St. Helena, an island in the South Atlantic Ocean, about 1,200 miles (1,900 km) off the Angolan coast of Africa. With the islands of Tristan da Cunha and Ascension it forms a United Kingdom Overseas Territory. St. Helena is a volcanic island with rugged terrain and has an area of 47 square miles (122 km2). Most of the people are engaged in the growing of New Zealand flax and various subsistence crops. Jamestown, with 1,516 inhabitants, is the capital and only town.
St. Helena was discovered by the Portuguese in 1502. It was annexed by the Dutch in 1633, occupied by the British East India Company in 1659, and brought under the control of the British Crown in 1834. Before the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, St. Helena was a major stop for ships sailing around Africa. Napoleon I lived in exile here from 1815 until his death in 1821.
Population: 5,147.
