| Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha | ||||||
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| Motto: "Loyal and Unshakeable" (St Helena) "Our faith is our strength" (Tristan da Cunha) |
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| Anthem: "God Save the Queen |
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| Capital | Jamestown | |||||
| Official languages | English | |||||
| Government | British Overseas Territory | |||||
| - | Monarch | Elizabeth II | ||||
| - | Governor of Saint Helena | Andrew Gurr | ||||
| - | Administrator of Ascension Island | Ross Denny | ||||
| - | Administrator of Tristan da Cunha | David Morley | ||||
| UK overseas territory | ||||||
| - | Annexed | 28 August 1833 | ||||
| - | Ascension added | 12 September 1922 | ||||
| - | Tristan da Cunha added | 12 January 1938 | ||||
| - | Constitution | 1 September 2009 | ||||
| Area | ||||||
| - | Total | 420 km2 162 sq mi |
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| Population | ||||||
| - | 2008 census | 5,661 | ||||
| Currency | Saint Helena pound (SHP) |
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| Time zone | GMT (UTC+0) | |||||
| Internet TLD | .sh and .ac | |||||
| Calling code | 290 and 247 | |||||
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha [1] is a British overseas territory consisting of the islands of Saint Helena, Ascension Island and the Tristan da Cunha group. It was previously known as Saint Helena and Dependencies until 1 September 2009, when a new constitution came into force giving the three islands equal status within the territory. [2]
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Administrative divisions
Administratively, the territory is divided into three areas, each governed by a council. The governor of the territory presides over the St. Helena Legislative Council, while he is represented by an administrator each on Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, presiding over the island councils of these two areas.
| Administrative Area |
Area km2 |
Area sq mi |
Population | Administrative centre | ISO code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Saint Helena |
122 | 47 | 4,255 | Jamestown | SH |
 Ascension Island |
91 | 35 | 1,122 | Georgetown | AC |
 Tristan da Cunha |
207 | 80 | 284 | Edinburgh of the Seven Seas | TA |
| Total | 420 | 162 | 5,661 | Jamestown | SH |
History
The islands of Saint Helena, Ascension Island, and Tristan da Cunha were all formerly separate colonies. Saint Helena, which had been governed by the East India Company since 1659, was made a British crown colony on 28 August 1833. Ascension Island was garrisoned by the Royal Navy on 22 October 1815. Tristan da Cunha was annexed as a dependency of the Cape Colony on 14 August 1816.
The union between these colonies began to take shape on 12 September 1922, when Ascension Island became a dependency of Saint Helena by letters patent. Tristan da Cunha followed suit on 12 January 1938. The three island groups shared this constitutional relationship until 1 September 2009, when the dependencies were raised to equal status with Saint Helena and the territory changed its name from "Saint Helena and Dependencies" to "Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha".
References
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha |
- The Official Government Website of Saint Helena
- The Official Government Website of Ascension Island
- The Official Tristan da Cunha Website
- Saint Helena entry at The World Factbook
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This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
