St Helena

Picture

Look on a map or on today's equivalent; Google Earth and the island of St Helena is not even visible until the maximum zoom levels are reached.   Just a wee spot on the face of the earth, many folks have never ever heard of the place. 
I have received a rich variety of responses when I talk about St Helena:   "is it near Barbados?" "Isnt that the place where the volcano went off"? "Where?"  "Oh its French isnt it?"  .......I have also had a few people who enthusiastically mention that they have been here or know people who live on the island!
St Helena in fact lies in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean and comprises of three islands.  St Helena, Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha, all small with small populations.

Here are some facts about this lesser known BritishTerritory:
  • In the middle of the South Atlantic St Helena is 1,200 miles from the nearest land mass, western Angola and 700 miles from its nearest neighbour, Ascension Island
  • St Helena was discovered by the Portuguese and then became a Dutch then a British possession
  • At 47 square miles the island has around 60 miles of surfaced roads
  • The climate is pleasantly subtropical with the centre of the island cooler due to the higher elevations
  • The Island's remote location meant it has been used as a place of exile for key prisoners, including some 6,000 Boers, Bahraini princes, and, of course, Napoleon, who died on St Helena
  • St. Helena has a population of around 4500 mainly descended from Europeans, Chinese and slaves
  • The RMS St Helena is the island’s lifeline and the only way to get there at the moment. She is the one of the last remaining Royal Mail Ships and sails from Cape Town to the island
  • Jonathan, the world’s oldest known tortoise at around 180 years old lives in the Governor’s plantation on the island
  • There have been plans to build an airport on St Helena for the past fifteen years or so but various things such as the world economy and now windshear have caused the project to slow to a halt.  At the moment there is no confirmation as to when commercial flights will regularly land.  
.
This website contains many references to St Helena as I have just returned from spending almost 5 years living and working there.  As the island has no airport, it is not a common destination and therefore there is little information about the place. 
My blog posts over the years 2011 to 2016 tell some of my story whilst working over there.  Some of the other pages on this site will offer information about the island as will some of the photographs in the gallery.  Please contact me if you have a specific question regarding the island and I will do my best to assist.