Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha: Flag and Facts
The flag of Saint Helena, Ascension Island, and Tristan da Cunha is blue with the Union Jack at top left and a shield on the right showing a white plover above a rocky shore and a three-masted ship.
- Capital
- Jamestown
- Region
- Western Africa
- Population
- 7,943 (2024)
- Languages
- English
- Currency
- Pound sterling, Saint Helena pound
- Area
- 394 km² (152 sq mi)
- People
- Saint Helenian
- Calling code
- +2
- Highest point
- Queen Mary's Peak on Tristan da Cunha 2,060 m
- Independence
- none (overseas territory of the UK)
- National symbols
- Saint Helena plover (wire bird)
- Borders
- No land borders
- Status
- Territory (not a sovereign country)
About Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
That bird is the Saint Helena plover, locally called the wire bird, and it sits on yellow in the top third of the shield. Below, a sailing ship with furled sails flies an English flag. The design dates to 1984, made to mark 150 years since Saint Helena became a Crown Colony.
The territory joins three far-flung pieces of the South Atlantic. The Portuguese found Saint Helena empty in 1502. Napoleon was exiled there from 1815 until he died in 1821, and Britain posted troops on Ascension in 1815 to block any rescue. Thousands of Boer prisoners were held on Saint Helena from 1900 to 1903. For years a mail ship took five days to arrive, every three weeks, until an airport finally opened commercial flights in 2017. All the islands are volcanic, and Ascension alone has 44 dormant volcanoes.
Did you know?
- The territory's tallest summit is Queen Mary's Peak, which rises 2,060 meters over Tristan da Cunha.
- The weekly flight to Saint Helena from Johannesburg takes just over six hours, with a stop in Windhoek.
- Both the pound sterling and the Saint Helena pound are used.
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Questions about Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
What is the capital of Saint Helena, Ascension Island, and Tristan da Cunha?
Jamestown, with about 1,000 residents.
How many people live in Saint Helena, Ascension Island, and Tristan da Cunha?
About 7,943 people as of 2024.
Sources
- CIA World Factbook, checked October 8, 2026
- REST Countries data (mledoze/countries), checked October 8, 2026
- Flag artwork: flag-icons (MIT), checked October 8, 2026
Facts are compiled from these open sources and rewritten in our own words. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.