St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha

St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha is a territory in the Africa card group. British Overseas Territory with three constituent parts.

Find St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha

● Administrative center · Gold highlights this card’s area.
Map: Natural Earth. Boundaries show geographic context, not a position on sovereignty. Small islands may use enlarged markers.

At a glance

Administrative center: Jamestown
Languages: English
Currency: Saint Helena pound (SHP) and pound sterling (GBP), varying by island
Population: 3,980 on Saint HelenaResident on-island population, June 2025. Excludes Ascension and Tristan da Cunha.
Area: 394 km²152 square miles
Status: British Overseas Territory with three constituent parts.

St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha in context

Africa and its surrounding islands. The dot marks Jamestown; the mapped territory is highlighted in gold.

Natural Earth · locator map

Geography & languages

Physical geography

Three widely separated volcanic island groups in the South Atlantic. Their climates differ substantially with latitude.

Languages

English is used across the territory. Each island has its own small community and distinct local history.

Location

Three widely separated volcanic island groups in the South Atlantic. Their climates differ substantially with latitude.

Flag

The Union Flag shown represents this British Overseas Territory. Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha also each have their own local flag.

Sources: Saint Helena Government · constitution · Saint Helena Government · statistics

History & status

Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha are widely separated South Atlantic islands with distinct settlement histories. Saint Helena passed from East India Company administration to the British Crown in 1834. The 2009 constitution gave the three parts equal constitutional status within one territory.

1834
Saint Helena becomes a Crown colony
2009
A new constitution covers the three parts
2021
Saint Helena introduces ministerial government

Sources: Saint Helena Government · constitution · Saint Helena Government · statistics

Economy

Main activities

The islands have different economies. Saint Helena relies on public services, external support, tourism and fishing; Ascension supports communications and military facilities; Tristan da Cunha depends heavily on its lobster fishery.

Sources: Saint Helena Government · constitution · Saint Helena Government · statistics

Population & economy

3,980 on Saint Helena · Resident on-island population, June 2025. Excludes Ascension and Tristan da Cunha.

Saint Helena’s GDP was £40.7 million in 2024/25 at market prices. This covers Saint Helena only and is not directly comparable to the constant-2015-US-dollar country charts.

Sources: Saint Helena Government · constitution · Saint Helena Government · statistics

Government

British Overseas Territory with separate constitutional arrangements for Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. Saint Helena has a governor, elected Legislative Council and ministerial government; the other islands have administrators and island councils.

Sources: Saint Helena Government · constitution · Saint Helena Government · statistics

Knowledge check

Three questions about St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha.

QUESTION 1 OF 3

Which activity is especially important to Tristan da Cunha?

Sources & notes

Sources: Saint Helena Government · constitution · Saint Helena Government · statistics

Prepared 24 September 2026. World Bank series: SP.POP.TOTL (persons) and NY.GDP.MKTP.KD (constant 2015 US dollars); downloaded 24 September 2026, provider update 13 July 2026. UNDP values use the 2025 report and 2023 observation year. These are dated statistical snapshots, not live population or economic counters.

Maps use Natural Earth geographic data. Background geography, flag descriptions and selected historical facts use archived public-domain CIA World Factbook profiles, supplemented by the sources linked above. The Factbook is no longer updated; dated statistics here come from the separately named providers.