Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha - A British Overseas Territory
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha are lesser-known populated British Overseas Territories nestled in the vastness of the South Atlantic Ocean.
Saint Helena, famously known as Napoleon Bonaparte's final place of exile.
Ascension Island, with its strategic military past and lush Green Mountain, serves as a sanctuary for wildlife, particularly sea turtles.
Tristan da Cunha, home to the most remote human settlement on Earth, captivates with its volcanic landscapes and resilient community.
Although all of them are volcanic islands, only the Tristan da Cunha group of islands have active volcanoes. The highest point of the territories is Queen Mary's Peak on the island of Tristan da Cunha, with an elevation of 2,062 metres (6,765 ft) above sea level.
St Helena
St Helena is located west of South Africa, and east of Brazil.
The population is about 4500, mainly descended from British settlers, soldiers, sailors and African slaves. Most of them are Anglicans. The capital is Jamestown and the largest town is Half Tree Hollow.
Portuguese mariners came upon this uninhabited in 1502.
Napoleon Bonaparte was imprisoned on the island after his defeat at Waterloo in 1815 and remained confined there until he died in 1821.
St Helena became a British crown colony in 1834.
In 1981, Islanders lost their status as 'Citizens of the United Kingdom. - Britain retracted a 1981 and issued full citizenship.
Ascension
Ascension Island lies about 1,300 km northwest of St. Helena.
The island is home to a Royal Air Force station, a European Space Agency’s rocket tracking station, a British-American signals intelligence facility and the BBC World Service Atlantic Relay Station. Ascension houses one of four ground antennas that assist in the operation of GPS navigational system.
The island is about 88 sq. km.
The island was discovered by Portuguese navigators in 1501.
During WW2 in 1943, The US military built the Wideawake airbase and landing strip and remained on the island until 1947.
The East Telegraph Company, now Cable & Wireless, administers the island until 1964. Then the BBC established a South Atlantic relay station
In 1967, A NASA tracking station was built to support the Apollo lunar landing program but closed in 1990 and it was replaced by a European Space Agency station. During the Falkland War in 1982, the island was used as a base to support British military operations.
A new constitution in 2009 made the island part of the territory of St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha.
The main economic activity on the island is centred on the military bases at Wideawake Airfield, and the BBC World Service's Atlantic Relay station.
The main export is postage stamps, commemorative coins, and commercial fishing licenses for long-line tuna fishing.
Tourism is starting to develop and all visitors an entry permit. Sport fishing is the main attraction for many visitors. The island also has what is sometimes called the worst golf course in the world.
Tristan da Cunha
The closest inhabited landmass is Saint Helena some 2437 km away. The only way to get to Tristan is by ship, a six-day trip from South Africa on a cargo or mail ship.
( lying approximately 2,787 kilometres (1,732 mi) from Cape Town in South Africa, 2,437 kilometres (1,514 mi) from Saint Helena, 3,949 kilometres (2,454 mi) from Mar del Plata[6] in Argentina, and 4,002 kilometres (2,487 mi) from the Falkland Islands)
The archipelago includes the island of Tristan da Cunha as well as other smaller uninhabited islands such as the Gough Island, Nightingale Islands and Inaccessible Islands.
Tristan da Cunha
Tristan da Cunha is generally mountainous. The only flat area is on the north-west coast, which is the location of the only settlement Edinburgh of the Seven Seas is home to about 250 people and the agricultural area of Potato Patches.
Gough Island
Gough Island is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is one of the most important seabird colonies in the world.
Inaccessible Island
Access to Inaccessible Island must be granted by the government office, it is given only a few days of the year.
Nightingale Islands
Nightingale Islands are a group of three islands. The Nightingale Island finch is found nowhere else in the world.
The islands were declared part of the British Empire in 1875. Then in 1938, Tristan da Cunha was declared a dependency of St Helena.
A volcanic eruption after the settlement in 1961 forced an evacuation of all the islanders to the UK. The majority returned to the islands in 1963.
A new constitution in 2009 made the islands part of the territory of St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha.
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