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Saint Helena is a volcanic and tropical island, located in the South Atlantic Ocean, some 1,874 km (1,165 miles) west of mainland Africa, with Angola and Namibia being the closest nations, geographically.
- Jamestown
Jamestown is the capital city of the British Overseas...
- Flag of Saint Helena
Fixed the plover, based on a high resolution image provided...
- Legislative Council of Saint Helena
The Legislative Council of Saint Helena is the unicameral...
- Saint Helena of Constantinople
Flavia Julia Helena (/ ˈ h ɛ l ə n ə /; Greek: Ἑλένη,...
- My Saint Helena Island
My Saint Helena Island is the unofficial regional anthem of...
- Demographics of Saint Helena
Saint Helena is the most populous part of Saint Helena,...
- History of Saint Helena
Saint Helena has a known history of over 500 years since its...
- Briars Pavilion
The willow grew nearby Napoleon's grave on St Helena and...
- Melanodendron
Melanodendron is a genus of trees in the family Asteraceae,...
- Longwood
The district is second only in size to Blue Hill, and...
- Jamestown
- Overview
- Land
- People
- Economy
- Government and society
Saint Helena, island and British overseas territory in the South Atlantic Ocean. It lies about 1,200 miles (1,950 km) west of the southwestern coast of Africa.
St. Helena has a maximum length (southwest-northeast) of 10.5 miles (17 km) and a maximum breadth of 6.5 miles (10 km). The capital and port is Jamestown. St. Helena is part of the British overseas territory of St. Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha; Ascension Island is approximately 700 miles (1,100 km) to the northwest, and the island group of Tristan da Cunha is some 1,300 miles (2,100 km) to the south. Area island of St. Helena, 47 square miles (122 square km). Pop. (2021) island of St. Helena, 4,439.
Of volcanic origin, St. Helena has much volcanic ash and many conspicuous rock features, but volcanic activity on the island is now extinct. Perpendicular cliffs rise 1,600 to 2,300 feet (490 to 700 metres) on the eastern, northern, and western sides of the island. A semicircular rim of mountains north of Sandy Bay includes the island’s two highest points, Diana Peak (2,690 feet [820 metres]) and Mount Actaeon (2,625 feet [800 metres]). South of the mountains, water-cut gorges are dispersed, becoming deep valleys near the sea. Springs are numerous. The only practicable place for ship landings is on the island’s northwestern side at James Bay, from which a narrow valley extends 1.5 miles (2.4 km) inland. In this valley is nestled the town and port of Jamestown.
St. Helena lies in the path of cool South Atlantic trade winds, and its climate is temperate, with warm summers and only slightly cooler winters. Annual rainfall ranges from 8 inches (200 mm) at sea level and more than 30 inches (760 mm) at the island’s centre.
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The island’s population is largely of mixed European (mostly British), South and East Asian, and African descent. English is the only language spoken, and the majority of the people are Anglicans. Jamestown, the only town among the settlements on St. Helena, has about one-sixth of the island’s population.
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Less than one-third of the island is suitable for farming or forestry. Principal crops are corn (maize), potatoes, and green vegetables. Poultry, sheep, goats, cattle, and pigs are raised. Some coffee is grown for export. There are no minerals and virtually no industry, but some locally grown timber is used for construction purposes. Fish, primarily tuna, are caught in the waters around St. Helena; some is frozen at a cold-storage facility in the vicinity, and the remainder is dried and salted on the island. Virtually the entire output is exported.
About two-thirds of the colony’s budget is provided by the United Kingdom in the form of a subsidy; the remainder is raised from the sale of postage stamps and from customs duties and wharf fees. The island began developing tourism on a small scale in the late 1990s. Unemployment is a persistent problem, and many residents work abroad, especially on Ascension Island.
As outlined in the constitution of St. Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha (2009), the executive authority of the territory is vested in the British monarch, represented by a governor appointed by the monarch. St. Helena, Tristan da Cunha, and Ascension share the same governor, attorney general, Supreme Court, and Court of Appeal but have separate legislatures. The governor presides over and is advised by the Executive Council, which comprises three ex officio members—the chief secretary, the financial secretary, and the attorney general—and five members of the Legislative Council, who are elected to serve on the Executive Council for two-year terms. The legislature of St. Helena consists of the British monarch (nominally) and the Legislative Council, which has a speaker, a deputy speaker, the same three ex officio members who serve on the Executive Council, and 12 members who are elected to four-year terms (though the governor can dissolve the legislature before the end of the full term, at which time new elections are held).
The territory’s residents are British subjects. Legislation passed in Britain in 1981 established that they were not full citizens of the United Kingdom, as had been traditionally held. This greatly limited the population’s opportunities for employment abroad, and the territory’s constitutional relationship with Britain continued to come under periodic review and amendment. The British Overseas Territories Act (2002) granted British citizenship to the people of the overseas territories, including those of St. Helena, Tristan da Cunha, and Ascension.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
See also: History of Saint Helena. 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.
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St Helena island. Saint Helena is an island in the South Atlantic Ocean, about midway between South America and Africa. St Helena has a land area of 122 square kilometres and is part of the territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha which includes Ascension Island and the island group of Tristan da Cunha .
Saint Helena is an island of volcanic origin in the South Atlantic Ocean at 15°57′S 5°43′W. It is named after Saint Helena of Constantinople. It is part of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, [3] which also includes Ascension Island and the islands of Tristan da Cunha.
