About St Helena
St Helena Island is situated in the South Atlantic Ocean on 5 degrees,45 minutes West and 15 degrees, 56 minutes South. This is approximately 700 miles south east of Ascension Island, 1800 miles from the coast of Brazil and 1200 miles from the port of Alexander in Angolan Africa.
It is one of the world's most isolated inhabited islands. It has no airport and is not on an international shipping lane. St Helena's only regular physical link with the outside world is the Royal Mail Ship (RMS) St Helena which calls an average 25 times a year. Improved access is therefore a key issue for St Helena and is the island's first national objective. In March 2005, the UK Government's Department for International Development ( DFID) approved a project to develop air access to the island through the construction of an airport on Prosperous Bay Plain, and the introduction of scheduled air services. This project is now under review and a decision is expected to be made by the end of 2010.
The island is sub topical and experiences a mild climate throughout the year. It has a complete range of vegetation from desert to subtropical forest and its seas are warm and rich in fish. The capital, Jamestown is located in the North of the island.
For a map of the island please use this Download.
Historical Context
St Helena lies in the direct line of the South East trade winds and therefore early navigators rounding the Cape of Good Hope with access to the South Atlantic were bound to come across it sooner or later. The Portuguese were the first. Admiral Jaoa da Nova returning to Portugal from India in May 1502 sighted a dark hump of land in the otherwise blank expanse of ocean. The day he spotted this was 21st May, the birthday of Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine the Great.
For over 150 years the island was used by the Portuguese, Dutch and English mariners as a victualling station on their return passage from the East Indies.
In 1658 the London East India Company decided to fortify and settle St Helena. The Company's principal aim was to develop St Helena as a permanent base for supplying its ships on their return voyages from the East Indies, maintaining their large stores of both local goods and imported produce. They were formally granted the island in 1673 and retained proprietorship until April 1834, when St Helena was vested in the British Crown. Since then it has been a colony, although it is now more commonly described as a dependent overseas territory.
In October,1815, at the age of 46, Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte arrived as a prisoner of the English where he remained in exile until his death in 1821, after a long and painful illness which an autopsy declared to be cancer of the stomach. St Helena ceased to be a trading post and became a prison. A population of 3,500 was inundated by approximately 2000 soldiers imported from England and a further 500 naval personnel on ships around the island. Land values apparently increased by 40% at this time.
The Emperor's main residence was at Longwood House. His body reposed in the Valley of the Geranium until 1840 when it was returned to France. Longwood Old House, gardens and the land comprising the Tomb Estate are now a French domain.
The garrison was at its largest at the time of Napoleon's exile on St Helena as well as during the South African war when the census of 1901 included 1532 troops, who guarded 4655 Boer prisoners of war. The garrison was completely withdrawn in 1906, although regiments continued to be stationed at St Helena during times of war.
For more specialist information please look at the blog spot of the French Consul honoraire, Michel Dancoisne Martineau.
http://www.domainesdefranceasaintehelene.blogspot.com
Environment
The island has two National Parks. One, Diana's Peak, helps to protect some of the rare flora on the central ridges. Several of these species can only be found on St Helena. The second, at Sandy Bay, protects further rare native species and the geological structures which are a legacy of St Helena's volcanic origins. Spectacular views and landscapes are everywhere on St Helena as some of the photographs on this website will testify.
The Wirebird is the last surviving endemic bird on St Helena. A few fossil bones of the species have been found in the most recent and middle period deposits, implying that it has been evolving on the island for at least several thousand years. Although it is closely related to Kittlitz's Plover of southern Africa, there are interesting differences. The Wirebird is substantially larger (length 19 cm) and has longer legs and bill, more rounded wings and relatively smaller flight muscles. The latter features are often found among birds on oceanic islands and sometimes culminate evolutionarily in the loss of flying ability. See download.
For more specialist information please contact:
Saint Helena National Trust www.nationaltrust.org.sh
St Helena Tourism Office www.discoveroursecret.co.sh