Map of Saint Helena | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: 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: islands in the South Atlantic Ocean about midway between South America and Africa

Geographic coordinates: 15 56 S 5 42 W

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 410 km²
Land: 410 km²
Water: 0 km²
Note: includes Saint 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
Comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Washington DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 60 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Climate: 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)

Terrain
Note: the other islands of the group have a volcanic origin

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Extremes highest point: Queen Mary's Peak on Tristan da Cunha 2,060 m

Natural resources: fish

Land use
Arable land: 12.9%
Permanent crops: 0%
Other: 87.1% (2001)

Irrigated land: NA km²

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: active volcanism on Tristan da Cunha

Geography
Note: 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: 7,415 (July 2004 est.)
Growth rate: 0.62% (2004 est.)
Below poverty line: NA

Nationality
Noun: Saint Helenian
Adjective: Saint Helenian

Ethnic groups: African descent 50% white 25% Chinese 25%

Languages: English

Religions: Anglican (majority) Baptist Seventh-Day Adventist Roman Catholic

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 18.9% (male 710; female 689)
15-64 years: 71.4% (male 2,739; female 2,559)
65 years and over: 9.7% (male 319; female 399) (2004 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 34.7 years
Male: 34.9 years
Female: 34.5 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.62% (2004 est.)

Birth rate: 12.68 births/1000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate: 6.47 deaths/1000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2004 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: NA

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.04 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.03 male/female
15-64 years: 1.07 male/female
65 years and over: 0.8 male/female
Total population: 1.03 male/female (2004 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 19.85 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 23.7 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 15.81 deaths/1000 live births (2004 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 77.57 years
Male: 74.67 years
Female: 80.61 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.54 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: NA
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 20 and over can read and write
Total population: 97%
Male: 97%
Female: 98% (1987 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Saint Helena

Government type: NA

Capital: Jamestown

Administrative divisions: 1 administrative area and 2 dependencies*; Ascension* Saint Helena Tristan da Cunha*

Dependent areas

Independence: none (overseas territory of the UK)

National holiday: Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II second Saturday in June (1926)

Constitution: 1 January 1989

Legal system: NA

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: NA years of age

Executive branch
Chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
Head of government: Governor and Commander in Chief David HOLLAMBY (since 1999); Michael CLANCY (taking office in October 2004)
Cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor, two ex officio officers, and six elected members of the Legislative Council
Elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor is appointed by the monarch

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 27 June 2001 (next to be held NA June 2005)
Election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 15

Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Magistrate's Court; Small Debts Court; Juvenile Court

Political parties and leaders: none

International organization participation: ICFTU UPU

Diplomatic representation
In the us: none (overseas territory of the UK)
From the us: none (overseas territory of the UK)

Flag description: blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Saint Helenian shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the shield features a rocky coastline and three-masted sailing ship

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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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 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.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: NA

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,500 (1998 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: NA
Industry: NA
Services: NA

Agriculture products: corn potatoes vegetables; timber; fish crawfish (on Tristan da Cunha)

Industries: construction crafts (furniture lacework fancy woodwork) fishing

Industrial production growth rate: NA

Labor force
Note: 1,200 work offshore (1998 est.)
By occupation agriculture and fishing: 6%
By occupation industry (mainly construction): 48%
By occupation services: 46% (1987 est.)

Unemployment rate: 14% (1998 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA
Highest 10: NA

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $11.2 million
Expenditures: $11 million, including capital expenditures of NA (FY92/93)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices: 3.2% (1997 est.)

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $17 million f.o.b. (2002)
Commodities: fish (frozen canned and salt-dried skipjack tuna) coffee handicrafts
Partners: US 26.7% Tanzania 21.9% Indonesia 9.4% UK 8.7% Japan 7.4% Netherlands 7.2% Nigeria 6.8% Poland 5% Spain 4.9% (2003)

Imports: $42 million c.i.f. (2002)
Commodities: food beverages tobacco fuel oils animal feed building materials motor vehicles and parts machinery and parts
Partners: UK 29.1% South Africa 24.7% Spain 16.4% Italy 8.8% Tanzania 8.2% US 5.8% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: NA (1996)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Saint Helenian pounds per US dollar - 0.6661 (2002) 0.6944 (2001) 0.6596 (2000) 0.6180 (1999) 0.6037 (1998)


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Electricity
Production: 5 million kWh (2001)
Consumption: 4.65 million kWh (2001)
Exports: 0 kWh (2001)
Imports: 0 kWh (2001)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 2,200 (2002)
Mobile cellular: 0 (1997)

Telephone system
General assessment: can communicate worldwide
Domestic: automatic network
International: country code - 290; HF radiotelephone from Saint Helena to Ascension Island, which is a major coaxial submarine cable relay point between South Africa, Portugal, and UK; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .sh
Users: 500 (2002)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 1 (2003 est.)
With paved runways total: 1
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine: none

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs