Legend:
Definition of Term
 Arranged
by Countries Field Listing
| Background: |
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. Ascension
Island is the site of a US Air Force auxiliary airfield; Gough
Island has a meteorological station. |
| Location: |
islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, about midway between South
America and Africa |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
15 56 S, 5 42 W |
| Map
references: |
Africa |
| Area: |
total: 410 sq km
note: includes St. Helena
Island, Ascension, and the island group of Tristan da Cunha, which
consists of Tristan da Cunha Island, Gough Island, Inaccessible
Island, and the three Nightingale Islands
water: 0
sq km
land: 410 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC |
| Land
boundaries: |
0 km |
| Coastline: |
60 km |
| Maritime
claims: |
exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial
sea: 12 NM |
| Climate: |
Saint Helena - tropical; marine; mild, tempered by trade winds;
Tristan da Cunha - temperate; marine, mild, tempered by trade
winds (tends to be cooler than Saint Helena) |
| Terrain: |
Saint Helena - rugged, volcanic; small scattered plateaus and
plains
note: the other islands of the group have a
volcanic origin |
| Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point:
Queen Mary's Peak on Tristan da Cunha 2,060 m |
| Natural
resources: |
fish |
| Land
use: |
arable land: 12.9%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 87.1% (1998 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
NA sq km |
| Natural
hazards: |
active volcanism on Tristan da Cunha |
| Environment
- current issues: |
NA |
| Geography
- note: |
harbors at least 40 species of plants unknown anywhere else in
the world; Ascension is a breeding ground for sea turtles and
sooty terns
|
| Population: |
7,317 (July 2002 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years: 18.8% (male 698; female 678)
15-64
years: 71.9% (male 2,727; female 2,531)
65 years and
over: 9.3% (male 296; female 387) (2002 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
0.7% (2002 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
13.26 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
6.29 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.08 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female
total
population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
21.54 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total population: 77.2 years
female: 80.23
years (2002 est.)
male: 74.31 years |
| Total
fertility rate: |
1.53 children born/woman (2002 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 |
| 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.)
|
| Economy
- overview: |
The economy depends largely on financial assistance from the UK,
which amounted to about $5 million in 1997 or almost one-half
of annual budgetary revenues. The local population earns income
from fishing, the raising of 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
- real growth rate: |
NA% |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power parity - $2,500 (1998 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services:
NA% |
| 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.) |
| Labor
force: |
3,500
note: 1,200 work offshore (1998 est.) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
agriculture and fishing 6%, industry (mainly construction) 48%,
services 46% (1987 est.) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
14% (1998 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues: $11.2 million
expenditures:
$11 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY92) |
| Industries: |
construction, crafts (furniture, lacework, fancy woodwork), fishing
|
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
NA% |
| Electricity
- production: |
5 million kWh (2000) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other:
0% (2000)
nuclear: 0% |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
4.65 million kWh (2000) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (2000) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh (2000) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
corn, potatoes, vegetables; timber; fish, crawfish (on Tristan
da Cunha) |
| Exports: |
$704,000 f.o.b. (1995) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
fish (frozen, canned, and salt-dried skipjack, tuna), coffee,
handicrafts |
| Exports
- partners: |
South Africa, UK |
| Imports: |
$14.434 million c.i.f. (1995) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
food, beverages, tobacco, fuel oils, animal feed, building materials,
motor vehicles and parts, machinery and parts |
| Imports
- partners: |
UK, South Africa |
| Debt
- external: |
$NA |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$12.6 million (1995); note - $5.3 million from UK (1997) |
| Currency: |
Saint Helenian pound (SHP) |
| Currency
code: |
SHP |
| Exchange
rates: |
Saint Helenian pounds per US dollar - 0.6981 (January 2002), 0.6944
(2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6047 (1997);
note - the Saint Helenian pound is at par with the British pound
|
| Fiscal
year: |
1 April - 31 March
|
| Military
- note: |
defense is the responsibility of the UK
|
| Disputes
- international: |
none | |
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