Geography of Saint Helena

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Orthographic projection above St Helena

Location: islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, about mid-way between South America and Africa

Geographic coordinates: 15°56′S 5°42′W

Map references: Africa

Area:
total: 410 km²
land: 410 km²
water: 0 km²
note: includes Saint Helena Island (121 km²), Ascension, and the island group of Tristan da Cunha, which consists of Tristan da Cunha Island, Gough Island, Inaccessible Island, and the three Nightingale Islands

Area - comparative: slightly more than two times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 60 km

Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nautical miles (370 km)
territorial sea: 12 nautical miles (22 km)

Climate: Saint Helena - tropical; marine; mild, tempered by trade winds; Tristan da Cunha - temperate; marine, mild, tempered by trade winds (tends to be cooler than Saint Helena)

Terrain: Saint Helena - rugged, volcanic; small scattered plateaus and plains
note: the other islands of the group have a volcanic origin

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Queen Mary's Peak on Tristan da Cunha 2,060 m

Natural resources: fish

Land use:
arable land: 12.9%
permanent crops: 0%
other: other: 87.1% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: NA km²

Natural hazards: active volcanism on Tristan da Cunha

Environment - current issues: NA

Geography - note: harbors at least 40 species of plants unknown anywhere else in the world; Ascension is a breeding ground for sea turtles and sooty terns