Legend:
 Definition
 Field Listing
 Rank Order
|
Background:
|
Saint Helena is a British Overseas Territory consisting of Saint Helena and Ascension Islands, and the island group of Tristan da Cunha.
Saint Helena: 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. During the Anglo-Boer War in South Africa, several thousand Boer prisoners were confined on the island between 1900 and 1903.
Ascension Island: This barren and uninhabited island was discovered and named by the Portuguese in 1503. The British garrisoned the island in 1815 to prevent a rescue of Napoleon from Saint Helena and it served as a provisioning station for the Royal Navy's West Africa Squadron on anti-slavery patrol. The island remained under Admiralty control until 1922, when it became a dependency of Saint Helena. During World War II, the UK permitted the US to construct an airfield on Ascension in support of trans-Atlantic flights to Africa and anti-submarine operations in the South Atlantic. In the 1960s the island became an important space tracking station for the US. In 1982, Ascension was an essential staging area for British forces during the Falklands War, and it remains a critical refueling point in the air-bridge from the UK to the South Atlantic.
Tristan da Cunha: The island group consists of the islands of Tristan da Cunha, Nightingale, Inaccessible, and Gough. Tristan da Cunha is named after its Portuguese discoverer (1506); it was garrisoned by the British in 1816 to prevent any attempt to rescue Napoleon from Saint Helena. Gough and Inaccessible Islands have been designated World Heritage Sites. South Africa leases the site for a meteorological station on Gough Island.
|
|
Population:
|
7,502
note: only Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha islands are inhabited (July 2006 est.)
|
|
Age structure:
|
0-14 years: 18.8% (male 717/female 692)
15-64 years: 71.2% (male 2,751/female 2,593)
65 years and over: 10% (male 342/female 407) (2006 est.)
|
|
Median age:
|
total: 36 years
male: 36.2 years
female: 35.8 years (2006 est.)
|
|
Population growth rate:
|
0.56% (2006 est.)
|
|
Birth rate:
|
12.13 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
|
|
Death rate:
|
6.53 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
|
|
Net migration rate:
|
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
|
|
Sex ratio:
|
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
|
|
Infant mortality rate:
|
total: 18.34 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 21.96 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 14.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
|
|
Life expectancy at birth:
|
total population: 77.93 years
male: 75.02 years
female: 80.98 years (2006 est.)
|
|
Total fertility rate:
|
1.55 children born/woman (2006 est.)
|
|
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
|
NA
|
|
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
|
NA
|
|
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
|
NA
|
|
Nationality:
|
noun: Saint Helenian(s)
adjective: Saint Helenian
note: referred to locally as "Saints"
|
|
Ethnic groups:
|
African descent 50%, white 25%, Chinese 25%
|
|
Religions:
|
Anglican (majority), Baptist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic
|
|
Languages:
|
English
|
|
Literacy:
|
definition: age 20 and over can read and write
total population: 97%
male: 97%
female: 98% (1987 est.)
|
|
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, raising 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 (official exchange rate):
|
NA
|
|
GDP - real growth rate:
|
NA%
|
|
GDP - per capita (PPP):
|
$2,500 (1998 est.)
|
|
GDP - composition by sector:
|
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
|
|
Labor force:
|
3,500
note: 1,200 work offshore (1998 est.)
|
|
Labor force - by occupation:
|
agriculture: 6%
industry: 48%
services: 46% (1987 est.)
|
|
Unemployment rate:
|
14% (1998 est.)
|
|
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.)
|
|
Budget:
|
revenues: $11.2 million
expenditures: $11 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (FY92/93)
|
|
Agriculture - products:
|
coffee, corn, potatoes, vegetables; timber; fish, lobster (on Tristan da Cunha)
|
|
Industries:
|
construction, crafts (furniture, lacework, fancy woodwork), fishing, philatelic sales
|
|
Industrial production growth rate:
|
NA%
|
|
Electricity - production:
|
5 million kWh (2003)
|
|
Electricity - consumption:
|
4.65 million kWh (2003)
|
|
Electricity - exports:
|
0 kWh (2003)
|
|
Electricity - imports:
|
0 kWh (2003)
|
|
Oil - production:
|
0 bbl/day (2003 est.)
|
|
Oil - consumption:
|
100 bbl/day (2003 est.)
|
|
Oil - exports:
|
NA bbl/day
|
|
Oil - imports:
|
NA bbl/day
|
|
Natural gas - production:
|
0 cu m (2003 est.)
|
|
Natural gas - consumption:
|
0 cu m (2003 est.)
|
|
Exports:
|
$19 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
|
|
Exports - commodities:
|
fish (frozen, canned, and salt-dried skipjack, tuna), coffee, handicrafts
|
|
Exports - partners:
|
Tanzania 30.1%, US 23.6%, Japan 10.3%, UK 7%, Spain 6.2% (2004)
|
|
Imports:
|
$45 million c.i.f. (2004 est.)
|
|
Imports - commodities:
|
food, beverages, tobacco, fuel oils, animal feed, building materials, motor vehicles and parts, machinery and parts
|
|
Imports - partners:
|
UK 35.6%, US 17.5%, South Africa 17.5%, Tanzania 10.4%, Australia 5.5%, Spain 4.1% (2004)
|
|
Debt - external:
|
$NA
|
|
Economic aid - recipient:
|
$12.6 million (1995); note - $5.3 million from UK (1997)
|
|
Currency (code):
|
Saint Helenian pound (SHP)
|
|
Exchange rates:
|
Saint Helenian pounds per US dollar - 0.55 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002), 0.6947 (2001)
note: the Saint Helenian pound is on par with the British pound
|
|
Fiscal year:
|
1 April - 31 March
|
|
Military - note:
|
defense is the responsibility of the UK
|
|
Disputes - international:
|
none
|
This page was last updated on 16 May, 2006
|
