h 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

Map references:

Africa

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 km

Area - comparative:

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

Environment - current issues:

NA

Geography - note:

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

People
Saint Helena

Population:

7,601
note: only Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha islands are
inhabited (July 2008