countries

Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha

Jamestown · Africa

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Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha

Country facts

Flag

🇸🇭

Capital

Jamestown

Region

Africa

Subregion

Western Africa

Area

394 km²

Landlocked

Independent

UN member

ISO code

SH · SHN

Official name

Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha

Coordinates

-15.95, -5.72

Wikivoyage guide · 14 sections

▸Introduction290 chars

Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha is a British overseas territory consisting of the islands of Saint Helena and Ascension, together with the Tristan da Cunha islands group. These are among the world's most isolated islands and separated from each other by many hundreds of miles.

▸Understand448 chars

This is not a country but an administrative structure of the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the UK. It was created on 1 September 2009, when a new constitution came into force giving the three islands equal status within this territory.

That means that all relevant information is provided and maintained in the equivalent sections of the three individual islands (separated by many hundreds of miles) rather than here.

▸Talk51 chars

English is the main language used on these islands.

▸Get in321 chars

External sources

Wikivoyage

Media

Nearby in Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha6

Algeria

Algeria (Arabic: الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; Algerian Arabic: الدزاير, al-dzayir; Berber: ⴷⵣⴰⵢⴻⵔ, dzayer; French: Algérie) is the largest country in Africa. Overlooked by many travellers, the country is bursting with beauty waiting to be discovered. From the bustling markets of Algiers to the pristine beaches of its Mediterranean coast, from the jaw-droppingly beautiful mountains of the north to the mesm

Angola

Angola is a beautiful nation in Central Africa endowed with lovely waterfalls, rivers, national parks, and coastlines. There is plenty to do and see.

(See the appropriate section of the article for the particular island you are interested in.)

Visitors require entry approval from the Administrator's office, requested in advance in writing. They must also have full medical insurance which will cover the expense of medical evacuation, if needed.

No visas are required.

▸By plane339 chars

Saint Helena has an airport (HLE IATA) with flights every Saturday from Johannesburg, South Africa. See more in Saint Helena.

Ascension Island has monthly service from Johannesburg by way of Saint Helena, operated by Airlink. The military charter flight from RAF Brize Norton close to Oxford in the United Kingdom ceased operating in 2017.

▸By boat81 chars

The Royal Mail Ship Saint Helena retired from passenger service in February 2018.

▸Get around91 chars

See the appropriate section of the article for the particular island you are interested in.

▸See and do95 chars

Consult the appropriate section of the article for the particular island you are interested in.

▸Buy482 chars

The St Helena pound is at parity with the pound sterling which is accepted everywhere together with the South African rand and Euro. Pounds are subdivided into 100 pence.

The Tristan da Cunha archipelago is more than a couple of thousand kilometres away from St Helena, and St Helena pounds rarely make it that far, so people in Tristan da Cunha tend to use British coins and banknotes instead, when they are not bartering.

Costs are about 30% greater than the UK, except for vices.

▸Eat and drink91 chars

See the appropriate section of the article for the particular island you are interested in.

▸Sleep91 chars

See the appropriate section of the article for the particular island you are interested in.

▸Stay safe91 chars

See the appropriate section of the article for the particular island you are interested in.

▸Stay healthy48 chars

Tap water is safe to drink on all three islands.

▸Go next91 chars

See the appropriate section of the article for the particular island you are interested in.

Benin

For the city in Edo State, see Benin City Benin is a country in West Africa. You'll find culture through a large collection of palatial ruins and temples of the once powerful Kingdom of Dahomey (1800s–1894). Moreover, Benin is the birthplace of Vodun (Voodoo) and all that goes with it. Vodun is the official religion of the country, and an important part of the life of ordinary Beninese. Many impor