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British overseas territory in the southern Atlantic Ocean
Africa > West African Islands > Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha

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.

Regions

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 Ascension
 Saint Helena
 Tristan da Cunha (Gough Island)

Understand

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Capital Jamestown
Currency Saint Helena pound (SHP)
pound sterling (GBP)
Population 5.6 thousand (2016)
Country code +247, +290, +27
Time zone UTC±00:00
Emergencies 999
Driving side left

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.

Talk

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English is the main language used on these islands.

Get in

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(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 plane

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  • 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 boat

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

Get around

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

See and do

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

Exchange rates for British pounds

As of January 2024:

  • US$1 ≈ £0.8
  • €1 ≈ £0.9
  • South African R1 ≈ £0.04

Exchange rates fluctuate. Current rates for these and other currencies are available from xe.com

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 drink

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

Sleep

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

Stay safe

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

Tap water is safe to drink on all three islands.

Go next

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

This country travel guide to Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha is a usable article. It has information about the country and for getting in, as well as links to several destinations. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.
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