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Saint Helena
(overseas
territory of the UK)
Saint Helena is a British
Overseas Territory consisting of Saint Helena
and Ascension Islands, and the island group of Tristan da Cunha.
Saint Helena: Uninhabited when first discovered by
the
Portuguese in 1502, Saint Helena was garrisoned by the British during
the 17th century. It acquired fame as the place of Napoleon BONAPARTE's
exile, from 1815 until his death in 1821, but its importance as a port
of call declined after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. During
the Anglo-Boer War in South Africa, several thousand Boer prisoners
were confined on the island between 1900 and 1903.
Ascension Island: This barren and uninhabited island
was discovered and named by the Portuguese in 1503. The British
garrisoned the island in 1815 to prevent a rescue of Napoleon from
Saint Helena and it served as a provisioning station for the Royal
Navy's West Africa Squadron on anti-slavery patrol. The island remained
under Admiralty control until 1922, when it became a dependency of
Saint Helena. During World War II, the UK permitted the US to construct
an airfield on Ascension in support of trans-Atlantic flights to Africa
and anti-submarine operations in the South Atlantic. In the 1960s the
island became an important space tracking station for the US. In 1982,
Ascension was an essential staging area for British forces during the
Falklands War, and it remains a critical refueling point in the
air-bridge from the UK to the South Atlantic.
Tristan da Cunha: The island group consists of the
islands of Tristan da Cunha, Nightingale, Inaccessible, and Gough.
Tristan da Cunha is named after its Portuguese discoverer (1506); it
was garrisoned by the British in 1816 to prevent any attempt to rescue
Napoleon from Saint Helena. Gough and Inaccessible Islands have been
designated World Heritage Sites. South Africa leases a site for a
meteorological station on Gough Island. English is spoken there.
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