Location of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha (circled in red). Ascension is the northernmost circle, Tristan da Cunha is the two adjacent circles in the far south, and Saint Helena is in the middle. The United Kingdom is located at the top in white.
Ofvolcanic origin, the islands ofSaint Helena, Ascension Island, andTristan da Cunha were all formerly separate colonies of theEnglish crown, though separately discovered by several Portuguese explorers between 1502 and 1504.
ThePortuguese found Saint Helena uninhabited, with an abundance of trees and fresh water. 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 privateerFrancis Drake very probably located the island on the final lap of his circumnavigation of the world (1577–1580).[6] 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 Portuguesecarracks on their way home fromIndia. In developing their Far East trade, theDutch also began to frequent the island. They 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 theCape of Good Hope.
A View of the Town and Island of St Helena in the Atlantic Ocean belonging to theEnglish East India Company (engravingc. 1790)
In 1657, the EnglishEast India Company was granted a charter to govern Saint Helena byOliver Cromwell,[7] and the following year the Company decided to fortify the island and colonise it 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, afterBermuda. Afort was completed and a number of houses were built. Afterthe 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 renamedJames Fort and the townJamestown, in honour of the Duke of York and heir apparent, later KingJames II of England and VII of Scotland.
TheKingdom of England became part of the newKingdom of Great Britain in 1707 and then theUnited Kingdom in 1801; theBritish Empire grew into a globalgreat power. The island of Saint Helena became internationally known as the British government's chosen place of exile ofNapoleon Bonaparte, who was detained on the island from October 1815 until his death on 5 May 1821, and it was made a Britishcrown colony in 1834 by theGovernment of India Act 1833.[1] UnoccupiedAscension Island was garrisoned by theRoyal Navy on 22 October 1815, shortly after which the end of the Age of Sail made its difficult location in the equatorialdoldrums less important relative to its strategic importance as a centrally positioned naval coaling station. For similar reasonsTristan da Cunha was annexed as a dependency of theCape Colony (British South Africa) on 14 August 1816, at the settlement of theNapoleonic Wars. For a short period just previously, Tristan da Cunha had been inhabited by a private American expedition who named the territory theIslands of Refreshment.
The political union between these colonies began to take shape on 12 September 1922, when byletters 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 territories changed its name from "Saint Helena and Dependencies" to "Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha".
During theBattle of the Atlantic ofWorld War II and the following several years ofU-boat warfare in the Atlantic, both Saint Helena and Ascension Island were used by theAllies to base patrolling anti-surface-commerce-raider andanti-submarine warfare (ASW) forces against theAxis powers' naval units. Initially long range naval patrolflying boats were used in the effort, and later in the war during the struggle to improve air coverage over thecommercially important sea lanes, air strips were built to support land based aircraft which supplied, augmented and complemented thePBY 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 fourGPS satellite ground antennas is located there.
The territories stretch across a huge distance of the South Atlantic Ocean with the northernmost island, Ascension, having alatitude of7° 56′ S of the equator and the southernmost island,Gough Island, at40° 19′ S. Between Saint Helena and Tristan da Cunha is theTropic of Capricorn. The distance between the northern tip of Ascension Island and the southern tip of Gough Island is 3,642 kilometres (2,263 mi) (an equivalent distance between London and theDead Sea). The three territories lie in theWestern Hemisphere and have the same time zone:Greenwich Mean Time.Daylight saving time is not observed.
Although all three territories were formed byvolcanic activity, only the Tristan da Cunha group of islands are volcanically active at the moment.
The highest point of the territories isQueen 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 anultra prominent peak.
Because of the massive distance from north to south (over 3,600 km (2,200 mi)), the territories have various climates. Ascension has a warm, arid climate, with temperatures all year long reaching above 20 °C (68 °F). St Helena is more moderate (and arid near the coasts). Tristan da Cunha, being closer to theAntarctic Circle, is much cooler and a lot wetter. The uninhabited southernmostGough Island is wetter and has freezing winter temperatures.
Theterritorial waters of the islands extend out to 12 nautical miles (22 km) from theircoastal baselines. TheExclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) extend 200 nautical miles (370 km) from the islands' baselines. The three EEZs do not overlap or touch one another, nor do they reach the EEZs of any other country or territory. The territories have thelargest EEZ of any of the British overseas territories (indeed larger than the United Kingdom's) and if included in theranking of countries by size of EEZ, the territories would be 21st, behind Portugal and ahead of the Philippines. Neither the islands nor their EEZs are the subject of any current international dispute.
An application was made in 2008 by the United Kingdom to theUnited Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf to extend the limit of thecontinental 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.[9]
Administratively, each territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha is governed by a council. The Governor of the territory presides over theSaint Helena Legislative Council, and an Administrator on Ascension Island and an Administrator on Tristan da Cunha preside over these two areas' Island Councils. SeeConstitution section below.
KingCharles III is the head of state of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha.Ascension Government House
TheSt Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Constitution Order 2009 (anOrder in Council of thePrivy Council of the United Kingdom) enacted a new constitution for the territory, which came into effect on 1 September 2009, and elevated Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha from being dependencies of Saint Helena to equal constituent parts. Each constituent part has its own government, however the constitution order states thatGovernor of Saint Helena isex officio also theGovernor of Ascension and theGovernor of Tristan da Cunha.[11] Due to the distance between the three constituent parts of the territory the Ascension and Tristan da Cunha each have an Administrator who represents the Governor when they are off island. Notably the constitution includes (for each territory) the "fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals".[12]
Saint Helena also has an Executive Council. The Governor of Saint Helena is theBritish monarch's representative. The three territories share the same Attorney General, and the sameSupreme Court and Court of Appeal.
In 1821 a copperhalfpenny was struck specifically for use in St. Helena, which subsequently intermingled with British coinage.
Saint Helena usedsterling 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 for both St. Helena and Ascension Island, with the same sizes as the coinage of the United Kingdom. Also similar to British coinage, Queen Elizabeth II is found on the obverse, but the reverse have quite different designs referring to the territory. Whereas the coins are struck with "Saint Helena • Ascension", the banknotes only say, "Government of St. Helena". Commemorative coins are struck separately for the two entities and say either just "St. Helena" or "Ascencion Island". The Saint Helena pound also circulates on Ascension Island, but not in the other territory,Tristan da Cunha, where UK currency circulates.
The Currency Commissioners, part of theGovernment of Saint Helena, issue theSt Helena pound banknotes and coins. There is nocentral bank; the currency is pegged to the pound sterling, which is controlled by theBank of England in London. TheBank 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.[15]
Sure South Atlantic provide the telecommunications service in the territories. Saint Helena has theinternational calling code+290 which, since 2006, Tristan da Cunha shares. Since 2013, telephone numbers have been five digits long, with fixed line numbers beginning with "2" and mobile numbers with "5" or "6".[16] Ascension Island has a separate country code,+247 and also has five-digit numbers on the island, having changed in 2015.[17] Ascension Island also held an extensive broadcast facility for international shortwave transmissions to Africa and South America.
Ascension Island, Tristan da Cunha and Saint Helena all issue their own postage stamps, which provide a significant income. The three territories each have their ownRoyal Mailpostal code:
TheFlag of the United Kingdom is used for all official purposes; and each of the three territories has 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 theUnion Flag, and before 2002 the flag of Saint Helena was used in Tristan da Cunha for all official purposes.
The flag ofSaint Helena was adopted on 4 October 1984. It is adefaced (i.e. differentiated)Blue Ensign, i.e. a blue field with theUnion Jack in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the shield from thecoat 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 aSaint Helena plover, also known as a wirebird, atop. It was updated in 2018 to depict a more realistic-looking wirebird.
The flag is ablue ensign design, defaced with thecoat of arms of Tristan da Cunha – a Tristan longboat above a Naval Crown, with a central shield decorated with four yellow-nosedalbatrosses and flanked by twoTristan rock lobsters. Below this is a scroll with the territory's motto,Our faith is our strength.
Each of the three main islands has a harbour or small port, situated in the islands' chief settlements (Georgetown, Jamestown, and Edinburgh). In addition, St. Helena has a 118 m-long (387 ft) permanent wharf facility, built as part of the airport project, in Rupert's Bay for bulk, containerised, and general cargos, as well as for passenger landings.[19]
St. Helena Airport received its first scheduled commercial flight on 14 October 2017.[20] Commercial flights, operated by Airlink using anEmbraer E190, are scheduled fromOR Tambo Airport in Johannesburg each Saturday, returning the same day (or Sunday when 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.[21]
There is a military airfield 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.[22][23] RegularRAF flights connected Ascension withRAF Brize Norton in the UK andRAF Mount Pleasant in theFalkland 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 usingMVAscension) and was a designated emergency landing site for theSpace Shuttle program.
The islands of Tristan da Cunha can only be accessed by sea due to the lack of an airport.
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 mi) of paved roads, whileAscension has around 40 kilometres (25 mi) paved.[24] Each island has itsown vehicle registration plate system. Trafficdrives on the left in all three territories, as in the United Kingdom. Two of the nearest countries to the islands—South Africa andNamibia—also drive on the left.
^Donaldson, Warwick; Patel, Sahil (May 2016)."Design of new permanent wharf at Rupert's Bay, St. Helena"(PDF).Civil Engineering. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 3 September 2018. Retrieved14 November 2017. The maritime transport is the only possibility to bring loads and passengers to Tristan da Cunha since this island does not have its own airport.
Booy, D. M. –Rock of Exile: A Narrative of Tristan da Cunha.
Brander, J. –Tristan da Cunha, 1506-1902.
Brinck, Per –Coleoptera of Tristan da Cunha.
Chaplin, Arnold –Thomas Short (Principal Medical Officer of St. Helena). With Biographies of Some Other Medical Men Associated with the Case of Napoleon From 1815-1821.
Christopherson, Erling –Tristan da Cunha, the Lonely Isle.
Christopherson, Erling and R. L. Benham –Tristan da Cunha, the Lonely Isle.
Crawford, Allan –Tristan da Cunha and the 'Roaring Forties'.
Gill, Mrs. –Six Months in Ascension 1, Vol., 12 mo
Gosse, Philip –Helena, 1502-1938.
Hall, Basil, Captain –Voyage to the Eastern Seas in the Year 1816; Including an Account of Captain Maxwell’s Attack on the Batteries at Canton; And Notes of an Interview with Bonaparte at St. Helena, in August 1817.
Kemble, James –St. Helena During Napoleon’s Exile: Gorrequer’s Diary.
Kiser, C. V. –A Study of St.-Helena Islanders in Harlem and Other Urban Centers.
Martineau, Gilbert and Frances Partridge –Napoleon’s St. Helena.
Masson, Frederic and Louis B. Frewer –Napoleon at St. Helena, 1815-1821.
Munch, Peter A. –Crisis in Utopia: The Ordeal of Tristan da Cunha.
Munch, Peter A. –Sociology of Tristan da Cunha: Results of the Norwegian Scientific Expedition to Tristan da Cunha, 1937-8, No. 13.
Munch, Peter A. –The Song Tradition of Tristan da Cunha.
Rowlands, Beau W., Trevor Trueman, Storrs L. Olson, M. Neil McCulloch, and Richard K. Brooke –The Birds of St. Helena.
Shine, Ian and Reynold Gold –Serendipity in St. Helena: A Genetical and Medical Study of an Isolated Community.
Stewart, C. S. –A Visit to the South Seas in theUnited States' Ship Vincennes, during the Years 1829 and 1830, with Scenes in Brazil, Peru, Manila, the Cape of Good Hope, and St. Helena.
Stonehouse, Bernard –Wideawake Island: The Story of the B. O. U. Centenary Expedition to Ascension.
Wace, N. M. and M. W. Holdgate –The Vegetation of Tristan da Cunha.
Weider, Ben and Sten Forschufvud –Assassination at St. Helena Revisited.
Zettersten, Arne –The English of Tristan da Cunha.
24Claimed in 1908; territory formed 1962; overlaps portions of Argentine and Chilean claims, borders not enforced but claim not renounced under theAntarctic Treaty.
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