Saint Helena


:''For alternate uses, see Saint Helena (disambiguation).'' Saint Helena refers to both an island in the South Atlantic Ocean 2,800 km off the west coast of Africa belonging to the United Kingdom, and to the administrative unit that includes it and as well the islands of Ascension, Gough Island, Inaccessible Island, Nightingale Island, and Tristan da Cunha; this article describes both.
Saint Helena
Flag of Saint Helena coat of arms
(In Detail) (Full size)
National motto: ?
Image:LocationSaintHelena.png
Official language English
Political status Overseas territory of the UK
Capital Jamestown
Governor and
Commander-in-Chief 		David Hollamby
Area 410 km²
Population
 - Total (2003 E)
 - Density
7,367
18/km²
Currency Saint Helenian pound (SHP) at parity with the UK Pound Sterling (GBP)
Time zone UTC +0
National anthem God Save the Queen, My St. Helena Island (unofficial)
Internet TLD .sh
Calling Code 290

History

See main article History of Saint Helena. The island was uninhabited in 1502 when it was discovered by Portuguese mariners. Like every remote island in the age of sail, it was a crucial resource for sailing ships that ventured into its waters. (The important ships among these were of naval and commercial nature.) Its position on the only practical route, until construction of the Suez Canal, between Western Europe to the Indian Ocean enhanced that general role. It became a British military garrison for those reasons. Napoleon Bonaparte spent the last part of his life in exile on St. Helena. Prominent Anglo-Boer War prisoners, including General Piet Cronje were also detained on St. Helena.

Demographics

See main article Demographics of Saint Helena. St. Helena has a small population that remains loyal to Britain. However, the island's diminutive size and geopolitical insignificance has led many Islanders to accuse the British government of ignoring the island.

Economy

See main article Economy of Saint Helena. The island's economy was a one crop economy for many years, but is now very weak, and is almost entirely sustained on aid from London. The St. Helena tourist industry is heavily based around the promotion of Napoleon's imprisonment. Two sites where Napoleon lived and the valley where he was buried are French territory.

Geography

See main article Geography of Saint Helena.

Politics

See main article Politics of Saint Helena.

Communications

See main article Communications on Saint Helena.

Transportation

See main article Transport on Saint Helena.

Military

See main article Military of Saint Helena. Map of Saint Helena

bgcolor="#ccccff" | align="center" | Countries in Africa align="center" style="font-size: 90%;" | Algeria align="center" style="font-size: 85%;" | colspan="3" | Dependencies: Mayotte
Angola > BeninBotswana > Burkina FasoBurundi > CameroonCape Verde > Central African RepublicChad > ComorosDemocratic Republic of the Congo > Republic of the Congo DjiboutiEgypt > Equatorial GuineaEritrea > EthiopiaGabon > The GambiaGhana > GuineaGuinea-Bissau > KenyaLesotho > LiberiaLibya > MadagascarMalawi > MaliMauritania > MauritiusMorocco > MozambiqueNamibia > NigerNigeria > RwandaSão Tomé and Príncipe > SenegalSeychelles > Sierra LeoneSomalia > South AfricaSudan > SwazilandTanzania > TogoTunisia > UgandaZambia > Zimbabwe Western Sahara
Réunion > Saint Helena

Overseas territories of the United Kingdom Flag of the United Kingdom
Akrotiri and DhekeliaAnguilla > BermudaBritish Antarctic Territory > British Indian Ocean TerritoryBritish Virgin Islands > Cayman IslandsFalkland Islands > GibraltarMontserrat > Pitcairn IslandsSaint Helena (Ascension & Tristan da Cunha) > South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Turks and Caicos Islands
Category:Saint Helena ca:Santa Helena da:Sankt Helena de:Sankt Helena es:Santa Helena fr:Île Sainte-Hélène he:סנט הלנה nl:Sint Helena (eiland) ja:セントヘレナ lt:Šv. Elenos sala no:St. Helena pl:Święta Helena (kolonia) pt:Santa Helena sl:Sveta Helena sv:Sankt Helena zh-cn:圣赫勒拿岛

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