motto: He hath founded it upon the seas Official language English Capital George Town Capitals coordinates 19. ... The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic consisting of two main islands, East Falkland and West Falkland, and a number of smaller islands. ... Motto: Nulli Expugnabilis Hosti (Latin: Conquered By No Enemy) Languages English (official), an English-influenced Spanish dialect called Llanito is also spoken Capital (Gibraltar) Coordinates 36°07′ N 5°21′ W Governor and Commander-in-Chief Sir Francis Richards Chief Minister Peter Caruana Area - Total - % water not ranked (192 if... National motto: Montserrat Nice Official language English Political status Non-sovereign, Overseas territory of the U.K Capital Plymouth (now uninhabited) Governor Deborah Barnes Jones Chief Minister John Osborne Area - Total - % water Ranked n/a 91 km² Negligible Population - Total (2003) - Density Ranked n/a - 9,000 - 102/km² Currency... National motto: ? Official language English (Pitcairnese also spoken) Capital Adamstown Governor Richard Fell Mayor Jay Warren (elected on December 15 2004) Area - Total - % water 47 km² Negligible Population - Total (2003) - Density 48 1/km² Dependent area of United Kingdom Currency New Zealand dollar Time zone UTC -8 National anthem None... Ascension Island is a Crown Colony of the United Kingdom located in the South Atlantic Ocean. ... Tristan da Cunha is a remote island in the south Atlantic Ocean, at latitude 37°S, longitude 12°W. It is a dependency of St. ... South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom, also claimed by Argentina as part of Tierra del Fuego province (because of that, some of the islands have also Spanish names). ... The Turks and Caicos Islands is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom consisting of two groups of tropical islands in the Caribbean, southeast of the Bahamas, at 21°45N, 71°35W. The thirty islands total 166 sq. ...

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