Saint Helena

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Saint Helena
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: "Loyal and Unshakeable"
Anthem: "God Save the Queen" "My Saint Helena Island" (unofficial)
Capital		Jamestown
Official languages		English
Government		British Overseas Territory
-	Monarch	Elizabeth II
-	Governor	Andrew Gurr
UK overseas territory
-	Charter granted	1659
Area
-	Total	420 km²  162 sq mi
Population
-	2005 estimate	3,926 (n/a)
-	n/a census	n/a
-	Density	18.1/km² (n/a) 46.9/sq mi
Currency		Saint Helenian pound (SHP)
Time zone		GMT (UTC+0)
Internet TLD		.sh
Calling code		+290

Saint Helena (pronounced saint he-LEE-na), named after St. Helena of Constantinople, is an island of volcanic origin and a British overseas territory in the South Atlantic Ocean. The territory consists of the island of Saint Helena, and the dependencies of Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha.

Saint Helena is famous for being the place of exile of Napoleon Bonaparte between 1815 and his death in 1821. Longwood House, where Napoleon stayed, and Sane Valley where he was buried, were given to the French government in 1858. The Briars Pavilion, where Napoleon spent the first two months of his captivity, was added to the French Properties in 1959.

Saint Helena is a member of the International Island Games Association.

Contents 1 History 2 Demographics 3 Economy 4 Geography 4.1 Ascension 4.2 Tristan da Cunha 4.3 Isolation 5 Administrative divisions 5.1 Saint Helena subdivisions 6 Politics 7 Transport and telecommunications 7.1 Radio broadcasting 7.2 Internet 7.3 Local newspapers 8 See also 9 External links

[edit] History

Main article: History of Saint Helena

The island was discovered on 21 May 1502, by the Portuguese navigator João da Nova and named after Helena of Constantinople. The Portuguese found it uninhabited, and over time built a chapel and some houses, although no permanent settlement was founded. The Portuguese introduced goats as a source of meat and planted lemon trees for future ship crews, a number of whom were left on the island to recover from scurvy and other ailments. The island thereby became crucially important for the collection of food and as a rendezvous point for homebound voyages from Asia. The Portuguese managed to keep the location of this remote island a secret until almost the end of the century.

In 1588, Thomas Cavendish became the first Englishman known to have visited the island during his first attempt to circumnavigate the world. Once the secret of St Helena’s location had been revealed, English ships of war began to lie in wait in the area to attack Portuguese India carracks on their way home. As a result, in 1592 Philip II of Spain and I of Portugal (1527–1598) ordered the annual fleet returning from Goa on no account to touch at St Helena. In developing their Far East trade, the Dutch also began to frequent the island. The Portuguese and Spanish soon gave up regularly calling at the island, partly because they used ports along the West African coast, but also because of attacks on their shipping, desecration to their chapel and images, destruction of their livestock and destruction of plantations by Dutch and English sailors. The Dutch Republic formally made claim to St Helena in 1633, although there is no evidence that they ever occupied, colonised or fortified it. By 1651, the Dutch had mainly abandoned the island in favour of their colony founded at the Cape of Good Hope.

Having been granted a charter to govern the island by Richard Cromwell in 1657, the following year the British East India Company decided to fortify and colonise St Helena with planters. A fleet commanded by Captain John Dutton arrived at St Helena in 1658. A fort, originally named the Castle of St John, was completed within a month and further houses were built further up the valley. With the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, the fort was renamed James Fort, the town Jamestown and the valley James Valley, all in honour of the Duke of York, later James II of England. The East India Company immediately sought a Royal Charter, possibly to give their occupation of St Helena legitimacy. This was issued in 1661 and gave the Company the sole right to fortify and colonise the island “in such legal and reasonable manner the said Governor and Company should see fit”.

Finding that the Cape was not the ideal harbour they originally envisaged, the Dutch East India Company launched an armed invasion of St Helena from the Cape colony over Christmas 1672. Governor Beale was forced to abandon the island in a Company ship, sailing to Brazil where he hired a fast ship. This he used to locate an East India Company flotilla sent to reinforce St Helena with fresh troops. The island was retaken in May 1673 without loss of life and reinforced with 250 troops. The same year the Company petitioned a new Charter from Charles II of England and this granted the island free title as though it was a part of England “in the same manner as East Greenwich in the County of Kent”. Acknowledging that St Helena was a place where there was no trade, the Company was permitted to send from England any provisions free of Customs and to convey as many settlers as required.

In 1674, Captain Richard Keigwin, the next acting governor, was seized by discontented settlers and troops and was only rescued by the lucky arrival of an East India Company fleet under the command of Captain William Basse. By 1675, the part-time recruitment of settlers in a Militia enabled the permanent garrison to be reduced to 50 troops. Edmund Halley was a visitor the following year, observing the positions of 341 stars in the Southern hemisphere.

The clearance of the indigenous forest for the distillation of spirits, tanning and agricultural development began to lead to shortage of wood by the 1680’s. An early mention of the problems of soil erosion was made in 1718 when a waterspout broke over Sandy Bay, on the southern coast. Despite the clear connection between deforestation and the increasing number of floods (in 1732, 1734, 1736, 1747, 1756 and 1787) the East India Company’s Court of Directors gave little support to efforts by governors to eradicate the goat problem.

Robert Jenkins (master mariner), of “Jenkins Ear” fame, was appointed governor in 1740 and embarked on a programme of eliminating corruption and improving the defences. Nevil Maskelyne and Robert Waddington set up an observatory in 1761 to observe the transit of Venus, following a suggestion first made by Halley, but observations were obscured by cloud. Most of the cattle were destroyed this year through an unidentified sickness. It was from about this date that the island began, for the first time, to enjoy a prolonged period of prosperity. The first Parish Church in Jamestown had been showing signs of decay for many years, and finally a new building was erected in 1774. St. James’ is now the oldest Anglican church south of the Equator.

In 1815, the British government selected Saint Helena as the place of detention of Napoleon Bonaparte. He was brought to the island in October of that year and lodged at The Briars, outside Jamestown. In December he was moved to Longwood where he died in May 1821. During this period, the island was strongly garrisoned by regular troops supplemented by the Company's St Helena Regiment, and the governor, Sir Hudson Lowe, was nominated by the Crown. The British also took control of Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha at this time, to prevent any French attempts to free Napoleon from being launched from these nearby islands. After Napoleon's death, the East India Company resumed full control of Saint Helena until April 22, 1834, on which date it was, in virtue of an act passed in 1833, vested in the British Crown. Brigadier-General Charles Dallas (1767-1855) was the last Governor of the Island under the East India Company (1828–1835). Napoleon's body was returned to France in 1840.

Dinuzulu kaCetshwayo, son of the Zulu king Cetshwayo, was imprisoned at St Helena from 1890 to 1897.

During the Second Boer War (1899–1902), the British military, fearing that Boer prisoners of war might be freed by sympathisers in South Africa, detained around 5,000 prisoners of war on the island.

As a port of call on the long route to the Cape Colonies and India, the Island enjoyed an increased prosperity, until the construction of the Suez Canal reduced the need for long voyages via the Cape of Good Hope. During World War II, Ascension Island was leased to the United States, which constructed a large airbase.

After World War II, the prosperity of the island and its dependencies decreased. A visit by the Duke of Edinburgh to Ascension, Saint Helena and Tristan da Cunha for a time raised the profile of the islands^{[citation needed]}.

In April 2005 the British Government announced plans to construct an airport on Saint Helena to bolster the island's economy, and reduce the dependence on boats to supply the island. The airport is expected[1] to be opened in 2012, though no firm date has yet been announced. At that time, the Royal Mail ship is expected to cease operations.

[edit] Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Saint Helena

Saint Helena has a small population of almost four thousand inhabitants, mainly descended from people from Europe (mostly planters, government employees and ex-soldiers serving in the local St Helena Regiment), Chinese (itinerate workers from about 1810) and slaves (mostly from Madagascar and Asia, only a few coming from Africa from 1840 onward). In recent decades, many have migrated to the Falkland Islands or to the United Kingdom. According to the 2007 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, Saint Helena has the largest proportion of Jehovah's Witnesses of any country or territory in the world: one person in thirty, in total 129 people.

Tristan da Cunha has a population of about three hundred inhabitants of mainly British descent. Christianity is the main religion, with the largest denominations being Anglican and Roman Catholic.

Ascension Island has no native inhabitants officially. A transient population of approximately 3,000 live on the Island, made up mainly of members of the American and British militaries, supporting civilian contractors who serve on the joint Anglo-American airbase, and members of their families (a few of whom were born on the island).

The citizens of Saint Helena and its Dependencies hold British Overseas Territories citizenship. On 21 May 2002 they were granted access to full British citizenship by the British Overseas Territories Act 2002. Also see British nationality law.

There was large migration to South Africa in the past and very many Indian and Coloured South Africans have grand parents or great grand parents who were from St. Helena.

[edit] Economy

Main article: Economy of Saint Helena

The island had a monocrop economy until 1966, based on the cultivation and processing of New Zealand flax for rope and string. St Helena's economy is now very weak, and the island is almost entirely sustained by aid from London.

The Saint Helena tourist industry is heavily based around the promotion of Napoleon's imprisonment. A golf course also exists and the possibility for sportfishing tourism is great.

Saint Helena also produces what is said to be the most expensive coffee in the world.

Ascension Island, Tristan da Cunha and Saint Helena all issue their own postage stamps which provide a significant income.

Saint Helena also produces and exports Tungi Spirit, made from the fruit of the prickly or cactus pears, Opuntia vulgaris. Tungi is the local St Helenian name for the prickly or cactus pear.

The Saint Helenian pound is the local currency, and is on a par with the Pound Sterling. The government of Saint Helena produces its own coinage and banknotes. The first coin was a half penny produced by the East India Company in 1821. It remains readily available to collectors.

The territory has its own bank, the Bank of St. Helena, which has two branches in Jamestown on Saint Helena, and Georgetown, Ascension Island.

[edit] Geography

Main article: Geography of Saint Helena

Saint Helena has a total area of 420 km² (162 mi²), consisting of three island groups: Saint Helena itself, Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha. Each island group has its own distinct geography.

Saint Helena has a rugged, volcanic terrain. There are several rocks and islets off the coast, including: Castle Rock, Speery Island, The Needle, Lower Black Rock, Upper Black Rock (South), Bird Island (Southwest), Black Rock, Thompson's Valley Island, Peaked Island, Egg Island, Lady's Chair, Lighter Rock (West), Long Ledge (Northwest), Shore Island, George Island, Rough Rock Island, Flat Rock (East), The Buoys, Sandy Bay Island, The Chimney, White Bird Island and Frightus Rock (Southeast), all of which are within one kilometre of the shore. The centre of Saint Helena is covered by forest, of which some has been planted, including the new Millennium Forest Project. The temperature is also two to three degrees cooler in the highlands, and it has a few inches a year more rainfall than the rest of the island. It is more tropical in nature, and contains most of the island's endemic flora, fauna, insects and birds. The coastal areas are barren, covered in volcanic rock and are warmer and drier than the centre of the island.

When the island was discovered, it was covered with unique (indigenous) vegetation, including the remarkable cabbage tree species of St Helena. The flora of St Helena contains a high proportion of endemic species, i.e., those found nowhere else. The island's interior must have been a dense subtropical forest but the coastal areas were probably quite green as well. The modern landscape is very different, with a lot of naked rock in the lower areas, and a high interior that is green, mainly due to imported vegetation. The dramatic change in landscape must be attributed to the introduction of goats and the introduction of new vegetation. As a result, the string tree (Acalypha rubrinervis) and the St Helena olive (Nesiota elliptica) are now extinct, and many of the other endemic plants are threatened with extinction.

[edit] Ascension

Ascension Island includes the main island and several uninhabited tiny satellite islands and rocks such as Boatswain Bird Island, Boatswain Bird Rock (east), White Rocks (south), and Tartar Rock. The main island has an area of approximately 35 square miles (91 km²) and is formed by volcanic peak rising from just west of the mid-Atlantic Ridge known as Green Mountain. Most of the island is a moonscape of rugged black lava flows and red windwhipped cinder cones. Where lava has penetrated to the ocean a striking seashore is dotted with white sand. The climate is subtropical, with temperatures at the coast ranging from about 68 to 88 degrees Fahrenheit (20 to 31 degrees Celsius).

[edit] Tristan da Cunha

Tristan da Cunha includes the main Tristan da Cunha Island — the world's most remote inhabited island — and several other uninhabited islands: Gough Island, Inaccessible Island, and the three Nightingale Islands. The islands are all mountainous and volcanic. Queen Mary's Peak on Tristan da Cunha at 2,062 m (6,765 ft) is the highest peak.

[edit] Isolation

Saint Helena is one of the most isolated places in the world, located more than 2000 km (1200 mi) from the nearest major landmass. As there is currently no airport on Saint Helena, travel to the island is by ship only. The RMS Saint Helena berths in James Bay approximately thirty times per year. The ship calls on such other ports as Cape Town, Ascension Island, Tenerife, Vigo, Walvis Bay and Isle of Portland, UK. [2]

[edit] Administrative divisions

Administratively, the territory is divided into three areas:

Group	Type	Area (km²)	Area (sq mi)	Population	Administrative Centre
Saint Helena	administrative area	122	47	3,751	Jamestown
Ascension	dependency	91	35	1,122	Georgetown
Tristan da Cunha	dependency	207	80	284	Edinburgh of the Seven Seas
Total		420	162	6,563	Jamestown

[edit] Saint Helena subdivisions

Saint Helena is divided into the following districts

District	Area (km²)	Area (sq mi)	Population (1998)
Alarm Forest	5.9	2.3	279
Blue Hill	36.5	5.9	175
Half Tree Hollow	1.6	0.6	1,126
Jamestown	3.6	5.9	864
Levelwood	14.0	5.4	373
Longwood	33.4	12.9	951
Sandy Bay	15.3	5.9	254
Saint Paul's	11.4	4.4	893
Total	121.7	47.0	4,915

[edit] Politics

Main article: Politics of Saint Helena

Executive authority in Saint Helena is invested in Queen Elizabeth II and is exercised on her behalf by the Governor of Saint Helena. The Governor is appointed by the Queen on the advice of the British Government. Defence and Foreign Affairs remain the responsibility of the United Kingdom.

There are fifteen seats in the Legislative Council, a unicameral legislature. Twelve of the fifteen members are elected in elections held every four years. The other three members are the Governor and two ex officio officers. The Executive Council consists of the Governor, two ex officio officers, and six elected members of the Legislative Council appointed by the Governor. There is no elected Chief Minister, and the Governor acts as the head of government. The current Governor, since November 2007, is Andrew Gurr who succeeded Michael Clancy

Both Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha have an Administrator appointed to represent the Governor of Saint Helena.

[edit] Transport and telecommunications

Saint Helena and its dependencies are among some of the most remote islands in the world. Saint Helena and Tristan da Cunha can only be reached by boat, although a large military airfield is located on Ascension Island, with weekly flights to RAF Brize Norton, England.

These RAF flights offer a limited number of seats to civilians. The RMS Saint Helena runs between the United Kingdom, Ascension, St Helena and Cape Town. It no longer calls at Tristan da Cunha. However, the RMS Saint Helena is due for eventual decommissioning and may be partly replaced by an expanded airfield on Saint Helena Island.

The British Government announced plans to construct an airport in Saint Helena in March 2005. The airport was originally expected to be completed by 2010, but is now expected to be completed by 2011/2012 due to unresolved disputes between contractors and HM Government^[1].

Also, a van serves as a bus to carry people around Saint Helena, especially from the Half Tree Hollow neighbourhood of Jamestown.

[edit] Radio broadcasting

Radio Saint Helena [3] provides a local radio service that has a range of about 100 km from the island, and also broadcasts internationally on Amateur Radio Wavelengths on one day a year.

[edit] Internet

Saint Helena has a 1.5 Mib internet link via Cable & Wireless.

[edit] Local newspapers

The island has a local paper that is available on the internet.

[edit] See also

• Saint FM, the island's only privately owned radio station. St. Helena Radio carries news and spoken programmes.
• Wildlife of St Helena
• Flora of St Helena
• St Helena National Trust

[edit] External links

• A new Adult Vocational Education Service for the island
• The first website on St Helena — since 1995
• The Official Government Website of Saint Helena
• The Official Government Website of Ascension Island
• The Official Tristan da Cunha Website
• Open Directory Project — Saint Helena directory category
• Radio Saint Helena
• Saint Helena Herald
• St Helena Online - Web Portal to the Island of St Helena, which includes discussion forums
• The French Properties
• The Governor's Cup, Cape Town to St. Helena yacht race
• "Monsieur N." (2003) - Movie depicting the Emperor's stay on Saint Helena

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v • d • e  British overseas territories and Crown dependencies
Overseas territories	Anguilla · Bermuda · British Antarctic Territory · British Indian Ocean Territory · British Virgin Islands · Cayman Islands · Falkland Islands · Gibraltar · Montserrat · Pitcairn Islands · Saint Helena (includes Ascension Island, Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island) · South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands · Turks and Caicos Islands
Crown dependencies	Guernsey · Jersey · Isle of Man
Sovereign base areas	Akrotiri and Dhekelia

v • d • e Outlying territories of European countries
Territories under European sovereignty but closer to or on continents other than Europe (see inclusion criteria for further information)
Denmark	Greenland
France	Clipperton Island · French Guiana · French Polynesia · French Southern and Antarctic Lands (Amsterdam • Saint-Paul • Crozet • Kerguelen • Adélie Land1 • Scattered islands in the Indian Ocean:  Bassas da India • Europa Island • Glorioso Islands • Juan de Nova Island • Tromelin Island) · Guadeloupe · Martinique · Mayotte · New Caledonia · Réunion · Saint Barthélemy · Saint Martin · Saint Pierre and Miquelon · Wallis and Futuna
Italy	Pantelleria · Pelagie Islands (Lampedusa • Lampione • Linosa)
Netherlands	Aruba · Netherlands Antilles (Bonaire • Curaçao • Saba • Sint Maarten • Sint Eustatius)
Norway	Bouvet Island · Peter I Island1 · Queen Maud Land1
Portugal	Azores Islands · Madeira Islands
Russia	Khabomai · Ratmanov Island · Shikotan
Spain	Canary Islands · Ceuta · Isla de Alborán · Isla Perejil · Islas Chafarinas · Melilla · Peñón de Alhucemas · Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera
United Kingdom	Anguilla · Ascension Island · Bermuda · British Virgin Islands · Cayman Islands · Falkland Islands · Montserrat · Saint Helena · Tristan da Cunha · Turks and Caicos Islands · British Antarctic Territory1 · British Indian Ocean Territory · Pitcairn Islands · South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
1 Claims to sovereignty over territories in Antarctica are currently suspended under the Antarctic Treaty System.

v • d • e British Empire and Commonwealth of Nations

Legend Current territory  ·   Former territory * now a Commonwealth Realm  ·   now a member of the Commonwealth of Nations Europe  18th century 1708-1757  Minorca since 1713  Gibraltar 1782-1802  Minorca 19th century 1800-1964  Malta 1807-1890  Heligoland 1809-1864  Ionian Islands 1878-1960  Cyprus 20th century since 1960  Akrotiri and Dhekelia North America  16th century 1583-1907  Newfoundland 17th century 1607-1776  Thirteen Colonies since 1619  Bermuda 1670-1870  Rupert's Land 18th century Canada (British Imperial)    1763-1791  Quebec    1791-1841  Lower Canada    1791-1841  Upper Canada 19th century Canada (British Imperial)    1841-1867  Province of Canada    1849-1866  Vancouver Island    1858-1871  British Columbia    1859-1870  North-Western Territory    1862-1863  Stikine Territory *Canada (post-Confederation)    1867-1931  Dominion of Canada1 20th century *Canada (post-Confederation)    1907-1934  Dominion of Newfoundland2 1 In 1931, Canada and other British dominions obtained self-government through the Statute of Westminster. 'Dominion' remains Canada's legal title; see Canada's name. 2 Remained a de jure dominion until 1949 (when it became a Canadian province); from 1934 to 1949, Newfoundland was governed by the Commission of Government. Latin America and the Caribbean  17th century 1605-1979  *Saint Lucia 1623-1883  Saint Kitts (*Saint Kitts & Nevis) 1624-1966  *Barbados 1625-1650  Saint Croix 1627-1979  *St. Vincent and the Grenadines 1628-1883  Nevis (*Saint Kitts & Nevis) 1629-1641  St. Andrew and Providence Islands3 since 1632  Montserrat 1632-1860  Antigua(*Antigua & Barbuda) 1643-1860  Bay Islands since 1650  Anguilla 1651-1667  Willoughbyland (Suriname) 1655-1850  Mosquito Coast (protectorate) 1655-1962  *Jamaica since 1666  British Virgin Islands since 1670  Cayman Islands 1670-1973  *Bahamas 1670-1688  St. Andrew and Providence Islands3 1671-1816  Leeward Islands 18th century 1762-1974  *Grenada 1763-1978  Dominica since 1799  Turks and Caicos Islands 19th century 1831-1966  British Guiana (Guyana) 1833-1960  Windward Islands 1833-1960  Leeward Islands 1860-1981  *Antigua and Barbuda 1871-1964  British Honduras (*Belize) 1882-1983  *St. Kitts and Nevis 1889-1962  Trinidad and Tobago 20th century 1958-1962  West Indies Federation 3 Now the San Andrés y Providencia Department of Colombia. Africa  18th century 1792-1961  Sierra Leone 1795-1803  Cape Colony 19th century 1806-1910  Cape Colony 1816-1965  Gambia 1856-1910  Natal 1868-1966  Basutoland (Lesotho) 1874-1957  Gold Coast (Ghana) 1882-1922  Egypt 1884-1966  Bechuanaland (Botswana) 1884-1960  British Somaliland 1887-1897  Zululand 1888-1894  Matabeleland 1890-1980  Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) 1890-1962  Uganda 1890-1963  Zanzibar (Tanzania) 1891-1964  Nyasaland (Malawi) 1891-1907  British Central Africa 1893-1968  Swaziland 1895-1920  British East Africa 1899-1956  Anglo-Egyptian Sudan 20th century 1900-1914  Northern Nigeria 1900-1914  Southern Nigeria 1900-1910  Orange River Colony 1906-1954  Nigeria Colony 1910-1931  South Africa 1911-1964  Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) 1914-1954  Nigeria Protectorate 1915-1931  South West Africa (Namibia) 1919-1960  Cameroons (Cameroon) 4 1920-1963  Kenya 1922-1961  Tanganyika (Tanzania) 4 1954-1960  Nigeria since 1965  British Indian Ocean Territory 4 League of Nations mandate. Asia  18th century 1757-1947  Bengal (West Bengal (India) and Bangladesh) 1762-1764  Philippines 1795-1948  Ceylon (Sri Lanka) 1796-1965  Maldives 19th century 1819-1826  British Malaya (Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore) 1826-1946  Straits Settlements 1839-1967  Colony of Aden 1841-1997  Hong Kong 1841-1941  Kingdom of Sarawak (Malaysia) 1858-1947  British India (India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, Burma) 1882-1963  British North Borneo (Malaysia) 1885-1946  Unfederated Malay States 1891-1971  Muscat and Oman protectorate 1892-1971  Trucial States protectorate 1895-1946  Federated Malay States 1898-1930  Weihai Garrison 20th century 1918-1961  Kuwait protectorate 1920-1932  Iraq4 1921-1946  Transjordan4 1923-1948  Palestine4 1946-1948  Malayan Union 1946-1963  Sarawak (Malaysia) 1948-1957  Federation of Malaya (Malaysia) 4 League of Nations mandate. Oceania  18th century 1788-1901  New South Wales 1794-1843  Sandwich Islands (Hawaii) 19th century 1803-1901  Van Diemen's Land/Tasmania 1807-1863  Auckland Islands6 1824-1980  New Hebrides (Vanuatu) 1824-1901  Queensland 1829-1901  Swan River Colony/Western Australia 1836-1901  South Australia since 1838  Pitcairn Islands 1840-1907  *Colony of New Zealand 1850-1901  Victoria (Australia) 1874-1970  Fiji5 1877-1976  British Western Pacific Territories 1884-1949  Territory of Papua 1888-1965  Cook Islands6 1888-1984  Sultanate of Brunei 1889-1948  Union Islands (Tokelau)6 1892-1979  Gilbert and Ellice Islands7 1893-1978  British Solomon Islands8 20th century 1900-1970  Tonga (protected state) 1900-1974  Niue6 1901-1942  *Commonwealth of Australia 1907-1953  *Dominion of New Zealand 1919-1949  Territory of New Guinea 1949-1975  Territory of Papua and New Guinea9 5 Suspended member. 6 Now part of the *Realm of New Zealand. 7 Now Kiribati and *Tuvalu. 8 Now the *Solomon Islands. 9 Now *Papua New Guinea. Antarctica and South Atlantic  17th century since 1659  St. Helena 19th century since 1815  Ascension Island9 since 1816  Tristan da Cunha9 since 1833  Falkland Islands11 20th century since 1908  British Antarctic Territory10 since 1908  South Georgia and                     the South Sandwich Islands10, 11 9 Dependencies of St. Helena since 1922 (Ascension Island) and 1938 (Tristan da Cunha). 10 Both claimed in 1908; territories formed in 1962 (British Antarctic Territory) and 1985 (South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands). 11 Occupied by Argentina during the Falklands War of April-June 1982.

Coordinates: 15°57′S, 5°42′W