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Background:
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Uninhabited when first discovered by the Portuguese in
1502, Saint Helena was garrisoned by the British during
the 17th century. It acquired fame as the place of
Napoleon BONAPARTE's exile, from 1815 until his death in
1821, but its importance as a port of call declined
after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. Ascension
Island is the site of a US Air Force auxiliary airfield;
Gough Island has a meteorological station. |
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Location:
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islands
in the South Atlantic Ocean, about midway between South
America and Africa |
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Geographic coordinates:
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15 56 S,
5 42 W |
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Map references:
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Africa
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Area:
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total:
410 sq km
land: 410 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Saint Helena Island, Ascension,
and the island group of Tristan da Cunha, which consists
of Tristan da Cunha Island, Gough Island, Inaccessible
Island, and the three Nightingale Islands |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly
more than twice the size of Washington, DC |
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Land boundaries:
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0 km |
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Coastline:
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60 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
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Climate:
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Saint
Helena - tropical; marine; mild, tempered by trade
winds; Tristan da Cunha - temperate; marine, mild,
tempered by trade winds (tends to be cooler than Saint
Helena) |
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Terrain:
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Saint
Helena - rugged, volcanic; small scattered plateaus and
plains
note: the other islands of the group have a
volcanic origin |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Queen Mary's Peak on Tristan da
Cunha 2,060 m |
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Natural resources:
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fish |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 12.9%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 87.1% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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NA sq km
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Natural hazards:
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active
volcanism on Tristan da Cunha |
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Environment - current issues:
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NA |
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Geography - note:
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harbors
at least 40 species of plants unknown anywhere else in
the world; Ascension is a breeding ground for sea
turtles and sooty terns |
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Population:
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7,460
(July 2005 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14
years: 18.8% (male 715/female 691)
15-64 years: 71.3% (male 2,745/female 2,575)
65 years and over: 9.8% (male 330/female 404)
(2005 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
35.4 years
male: 35.61 years
female: 35.21 years (2005 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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0.59%
(2005 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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12.33
births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Death rate:
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6.43
deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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0
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at
birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
19 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 22.74 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 15.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2005
est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 77.76 years
male: 74.86 years
female: 80.81 years (2005 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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1.54
children born/woman (2005 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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NA |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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NA |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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NA |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Saint Helenian(s)
adjective: Saint Helenian |
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Ethnic groups:
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African
descent 50%, white 25%, Chinese 25% |
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Religions:
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Anglican
(majority), Baptist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman
Catholic |
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Languages:
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English
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Literacy:
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definition: age 20 and over can read and write
total population: 97%
male: 97%
female: 98% (1987 est.) |
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Country name:
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conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Saint Helena |
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Dependency status:
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overseas
territory of the UK |
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Government type:
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NA |
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Capital:
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Jamestown
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Administrative divisions:
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1
administrative area and 2 dependencies*; Ascension*,
Saint Helena, Tristan da Cunha* |
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Independence:
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none
(overseas territory of the UK) |
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National holiday:
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Birthday
of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926)
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Constitution:
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1 January
1989 |
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Legal system:
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NA |
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Suffrage:
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NA years
of age |
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Executive branch:
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chief
of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
head of government: Governor and Commander in
Chief Michael CLANCY (since 15 October 2004)
cabinet: Executive Council consists of the
governor, two ex officio officers, and six elected
members of the Legislative Council
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary;
governor is appointed by the monarch |
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral Legislative Council (16 seats, including the
speaker, 3 ex officio and 12 elected members; members
are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 27 June 2001 (next to be
held June 2005)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats -
independents 15 |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme
Court; Magistrate's Court; Small Debts Court; Juvenile
Court |
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Political parties and leaders:
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none |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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none |
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International organization participation:
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ICFTU,
UPU |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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none
(overseas territory of the UK) |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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none
(overseas territory of the UK) |
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Flag description:
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blue with
the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and
the Saint Helenian shield centered on the outer half of
the flag; the shield features a rocky coastline and
three-masted sailing ship |
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Economy - overview:
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The
economy depends largely on financial assistance from the
UK, which amounted to about $5 million in 1997 or almost
one-half of annual budgetary revenues. The local
population earns income from fishing, raising livestock,
and sales of handicrafts. Because there are few jobs,
25% of the work force has left to seek employment on
Ascension Island, on the Falklands, and in the UK. |
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$18
million (1998 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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NA |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $2,500 (1998 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: NA
industry: NA
services: NA |
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Labor force:
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3,500
note: 1,200 work offshore (1998 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture and fishing 6%, industry (mainly
construction) 48%, services 46% (1987 est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
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14% (1998
est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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NA |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest
10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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3.2%
(1997 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $11.2 million
expenditures: $11 million, including capital
expenditures of NA (FY92/93) |
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Agriculture - products:
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corn,
potatoes, vegetables; timber; fish, crawfish (on Tristan
da Cunha) |
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Industries:
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construction, crafts (furniture, lacework, fancy
woodwork), fishing |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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NA |
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Electricity - production:
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5 million
kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil
fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001) |
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Electricity - consumption:
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4.65
million kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh
(2002) |
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh
(2002) |
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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200
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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NA |
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Oil - imports:
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NA |
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Exports:
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$17
million f.o.b. (2002) |
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Exports - commodities:
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fish
(frozen, canned, and salt-dried skipjack, tuna), coffee,
handicrafts |
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Exports - partners:
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Tanzania
30.3%, US 23.8%, Japan 10.4%, UK 7.1%, Spain 6.3% (2004)
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Imports:
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$42
million c.i.f. (2002) |
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Imports - commodities:
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food,
beverages, tobacco, fuel oils, animal feed, building
materials, motor vehicles and parts, machinery and parts
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Imports - partners:
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UK 35.7%,
US 17.6%, South Africa 17.5%, Tanzania 10.4%, Australia
5.5%, Spain 4.1% (2004) |
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Debt - external:
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NA (1996)
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$12.6
million (1995); note - $5.3 million from UK (1997) |
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Currency (code):
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Saint
Helenian pound (SHP) |
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Currency code:
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SHP |
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Exchange rates:
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Saint
Helenian pounds per US dollar - 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125
(2003), 0.6672 (2002), 0.6947 (2001), 0.6609 (2000)
note: the Saint Helenian pound is on par with the
British pound |
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Fiscal year:
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1 April -
31 March |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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2,200
(2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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0 (1997)
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Telephone system:
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general assessment: can communicate worldwide
domestic: automatic network
international: country code - 290; HF
radiotelephone from Saint Helena to Ascension Island,
which is a major coaxial submarine cable relay point
between South Africa, Portugal, and UK; satellite earth
stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 1, FM
0, shortwave 0 (1998) |
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Radios:
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3,000
(1997) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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0
note: television programs are received in Saint
Helena via satellite and distributed by cable (2002)
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Televisions:
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2,000
(1997) |
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Internet country code:
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.sh |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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1 (2000)
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Internet users:
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500
(2002) |
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Communications - note:
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Gough
Island has a meteorological station |
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Highways:
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total:
198 km (Saint Helena 138 km, Ascension 40 km, Tristan da
Cunha 20 km)
paved: 168 km (Saint Helena 118km, Ascension 40
km, Tristan da Cunha 10 km)
unpaved: 30 km (Saint Helena 20 km, Ascension 0
km, Tristan da Cunha 10 km) (2000) |
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Ports and harbors:
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Georgetown (on Ascension), Jamestown |
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Airports:
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1 (2004
est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total:
1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
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Military - note:
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defense
is the responsibility of the UK |
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Disputes - international:
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none |
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This page was last updated on
20 October, 2005 |
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