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. 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. 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 a site for a meteorological station on Gough Island.

Geographic coordinates
Saint helena: 15 57 S 5 42 W
Ascension island: 7 57 S 14 22 W
Tristan da cunha island group: 37 15 S 12 30 W

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 308 km²
Rank: 208
Land: Saint Helena Island 122 km²; Ascension Island 88 km²; Tristan da Cunha island group 98 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Washington DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline
Saint helena: 60 km
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: the islands of this group result from volcanic activity associated with the Atlantic Mid-Ocean Ridge
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

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

Population: 7,637
Rank: 225
Note: only Saint Helena Ascension and Tristan da Cunha islands are inhabited (July 2009 est.)
Growth rate: 0.445% (2009 est.)
Growth rate rank: 158
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

Age structure
0-14 years: 18.3%
15-64 years: 70.4% (male 2,744/female 2,629)
65 years and over: 11.4% (male 412/female 455) (2009 est.)

Median age
Total: 37.6 years
Male: 37.7 years
Female: 37.5 years (2009 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.445% (2009 est.)
Rank: 158

Birth rate: 11.13 births/1000 population (2009 est.)
Rank: 175

Death rate: 6.68 deaths/1000 population (July 2009 est.)
Rank: 146

Net migration rate: NA (2009 est.)

Urbanization
Urban population: 39% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 1.5% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

Environment
Current issues: NA

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 17.63 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 116
Male: 20.71 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 14.4 deaths/1000 live births (2009 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 78.44 years
Rank: 44
Male: 75.52 years
Female: 81.5 years (2009 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.56 children born/woman (2009 est.)
Rank: 184

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: NA
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Education expenditures: NA

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

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*

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: English common law and statutes supplemented by local statutes

Suffrage: NA

Executive branch
Chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II
Head of government: Governor and Commander in Chief Andrew GURR (since 11 November 2007)
Cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor 3 ex-officio officers and 5 elected members of the Legislative Council
Elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor is appointed by the monarch

Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Council (16 seats including the speaker three ex officio and 12 elected members; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
Elections: last held 31 August 2005 (next to be held in November 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: UPU WFTU

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

Economy overview: The economy depends largely on financial assistance from the UK which amounted to about $27 million in FY06/07 or more than twice the level 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.)
Rank: 225

Real gdp growth rate: NA%

Real gdp per capita: $2,500 (1998 est.)
Rank: 176

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); livestock

Industries: construction crafts (furniture lacework fancy woodwork) fishing philatelic sales

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force: 2,486
Rank: 217
Note: 1200 work offshore (1998 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 6%
By occupation industry: 48%
By occupation services: 46% (1987 est.)

Unemployment rate: 14% (1998 est.)
Rank: 148

Population below poverty line: NA%

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

Budget
Revenues: $12.33 million
Expenditures: $30.28 million
Note: revenue data reflect locally raised revenues only; the budget deficit is resolved by grant aid from the United Kingdom (FY06/07 est.)

Inflation rate consumer prices: 3.2% (1997 est.)
Rank: 40

Exports: $19 million (2004 est.)
Rank: 205
Commodities: fish (frozen canned and salt-dried skipjack tuna) coffee handicrafts

Imports: $45 million (2004 est.)
Rank: 214
Commodities: food beverages tobacco fuel oils animal feed building materials motor vehicles and parts machinery and parts

Debt external: $NA

Exchange rates: Saint Helenian pounds (SHP) per US dollar - 0.5302 (2008) 0.4993 (2007) 0.5418 (2006) 0.5493 (2005) 0.5462 (2004)
Note: the Saint Helenian pound is on par with the British pound

Electricity
Production: 8 million kWh (2007 est.)
Production rank: 210
Consumption: 7.44 million kWh (2007 est.)
Consumption rank: 211
Exports: 0 kWh (2008 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2008 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2008 est.)
Production rank: 134
Consumption: 0 m³ (2008 est.)
Consumption rank: 137
Exports: 0 m³ (2008)
Exports rank: 118
Imports: 0 m³ (2008 est.)
Imports rank: 134
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2009 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 138

Telephones
Main lines in use: 2,300 (2008)
Main lines in use rank: 223

Telephone system
General assessment: can communicate worldwide
Domestic: automatic digital network
International: country code (Saint Helena) - 290 (Ascension Island) - 247; international direct dialing; satellite voice and data communications; satellite earth stations - 5 (Ascension Island - 4 Saint Helena - 1)

Internet
Country code: .sh; note - Ascension Island assigned .ac
Hosts: 343 (2009)
Hosts rank: 178
Users: 1100; note - includes Ascension Island (2008)
Users rank: 213

Airports: 1 (2009)
Rank: 216
With paved runways total: 1
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1 (2009)

Roadways
Total: 198 km
Rank: 207
Paved: 168 km (Saint Helena 118 km Ascension 40 km Tristan da Cunha 10 km)
Unpaved: 30 km (Saint Helena 20 km Ascension 0 km Tristan da Cunha 10 km) (2002)

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

Disputes international: none