The island
St Helena is a British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic Ocean, formed by volcanic activity and rising sharply from the sea to Diana's Peak at 818 metres. Barren coastal cliffs give way to an unexpectedly green interior of pasture, flax and cloud forest.
Since the opening of St Helena Airport in 2017, weekly flights from Johannesburg have connected the island to the world, complementing the sea freight service that supplies the island year round.
- Location
- South Atlantic Ocean, 1,950 km west of Africa
- Area
- 121 km² of volcanic peaks and valleys
- Population
- Around 4,400 residents, known as Saints
- Capital
- Jamestown, a Georgian town in a steep valley
- Time zone
- GMT all year round
- Currency
- St Helena Pound (pegged to Sterling)
History
Discovered uninhabited in 1502, St Helena became a vital resupply station on the sailing route between Europe and Asia. The island is best known as the place of Napoleon Bonaparte's exile from 1815 until his death in 1821 at Longwood House, still preserved today.
The island also played a role in the suppression of the transatlantic slave trade, when thousands of liberated Africans were landed at Rupert's Bay by the Royal Navy in the mid-nineteenth century.
Wildlife and environment
St Helena supports more than 500 endemic species, including the wirebird — the island's national bird and only surviving native land bird. The cloud forest of the Peaks National Park shelters invertebrates and plants found nowhere else on Earth, while the surrounding waters host whale sharks between December and March.
Culture and community
Saint culture blends English, African and Asian heritage, expressed through music, fishing traditions, church life and community events. Life centres on Jamestown and the districts of Half Tree Hollow, Longwood, Levelwood, Blue Hill, Sandy Bay and St Paul's.
Learn more about how the island is governed on the St Helena Government page, or see what services are available under Public Services.