ARCHIVE // SH // 1998

Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha

1998 Edition — territory

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Economy
Agricultural products (Agriculture-products) [time series]
maize, potatoes, vegetables; timber production being developed; fishing, including crawfishing on Tristan da Cunha
Budget [time series]
revenues: $11.2 million expenditures: $11 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY92/93)
Communications - note (Communications-note) [time series]
Gough Island has a meteorological station
Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]
1 Saint Helenian pound (£S) = 100 pence
Debt - external (Debt-external) [time series]
$NA
Economic aid [time series]
recipient: $5.3 million from UK (1997)
Economic overview (Economy-overview) [time series]
The economy depends primarily on financial assistance from the UK. The local population earns some income from fishing, the raising of livestock, and sales of handicrafts. Because there are few jobs, a large proportion of the work force has left to seek employment overseas.
Electricity - capacity (Electricity-capacity) [time series]
4,000 kW (1995)
Electricity - consumption per capita (Electricity-consumption per capita) [time series]
887 kWh (1995)
Electricity - production (Electricity-production) [time series]
6 million kWh (1995)
Exchange rates [time series]
Saint Helenian pounds (£S) per US$1-0.6115 (January 1998), 0.6047 (1997), 0.6403 (1996), 0.6335 (1995), 0.6529 (1994), 0.6658 (1993); note - the Saint Helenian pound is at par with the British pound
Exports [time series]
total value: $704,000 (f.o.b., 1995) commodities: fish (frozen, canned, and salt-dried skipjack, tuna), handicrafts partners: South Africa, UK
Fiscal year [time series]
1 April-31 March Communications
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]
purchasing power parity-$NA
GDP - composition, by sector of origin (GDP-composition by sector) [time series]
agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%
Real GDP per capita (GDP-per capita) [time series]
purchasing power parity-$NA
Real GDP growth rate (GDP-real growth rate) [time series]
NA%
Imports [time series]
total value: $14.434 million (c.i.f., 1995) commodities: food, beverages, tobacco, fuel oils, animal feed, building materials, motor vehicles and parts, machinery and parts partners: UK, South Africa
Industrial production growth rate [time series]
NA%
Industries [time series]
crafts (furniture, lacework, fancy woodwork), fishing
Inflation rate (consumer prices) (Inflation rate-consumer price index) [time series]
NA%
Labor force [time series]
total: 2,416 (1991 est.) by occupation: professional, technical, and related workers 8.7%, managerial, administrative, and clerical 12.8%, sales people 8.1%, farmer, fishermen, etc. 5.4%, craftspersons, production process workers 14.7%, others 50.3% (1987) note: a large proportion of the work force has left to seek employment overseas
Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]
AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0
Radios [time series]
2,500 (1993 est.)
Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]
domestic: automatic network; HF radiotelephone from Saint Helena to Ascension, then into worldwide submarine cable and satellite networks international: major coaxial submarine cable relay point between South Africa, Portugal, and UK at Ascension; satellite earth stations-2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - fixed lines (Telephones) [time series]
550
Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]
0
Televisions [time series]
NA
Unemployment rate [time series]
NA%
Geography
Area [time series]
total: 410 sq km land: 410 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Ascension, Gough Island, Inaccessible Island, Nightingale Island, and Tristan da Cunha Island
Area - comparative (Area-comparative) [time series]
slightly more than two times the size of Washington, DC
Climate [time series]
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)
Coastline [time series]
60 km
Elevation (Elevation extremes) [time series]
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Queen Mary's Peak 2,060 m
Environment - current issues (Environment-current issues) [time series]
NA
International environmental agreements (Environment-international agreements) [time series]
party to: NA signed, but not ratified: NA
Geographic coordinates [time series]
15 56 S, 5 42 W
Geography - note (Geography-note) [time series]
Napoleon Bonaparte's place of exile and burial (his remains were taken to Paris in 1840); harbors at least 40 species of plants unknown anywhere else in the world; Ascension is a breeding ground for sea turtles and sooty terns
Irrigated land [time series]
NA sq km
Land boundaries [time series]
0 km
Land use [time series]
arable land: 6% permanent crops: NA% permanent pastures: 6% forests and woodland: 6% other: 82% (1993 est.)
Location [time series]
islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, about mid-way between South America and Africa
Map references [time series]
Africa
Maritime claims [time series]
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Natural hazards [time series]
active volcanism on Tristan da Cunha
Natural resources [time series]
fish
Terrain [time series]
Saint Helena-rugged, volcanic; small scattered plateaus and plains note: the other islands of the group have a volcanic origin
Government
Administrative divisions [time series]
1 administrative area and 2 dependencies*; Ascension*, Saint Helena, Tristan da Cunha*
Constitution [time series]
1 January 1989
Country name [time series]
conventional long form: none conventional short form: Saint Helena
Data code [time series]
SH
Dependency status [time series]
dependent territory of the UK
Diplomatic representation from the US [time series]
none (dependent territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation in the US [time series]
none (dependent territory of the UK)
Executive branch [time series]
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II of the UK (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Governor and Commander in Chief David Leslie SMALLMAN (since NA 1995) cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor, two ex-officio officers, and six elected members of the Legislative Council elections: none; the queen is a hereditary monarch; governor is appointed by the queen
Flag (Flag description) [time series]
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
Government type [time series]
NA
Independence [time series]
none (dependent territory of the UK)
International organization participation [time series]
ICFTU
Judicial branch [time series]
Supreme Court
Legal system [time series]
NA
Legislative branch [time series]
unicameral Legislative Council (15 seats, including the governor, 2 ex-officio and 12 elected members; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 9 July 1997 (next to be held NA July 2001) election results: percent of vote-NA; seats-independents 15
Capital (National capital) [time series]
Jamestown
National holiday [time series]
Celebration of the Birthday of the Queen, 10 June 1989 (second Saturday in June)
Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]
none
Suffrage [time series]
NA years of age
Military
Military - note (Military-note) [time series]
defense is the responsibility of the UK
People
Age structure [time series]
0-14 years: 20% (male 718; female 694) 15-64 years: 71% (male 2,643; female 2,423) 65 years and over: 9% (male 249; female 364) (July 1998 est.)
Birth rate [time series]
14.1 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate [time series]
6.49 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Ethnic groups [time series]
African descent, white
Infant mortality rate [time series]
28.81 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Languages [time series]
English
Life expectancy at birth [time series]
total population: 75.73 years male: 72.66 years female: 78.96 years (1998 est.)
Literacy [time series]
definition: age 20 and over can read and write total population: 97% male: 97% female: 98% (1987 est.)
Nationality [time series]
noun: Saint Helenian(s) adjective: Saint Helenian
Net migration rate [time series]
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Population [time series]
7,091 (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate [time series]
0.76% (1998 est.)
Religions [time series]
Anglican (majority), Baptist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic
Sex ratio [time series]
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.09 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate [time series]
1.5 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international (Disputes-international) [time series]
none SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS
Transportation
Airports [time series]
1 (1997 est.)
Airports - with paved runways (Airports-with paved runways) [time series]
total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (1997 est.)
Roadways (Highways) [time series]
total: NA km (Saint Helena 118 km, Ascension NA km, Tristan da Cunha NA km) paved: 180.7 km (Saint Helena 98 km, Ascension 80 km, Tristan da Cunha 2.70 km) unpaved: NA km (Saint Helena 20 km, Ascension NA km, Tristan da Cunha NA km)
Merchant marine [time series]
none
Ports (Ports and harbors) [time series]
Georgetown (on Ascension), Jamestown
Railways [time series]
0 km