Saint Helena Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Geography - 2023

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Location

islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, about midway between South America and Africa; Ascension Island lies 1,300 km (800 mi) northwest of Saint Helena; Tristan da Cunha lies 4,300 km (2,700 mi) southwest of Saint Helena

Geographic coordinates

Saint Helena: 15 57 S, 5 42 W;

Ascension Island: 7 57 S, 14 22 W;

Tristan da Cunha island group: 37 15 S, 12 30 W

Map references

Africa

Area

total: 394 sq km

land: 122 sq km Saint Helena Island

water: 0 sq km

88 sq km Ascension Island, 184 sq km Tristan da Cunha island group (includes Tristan (98 sq km), Inaccessible, Nightingale, and Gough islands)

Area - comparative

slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries

total: 0 km

Coastline

Saint Helena: 60 km
Ascension Island: NA
Tristan da Cunha (island only): 34 km

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Climate

Saint Helena: tropical marine; mild, tempered by trade winds;

Ascension Island: tropical marine; mild, semi-arid;

Tristan da Cunha: temperate marine; mild, tempered by trade winds (tends to be cooler than Saint Helena)

Terrain

the islands of this group are of volcanic origin associated with the Atlantic Mid-Ocean Ridge

Saint Helena: rugged, volcanic; small scattered plateaus and plains;

Ascension: surface covered by lava flows and cinder cones of 44 dormant volcanoes; terrain rises to the east;

Tristan da Cunha: sheer cliffs line the coastline of the nearly circular island; the flanks of the central volcanic peak are deeply dissected; narrow coastal plain lies between The Peak and the coastal cliffs

Elevation

highest point: Queen Mary's Peak on Tristan da Cunha 2,060 m; Green Mountain on Ascension Island 859 m; Diana's Peak on Saint Helena Island 818 m

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

Natural resources

fish, lobster

Land use

agricultural land: 30.8% (2018 est.)

arable land: 10.3% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 20.5% (2018 est.)

forest: 5.1% (2018 est.)

other: 64.1% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land

0 sq km (2022)

Population distribution

Saint Helena - population is concentrated in and around the capital Jamestown in the northwest, with another significant cluster in the interior Longwood area; Ascension - largest settlement, and location of most of the population, is Georgetown; Tristan da Cunha - most of the nearly 300 inhabitants live in the northern coastal town of Edinburgh of the Seven Seas

Natural hazards

active volcanism on Tristan da Cunha

volcanism: the island volcanoes of Tristan da Cunha (2,060 m) and Nightingale Island (365 m) experience volcanic activity; Tristan da Cunha erupted in 1962 and Nightingale in 2004

Geography - note

Saint Helena harbors at least 40 species of plants unknown elsewhere in the world; Ascension is a breeding ground for sea turtles and sooty terns; Queen Mary's Peak on Tristan da Cunha is the highest island mountain in the South Atlantic and a prominent landmark on the sea lanes around southern Africa

NOTE: The information regarding Saint Helena Ascension and Tristan da Cunha on this page is re-published from the 2023 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Saint Helena Ascension and Tristan da Cunha 2023 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Saint Helena Ascension and Tristan da Cunha 2023 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.