Ascension Island
Encyclopedia
Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island in the equatorial waters of the South Atlantic Ocean
, around 1600 kilometres (994.2 mi) from the coast of Africa and 2250 kilometres (1,398.1 mi) from the coast of South America, which is roughly midway between the horn of South America and Africa. It is governed as part of the British Overseas Territory
of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
, of which the main island, Saint Helena
, is around 1300 kilometres (807.8 mi) to the southeast, and the territory also includes the "remotest populated archipelago" on earth, the sparsely populated Tristan da Cunha
archipelago
some thirty degrees farther south–about half the way to the Antarctic Circle
.
The Island is named after the day of its recorded discovery, Ascension Day, and is located at 7°56′S 14°22′W, about as far south of the equator
as tropical Venezuela
is to its north. Historically, it has played a role as an important safe haven and coaling station to mariners and for commercial airliners during the days of international air travel by flying boat
s and during World War II
was an important naval and air station, especially providing antisubmarine warfare bases in the Battle of the Atlantic and throughout the war.
Ascension Island was garrisoned by the British
Admiralty
from 22 October 1815 to 1922.
The island is the location of Wideawake Airfield, which is a joint facility of the United States Air Force
and the Royal Air Force
, a European Space Agency rocket tracking station, and the BBC World Service Atlantic Relay Station. The island was used extensively by the British military during the Falklands War
. Ascension Island hosts one of five ground antennae (others are on Kwajalein Island, Diego Garcia
, Colorado Springs
and Hawaii
) that assist in the operation of the Global Positioning System
(GPS) navigational system.
Ascension Island, as a part of the wider overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, does not yet have its own flag
or coat of arms. The Union Flag
and Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom
are used instead.
The Portuguese
explorer João da Nova
, sailing for Portugal, is believed to have been the first to discover the island in 1501, but his discovery was apparently not registered. Thus, in 1503 when another Portuguese navigator, Afonso de Albuquerque
, sighted the island on Ascension Day in the church calendar, he named it after the feast day. Dry and barren, it had little appeal for passing ships except for collecting fresh meat. Mariner
s could hunt for the numerous seabird
s and the enormous female green turtles that laid their eggs on the sandy beaches. The Portuguese also introduced goat
s as a potential source of meat for future mariners.
In February 1701, HMS Roebuck
, commanded by William Dampier
, sank in the common anchoring spot in Clarence Bay to the northwest of the island. Some sixty men survived for two months until they were rescued. Almost certainly, after a few days they found the strong water spring in the high interior of the island, in what is now called Breakneck Valley (there is a much smaller water source, lower on the mountain, which was named Dampier's Drip by people who probably misinterpreted Dampier's story).
It is possible that the island was sometimes used as an open prison for criminal mariners, although there is only one documented case of such an exile, a Dutch
ship's officer, Leendert Hasenbosch
, set ashore at Clarence Bay as a punishment for sodomy
in May 1725. British mariners found the Dutchman's tent, belongings and diary in January 1726; the man had probably died of thirst.
Ascension Island was first inhabited in 1815, when the British garrisoned it as a precaution after imprisoning Napoleon I
on Saint Helena
to the southeast. On 22 October the Cruizer class brig-sloops
Zenobia
and Peruvian
claimed the island for His Britannic Majesty King George III
. The Royal Navy
officially designated the island as a stone frigate
, "HMS Ascension", with the classification of "Sloop of War of the smaller class".
The location of the island made it a useful stopping point for ships and communications. The Royal Navy
used the island as a victualling
station for ships, particularly those of the West Africa Squadron
working against the slave trade
. A garrison of Royal Marines
was based at Ascension from 1823.
In 1836 the Beagle voyage
visited Ascension. Charles Darwin
described it as an arid treeless island, with nothing growing near the coast. Sparse vegetation inland supported "about six hundred sheep, many goats, a few cows & horses," and large numbers of guineafowl
imported from the Cape Verde
islands, as well as rats, mice and land crab
s; he agreed with the saying attributed to the people of St Helena that "We know we live on a rock, but the poor people at Ascension live on a cinder". He noted the care taken to sustain "houses, gardens & fields placed near the summit of the central mountain", and cisterns at the road side to provide good drinking water. The springs were carefully managed, "so that a single drop of water may not be lost: indeed the whole island may be compared to a huge ship kept in first-rate order." In commenting on this, he noted René Primevère Lesson's remark "that the English nation alone would have thought of making the island of Ascension a productive spot; any other people would have held it as a mere fortress in the ocean."
In 1843, botanist and explorer Joseph Hooker
visited the island. Four years later, Hooker, with much encouragement from Darwin, advised the Royal Navy that with the help of Kew Gardens, they should institute a long term plan of shipping trees to Ascension. The planted trees would capture more rain and improve the soil, allowing the barren island to become a garden. So, from 1850 and continuing year on year, ships came each depositing a varied assortment of plants from botanical gardens in Argentina, Europe and South Africa. By the late 1870s, Norfolk pine
s, eucalyptus
, bamboo
, and banana trees
were in lush profusion at the highest point of the island, Green Mountain
, creating a tropical cloud forest
.
In 1899, the Eastern Telegraph Company (now part of Cable & Wireless Worldwide) installed the first underwater cable from the island, connecting the UK with its colonies in South Africa
. In 1922, Letters patent
made Ascension a dependency of Saint Helena. The island was managed by the head of the Eastern Telegraph Company on the island until 1964 when the British Government appointed an Administrator
to represent the Governor of Saint Helena on Ascension.
During World War II
, to supply and augment extensive amphibious aircraft antisubmarine patrol operations ongoing from the early days of the war, the United States built an airbase on Ascension Island, known as "Wideawake", after a nearby colony of Sooty Tern
s (locally called 'Wideawake' birds because of their loud, distinctive call, which would wake people early in the morning). The airbase, which was under construction by the 38th Combat Engineer Battalion of the Army Corps of Engineers, was unexpectedly visited by two British Fairey Swordfish
torpedo planes on 15 June 1942. According to one of the pilots, Peter Jinks, the planes were fired upon before being recognised as allies. The Swordfish had to land on the unfinished airstrip, thus becoming the first land based aircraft to land on Ascension Island proper — which had long served as an ASW base for Catalina (PBY Catalina) flying boat
s. The event was later commemorated with a postage stamp 15 June 1982.
The Airfield was used by the US military as a stopping point for American aircraft crossing the Atlantic Ocean
on the way to theatres of operation in Europe and Africa. American bombers based at Wideawake were engaged in the Laconia incident
. After the end of World War II, and American departure, the airbase fell into disuse.
The only action during World War II occurred on 9 December 1941. At around mid-day, the U-boat
U-124 approached Georgetown
on the surface with the intention of sinking any ships at anchor or shelling the cable station. A two-gun shore battery at Cross Hill, above Georgetown, fired on the submarine. The guns scored no hits but the U-boat submerged and retreated. The battery remains largely intact to this day, together with its guns, BL 5.5 inch Mark I naval gun
s removed from HMS Hood
during a refit in Malta in 1938.
With the Space Race
and the Cold War
, the Americans returned in 1956. Wideawake Airfield was expanded in the mid 1960s. The runway, with its strange hump, was extended, widened, and improved to allow its use by large aircraft, and later to act as an emergency runway for the Space Shuttle
, although the Shuttle never had occasion to use it. The United States Air Force
uses the island as part of its Eastern Range. NASA
established a tracking station on the island in 1967, which it operated for more than 20 years before closing it down in 1990. The island retains a role in Space exploration as the European Space Agency
now operates an Ariane monitoring facility there. The BBC
Atlantic Relay Station was installed in 1966 for short-wave broadcasts to Africa and South America.
In 1982 a British
task force
used Ascension Island as a staging post
during the Falklands War
, though according to Matthew Parris,
"...at the start of the Falklands conflict Washington at first refused Britain permission to use the USA-operated airfield facilities for refuelling RAF jets. Only after Mrs Thatcher intervened with Ronald Reagan did the Americans reluctantly concede." The Royal Air Force
deployed a fleet of Vulcan
bombers and Victor
tankers at the airfield. The opening shots of the British offensive were launched from Ascension by Vulcans in Operation Black Buck
. The RAF also used the base to supply the Task Force. Because of the increase in air traffic during the war, Wideawake was the busiest airfield in the world for a short period. The Royal Navy's fleet stopped at Ascension for refuelling on the way. Following the war, the British retained an increased presence on the island, establishing RAF Ascension Island, and providing a refuelling stop for the regular airlink between RAF Brize Norton
in Oxfordshire, and RAF Mount Pleasant
in the Falkland Islands
.
As of 2007, NASA continues to list Ascension Island as a "downrange site" used for range safety instrumentation. In particular, the Post-Detect Telemetry System used to acquire launch vehicle telemetry
includes a station on Ascension.
In 2008 British diplomats requested sovereignty, at the United Nations
Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (UN CLCS), over 77220 square miles (199,998.9 km²) of submarine territory around the island. This would enable exploration into new reserves of oil, gas and minerals, though none are thought to exist.
together with Saint Helena
and Tristan da Cunha
. Executive authority is vested in Elizabeth II, who is represented by the Governor of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. As the Governor resides in Jamestown, Saint Helena
, an Administrator
is appointed to represent the Governor on Ascension Island.
As a result of changes in the constitutional arrangements for Ascension Island, the first Island Council
of seven members was elected and took office on 1 November 2002. This Council was dissolved by order of the Governor of Saint Helena on 24 October 2005, and a new election was held on 16 November 2005, a total of 697 electors choosing between ten candidates contesting the seven seats.
Six of the seven members resigned in January 2007 in the belief that they were "assisting to legitimise a democracy that doesn’t really exist on Ascension Island". Consequently, a general election was called, but by the close of nominations there were only two candidates. As a result of the boycott, the election was abandoned, and the governor suspended the Island Council for 12 months. It was stated that an election would take place in April 2008 but following consultations this was extended to October. With eight nominations the elections were duly held and seven candidates were elected to form a new Island Council, which was sworn in on 28 October.
Ascension Island has its own local system of law, much of which is based on the laws of Saint Helena and some parts of English law with modifications. The Island Council advises on new or revised laws. Where local legislation does not exist, Saint Helenian law may be used where appropriate and suitable for local adaptation, or specific Ascension Island law is enacted. Employment legislation is a mixture of contract law and the Workmen's Protection Ordinance, which guarantees a contract, as well as obliging employers to provide free accommodation, medical cover, food (or a food allowance), travel etc.
The Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Constitution Order 2009 was made by HM the Queen and the Privy Council on 8 July and came into operation in September 2009. The new Constitution replaces the 1988 version and among other changes limits the Governor's powers, includes a Bill of Rights, establishes independence of the judiciary and the public service and formally designates the Governor of St Helena as, concurrently, the Governor for Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. It also ends the "dependency" status of Ascension and Tristan da Cunha on Saint Helena that had been in place, for administrative convenience, since 1922.
The main island has an area of approximately 91 km2. A volcanic peak rising from just west of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
, much of the island is a wasteland of lava
flows and cinder cone
s; no fewer than forty-four distinct dormant craters
have been identified.
The island originally had its own native flora until Portuguese explorers released goats in the 1500s which ate much of it. The later introduction of rabbits, sheep, rats and donkeys, and over 200 imported species further marginalized the original flora.
By 1843 the island was barren with few plants. However, due to the introduction of species by the British, Ascension Island's Green Mountain
is now one of the few large-scale planned forests, and is gradually growing with each year. Its highest point is at 2,817 feet (859 m).
Off the east coast of Ascension is the islet of Boatswain Bird Island
. It is a haven for sea birds providing refuge from the rats, cats and people that came to Ascension Island from Europe and Africa. Following a successful campaign headed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
, the main island was in 2006 declared free of feral cats, and sea birds are now once again nesting on Ascension Island.
Ascension's climate is tropical, with temperatures at the coast ranging from about 68 to 88 degrees Fahrenheit (20–31 °C), and about 10 degrees Fahrenheit (5 to 6 degrees Celsius) cooler at the highest point. Rain showers may occur at any time during the year, but tend to be heavier between January and April.
The endemic flora includes plants like Pteris adscensionis
, Asplenium ascensionis
, Euphorbia origanoides
as well as the extinct species Oldenlandia adscenionis
, Sporobolus durus
and Dryopteris ascensionis and the recently rediscovered Anogramma ascensionis
(Ascension Island parsley fern).
In June 2005 the first National Park on Ascension Island, the Green Mountain National Park, was opened. Non-indigenous plants teem there, and the crown of Green Mountain is a lush halo of bamboo
. Flanking one side is a large stand of tall Norfolk pine
, trees planted by British
mariners, which were to have been used as replacement masts for sailing ship
s.
A few wild flowers narrowly abound such as periwinkle
; cactus
is present with land crab
s in several large colonies near the sea and mountains. Prosopis juliflora
, or the Mexican Thorn, is an introduced species which has thrived on the barren lava of the island in recent years; however, its spread has been destructive to other species, and current encroachment on the edges of beaches threatens those that utilize this space, such as the green turtle.
The protected green turtle is perhaps the most notable of the endemic fauna, coming ashore to lay their eggs on the beaches from November to May. Sooty Tern
s or "Wideawake Birds" nest in great seashore lava
"fairs". Other seabird
s include some types of boobies
, petrel
s and tropicbird
s (named boatswain birds by the inhabitants of the island), White Tern
, Brown Noddy
, Black Noddy
and Ascension Frigatebird
. The Ascension Crake became extinct around the beginning of the 19th century. Following the eradication of feral cats
from the island, several species of seabird previously confined to Boatswain Bird Island
are making a return to the main island.
On land are found such non-native birds such as canaries
, francolin
s, myna
s, sparrow
s, and waxbill
s. A variety of mammal
s have been introduced: donkey
, sheep, cats and rat
s among others. Reptile
s consist of two species of lizard
s. In summer, flies
are known to be problematic.
The largest native land animal is the land crab
Johngarthia lagostoma
(formerly Gecarcinus lagostoma).
Offshore, there is a variety of open-ocean fish, including shark
s, wahoo
, tuna
, bonito
, barracuda
, marlin
, blackfish
and sailfish
.
There are five settlements:
Additionally, there are some cottages on Green Mountain, occasionally occupied by visitors, and the Residency, the official residence of the Administrator.
In order to enter Ascension Island, people need the written permission of the Administrator. There is no permanent residence. A contract of employment is a requirement to stay on the island, though short term visits by tourists are possible with prior approval. The British government has asserted that there is no "right of abode
" on Ascension Island. As the local newspaper The Islander reported at the time, it is an issue that was disputed by some former Council members and some of the long-time expatriate employees.
and guiding
groups on Saint Helena and Ascension Island. Scouting was established on Ascension Island in November 1973, having been established on St Helena island in 1912.
Two Boats School
is the only school on the island and provides education to all resident children aged 3–16.
The main economic activity on the island is centred on the military bases at Wideawake Airfield, and the BBC World Service's Atlantic Relay station. The Ministry of Defence
estate and facilities are currently managed by the infrastructure support provider Interserve
Defence. Serco
currently manages the airport services with Sodexo providing catering and domestic facilities. A former feature of Ascension was a 70,000 tonne tanker permanently moored offshore that was operated by Maersk as a bulk fuel facility. In December 2002, this was replaced by an on-shore Petroleum Supply Depot under military management, with fuel still being delivered by a chartered tanker; the Maersk Rapier, which operates on an MOD resupply contract for both Ascension and the Falkland Islands
every 2 months. Fuel for the island is transferred via a floating hose, which is connected to the on-shore depot at the islands pier head and to the ship, once it is anchored off Georgetown.
The main export items are Ascension Island postage stamps
, first issued in 1922, and, since 2010, commemorative coins (which are legal tender but non-circulating) and commercial fishing licences for long-line tuna fishing vessels operating to ICCAT quotas.
A secondary export is the international internet domain code .ac
, which small UK educational colleges and science museums are favouring due to its similarity to .ac.uk
, the domain code reserved for well established UK educational institutions.
is the main attraction for many of the visitors. The Island also boasts what was once officially the worst golf course in the world. That course, on the outskirts of Georgetown has since been replaced with a similar one located between the settlements of Two Boats village and Georgetown, the course has 18 holes and the greens are in fact 'browns', a reference to the sand and oil mix used to make them. The rest of the course is made up of volcanic ash and rocks.
and Cable & Wireless Worldwide have communications posts there. The European Space Agency
(ESA) also has a tracking station on the island that tracks the Ariane 5
rockets shortly after they take off from Kourou
in French Guiana
.
Ascension has one local radio station and one relayed from St. Helena. It also receives broadcasts from the British Forces Broadcasting Service
and television services for the US military.
Ascension Island has the international calling code +247 and has 4 digit numbers on the island.
has a branch on the Island. This bank holds an account with Lloyds TSB
in the United Kingdom
for the purposes of conducting money transfers with the rest of the world. The currency on Ascension Island is the Saint Helena pound
. Tristan da Cunha
however uses the pound sterling
rather than the Saint Helena pound. The coins of the Saint Helena pound specify that they are for use on both Saint Helena and Ascension Island, but with no mention of Tristan da Cunha. For more information on currency in the wider region, see Pound sterling in the South Atlantic and the Antarctic
.
In 2003 the British and US governments signed the Wideawake agreement designed to allow a limited amount of non-scheduled civilian aircraft to land on Ascension Island, under responsibility of the British government. The island has a regular airlink with the United Kingdom and the Falkland Islands, with twice weekly flights from the RAF Ascension Island to the UK (RAF Brize Norton
) and to the Falkland Islands (RAF Mount Pleasant
). These are chartered civilian Boeing 767
aircraft operated by Titan Airways (previously by Air Seychelles) on behalf of the Royal Air Force, however a limited number of commercial passenger tickets are available. All visitors to Ascension Island need the Administrator's written permission before travelling. The United States maintains a weekly flight between the island and Patrick Air Force Base
in Florida
for the use of its personnel only.
The RMS Saint Helena visits Ascension Island approximately once a month linking the island to St Helena and Cape Town
. The US military service their base and facilities with a regular supply ship (MV Ascension
) and air transport.
There is no taxi service on the island and most visitors requiring transport hire a car. There are around 40 kilometres (24.9 mi) of roads on the island, all of which are surfaced. Some sections of the surfacing was done using surplus tarmac from construction of the airstrip. Traffic drives on the left.
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
, around 1600 kilometres (994.2 mi) from the coast of Africa and 2250 kilometres (1,398.1 mi) from the coast of South America, which is roughly midway between the horn of South America and Africa. It is governed as part of the British Overseas Territory
British overseas territories
The British Overseas Territories are fourteen territories of the United Kingdom which, although they do not form part of the United Kingdom itself, fall under its jurisdiction. They are remnants of the British Empire that have not acquired independence or have voted to remain British territories...
of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha is a British overseas territory and overseas territory of the European Union consisting of the islands of Saint Helena, Ascension Island and the Tristan da Cunha group...
, of which the main island, Saint Helena
Saint Helena
Saint Helena , named after St Helena of Constantinople, is an island of volcanic origin in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha which also includes Ascension Island and the islands of Tristan da Cunha...
, is around 1300 kilometres (807.8 mi) to the southeast, and the territory also includes the "remotest populated archipelago" on earth, the sparsely populated Tristan da Cunha
Tristan da Cunha
Tristan da Cunha is a remote volcanic group of islands in the south Atlantic Ocean and the main island of that group. It is the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world, lying from the nearest land, South Africa, and from South America...
archipelago
Archipelago
An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...
some thirty degrees farther south–about half the way to the Antarctic Circle
Antarctic Circle
The Antarctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. For 2011, it is the parallel of latitude that runs south of the Equator.-Description:...
.
The Island is named after the day of its recorded discovery, Ascension Day, and is located at 7°56′S 14°22′W, about as far south of the equator
Equator
An equator is the intersection of a sphere's surface with the plane perpendicular to the sphere's axis of rotation and containing the sphere's center of mass....
as tropical Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
is to its north. Historically, it has played a role as an important safe haven and coaling station to mariners and for commercial airliners during the days of international air travel by flying boat
Flying boat
A flying boat is a fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a float plane as it uses a purpose-designed fuselage which can float, granting the aircraft buoyancy. Flying boats may be stabilized by under-wing floats or by wing-like projections from the fuselage...
s and during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
was an important naval and air station, especially providing antisubmarine warfare bases in the Battle of the Atlantic and throughout the war.
Ascension Island was garrisoned by the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
from 22 October 1815 to 1922.
The island is the location of Wideawake Airfield, which is a joint facility of the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
and the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
, a European Space Agency rocket tracking station, and the BBC World Service Atlantic Relay Station. The island was used extensively by the British military during the Falklands War
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
. Ascension Island hosts one of five ground antennae (others are on Kwajalein Island, Diego Garcia
Diego Garcia
Diego Garcia is a tropical, footprint-shaped coral atoll located south of the equator in the central Indian Ocean at 7 degrees, 26 minutes south latitude. It is part of the British Indian Ocean Territory [BIOT] and is positioned at 72°23' east longitude....
, Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...
and Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
) that assist in the operation of the Global Positioning System
Global Positioning System
The Global Positioning System is a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near the Earth, where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites...
(GPS) navigational system.
Ascension Island, as a part of the wider overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, does not yet have its own flag
Flag of Ascension Island
There is currently no unique flag for Ascension Island, part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, therefore the Union Flag of the United Kingdom is used for official purposes....
or coat of arms. The Union Flag
Union Flag
The Union Flag, also known as the Union Jack, is the flag of the United Kingdom. It retains an official or semi-official status in some Commonwealth Realms; for example, it is known as the Royal Union Flag in Canada. It is also used as an official flag in some of the smaller British overseas...
and Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom
Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom
The Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom is the official coat of arms of the British monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II. These arms are used by the Queen in her official capacity as monarch of the United Kingdom, and are officially known as her Arms of Dominion...
are used instead.
History
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
explorer João da Nova
João da Nova
João da Nova , Xoán de Novoa or Joam de Nôvoa galician spellings, Juan de Nova, Spanish spelling, was a Galician explorer of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans at the service of Portugal...
, sailing for Portugal, is believed to have been the first to discover the island in 1501, but his discovery was apparently not registered. Thus, in 1503 when another Portuguese navigator, Afonso de Albuquerque
Afonso de Albuquerque
Afonso de Albuquerque[p][n] was a Portuguese fidalgo, or nobleman, an admiral whose military and administrative activities as second governor of Portuguese India conquered and established the Portuguese colonial empire in the Indian Ocean...
, sighted the island on Ascension Day in the church calendar, he named it after the feast day. Dry and barren, it had little appeal for passing ships except for collecting fresh meat. Mariner
Sailor
A sailor, mariner, or seaman is a person who navigates water-borne vessels or assists in their operation, maintenance, or service. The term can apply to professional mariners, military personnel, and recreational sailors as well as a plethora of other uses...
s could hunt for the numerous seabird
Seabird
Seabirds are birds that have adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same environmental problems and feeding niches have resulted in similar adaptations...
s and the enormous female green turtles that laid their eggs on the sandy beaches. The Portuguese also introduced goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
s as a potential source of meat for future mariners.
In February 1701, HMS Roebuck
HMS Roebuck
Fourteen ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Roebuck after a small deer native to the British Isles. was a flyboat purchased in 1585. was a 10-gun vessel launched in 1636 and sunk in 1641 as a result of a collision. was a 14-gun ship captured in 1646 and commissioned into the Royalist Navy...
, commanded by William Dampier
William Dampier
William Dampier was an English buccaneer, sea captain, author and scientific observer...
, sank in the common anchoring spot in Clarence Bay to the northwest of the island. Some sixty men survived for two months until they were rescued. Almost certainly, after a few days they found the strong water spring in the high interior of the island, in what is now called Breakneck Valley (there is a much smaller water source, lower on the mountain, which was named Dampier's Drip by people who probably misinterpreted Dampier's story).
It is possible that the island was sometimes used as an open prison for criminal mariners, although there is only one documented case of such an exile, a Dutch
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
ship's officer, Leendert Hasenbosch
Leendert Hasenbosch
Leendert Hasenbosch, was a Dutchman, an employee of the Dutch East India Company who was set ashore as a castaway on uninhabited Ascension Island in the South Atlantic Ocean, as a punishment for sodomy. He wrote a diary until his death.- Early life :Leendert Hasenbosch was likely born in The...
, set ashore at Clarence Bay as a punishment for sodomy
Sodomy
Sodomy is an anal or other copulation-like act, especially between male persons or between a man and animal, and one who practices sodomy is a "sodomite"...
in May 1725. British mariners found the Dutchman's tent, belongings and diary in January 1726; the man had probably died of thirst.
Ascension Island was first inhabited in 1815, when the British garrisoned it as a precaution after imprisoning Napoleon I
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
on Saint Helena
Saint Helena
Saint Helena , named after St Helena of Constantinople, is an island of volcanic origin in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha which also includes Ascension Island and the islands of Tristan da Cunha...
to the southeast. On 22 October the Cruizer class brig-sloops
Cruizer class brig-sloop
The Cruizer class was an 18-gun class of brig-sloops of the Royal Navy. Brig-sloops were the same as ship-sloops except for their rigging...
Zenobia
HMS Zenobia (1807)
HMS Zenobia was an 18-gun Cruizer-class brig-sloop launched 7 October 1807 by Brindley at King’s Lynn. Although she served during the Napoleonic Wars she is known for her role in two events, the claiming of Ascension Island for Great Britain in 1815, and the naming of the Saumarez Reefs in 1823....
and Peruvian
HMS Peruvian (1808)
HMS Peruvian was an 18-gun launched in 1808 at Parson's Yard, Warsash, England. She was the first naval vessel built at that yard. Peruvian captured two American privateers and participated in an expedition up the Penobscot River during the War of 1812. Then she claimed Ascension Island for Great...
claimed the island for His Britannic Majesty King George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
. The Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
officially designated the island as a stone frigate
Stone frigate
Stone frigate is a nickname for a naval establishment on land. The term has its origin in Britain's Royal Navy after its use of Diamond Rock, off Martinique, as a 'sloop of war' to harass the French...
, "HMS Ascension", with the classification of "Sloop of War of the smaller class".
The location of the island made it a useful stopping point for ships and communications. The Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
used the island as a victualling
Victualler
A victualler is traditionally a person who sells food or other provisions, similar to a grocer, and in particular British usage can be used to mean a person licensed to sell alcoholic beverages....
station for ships, particularly those of the West Africa Squadron
West Africa Squadron
The Royal Navy established the West Africa Squadron at substantial expense in 1808 after Parliament passed the Slave Trade Act of 1807. The squadron's task was to suppress the Atlantic slave trade by patrolling the coast of West Africa...
working against the slave trade
History of slavery
The history of slavery covers slave systems in historical perspective in which one human being is legally the property of another, can be bought or sold, is not allowed to escape and must work for the owner without any choice involved...
. A garrison of Royal Marines
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
was based at Ascension from 1823.
In 1836 the Beagle voyage
Second voyage of HMS Beagle
The second voyage of HMS Beagle, from 27 December 1831 to 2 October 1836, was the second survey expedition of HMS Beagle, under captain Robert FitzRoy who had taken over command of the ship on its first voyage after her previous captain committed suicide...
visited Ascension. Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
described it as an arid treeless island, with nothing growing near the coast. Sparse vegetation inland supported "about six hundred sheep, many goats, a few cows & horses," and large numbers of guineafowl
Guineafowl
The guineafowl are a family of birds in the Galliformes order, although some authorities include the guineafowl as a subfamily, Numidinae, of the family Phasianidae...
imported from the Cape Verde
Cape Verde
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...
islands, as well as rats, mice and land crab
Land crab
Gecarcinidae is a family of true crabs that are adapted for terrestrial existence, commonly known as land crabs. Similar to all other crabs, land crabs possess a series of gills. In addition, the part of the carapace covering the gills is inflated and equipped with blood vessels. These organs...
s; he agreed with the saying attributed to the people of St Helena that "We know we live on a rock, but the poor people at Ascension live on a cinder". He noted the care taken to sustain "houses, gardens & fields placed near the summit of the central mountain", and cisterns at the road side to provide good drinking water. The springs were carefully managed, "so that a single drop of water may not be lost: indeed the whole island may be compared to a huge ship kept in first-rate order." In commenting on this, he noted René Primevère Lesson's remark "that the English nation alone would have thought of making the island of Ascension a productive spot; any other people would have held it as a mere fortress in the ocean."
In 1843, botanist and explorer Joseph Hooker
Joseph Dalton Hooker
Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker OM, GCSI, CB, MD, FRS was one of the greatest British botanists and explorers of the 19th century. Hooker was a founder of geographical botany, and Charles Darwin's closest friend...
visited the island. Four years later, Hooker, with much encouragement from Darwin, advised the Royal Navy that with the help of Kew Gardens, they should institute a long term plan of shipping trees to Ascension. The planted trees would capture more rain and improve the soil, allowing the barren island to become a garden. So, from 1850 and continuing year on year, ships came each depositing a varied assortment of plants from botanical gardens in Argentina, Europe and South Africa. By the late 1870s, Norfolk pine
Araucaria heterophylla
Araucaria heterophylla is a distinctive conifer, a member of the ancient and now disjointly distributed family Araucariaceae. As its vernacular name Norfolk Island Pine implies, the tree is endemic to Norfolk Island, a small island in the Pacific Ocean between Australia, New Zealand and New...
s, eucalyptus
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...
, bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
, and banana trees
Banana
Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
were in lush profusion at the highest point of the island, Green Mountain
Green Mountain
Green Mountain is a common name for "The Peak", the highest point, on Ascension Island which has gained some fame for claims that it is one of very few large-scale artificial forests.-History and Vegetation:...
, creating a tropical cloud forest
Cloud forest
A cloud forest, also called a fog forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical evergreen montane moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud cover, usually at the canopy level. Cloud forests often exhibit an abundance of mosses covering the ground and...
.
In 1899, the Eastern Telegraph Company (now part of Cable & Wireless Worldwide) installed the first underwater cable from the island, connecting the UK with its colonies in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. In 1922, Letters patent
Letters patent
Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...
made Ascension a dependency of Saint Helena. The island was managed by the head of the Eastern Telegraph Company on the island until 1964 when the British Government appointed an Administrator
Administrator of the Government
An Administrator in the constitutional practice of some countries in the Commonwealth is a person who fulfils a role similar to that of a Governor or a Governor-General...
to represent the Governor of Saint Helena on Ascension.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, to supply and augment extensive amphibious aircraft antisubmarine patrol operations ongoing from the early days of the war, the United States built an airbase on Ascension Island, known as "Wideawake", after a nearby colony of Sooty Tern
Sooty Tern
The Sooty Tern, Onychoprion fuscatus , is a seabird of the tern family . It is a bird of the tropical oceans, breeding on islands throughout the equatorial zone. Colloquially, it is known as the Wideawake Tern or just wideawake...
s (locally called 'Wideawake' birds because of their loud, distinctive call, which would wake people early in the morning). The airbase, which was under construction by the 38th Combat Engineer Battalion of the Army Corps of Engineers, was unexpectedly visited by two British Fairey Swordfish
Fairey Swordfish
The Fairey Swordfish was a torpedo bomber built by the Fairey Aviation Company and used by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy during the Second World War...
torpedo planes on 15 June 1942. According to one of the pilots, Peter Jinks, the planes were fired upon before being recognised as allies. The Swordfish had to land on the unfinished airstrip, thus becoming the first land based aircraft to land on Ascension Island proper — which had long served as an ASW base for Catalina (PBY Catalina) flying boat
Flying boat
A flying boat is a fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a float plane as it uses a purpose-designed fuselage which can float, granting the aircraft buoyancy. Flying boats may be stabilized by under-wing floats or by wing-like projections from the fuselage...
s. The event was later commemorated with a postage stamp 15 June 1982.
The Airfield was used by the US military as a stopping point for American aircraft crossing the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
on the way to theatres of operation in Europe and Africa. American bombers based at Wideawake were engaged in the Laconia incident
Laconia incident
The Laconia incident was an abortive naval rescue attempt in the Atlantic Ocean during World War II. On 12 September 1942, , carrying some 80 civilians, 268 British Army soldiers, about 1,800 Italian prisoners of war, and 160 Polish soldiers , was struck and sunk by a torpedo from Kriegsmarine...
. After the end of World War II, and American departure, the airbase fell into disuse.
The only action during World War II occurred on 9 December 1941. At around mid-day, the U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
U-124 approached Georgetown
Georgetown, Ascension Island
Georgetown is the capital and chief settlement of Ascension Island, situated on the west coast of the island.The town is centred around St Mary's Church, part of the Anglican Diocese of St Helena and the former Exiles Club, which is on the site of the original Royal Marines barracks from the times...
on the surface with the intention of sinking any ships at anchor or shelling the cable station. A two-gun shore battery at Cross Hill, above Georgetown, fired on the submarine. The guns scored no hits but the U-boat submerged and retreated. The battery remains largely intact to this day, together with its guns, BL 5.5 inch Mark I naval gun
BL 5.5 inch Mark I naval gun
The Breech Loading 5.5 inch Mk I was a naval gun used by the British Royal Navy during both World Wars.-Naval history:This weapon was developed by Coventry Ordnance Works in 1913 and offered to the Greek Navy as main armament for two new cruisers building at Cammell Laird...
s removed from HMS Hood
HMS Hood (51)
HMS Hood was the last battlecruiser built for the Royal Navy. One of four s ordered in mid-1916, her design—although drastically revised after the Battle of Jutland and improved while she was under construction—still had serious limitations. For this reason she was the only ship of her class to be...
during a refit in Malta in 1938.
With the Space Race
Space Race
The Space Race was a mid-to-late 20th century competition between the Soviet Union and the United States for supremacy in space exploration. Between 1957 and 1975, Cold War rivalry between the two nations focused on attaining firsts in space exploration, which were seen as necessary for national...
and the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, the Americans returned in 1956. Wideawake Airfield was expanded in the mid 1960s. The runway, with its strange hump, was extended, widened, and improved to allow its use by large aircraft, and later to act as an emergency runway for the Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
, although the Shuttle never had occasion to use it. The United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
uses the island as part of its Eastern Range. NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
established a tracking station on the island in 1967, which it operated for more than 20 years before closing it down in 1990. The island retains a role in Space exploration as the European Space Agency
European Space Agency
The European Space Agency , established in 1975, is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to the exploration of space, currently with 18 member states...
now operates an Ariane monitoring facility there. The BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Atlantic Relay Station was installed in 1966 for short-wave broadcasts to Africa and South America.
In 1982 a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
task force
Task force
A task force is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology...
used Ascension Island as a staging post
Staging area
A staging area is a location where organisms, people, vehicles, equipment or material are assembled before use.- In construction :...
during the Falklands War
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
, though according to Matthew Parris,
"...at the start of the Falklands conflict Washington at first refused Britain permission to use the USA-operated airfield facilities for refuelling RAF jets. Only after Mrs Thatcher intervened with Ronald Reagan did the Americans reluctantly concede." The Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
deployed a fleet of Vulcan
Avro Vulcan
The Avro Vulcan, sometimes referred to as the Hawker Siddeley Vulcan, was a jet-powered delta wing strategic bomber, operated by the Royal Air Force from 1956 until 1984. Aircraft manufacturer A V Roe & Co designed the Vulcan in response to Specification B.35/46. Of the three V bombers produced,...
bombers and Victor
Handley Page Victor
The Handley Page Victor was a British jet bomber aircraft produced by the Handley Page Aircraft Company during the Cold War. It was the third and final of the V-bombers that provided Britain's nuclear deterrent. The other two V-bombers were the Avro Vulcan and the Vickers Valiant. Some aircraft...
tankers at the airfield. The opening shots of the British offensive were launched from Ascension by Vulcans in Operation Black Buck
Operation Black Buck
During the Falklands War, Operations Black Buck 1 to Black Buck 7 were a series of seven extremely long-range ground attack missions by Royal Air Force Vulcan bombers planned against Argentine positions in the Falkland Islands...
. The RAF also used the base to supply the Task Force. Because of the increase in air traffic during the war, Wideawake was the busiest airfield in the world for a short period. The Royal Navy's fleet stopped at Ascension for refuelling on the way. Following the war, the British retained an increased presence on the island, establishing RAF Ascension Island, and providing a refuelling stop for the regular airlink between RAF Brize Norton
RAF Brize Norton
RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, about west north-west of London, is the largest station of the Royal Air Force. It is close to the settlements of Brize Norton, Carterton and Witney....
in Oxfordshire, and RAF Mount Pleasant
RAF Mount Pleasant
RAF Mount Pleasant is a military base for the Royal Air Force in the British Overseas Territory of the Falkland Islands. The facility is part of the British Forces South Atlantic Islands...
in the Falkland Islands
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
.
As of 2007, NASA continues to list Ascension Island as a "downrange site" used for range safety instrumentation. In particular, the Post-Detect Telemetry System used to acquire launch vehicle telemetry
Telemetry
Telemetry is a technology that allows measurements to be made at a distance, usually via radio wave transmission and reception of the information. The word is derived from Greek roots: tele = remote, and metron = measure...
includes a station on Ascension.
In 2008 British diplomats requested sovereignty, at the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (UN CLCS), over 77220 square miles (199,998.9 km²) of submarine territory around the island. This would enable exploration into new reserves of oil, gas and minerals, though none are thought to exist.
Politics
Ascension is part of a British overseas territoryDependent territory
A dependent territory, dependent area or dependency is a territory that does not possess full political independence or sovereignty as a State, and remains politically outside of the controlling state's integral area....
together with Saint Helena
Saint Helena
Saint Helena , named after St Helena of Constantinople, is an island of volcanic origin in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha which also includes Ascension Island and the islands of Tristan da Cunha...
and Tristan da Cunha
Tristan da Cunha
Tristan da Cunha is a remote volcanic group of islands in the south Atlantic Ocean and the main island of that group. It is the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world, lying from the nearest land, South Africa, and from South America...
. Executive authority is vested in Elizabeth II, who is represented by the Governor of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. As the Governor resides in Jamestown, Saint Helena
Jamestown, Saint Helena
Jamestown is the capital and historic chief settlement of the island of Saint Helena, in the South Atlantic Ocean. Located on the island's north-western coast, it is the island's port, with facilities for unloading goods delivered to the island, and the centre of the island's road and...
, an Administrator
Administrator of Ascension Island
The Administrator of Ascension Island is the head of government and representative of the Governor of Saint Helena in Ascension Island. The role of the Administrator includes that of chairing the territory's Island council which consists of 7 elected members...
is appointed to represent the Governor on Ascension Island.
As a result of changes in the constitutional arrangements for Ascension Island, the first Island Council
Ascension Island Council
The Ascension Island Council is an elected body that provides advice to the Administrator of Ascension Island on matters relating to the governance of Ascension Island. The Council is made up of either five or seven Councillors, depending on the number of candidates standing for an election, and...
of seven members was elected and took office on 1 November 2002. This Council was dissolved by order of the Governor of Saint Helena on 24 October 2005, and a new election was held on 16 November 2005, a total of 697 electors choosing between ten candidates contesting the seven seats.
Six of the seven members resigned in January 2007 in the belief that they were "assisting to legitimise a democracy that doesn’t really exist on Ascension Island". Consequently, a general election was called, but by the close of nominations there were only two candidates. As a result of the boycott, the election was abandoned, and the governor suspended the Island Council for 12 months. It was stated that an election would take place in April 2008 but following consultations this was extended to October. With eight nominations the elections were duly held and seven candidates were elected to form a new Island Council, which was sworn in on 28 October.
Ascension Island has its own local system of law, much of which is based on the laws of Saint Helena and some parts of English law with modifications. The Island Council advises on new or revised laws. Where local legislation does not exist, Saint Helenian law may be used where appropriate and suitable for local adaptation, or specific Ascension Island law is enacted. Employment legislation is a mixture of contract law and the Workmen's Protection Ordinance, which guarantees a contract, as well as obliging employers to provide free accommodation, medical cover, food (or a food allowance), travel etc.
The Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Constitution Order 2009 was made by HM the Queen and the Privy Council on 8 July and came into operation in September 2009. The new Constitution replaces the 1988 version and among other changes limits the Governor's powers, includes a Bill of Rights, establishes independence of the judiciary and the public service and formally designates the Governor of St Helena as, concurrently, the Governor for Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. It also ends the "dependency" status of Ascension and Tristan da Cunha on Saint Helena that had been in place, for administrative convenience, since 1922.
Geography and ecology
Mid-Atlantic Ridge
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a mid-ocean ridge, a divergent tectonic plate boundary located along the floor of the Atlantic Ocean, and part of the longest mountain range in the world. It separates the Eurasian Plate and North American Plate in the North Atlantic, and the African Plate from the South...
, much of the island is a wasteland of lava
Lava
Lava refers both to molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption and the resulting rock after solidification and cooling. This molten rock is formed in the interior of some planets, including Earth, and some of their satellites. When first erupted from a volcanic vent, lava is a liquid at...
flows and cinder cone
Cinder cone
According to the , Cinder Cone is the proper name of 1 cinder cone in Canada and 7 cinder cones in the United States:In Canada: Cinder Cone In the United States:...
s; no fewer than forty-four distinct dormant craters
Volcanic crater
A volcanic crater is a circular depression in the ground caused by volcanic activity. It is typically a basin, circular in form within which occurs a vent from which magma erupts as gases, lava, and ejecta. A crater can be of large dimensions, and sometimes of great depth...
have been identified.
The island originally had its own native flora until Portuguese explorers released goats in the 1500s which ate much of it. The later introduction of rabbits, sheep, rats and donkeys, and over 200 imported species further marginalized the original flora.
By 1843 the island was barren with few plants. However, due to the introduction of species by the British, Ascension Island's Green Mountain
Green Mountain
Green Mountain is a common name for "The Peak", the highest point, on Ascension Island which has gained some fame for claims that it is one of very few large-scale artificial forests.-History and Vegetation:...
is now one of the few large-scale planned forests, and is gradually growing with each year. Its highest point is at 2,817 feet (859 m).
Off the east coast of Ascension is the islet of Boatswain Bird Island
Boatswain Bird Island
Boatswain Bird Island is an island some 270 metres off the east coast of Ascension Island in the South Atlantic Ocean with an area of approximately 5.3 hectares...
. It is a haven for sea birds providing refuge from the rats, cats and people that came to Ascension Island from Europe and Africa. Following a successful campaign headed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Bird Notes and News was first published in April 1903.The title changed to 'Bird Notes' in 1947. In the 1950s, there were four copies per year . Each volume covered two years, spread over three calendar years...
, the main island was in 2006 declared free of feral cats, and sea birds are now once again nesting on Ascension Island.
Ascension's climate is tropical, with temperatures at the coast ranging from about 68 to 88 degrees Fahrenheit (20–31 °C), and about 10 degrees Fahrenheit (5 to 6 degrees Celsius) cooler at the highest point. Rain showers may occur at any time during the year, but tend to be heavier between January and April.
Flora and fauna
Pteris adscensionis
Pteris adscensionis is a fern species in the Pteridaceae family. It is endemic to Ascension Island, and there are thought to be fewer than 500 individuals left in the wild. Its natural habitat has been severely reduced to the large number of species introduced to the island when it was first...
, Asplenium ascensionis
Asplenium ascensionis
Asplenium ascensionis is a species of fern in the Aspleniaceae family. It is endemic to Ascension Island. Its natural habitats are introduced vegetation. It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:* Gray, A. 2003. . Downloaded on 20 August 2007....
, Euphorbia origanoides
Euphorbia origanoides
Euphorbia origanoides is a species of plant in the Euphorbiaceae family. It is endemic to Ascension Island a dependency of the UK overseas territory of Saint Helena. Its natural habitats are introduced vegetation. It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:* Gray, A. 2003. . Downloaded on 21...
as well as the extinct species Oldenlandia adscenionis
Oldenlandia adscenionis
Oldenlandia adscensionis was a species of plant in the Rubiaceae family. It was endemic to Ascension Island. It became extinct due to habitat loss.-Source:* Gray, A. 2003. . Downloaded on 22 August 2007....
, Sporobolus durus
Sporobolus durus
Sporobolus durus was a species of grass in the Poaceae family, found only on Ascension Island. It is extinct due to overgrazing and displacement by invasive weeds. Its date of extinction is unknown; it was last recorded in 1886 but not looked for dedicatedly until 1998.-Source:* Gray, A. 2003. . ...
and Dryopteris ascensionis and the recently rediscovered Anogramma ascensionis
Anogramma ascensionis
Anogramma ascensionis is a species of fern in the Pteridaceae family that is endemic to Ascension Island, a volcanic island in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is one of eight putative species in the Anogramma genus. It was thought to have become extinct due to habitat loss, until four plants were...
(Ascension Island parsley fern).
In June 2005 the first National Park on Ascension Island, the Green Mountain National Park, was opened. Non-indigenous plants teem there, and the crown of Green Mountain is a lush halo of bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
. Flanking one side is a large stand of tall Norfolk pine
Araucaria heterophylla
Araucaria heterophylla is a distinctive conifer, a member of the ancient and now disjointly distributed family Araucariaceae. As its vernacular name Norfolk Island Pine implies, the tree is endemic to Norfolk Island, a small island in the Pacific Ocean between Australia, New Zealand and New...
, trees planted by British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
mariners, which were to have been used as replacement masts for sailing ship
Sailing ship
The term sailing ship is now used to refer to any large wind-powered vessel. In technical terms, a ship was a sailing vessel with a specific rig of at least three masts, square rigged on all of them, making the sailing adjective redundant. In popular usage "ship" became associated with all large...
s.
A few wild flowers narrowly abound such as periwinkle
Periwinkle
Periwinkle may refer to:In fauna:* Periwinkle, a common name for a number of gastropod molluscs in the family Littorinidae** Common periwinkle ** Blue periwinkle...
; cactus
Cactus
A cactus is a member of the plant family Cactaceae. Their distinctive appearance is a result of adaptations to conserve water in dry and/or hot environments. In most species, the stem has evolved to become photosynthetic and succulent, while the leaves have evolved into spines...
is present with land crab
Crab
True crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax...
s in several large colonies near the sea and mountains. Prosopis juliflora
Prosopis juliflora
Prosopis juliflora is a shrub or small tree native to Mexico, South America and the Caribbean. It has become established as a weed in Asia, Australia and elsewhere. Its uses include forage, wood and environmental management. The tree grows to a height of up to and has a trunk with a diameter of...
, or the Mexican Thorn, is an introduced species which has thrived on the barren lava of the island in recent years; however, its spread has been destructive to other species, and current encroachment on the edges of beaches threatens those that utilize this space, such as the green turtle.
The protected green turtle is perhaps the most notable of the endemic fauna, coming ashore to lay their eggs on the beaches from November to May. Sooty Tern
Sooty Tern
The Sooty Tern, Onychoprion fuscatus , is a seabird of the tern family . It is a bird of the tropical oceans, breeding on islands throughout the equatorial zone. Colloquially, it is known as the Wideawake Tern or just wideawake...
s or "Wideawake Birds" nest in great seashore lava
Lava
Lava refers both to molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption and the resulting rock after solidification and cooling. This molten rock is formed in the interior of some planets, including Earth, and some of their satellites. When first erupted from a volcanic vent, lava is a liquid at...
"fairs". Other seabird
Seabird
Seabirds are birds that have adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same environmental problems and feeding niches have resulted in similar adaptations...
s include some types of boobies
Booby
A booby is a seabird in the genus Sula, part of the Sulidae family. Boobies are closely related to the gannets , which were formerly included in Sula.-Description:...
, petrel
Petrel
Petrels are tube-nosed seabirds in the bird order Procellariiformes. The common name does not indicate relationship beyond that point, as "petrels" occur in three of the four families within that group...
s and tropicbird
Tropicbird
Tropicbirds are a family, Phaethontidae, of tropical pelagic seabirds now classified in their own order Phaethontiformes. Their relationship to other living birds is unclear, and they appear to have no close relatives. There are three species in one genus, Phaethon...
s (named boatswain birds by the inhabitants of the island), White Tern
White Tern
The White Tern is a small seabird found across the tropical oceans of the world. It is sometimes known as the Fairy Tern although this name is potentially confusing as it is the common name of the Fairy Tern Sternula nereis...
, Brown Noddy
Brown Noddy
The Brown Noddy or Common Noddy is a seabird from the tern family. The largest of the noddies, it can be told from the closely related Black Noddy by its larger size and plumage, which is dark brown rather than black...
, Black Noddy
Black Noddy
The Black Noddy or White-capped Noddy is a seabird from the tern family. It resembles the closely related Brown or Common Noddy , but is smaller with darker plumage, a whiter cap, a longer, straighter beak and shorter tail...
and Ascension Frigatebird
Ascension Frigatebird
The Ascension Frigatebird breeds only on the tiny Boatswain Bird Island just off Ascension Island in the tropical Atlantic Ocean. It formerly bred on the larger island, but was exterminated by introduced cats, Brown Rats, and human persecution.It breeds on the rocky slopes of Boatswainbird...
. The Ascension Crake became extinct around the beginning of the 19th century. Following the eradication of feral cats
Feral cat
A feral cat is a descendant of a domesticated cat that has returned to the wild. It is distinguished from a stray cat, which is a pet cat that has been lost or abandoned, while feral cats are born in the wild; the offspring of a stray cat can be considered feral if born in the wild.In many parts of...
from the island, several species of seabird previously confined to Boatswain Bird Island
Boatswain Bird Island
Boatswain Bird Island is an island some 270 metres off the east coast of Ascension Island in the South Atlantic Ocean with an area of approximately 5.3 hectares...
are making a return to the main island.
On land are found such non-native birds such as canaries
Serinus
The genus Serinus is a large genus of birds in the finch family Fringillidae found mostly in the Afrotropical region with some outlying species in Europe and Asia. The genus contains several species groups including canaries, seedeaters and the African siskins...
, francolin
Francolin
Francolins are birds that traditionally have been placed in the genus Francolinus, but now commonly are divided into multiple genera , although some of the major taxonomic listing sources have yet to divide them. They are members of the pheasant family, Phasianidae...
s, myna
Myna
The myna is a bird of the starling family . This is a group of passerine birds which occur naturally only in southern and eastern Asia...
s, sparrow
Sparrow
The sparrows are a family of small passerine birds, Passeridae. They are also known as true sparrows, or Old World sparrows, names also used for a genus of the family, Passer...
s, and waxbill
Estrildid finch
The estrildid finches are small passerine birds of the Old World tropics and Australasia. They can be classified as the family Estrildidae , or as a sub-group within the family Passeridae, which also includes the true sparrows....
s. A variety of mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s have been introduced: donkey
Donkey
The donkey or ass, Equus africanus asinus, is a domesticated member of the Equidae or horse family. The wild ancestor of the donkey is the African Wild Ass, E...
, sheep, cats and rat
Rat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...
s among others. Reptile
Reptile
Reptiles are members of a class of air-breathing, ectothermic vertebrates which are characterized by laying shelled eggs , and having skin covered in scales and/or scutes. They are tetrapods, either having four limbs or being descended from four-limbed ancestors...
s consist of two species of lizard
Lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...
s. In summer, flies
Fly
True flies are insects of the order Diptera . They possess a pair of wings on the mesothorax and a pair of halteres, derived from the hind wings, on the metathorax...
are known to be problematic.
The largest native land animal is the land crab
Land crab
Gecarcinidae is a family of true crabs that are adapted for terrestrial existence, commonly known as land crabs. Similar to all other crabs, land crabs possess a series of gills. In addition, the part of the carapace covering the gills is inflated and equipped with blood vessels. These organs...
Johngarthia lagostoma
Johngarthia lagostoma
Johngarthia lagostoma is a species of terrestrial crab that lives on Ascension Island and three other islands in the South Atlantic. It grows to a carapace width of on Ascension Island, where it is the largest native land animal. It exists in two distinct colour morphs, one yellow and one purple,...
(formerly Gecarcinus lagostoma).
Offshore, there is a variety of open-ocean fish, including shark
Shark
Sharks are a type of fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a highly streamlined body. The earliest known sharks date from more than 420 million years ago....
s, wahoo
Wahoo
The wahoo is a scombrid fish found worldwide in tropical and subtropical seas. It is best known to sports fishermen, as its speed and high-quality flesh make it a prize game fish...
, tuna
Tuna
Tuna is a salt water fish from the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. Tuna are fast swimmers, and some species are capable of speeds of . Unlike most fish, which have white flesh, the muscle tissue of tuna ranges from pink to dark red. The red coloration derives from myoglobin, an...
, bonito
Bonito
Bonito is a name given to various species of medium-sized, predatory fish in the Scombridae family. First, bonito most commonly refers to species in the genus Sarda, including the Atlantic bonito and the Pacific bonito ; second, in Japanese cuisine, bonito refers to the skipjack tuna , which, in...
, barracuda
Barracuda
The barracuda is a ray-finned fish known for its large size and fearsome appearance. Its body is long, fairly compressed, and covered with small, smooth scales. Some species could reach up to 1.8m in length and 30 cm in width...
, marlin
Marlin
Marlin, family Istiophoridae, are fish with an elongated body, a spear-like snout or bill, and a long rigid dorsal fin, which extends forward to form a crest. Its common name is thought to derive from its resemblance to a sailor's marlinspike...
, blackfish
Blackfish
Blackfish may refer to:* Several kinds of fish:** Alaska blackfish, Dallia pectoralis.** Black sea bass, Centropristis striata.** Sacramento blackfish, Orthodon microlepidotus.** Tautog, Tautoga onitis.** Parore, Girella tricuspidata....
and sailfish
Sailfish
'Sailfish' are two species of fish in the genus Istiophorus, living in warmer sections of all the oceans of the world. They are predominately blue to gray in color and have a characteristic erectile dorsal fin known as a sail, which often stretches the entire length of the back...
.
Demographics
There is no indigenous or permanent population on the island, although around 880 people live there : 696 from Saint Helena nicknamed the "Saints" (who are British citizens), 106 British citizens from Great Britain, 70 US citizens and 12 of other nationalities. RAF Ascension Island is made up of 17 staff.There are five settlements:
- GeorgetownGeorgetown, Ascension IslandGeorgetown is the capital and chief settlement of Ascension Island, situated on the west coast of the island.The town is centred around St Mary's Church, part of the Anglican Diocese of St Helena and the former Exiles Club, which is on the site of the original Royal Marines barracks from the times...
(the main civilian settlement and capital of the island) - Two BoatsTwo Boats, Ascension IslandTwo Boats is a village at the foot of Green Mountain, Ascension Island, about 3 miles from Wideawake Airfield. It has a population of about 120 and is residential in nature....
(a civilian village, with its schoolTwo Boats SchoolTwo Boats School is situated in Two Boats Village on Ascension Island. It is part of the Ascension Island Government and provides education to all children living on the island from Foundation Stage to Year 11. There are currently 110 children and 19 staff.The school follows the National...
) - Cat Hill (the United States' main base on the island)
- Traveller's Hill (Royal Air Force base)
- Wideawake Airfield (with the Royal Air Force station)
Additionally, there are some cottages on Green Mountain, occasionally occupied by visitors, and the Residency, the official residence of the Administrator.
In order to enter Ascension Island, people need the written permission of the Administrator. There is no permanent residence. A contract of employment is a requirement to stay on the island, though short term visits by tourists are possible with prior approval. The British government has asserted that there is no "right of abode
Right of abode
The right of abode is an individual's freedom from immigration control in a particular country. A person who has the right of abode in a country does not need permission from the government to enter the country and can live and work there without restriction....
" on Ascension Island. As the local newspaper The Islander reported at the time, it is an issue that was disputed by some former Council members and some of the long-time expatriate employees.
Society and culture
There are scoutingScouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
and guiding
Girl Guides
A Guide, Girl Guide or Girl Scout is a member of a section of some Guiding organisations who is between the ages of 10 and 14. Age limits are different in each organisation. It is the female-centred equivalent of the Scouts. The term Girl Scout is used in the United States and several East Asian...
groups on Saint Helena and Ascension Island. Scouting was established on Ascension Island in November 1973, having been established on St Helena island in 1912.
Two Boats School
Two Boats School
Two Boats School is situated in Two Boats Village on Ascension Island. It is part of the Ascension Island Government and provides education to all children living on the island from Foundation Stage to Year 11. There are currently 110 children and 19 staff.The school follows the National...
is the only school on the island and provides education to all resident children aged 3–16.
Economy
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
estate and facilities are currently managed by the infrastructure support provider Interserve
Interserve
Interserve plc is an international support services and construction company based in the UK, with revenue of £1.9 billion and a workforce of 50,000 people worldwide. The company is headquartered in Reading, Berkshire and is listed on the London Stock Exchange...
Defence. Serco
Serco Group
Serco Group plc is a government services company based in Hook, North Hampshire in the United Kingdom. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.-History:...
currently manages the airport services with Sodexo providing catering and domestic facilities. A former feature of Ascension was a 70,000 tonne tanker permanently moored offshore that was operated by Maersk as a bulk fuel facility. In December 2002, this was replaced by an on-shore Petroleum Supply Depot under military management, with fuel still being delivered by a chartered tanker; the Maersk Rapier, which operates on an MOD resupply contract for both Ascension and the Falkland Islands
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
every 2 months. Fuel for the island is transferred via a floating hose, which is connected to the on-shore depot at the islands pier head and to the ship, once it is anchored off Georgetown.
The main export items are Ascension Island postage stamps
Postage stamps and postal history of Ascension Island
Ascension Island is an island in the South Atlantic Ocean, a dependency of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena. Like other British territories, it issues its own postage stamps, which provide a source of income for the island from sales to overseas collectors, as well as being used for...
, first issued in 1922, and, since 2010, commemorative coins (which are legal tender but non-circulating) and commercial fishing licences for long-line tuna fishing vessels operating to ICCAT quotas.
A secondary export is the international internet domain code .ac
.ac
.ac is the Internet country code top-level domain for Ascension Island. It is administered by NIC.AC, a subsidiary of the Internet Computer Bureau based in the United Kingdom.Registration for this domain is open to anyone...
, which small UK educational colleges and science museums are favouring due to its similarity to .ac.uk
.ac (second level)
.ac is a second level domain for academic establishments, such as universities, colleges and research institutes. Many countries use .edu for the same purpose, for example .edu.au in Australia, .edu.my in Malaysia...
, the domain code reserved for well established UK educational institutions.
Tourism and related industries
Until 2002, tourism was virtually non-existent because of the inaccessibility of the island to transport, the absence of guest accommodation and the need for a sponsor. Limited air travel has, however, been made available in recent years to the public by the RAF, and the Georgetown Obsidian Hotel together with a number of guest cottages that have been opened. All visitors are required to obtain an entry permit before travelling. Sport fishingRecreational fishing
Recreational fishing, also called sport fishing, is fishing for pleasure or competition. It can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is fishing for profit, or subsistence fishing, which is fishing for survival....
is the main attraction for many of the visitors. The Island also boasts what was once officially the worst golf course in the world. That course, on the outskirts of Georgetown has since been replaced with a similar one located between the settlements of Two Boats village and Georgetown, the course has 18 holes and the greens are in fact 'browns', a reference to the sand and oil mix used to make them. The rest of the course is made up of volcanic ash and rocks.
Communications
The island hosts many communications and relay stations, exploiting the Island's strategic position in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Both the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and Cable & Wireless Worldwide have communications posts there. The European Space Agency
European Space Agency
The European Space Agency , established in 1975, is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to the exploration of space, currently with 18 member states...
(ESA) also has a tracking station on the island that tracks the Ariane 5
Ariane 5
Ariane 5 is, as a part of Ariane rocket family, an expendable launch system used to deliver payloads into geostationary transfer orbit or low Earth orbit . Ariane 5 rockets are manufactured under the authority of the European Space Agency and the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales...
rockets shortly after they take off from Kourou
Kourou
Kourou is a commune in French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America.Kourou is the location of the Guiana Space Centre, France and ESA's main spaceport.-Geography:...
in French Guiana
French Guiana
French Guiana is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department located on the northern Atlantic coast of South America. It has borders with two nations, Brazil to the east and south, and Suriname to the west...
.
Ascension has one local radio station and one relayed from St. Helena. It also receives broadcasts from the British Forces Broadcasting Service
British Forces Broadcasting Service
The British Forces Broadcasting Service provides radio and television programmes for HM Forces, and their dependents, in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Brunei, Canada, Cyprus, the Falkland Islands, Germany, Gibraltar, Kosovo, the Middle East, Northern Ireland and Tristan da Cunha as well as a live satellite...
and television services for the US military.
Ascension Island has the international calling code +247 and has 4 digit numbers on the island.
Banking and currency
The Bank of St. HelenaBank of St. Helena
The Bank of St Helena is a government-owned bank based on the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, also operating in the dependent territory of Ascension Island. The Government of St. Helena owns 100% of the bank and operates it as a parastatal. The Governor appoints the board of Directors....
has a branch on the Island. This bank holds an account with Lloyds TSB
Lloyds TSB
Lloyds TSB Bank Plc is a retail bank in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1995 by the merger of Lloyds Bank, established in Birmingham, England in 1765 and traditionally considered one of the Big Four clearing banks, with the TSB Group which traces its origins to 1810...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
for the purposes of conducting money transfers with the rest of the world. The currency on Ascension Island is the Saint Helena pound
Saint Helena pound
The Saint Helena pound is the currency of the Atlantic islands of Saint Helena and Ascension, which are constituents of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha...
. Tristan da Cunha
Tristan da Cunha
Tristan da Cunha is a remote volcanic group of islands in the south Atlantic Ocean and the main island of that group. It is the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world, lying from the nearest land, South Africa, and from South America...
however uses the pound sterling
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
rather than the Saint Helena pound. The coins of the Saint Helena pound specify that they are for use on both Saint Helena and Ascension Island, but with no mention of Tristan da Cunha. For more information on currency in the wider region, see Pound sterling in the South Atlantic and the Antarctic
Pound sterling in the South Atlantic and the Antarctic
The United Kingdom possesses a number of islands in the South Atlantic Ocean as well as a section of the Antarctic continent. These territories are St. Helena with Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha, the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, and the British Antarctic...
.
Transport
RAF Brize Norton
RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, about west north-west of London, is the largest station of the Royal Air Force. It is close to the settlements of Brize Norton, Carterton and Witney....
) and to the Falkland Islands (RAF Mount Pleasant
RAF Mount Pleasant
RAF Mount Pleasant is a military base for the Royal Air Force in the British Overseas Territory of the Falkland Islands. The facility is part of the British Forces South Atlantic Islands...
). These are chartered civilian Boeing 767
Boeing 767
The Boeing 767 is a mid-size, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It was the manufacturer's first wide-body twinjet and its first airliner with a two-crew glass cockpit. The aircraft features two turbofan engines, a supercritical wing, and a conventional tail...
aircraft operated by Titan Airways (previously by Air Seychelles) on behalf of the Royal Air Force, however a limited number of commercial passenger tickets are available. All visitors to Ascension Island need the Administrator's written permission before travelling. The United States maintains a weekly flight between the island and Patrick Air Force Base
Patrick Air Force Base
Patrick Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base located between Satellite Beach and Cocoa Beach, in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It was named in honor of Major General Mason Patrick. An Air Force Space Command base, it is home to the 45th Space Wing...
in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
for the use of its personnel only.
The RMS Saint Helena visits Ascension Island approximately once a month linking the island to St Helena and Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
. The US military service their base and facilities with a regular supply ship (MV Ascension
MV Ascension
MV Ascension is an American-flagged general cargo and container ship with a capacity of . Built in 1993, the ship was originally a Russian timber carrier...
) and air transport.
There is no taxi service on the island and most visitors requiring transport hire a car. There are around 40 kilometres (24.9 mi) of roads on the island, all of which are surfaced. Some sections of the surfacing was done using surplus tarmac from construction of the airstrip. Traffic drives on the left.
See also
- Anglican Diocese of Saint Helena
- Diego GarciaDiego GarciaDiego Garcia is a tropical, footprint-shaped coral atoll located south of the equator in the central Indian Ocean at 7 degrees, 26 minutes south latitude. It is part of the British Indian Ocean Territory [BIOT] and is positioned at 72°23' east longitude....
- Saint HelenaSaint HelenaSaint Helena , named after St Helena of Constantinople, is an island of volcanic origin in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha which also includes Ascension Island and the islands of Tristan da Cunha...
- Tristan da CunhaTristan da CunhaTristan da Cunha is a remote volcanic group of islands in the south Atlantic Ocean and the main island of that group. It is the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world, lying from the nearest land, South Africa, and from South America...
External links
- Ascension Island Government
- Ascension Island Newsletter
- Ascension Conservation
- Rocket launches from Ascension
- Detailed description of the BBC Atlantic Relay Station
- CIA World Factbook entry about Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha
- Live Web Cam of Ascension
- Colonial History of Ascension Island
- Google Satellite View
- Ascension Island at Britlink – British Islands & Territories
- Army Ornithological Society Ascension Island Research
- James Rogers and Luis Simón. The Status and Location of the Military Installations of the Member States of the European Union and Their Potential Role for the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP). Brussels: European Parliament, 2009. 25 pp.