South Atlantic

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St Helena Island is situated in the South Atlantic Ocean, at 15° 56′ south and 5° 45′ west. The nearest land is Ascension Island, which is 703 miles to the North West. It is 1,200 miles from the South-West coast of Africa and 1,800 miles from the coast of South America. A 47 square mile Island, it is one of the remotest settled islands in the world. A sub-tropical paradise, it is also one of the most spectacular as far as contrast goes.

With its uniquely rich diversity of heritage-based attractions, both built and natural, St Helena offers many things to see and lots to do — from visiting the Georgian town to the rugged coastline, from the rolling hills to the stark yet striking geology at Sandy Bay. That’s the thing about this destination…there’s so much more to the island than you may think. St Helena is home to the most varied heritage and nature, breath-taking views from the highest peaks, inviting waters, and 100% quaintness. We beckon you to a true discovery. Now proudly linked to London Heathrow via Banjul in The Gambia.

The climate of St Helena is controlled by the South Atlantic High Pressure Cell and the Equatorial Trough. Despite the Island’s locality within the tropics, its climate is kept mild and equable by the South East Trade Winds. The trade winds blow from high to low almost continuously, making our weather so changeable, a dull rainy morning can often lead onto a bright sunny afternoon. The four seasons are not recognised on St Helena, as there are no drastic weather patterns.

St Helena has a small population, mainly descended from people from Europe (mostly planters, government employees and ex-soldiers serving in the local St Helena Regiment), Chinese and slaves (mostly from Madagascar and Asia, only a few coming from Africa from 1840 onward). The estimated population of St Helena at the end of 2016 was 4550. St Helenians, also known as 'Saints', are known for their friendliness – everyone waves and greets each other, even to passing cars.

There are many traditions on St Helena. St Helena’s Day, is celebrated on 21st May. It was on this day in 1502 that the Island was discovered and so-named as it was the birthday of Saint Helena, the mother of Constantine the Great. Festive seasons such as Christmas and Easter are celebrated in a very unique way. The traditional Christmas day lunch/dinner is a day long event with some households participating in a traditional ‘house crawl’ where groups of friends and family visit each other’s homes to wish them a Merry Christmas and to have few laughs, drinks and maybe sing a song or two…so expect to hear a lot of merry-making in Jamestown on this day.