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

Background


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Location

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area

Land boundaries

Coastline
Ascension island: NA
Tristan da cunha: 40 km

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

Climate
Saint helena: tropical marine; mild, tempered by trade winds
Ascension island: tropical marine; mild, semi-arid
Tristan da cunha: temperate marine; mild, tempered by trade winds (tends to be cooler than Saint Helena)

Terrain
Saint helena: rugged, volcanic; small scattered plateaus and plains
Ascension: surface covered by lava flows and cinder cones of 44 dormant volcanoes; ground rises to the east
Tristan da cunha: sheer cliffs line the coastline of the nearly circular island; the flanks of the central volcanic peak are deeply dissected; narrow coastal plain lies between The Peak and the coastal cliffs

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Extremes highest point: Queen Mary's Peak on Tristan da Cunha 2,062 m; Green Mountain on Ascension Island 859 m; Mount Actaeon on Saint Helena Island 818 m

Natural resources: fish lobster

Land use
Arable land: 12.9%
Permanent crops: 0%
Other: 87.1% (2005)

Irrigated land: NA

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: active volcanism on Tristan da Cunha last eruption in 1961

Geography
Note: Saint Helena harbors at least 40 species of plants unknown anywhere else in the world; Ascension is a breeding ground for sea turtles and sooty terns; Queen Mary's Peak on Tristan da Cunha is the highest island mountain in the South Atlantic and a prominent landmark on the sea lanes around southern Africa


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Population
Note: only Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha islands are inhabited (July 2006 est.)
Growth rate: 0.56% (2006 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Saint Helenian
Adjective: Saint Helenian
Note: referred to locally as 'Saints'

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: 18.8% (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.)

Dependency ratios

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/1000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate: 6.53 deaths/1000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2006 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: NA

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male/female
15-64 years: 1.06 male/female
65 years and over: 0.84 male/female
Total population: 1.03 male/female (2006 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 18.34 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 21.96 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 14.53 deaths/1000 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.)

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
Name: Jamestown
Geographic coordinates: 15 56 S, 5 44 W
Time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

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: British common law and statutes supplemented by local statutes

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 Michael CLANCY (since 15 October 2004)
Cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor, three ex-officio officers, and five elected members of the Legislative Council
Elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor is appointed by the monarch

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 31 August 2005 (next to be held NA 2009)
Election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 12

Judicial branch: Magistrate's Court; Supreme Court; Court of Appeal

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 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.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $18 million (1998 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: NA%

Real gdp per capita: $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: 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%

Labor force
Note: 1,200 work offshore (1998 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 6%
By occupation industry: 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 $N/A (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: $19 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Commodities: fish (frozen canned and salt-dried skipjack tuna) coffee handicrafts
Partners: Tanzania 37.7% US 17.4% Japan 15.2% UK 8.4% Nigeria 4.8% Spain 4.5% (2005)

Imports: $45 million c.i.f. (2004 est.)
Commodities: food beverages tobacco fuel oils animal feed building materials motor vehicles and parts machinery and parts
Partners: UK 53.5% South Africa 14.3% Spain 10.3% Tanzania 8.5% US 4.6% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $N/A

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates
Note: the Saint Helenian pound is on par with the British pound


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Electricity
Production: 5 million kWh (2003)
Consumption: 4.65 million kWh (2003)
Exports: 0 kWh (2003)
Imports: 0 kWh (2003)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2003 est.)
Consumption: 0 m³ (2003 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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

Telephone system
General assessment: can communicate worldwide
Domestic: automatic digital network
International: country code - 290; international direct dialing; satellite voice and data communications; satellite earth stations - 5 (Ascension Island - 4, Saint Helena - 1)

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .sh; note - the IANA has assigned .ac as the ccTLD for Ascension Island
Hosts: 329 (2006)
Users: 1000 note - includes Ascension Island (2003)

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
Note: Wideawake Field on Ascension Island (2006)
With paved runways total: 1
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1 (2006)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Total: 198 km (Saint Helena 138 km, Ascension 40 km, Tristan da Cunha 20 km)
Paved: 168 km (Saint Helena 118km, Ascension 40 km, Tristan da Cunha 10 km)
Unpaved: 30 km (Saint Helena 20 km, Ascension 0 km, Tristan da Cunha 10 km) (2002)

Waterways

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals
Saint helena: Jamestown
Ascension island: Georgetown
Tristan da cunha: Calshot Harbor


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs