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| Geography |
| 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. |
| Location: | islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, about midway between South America and Africa; Ascension Island lies 700 nm northwest of Saint Helena; Tristan da Cunha lies 2300 nm southwest of Saint Helena |
| 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 |
| Area: | total: 413 sq km
land: Saint Helena Island 122 sq km; Ascension Island 90 sq km; Tristan da Cunha island group 201 sq km
water: 0 sq kmSize comparison: 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
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 |
| Current Environment Issues: | NA |
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| People |
| Population: | 7,543
note: only Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha islands are inhabited (July 2007 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 18.7% (male 716/female 691)
15-64 years: 71.1% (male 2,755/female 2,608)
65 years and over: 10.2% (male 358/female 415) (2007 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 36.5 years
male: 36.7 years
female: 36.3 years (2007 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 0.53% (2007 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 11.93 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Death rate: | 6.63 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.036 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.056 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.863 male(s)/female
total population: 1.031 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 17.67 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 21.19 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 13.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 78.09 years
male: 75.19 years
female: 81.15 years (2007 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 1.55 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | NA |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | NA |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | NA |
| Nationality: | noun: Saint Helenian(s)
adjective: Saint Helenian
note: referred to locally as "Saints" |
| Ethnic groups: | African descent 50%, white 25%, Chinese 25% |
| Religions: | Anglican (majority), Baptist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic |
| Languages: | English |
| Literacy: | definition: age 20 and over can read and write
total population: 97%
male: 97%
female: 98% (1987 est.) |
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| Government |
| 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 years of age |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
head of government: Governor and Commander in Chief Andrew GURR (since 11 November 2007)
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: | 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 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 |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | none |
| International organization participation: | UPU |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
head of government: Governor and Commander in Chief Andrew GURR (since 11 November 2007)
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 |
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| Economy |
| The economy depends largely on financial assistance from the UK, which will amount to about $27 million in FY06/07 or almost 70% 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. |
| GDP (purchasing power parity): | $18 million (1998 est.) |
| GDP (official exchange rate): | $NA |
| GDP - real growth rate: | NA% |
| GDP - per capita (PPP): | $2,500 (1998 est.) |
| GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA% |
| Labor force: | 2,486
note: 1,200 work offshore (1998 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture: 6%
industry: 48%
services: 46% (1987 est.) |
| Unemployment rate: | 14% (1998 est.) |
| Population below poverty line: | NA% |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 3.2% (1997 est.) |
| Budget: | revenues: $12.07 million
expenditures: $29.64 million
note: revenue data reflect locally raised revenues only; the budget deficit is resolved by grant aid from the United Kingdom (FY06/07 est.) |
| Public debt: | |
| 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% |
| Electricity - production: | 8 million kWh (2005) |
| Electricity - consumption: | 7.44 million kWh (2005) |
| Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2005) |
| Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (2005) |
| Oil - production: | 0 bbl/day (2004 est.) |
| Oil - consumption: | 100 bbl/day (2004 est.) |
| Oil - exports: | NA bbl/day |
| Oil - imports: | NA bbl/day |
| Oil - proved reserves: | 0 bbl (1 January 2006) |
| Natural gas - production: | 0 cu m (2005 est.) |
| Natural gas - consumption: | 0 cu m (2005 est.) |
| Exports: | $19 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
| Exports - commodities: | fish (frozen, canned, and salt-dried skipjack, tuna), coffee, handicrafts |
| Exports - partners: | Tanzania 37.7%, US 17.4%, Japan 15.2%, UK 8.4%, Nigeria 4.8%, Spain 4.5% (2006) |
| Imports: | $45 million c.i.f. (2004 est.) |
| Imports - commodities: | food, beverages, tobacco, fuel oils, animal feed, building materials, motor vehicles and parts, machinery and parts |
| Imports - partners: | UK 53.5%, South Africa 14.3%, Spain 10.3%, Tanzania 8.5%, US 4.6% (2006) |
| Debt - external: | $NA |
| Currency (code): | Saint Helenian pound (SHP) |
| Exchange rates: | Saint Helenian pounds per US dollar - 0.5434 (2006), 0.5493 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002)
note: the Saint Helenian pound is on par with the British pound |
| Fiscal year: | 1 April - 31 March |
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| Communications |
| Telephones - main lines in use: | 2,200 (2002) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular: | |
| 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) |
| Radio broadcast stations: | Saint Helena: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0
Ascension: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1 (2005) |
| Television broadcast stations: | 0 (3 television channels are received via satellite and distributed by UHF) (2005) |
| Internet country code: | .sh; note - the ICANN has assigned .ac as the ccTLD for Ascension Island |
| Internet hosts: | 283 (2007) |
| Internet users: | 1,000; note - includes Ascension Island (2003) |
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| Transportation |
| Airports: | 1 (2007) |
| Airports - with paved runways: | total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2007) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2007) |
| Roadways: | total: 198 km (Saint Helena 138 km, Ascension 40 km, Tristan da Cunha 20 km)
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 |
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| Military |
| Defense is the responsibility of the UK |
| Military branches: | |
| Manpower available for military service: | |
| Manpower fit for military service: | |
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