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Saint Helena refers to both an island in the South Atlantic Ocean 2,800 km off the west coast of Africa belonging to the United Kingdom, and to the administrative unit that includes it and as well the islands of Ascension, Gough Island, Inaccessible Island, Nightingale Island, and Tristan da Cunha; this article describes both.
HistorySee main article History of Saint Helena. The island was uninhabited in 1502 when it was discovered by Portuguese mariners. Like every remote island in the age of sail, it was a crucial resource for sailing ships that ventured into its waters. (The important ships among these were of naval and commercial nature.) Its position on the only practical route, until construction of the Suez Canal, between Western Europe to the Indian Ocean enhanced that general role. It became a British military garrison for those reasons. Napoleon Bonaparte spent the last part of his life in exile on St. Helena. Prominent Anglo-Boer War prisoners, including General Piet Cronje were also detained on St. Helena. DemographicsSee main article Demographics of Saint Helena. St. Helena has a small population that remains loyal to Britain. However, the island's diminutive size and geopolitical insignificance has led many Islanders to accuse the British government of ignoring the island. EconomySee main article Economy of Saint Helena. The island's economy was a one crop economy for many years, but is now very weak, and is almost entirely sustained on aid from London. The St. Helena tourist industry is heavily based around the promotion of Napoleon's imprisonment. Two sites where Napoleon lived and the valley where he was buried are French territory. GeographySee main article Geography of Saint Helena. PoliticsSee main article Politics of Saint Helena. CommunicationsSee main article Communications on Saint Helena. TransportationSee main article Transport on Saint Helena. MilitarySee main article Military of Saint Helena. 
External links
ca:Santa Helena da:Sankt Helena de:Sankt Helena es:Santa Helena fr:Île Sainte-Hélène he:סנט הלנה nl:Sint Helena (eiland) ja:セントヘレナ lt:Šv. Elenos sala no:St. Helena pl:Święta Helena (kolonia) pt:Santa Helena sl:Sveta Helena sv:Sankt Helena zh-cn:圣赫勒拿岛 |
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