Background: Saint Helena is a British Overseas Territory off the coast of Africa in the South Atlantic Ocean, and it consists of Saint Helena, Ascension Island, and the island group of Tristan da Cunha.
Saint Helena: The island was uninhabited when the Portuguese first discovered it in 1502, and the British garrisoned troops on Saint Helena 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. Saint Helena is one of the most remote populated places in the world. The British Government committed to building an airport on Saint Helena in 2005. After more than a decade of delays and construction, a commercial air service to South Africa via Namibia was inaugurated in 2017. The weekly service to Saint Helena from Johannesburg via Windhoek in Namibia takes just over six hours (including the refueling stop in Windhoek) and replaces the mail ship that had made a five-day journey to the island every three weeks.
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 transatlantic 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. The island hosts one of four dedicated ground antennas that assist in the operation of the Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation system -- the others are on Diego Garcia (British Indian Ocean Territory), Kwajalein (Marshall Islands), and at Cape Canaveral, Florida (US). NASA and the US Air Force also operate a Meter-Class Autonomous Telescope (MCAT) on Ascension as part of the deep space surveillance system for tracking orbital debris, which can be a hazard to spacecraft and astronauts.
Tristan da Cunha: The island group consists of Tristan da Cunha, Nightingale, Inaccessible, and Gough Islands. Tristan da Cunha, named after its Portuguese discoverer (1506), 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.

Area
Total: 394 km²
Land: 122 km² Saint Helena Island
Water: 0 km²; 88 km² Ascension Island, 184 km² Tristan da Cunha island group (includes Tristan (98 km²), Inaccessible, Nightingale, and Gough islands)
Comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Washington, D.C.

Land boundaries
Total: 0 km

Coastline
Saint Helena: 60 km
Ascension Island: NA
Tristan da Cunha (island only): 34 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 are of volcanic origin 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; terrain 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
Highest point: Queen Mary's Peak on Tristan da Cunha 2,060 m; Green Mountain on Ascension Island 859 m; Diana's Peak on Saint Helena Island 818 m
Lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

Land use
Agricultural land: 30.8% (2022 est.)
Arable land: 10.3% (2022 est.)
Permanent crops: 0% (2022 est.)
Permanent pasture: 20.5% (2022 est.)
Forest: 5.1% (2022 est.)
Other: 64.1% (2022 est.)

Irrigated land: 0 km² (2022)

Natural hazards: active volcanism
Volcanism: the volcanoes of Tristan da Cunha (2,060 m) and Nightingale Island (365 m) are active

Geography
Note: Saint Helena harbors at least 40 species of plants unknown elsewhere 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
Total: 7,943 (2024 est.)
Male: 3,978
Female: 3,965
Distribution Saint Helena: population is concentrated in and around the capital of Jamestown in the northwest, with another significant cluster in the interior Longwood area
Distribution Ascension: most of the population lives in and around Georgetown
Distribution Tristan da Cunha: most of the nearly 300 inhabitants live in the northern coastal town of Edinburgh of the Seven Seas
Growth rate: 0.1% (2024 est.)

Languages: English

Religions: Anglican 63.2%, unspecified 11.4%, no religion 9%, Jehovah's Witness 3.8%, Baptist 2.3%, Salvation Army 2%, Roman Catholic 2.2%, Seventh Day Adventist 1.9%, New Apostolic 1.6%, other Christian 1.4%, other 1.1% (2021 est.)
Note: data represent Saint Helena only

Age structure
0-14 years: 14.3% (male 579/female 556)
15-64 years: 66.5% (male 2,626/female 2,655)
65 years and over: 19.2% (2024 est.) (male 773/female 754)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 50.4 (2024 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 21.5 (2024 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 28.9 (2024 est.)
Potential support ratio: 3.5 (2024 est.)

Median age
Total: 45.1 years (2024 est.)
Male: 44.8 years
Female: 45.4 years

Population growth rate: 0.1% (2024 est.)

Birth rate: 9.3 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Death rate: 8.3 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Population distribution
Saint Helena: population is concentrated in and around the capital of Jamestown in the northwest, with another significant cluster in the interior Longwood area
Ascension: most of the population lives in and around Georgetown
Tristan da Cunha: most of the nearly 300 inhabitants live in the northern coastal town of Edinburgh of the Seven Seas

Urbanization
Urban population: 40.7% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 0.98% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 1,000 JAMESTOWN (capital) (2018)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.03 male(s)/female
Total population: 1 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 18.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male: 21.7 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 14.2 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 80.9 years (2024 est.)
Male: 78.1 years
Female: 83.9 years

Total fertility rate: 1.61 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Drinking water source
Total: 0.9% of population (2022 est.)

Sanitation facility access
Total: 0% of population (2022 est.)

Capital
Name: Jamestown
Geographic coordinates: 15 56 S, 5 43 W
Time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Etymology: founded in 1659 and named after James, Duke of York, who would become King JAMES II of England

Administrative divisions: 3 administrative areas; Ascension, Saint Helena, Tristan da Cunha

Legal system: English common law and local statutes

Executive branch
Chief of state: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022)
Head of government: Governor Nigel PHILLIPS (since 13 August 2022)
Cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor, 3 ex-officio officers, and 5 elected members of the Legislative Council
Election/appointment process: none; the monarchy is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch
Note: the constitution order provides for an administrator for Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, appointed by the governor

Legislative branch
Note: the Constitution Order provides for separate Island Councils for both Ascension and Tristan da Cunha

Flag description: blue with the UK flag in the upper-left quadrant and the Saint Helenian shield centered on the right half of the flag; the upper third of the shield depicts a white plover on a yellow field; under the bird is a rocky coastline and a three-masted sailing ship with sails furled and flying an English flag

National anthem
Title: 'God Save the King'
Lyrics/music: unknown
History: official anthem, as a UK overseas territory

Industries: construction, crafts (furniture, lacework, fancy woodwork), fishing, collectible postage stamps

Exports
Commodities: fish, shellfish, natural gas, trucks, construction vehicles (2023)
Commodities note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Imports
Commodities: refined petroleum, baked goods, plastic products, vehicle parts/accessories, air pumps (2023)
Commodities note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Electricity
Installed generating capacity: 5,000 kW (2023 est.)
Consumption: 6.962 million kWh (2023 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 1.5 million kWh (2023 est.)
Access electrification - total population: 100% (2021)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 100% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Coal
Imports: 70 metric tons (2022 est.)

Petroleum
Refined petroleum consumption: 85 bbl/day (2023 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 12,000 metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 12,000 metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 4,000 (2021 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 74 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 4,000 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 74 (2021 est.)

Internet
Users percent of population: 37.6% (2021 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 1,000 (2018 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 17 (2020 est.)

Airports: 2 (2025)

Heliports: 2 (2025)