Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha are British Overseas Territories in the south Atlantic Ocean.
The citizens of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha hold British Overseas Territories citizenship. On 21 May 2002 they were granted access to full British citizenship by the British Overseas Territories Act 2002, [1] and there is a special Saint Helena passport issued to them.
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1670 | 66 | — |
1723 | 1,110 | +1581.8% |
1817 | 6,150 | +454.1% |
1851 | 6,914 | +12.4% |
1861 | 6,860 | −0.8% |
1871 | 6,241 | −9.0% |
1881 | 5,059 | −18.9% |
1891 | 4,116 | −18.6% |
1901 | 9,850 | +139.3% |
1911 | 3,520 | −64.3% |
1921 | 3,747 | +6.4% |
1931 | 3,995 | +6.6% |
1946 | 4,748 | +18.8% |
1956 | 4,642 | −2.2% |
1966 | 4,649 | +0.2% |
1976 | 5,147 | +10.7% |
1987 | 5,644 | +9.7% |
1998 | 5,157 | −8.6% |
2008 | 4,257 | −17.5% |
2016 | 4,534 | +6.5% |
2021 | 4,439 | −2.1% |
Source: 2008 Census, St. Helena Government |
Saint Helena is the most populous part of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. The language spoken in Saint Helena is English.
The island has a small population of a few thousand inhabitants, mainly descended from Africans, Mixed race African and Europeans, British settlers, East India Company employees and indentured labourers from the South Asian sub-Continent, East Indies, Madagascar and China. [2]
The people of Saint Helena are Saint Helenians (though locally they are known as "Saints"); the demonym being Saint Helenian.
A census in February 2016 recorded a population of 4,534 on the island. [3] This compares with a figure of 4,257 recorded in 2008 [4] and a figure of 5,157 recorded in 1998. The fall between 1998 and 2008 can be explained mostly by emigration, especially since 2002 when the islanders were granted full British citizenship. The main diasporas are to the United Kingdom, South Africa and more recently to the Falkland Islands, as well as on Ascension Island. The population density, based on the 2016 figure, is 37.3 persons per km2, or 95.3 per sq mile.
The island of Saint Helena is administratively divided into eight districts, [5] each with a community centre. The districts also serve as statistical subdivisions. The island is a single electoral area, sending twelve representatives to the Legislative Council.
District balance [ clarification needed ] | Area [6] km2 | Area sq mi | Pop. 1998 | Pop. 2008 [4] | Pop. 2016 [3] | Pop./km2 2016 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alarm Forest | 5.4 | 2.1 | 289 | 276 | 383 | 70.4 |
Blue Hill | 36.8 | 14.2 | 177 | 153 | 158 | 4.3 |
Half Tree Hollow | 1.6 | 0.6 | 1,140 | 901 | 984 | 633.2 |
Jamestown | 3.9 | 1.5 | 884 | 716 | 629 | 161.9 |
Levelwood | 14.8 | 5.7 | 376 | 316 | 369 | 25.0 |
Longwood | 33.4 | 12.9 | 960 | 715 | 790 | 23.6 |
Sandy Bay | 16.1 | 6.2 | 254 | 205 | 193 | 12.0 |
Saint Paul's | 11.4 | 4.4 | 908 | 795 | 843 | 74.0 |
Royal Mail Ship St. Helena[ clarification needed ] | – | – | 149 | 171 | 183 | – |
Jamestown Harbour | – | – | 20 | 9 | 13 | – |
Total | 123.3 | 47.6 | 5,157 | 4,257 | 4,349 | 35.3 |
The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook , unless otherwise indicated. [7]
NB: the following [CIA] figures represent the whole territory, including Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha.
By 2010 estimates, per one thousand population: the birth rate is 10.95 births, and the death rate is 6.91 deaths. In the same year, it was estimated that the rate of population growth was 0.404%.
The median age for 2010 is 38.2 years. The following tables describe age structure and human sex ratio, as estimated for 2010.
Births and deaths [8]
Year | Population(01.01) (×1000) | Live births | Deaths | Natural increase | Crude birth rate | Crude death rate | Rate of natural increase | TFR |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2009 | 35 | 41 | −6 | 8.5 | 9.9 | −1.4 | ||
2010 | 4.121 | 34 | 53 | −19 | 9.1 | 12.5 | −3.4 | |
2011 | 4.188 | 34 | 49 | −15 | 9.1 | 12.3 | −3.2 | |
2012 | 4.316 | 32 | 62 | −30 | 8.5 | 12.4 | −3.9 | |
2013 | 4.311 | 35 | 55 | −20 | 8.3 | 12.6 | -4.3 | |
2014 | 4.649 | 48 | 61 | −13 | 8.8 | 13.4 | −4.6 | |
2015 | 4.791 | 40 | 55 | −15 | 9.2 | 13.3 | −4.1 | |
2016 | 4.837 | 35 | 45 | −10 | 9.3 | 12.7 | −3.4 | |
2017 | 4.608 | 36 | 58 | −22 | 9.7 | 12.5 | −2.8 | |
2018 | 4.951 | 26 | 52 | −26 | 9.1 | 12.3 | −3.2 | |
2019 | 4.760 | 31 | 38 | −7 | 8.4 | 11.2 | −2.8 | |
2020 | 4.609 | 29 | 49 | −20 | 6.3 | 10.6 | -4.3 | |
2021 | 4.527 | |||||||
Population by Sex and Age Group (Census 07.II.2021) (Data refer to resident population.): [9]
Age Group | Male | Female | Total | % |
---|---|---|---|---|
Total | 2 247 | 2 192 | 4 439 | 100 |
0–4 | 94 | 88 | 182 | 4.10 |
5–9 | 109 | 112 | 221 | 4.98 |
10–14 | 117 | 96 | 213 | 4.80 |
15–19 | 83 | 92 | 175 | 3.94 |
20–24 | 92 | 83 | 175 | 3.94 |
25–29 | 112 | 89 | 201 | 4.53 |
30–34 | 107 | 107 | 214 | 4.82 |
35–39 | 119 | 151 | 270 | 6.08 |
40–44 | 101 | 131 | 232 | 5.23 |
45–49 | 158 | 150 | 308 | 6.94 |
50–54 | 205 | 195 | 400 | 9.01 |
55–59 | 171 | 179 | 350 | 7.88 |
60–64 | 205 | 186 | 391 | 8.81 |
65-69 | 174 | 145 | 319 | 7.19 |
70-74 | 167 | 157 | 324 | 7.30 |
75-79 | 138 | 106 | 244 | 5.50 |
80-84 | 60 | 64 | 124 | 2.79 |
85-89 | 30 | 31 | 61 | 1.37 |
90-94 | 5 | 21 | 26 | 0.59 |
95-99 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 0.18 |
100+ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.02 |
Age group | Male | Female | Total | Per cent |
0–14 | 320 | 296 | 616 | 13.88 |
15–64 | 1 353 | 1 363 | 2 716 | 61.18 |
65+ | 574 | 533 | 1107 | 24.94 |
Age range (years) | Ratio male/female |
---|---|
at birth | 1.049 |
0-14 | 1.04 |
15-64 | 1.04 |
65+ | 0.94 |
Total | 1.02 |
The total fertility rate for 2010 is estimated at 1.56 children born per woman.
According to the CIA World Factbook, 50% of the population of Saint Helena Island are African Saint Helenians, while Chinese Saint Helenians and White Saint Helenians make up 25% each. However, the possibility of clear-cut categorical divisions between ethnicities on present day St Helena, as reflected by these statistics, is disputed. [10] Most Saint Helenians today are multiracial, similar to the Cape Coloureds.
Ascension has no civilian population, while Tristan da Cunha has a white population descended primarily from the British Isles or from the Falkland Islands.
The majority of St. Helenians are Anglican. Other religions in St. Helena include (in alphabetic order): the Baháʼí Faith, [11] the Baptist church, Buddhism, Roman Catholicism, and Seventh-day Adventism.
According to the statistics in the 2014 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, Saint Helena has the highest proportion of Jehovah's Witnesses of any country or territory in the world: one person in thirty-five, using an estimated population of 4,000 for St Helena and a count of 118 members. [12]
In Tristan da Cunha, Christianity is the main religion, with the largest denominations being Anglican and Roman Catholic.
Religious | Resident population (St Helena) | Percentage [13] |
---|---|---|
Yes | 3676 | 84.5 |
No | 266 | 6.1 |
Prefer not to say | 407 | 9.4 |
Denomination | Resident population (St Helena) | Percentage |
Anglican | 2995 | 81.5 |
Jehovah's Witness | 178 | 4.8 |
Baptist | 93 | 2.5 |
Roman Catholic | 53 | 1.4 |
New Apostolic | 61 | 1.7 |
Seventh Day Adventist | 77 | 2.1 |
Salvation Army | 75 | 2.0 |
Baháʼí | 11 | 0.3 |
Other | 97 | 2.6 |
Not Stated | 36 | 1 |
Where being literate is defined as being of age 20 or over and able to read and write, 97% of the total population is literate, according to estimates from 1987. 97% of males and 98% of females of St. Helena are literate under this definition by the same estimates.
By 2010 estimates, life expectancy at birth for the total population is 78.6 years (for males it is 75.68; for females it is 81.67). The infant mortality rate is 16.98 deaths per 1,000 live births.
Ascension Island has a population of around eight hundred inhabitants, with the majority being Saint Helenians, located in Georgetown on the west coast of the island, with another small settlement, Two Boats, located in Ascension's interior.
Tristan da Cunha has a population of about three hundred inhabitants, mainly located in the Edinburgh of the Seven Seas settlement on Tristan's North Coast.
Saint Helena is an island in the South Atlantic Ocean, about midway between South America and Africa. St Helena has a land area of 122 square kilometres and is part of the territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha which includes Ascension Island and the island group of Tristan da Cunha.
This article deals with traffic in Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, that is all forms of traffic in the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha.
The flag of Saint Helena consists of a Blue Ensign defaced with the shield from the British overseas territory's coat of arms. Adopted in 1984 shortly after the island was granted a new coat of arms, it has been the flag since. Saint Helena's flag is similar to the flags of eight other British Overseas Territories, which are also Blue Ensigns with their respective coats of arms.
Jamestown is the capital city of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, located on the island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is also the historic main settlement of the island and is on its north-western coast. Before the development of the port at Rupert's Bay, it was the island's only port and the centre of the island's road and communications network. It was founded when colonists from the English East India Company settled on the island in 1659 and was briefly occupied by the Dutch East India Company in 1673 before being recaptured. Many of the buildings built by the East India Company in the 18th century survive and give the town its distinctive Georgian flavour.
The Saint Helenapound is the currency of the Atlantic islands of Saint Helena and Ascension, which are constituent parts of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. It is fixed at parity with sterling, and so both currencies are commonly accepted and circulated within Saint Helena. It is subdivided into 100 pence.
The governor of Tristan de Cunha is the representative of the monarch in Tristan da Cunha, a constituent part of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. The governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government. The role of the governor is to act as the de facto head of state.
Ascension Island is an island in the South Atlantic Ocean, part of the wider British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. Like other British Overseas Territories, it issues its own postage stamps, which provide a source of income for the island from sales to overseas collectors, as well as being used for domestic and international postage.
Scouting and Guiding in Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha is administered by the United Kingdom Scout Association and Girlguiding UK, due to Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha's affiliations as a British Overseas Territory.
The Governor of Ascension is the representative of the monarch in Ascension Island, a constituent part of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. He is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government, his role is to act as the de facto head of state.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Ascension Island:
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Saint Helena:
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Tristan da Cunha:
Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island, 7°56′ south of the Equator in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is about 1,000 miles (1,600 km) from the coast of Africa and 1,400 miles (2,300 km) from the coast of South America. It is governed as part of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, of which the main island, Saint Helena, is around 800 miles (1,300 km) to the southeast. The territory also includes the sparsely populated Tristan da Cunha archipelago, 2,300 miles (3,700 km) to the south, about halfway to the Antarctic Circle.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights in the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha have gradually evolved over the years. Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is banned in the entire territory through the Constitution Order 2009 and same-sex marriage has been legal on the islands since 2017.
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha is a British Overseas Territory located in the South Atlantic and consisting of the island of Saint Helena, Ascension Island, and the archipelago of Tristan da Cunha. Its name was Saint Helena and Dependencies until 1 September 2009, when a new constitution came into force, giving the three islands equal status as three territories, with a grouping under the Crown.
The Apostolic Prefecture of Falkland Islands is a Latin Church missionary ecclesiastical jurisdiction or apostolic prefecture of the Catholic Church covering the Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, UK Southern Atlantic Ocean overseas possessions.
This is a list of public holidays in Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, a British overseas territory in the South Atlantic Ocean consisting of Saint Helena, Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha.
The politics of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha operate under the jurisdiction of the government of the United Kingdom. The three parts of the territory—Saint Helena, Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha—effectively form an asymmetric federacy and collectively constitute one of United Kingdom's fourteen overseas territories.
Same-sex marriage has been legal in Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha since 2017. An ordinance to open marriage to same-sex couples in Saint Helena was passed by the Legislative Council in a 9–2 vote on 19 December 2017. It went into force the following day, and the first same-sex marriage was performed on 31 December 2018. Same-sex couples have also been able to marry on Ascension Island since 1 January 2017 and in Tristan da Cunha since 4 August 2017.