Legend:
Definition
Field Listing
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Background:
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Uninhabited when first discovered by the Portuguese in 1502, Saint 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.
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Location:
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islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, about midway between South America and Africa
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Geographic coordinates:
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15 56 S, 5 42 W
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Map references:
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Africa
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Area:
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total: 410 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
water: 0 sq km
land: 410 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC
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Land boundaries:
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0 km
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Coastline:
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60 km
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Maritime claims:
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exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
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Climate:
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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)
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Terrain:
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Saint Helena - rugged, volcanic; small scattered plateaus and plains
note: the other islands of the group have a volcanic origin
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Queen Mary's Peak on Tristan da Cunha 2,060 m
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Natural resources:
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fish
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Land use:
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arable land: 13%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 87% (1998 est.)
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Irrigated land:
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NA sq km
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Natural hazards:
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active volcanism on Tristan da Cunha
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Environment - current issues:
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NA
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Geography - note:
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harbors at least 40 species of plants unknown anywhere else in the world; Ascension is a breeding ground for sea turtles and sooty terns
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Population:
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7,317 (July 2002 est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 18.8% (male 698; female 678)
15-64 years: 71.9% (male 2,727; female 2,531)
65 years and over: 9.3% (male 296; female 387) (2002 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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0.7% (2002 est.)
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Birth rate:
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13.26 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
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Death rate:
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6.29 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
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Net migration rate:
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0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.08 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female
total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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21.54 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 77.2 years
female: 80.23 years (2002 est.)
male: 74.31 years
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Total fertility rate:
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1.53 children born/woman (2002 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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NA%
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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NA
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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NA
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Nationality:
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noun: Saint Helenian(s)
adjective: Saint Helenian
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Ethnic groups:
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African descent 50%, white 25%, Chinese 25%
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Religions:
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Anglican (majority), Baptist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic
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Languages:
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English
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Literacy:
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definition: age 20 and over can read and write
total population: 97%
male: 97%
female: 98% (1987 est.)
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Economy - overview:
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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.
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $18 million (1998 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate:
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NA%
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $2,500 (1998 est.)
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
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Population below poverty line:
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NA%
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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3.2% (1997 est.)
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Labor force:
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3,500 (1998 est.)
note: 1,200 work offshore
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture and fishing 6%, industry (mainly construction) 48%, services 46% (1987 est.)
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Unemployment rate:
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14% (1998 est.)
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Budget:
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revenues: $11.2 million
expenditures: $11 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY92)
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Industries:
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construction, crafts (furniture, lacework, fancy woodwork), fishing
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Industrial production growth rate:
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NA%
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Electricity - production:
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5 million kWh (2000)
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%
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Electricity - consumption:
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4.65 million kWh (2000)
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2000)
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh (2000)
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Agriculture - products:
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corn, potatoes, vegetables; timber; fish, crawfish (on Tristan da Cunha)
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Exports:
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$704,000 (f.o.b., 1995)
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Exports - commodities:
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fish (frozen, canned, and salt-dried skipjack, tuna), coffee, handicrafts
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Exports - partners:
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South Africa, UK
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Imports:
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$14.434 million (c.i.f., 1995)
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Imports - commodities:
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food, beverages, tobacco, fuel oils, animal feed, building materials, motor vehicles and parts, machinery and parts
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Imports - partners:
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UK, South Africa
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Debt - external:
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$NA
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$12.6 million (1995); note - $5.3 million from UK (1997)
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Currency:
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Saint Helenian pound (SHP)
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Currency code:
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SHP
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Exchange rates:
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Saint Helenian pounds per US dollar - 0.6981 (January 2002), 0.6944 (2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6047 (1997); note - the Saint Helenian pound is at par with the British pound
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Fiscal year:
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1 April - 31 March
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Military - note:
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defense is the responsibility of the UK
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Disputes - international:
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none
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This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
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