The Bank of St. Helena has a branch on the Island. Domestic transfers to the UK are possible, as Saint Helena and all its dependencies are part of the UK banking system.

[

Transport

The island has a regular airlink with the United Kingdom and the Falkland Islands, with once or twice weekly flights from the RAF Ascension Island to the UK (RAF Brize Norton) and to the Falkland Islands (RAF Mount Pleasant). These are chartered civilian McDonnell Douglas DC-10 aircraft operated by Omni Air International on behalf of the Royal Air Force, however a limited number of commercial passenger tickets are available. The United States maintains a weekly flight between the island and Patrick Air Force Base in Florida. Past UK and US governments have reached an agreement to allow civilian aircraft to land on Ascension Island. Although designed to improve tourist links and the island's economy, no services have yet been established and the agreement may yet be revoked.

The RMS Saint Helena visits Ascension Island approximately once a month linking the island to Walvis Bay (Namibia), St Helena and Cape Town. The US military service their base and facilities with a regular supply ship and air transport.

Within Ascension Island, the only public transport is a recently formed taxi service; most visitors requiring transport are required to hire a car. There are about 25 miles (40 km) of roads on the island.

[

Flora and fauna

Main article: Wildlife of St Helena

The protected green turtle is perhaps the most notable of the wildlife, coming ashore to lay their eggs on the beaches from November to May. Sooty Terns or "Wideawake Birds" nest in great seashore lava "fairs". Other seabirds include some types of boobies, petrels and tropicbirds (named boatswain birds by the inhabitants of the island), White Tern, Brown Noddy, Black Noddy and Ascension Frigatebird. On land are found such non-native birds such as canaries, francolins, mynahs, sparrows, and waxbills. A variety of mammals have been introduced: donkey, sheep, cats and rats among others. Reptiles consist of two species of lizards. In summer, flies are known to be problematic. Crowning Green Mountain is a lush halo of bamboo, while on one flank is a large stand of tall Norfolk pine trees which were planted by British mariners for use as replacement masts for sailing ships should the need arise. A few wild flowers narrowly abound such as periwinkle; cactus is present with land crabs in several large colonies near the sea and mountains.

Prosopis juliflora or the Mexican Thorn, has thrived on the barren lava of the island in recent years: growing on the edges of beaches this threatens the green turtle[3].

Following the eradication of feral cats from the island, several species of seabird previously confined to Boatswain Bird Island are making a return to the main island.

Offshore, there is a variety of open-ocean fish, including sharks, wahoo, tuna, bonito, barracuda, marlin, blackfish and sailfish.

The endemic flora includes plants like Pteris adscensionis, Asplenium ascensionis, Euphorbia origanoides as well as the extinct species Oldenlandia adscenionis, Sporobolus durus and Dryopteris ascensionis. In June 2005 the first ever National Park on Ascension Island, the Green Mountain National Park, was opened.

[

See also

• Diego Garcia
• Saint Helena
• Tristan da Cunha
• United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

[

Bibliography

• Duff Hart-Davis, Ascension, the story of a South Atlantic island, p.15
• Official Ascension Island Government site
• Global Volcanism Program: Ascension Island
• Sanders, Sarah, Important Bird Areas in the United Kingdom Overseas Territories; priority sites for conservation (RSPB, 2006)
• Stonehouse, Bernard. (1960). Wideawake Island. The Story of the BOU Centenary Expedition to Ascension. Hutchinson: London

[

References

[

External links

• Wikimedia Atlas of Ascension Island

• Ascension Island Newspaper
• Ascension Island Government
• Rocket launches from Ascension
• Barry Weaver home page of Ascension Islands
• CIA World Factbook entry about Saint Helena
• Live Web Cam of Ascension
• Cable and Wireless

Geographic locale

International membership
v • d • e  British overseas territories and Crown dependencies Overseas territories Anguilla · Bermuda · British Antarctic Territory · British Indian Ocean Territory · British Virgin Islands · Cayman Islands · Falkland Islands · Gibraltar · Montserrat · Pitcairn Islands · St. Helena (includes Ascension Island · Tristan da Cunha · Gough Island) · South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands · Turks and Caicos Islands Crown dependencies Guernsey · Jersey · Isle of Man Sovereign base areas Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia v • d • e Outlying territories of European countries Territories under European sovereignty but closer to or on continents other than Europe (see inclusion criteria for further information) Denmark Greenland France Clipperton Island · French Guiana · French Polynesia · French Southern and Antarctic Lands (Amsterdam • Saint-Paul • Crozet • Kerguelen • Adélie Land • Scattered islands in the Indian Ocean:  Bassas da India • Europa Island • Glorioso Islands • Juan de Nova Island • Tromelin Island) · Guadeloupe · Martinique · Mayotte · New Caledonia · Réunion · Saint Barthélemy · Saint Martin · Saint Pierre and Miquelon · Wallis and Futuna Italy Pantelleria · Pelagie Islands (Lampedusa • Lampione • Linosa) Netherlands Aruba · Netherlands Antilles (Bonaire • Curaçao • Saba • Sint Maarten • Sint Eustatius) Norway Bouvet Island · Peter I Island · Queen Maud Land Portugal Azores Islands · Madeira Islands Russia Khabomai Rocks · Kunashir · Ratmanov Island · Shikotan Spain Canary Islands · Ceuta · Melilla · Plazas de soberanía (Isla Perejil • Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera • Peñón de Alhucemas • Islas Chafarinas) United Kingdom Anguilla · Ascension Island · Bermuda · British Virgin Islands · Cayman Islands · Falkland Islands · Montserrat · Saint Helena · Tristan da Cunha · Turks and Caicos Islands · British Antarctic Territory · British Indian Ocean Territory · Pitcairn Islands · South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands v • d • e British Empire and Commonwealth of Nations Legend Current territory  ·   Former territory * now a Commonwealth Realm  ·   now a member of the Commonwealth of Nations Europe  18th century 1708-1757  Minorca since 1713  Gibraltar 1782-1802  Minorca 19th century 1800-1964  Malta 1807-1890  Heligoland 1809-1864  Ionian Islands 1878-1960  Cyprus 20th century since 1960  Akrotiri and Dhekelia North America  16th century 1583-1907  Newfoundland 17th century 1607-1776  Thirteen Colonies since 1619  Bermuda 1670-1870  Rupert's Land 18th century Canada (British Imperial)    1763-1791  Quebec    1791-1841  Lower Canada    1791-1841  Upper Canada 19th century Canada (British Imperial)    1841-1867  Province of Canada    1849-1866  Vancouver Island    1858-1871  British Columbia    1859-1870  North-Western Territory    1862-1863  Stikine Territory *Canada (post-Confederation)    1867-1931  Dominion of Canada1 20th century *Canada (post-Confederation)    1907-1934  Dominion of Newfoundland2 1 In 1931, Canada and other British dominions obtained self-government through the Statute of Westminster. 'Dominion' remains Canada's legal title; see Canada's name. 2 Remained a de jure dominion until 1949 (when it became a Canadian province); from 1934 to 1949, Newfoundland was governed by the Commission of Government. Latin America and the Caribbean  17th century 1605-1979  *Saint Lucia 1623-1883  Saint Kitts (*Saint Kitts & Nevis) 1624-1966  *Barbados 1625-1650  Saint Croix 1627-1979  *St. Vincent and the Grenadines 1628-1883  Nevis (*Saint Kitts & Nevis) 1629-1641  St. Andrew and Providence Islands3 since 1632  Montserrat 1632-1860  Antigua(*Antigua & Barbuda) 1643-1860  Bay Islands since 1650  Anguilla 1651-1667  Willoughbyland (Suriname) 1655-1850  Mosquito Coast (protectorate) 1655-1962  *Jamaica since 1666  British Virgin Islands since 1670  Cayman Islands 1670-1973  *Bahamas 1670-1688  St. Andrew and Providence Islands3 1671-1816  Leeward Islands 18th century 1762-1974  *Grenada 1763-1978  Dominica since 1799  Turks and Caicos Islands 19th century 1831-1966  British Guiana (Guyana) 1833-1960  Windward Islands 1833-1960  Leeward Islands 1860-1981  *Antigua and Barbuda 1871-1964  British Honduras (*Belize) 1882-1983  *St. Kitts and Nevis 1889-1962  Trinidad and Tobago 20th century 1958-1962  West Indies Federation 3 Now the San Andrés y Providencia Department of Colombia. Africa  18th century 1792-1961  Sierra Leone 1795-1803  Cape Colony 19th century 1806-1910  Cape Colony 1816-1965  Gambia 1856-1910  Natal 1868-1966  Basutoland (Lesotho) 1874-1957  Gold Coast (Ghana) 1882-1922  Egypt 1884-1966  Bechuanaland (Botswana) 1884-1960  British Somaliland 1887-1897  Zululand 1888-1894  Matabeleland 1890-1980  Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) 1890-1962  Uganda 1890-1963  Zanzibar (Tanzania) 1891-1964  Nyasaland (Malawi) 1891-1907  British Central Africa 1893-1968  Swaziland 1895-1920  British East Africa 1899-1956  Anglo-Egyptian Sudan 20th century 1900-1914  Northern Nigeria 1900-1914  Southern Nigeria 1900-1910  Orange River Colony 1900-1910  Transvaal Colony 1906-1954  Nigeria Colony 1910-1931  South Africa 1911-1964  Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) 1914-1954  Nigeria Protectorate 1915-1931  South West Africa (Namibia) 1919-1960  Cameroons (Cameroon) 4 1920-1963  Kenya 1922-1961  Tanganyika (Tanzania) 4 1954-1960  Nigeria 4 League of Nations mandate. Asia  18th century 1757-1947  Bengal (West Bengal (India) and Bangladesh) 1762-1764  Philippines 1795-1948  Ceylon (Sri Lanka) 1796-1965  Maldives 19th century 1819-1826  British Malaya (Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore) 1826-1946  Straits Settlements 1839-1967  Colony of Aden 1841-1997  Hong Kong 1841-1941  Kingdom of Sarawak (Malaysia) 1858-1947  British India (India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, Burma) 1882-1963  British North Borneo (Malaysia) 1885-1946  Unfederated Malay States 1891-1971  Muscat and Oman protectorate 1892-1971  Trucial States protectorate 1895-1946  Federated Malay States 1898-1930  Weihai Garrison 20th century 1918-1961  Kuwait protectorate 1920-1932  Iraq4 1921-1946  Transjordan4 1923-1948  Palestine4 1946-1948  Malayan Union 1946-1963  Sarawak (Malaysia) 1948-1957  Federation of Malaya (Malaysia) since 1965  British Indian Ocean Territory 4 League of Nations mandate. Oceania  18th century 1788-1901  New South Wales 19th century 1803-1901  Van Diemen's Land/Tasmania 1807-1863  Auckland Islands6 1824-1980  New Hebrides (Vanuatu) 1824-1901  Queensland 1829-1901  Swan River Colony/Western Australia 1836-1901  South Australia since 1838  Pitcairn Islands 1840-1907  *Colony of New Zealand 1850-1901  Victoria (Australia) 1874-1970  Fiji5 1877-1976  British Western Pacific Territories 1884-1949  Territory of Papua 1888-1965  Cook Islands6 1888-1984  Sultanate of Brunei 1889-1948  Union Islands (Tokelau)6 1892-1979  Gilbert and Ellice Islands7 1893-1978  British Solomon Islands8 20th century 1900-1970  Tonga (protected state) 1900-1974  Niue6 1901-1942  *Commonwealth of Australia 1907-1953  *Dominion of New Zealand 1919-1949  Territory of New Guinea 1949-1975  Territory of Papua and New Guinea9 5 Suspended member. 6 Now part of the *Realm of New Zealand. 7 Now Kiribati and *Tuvalu. 8 Now the *Solomon Islands. 9 Now *Papua New Guinea. Antarctica and South Atlantic  17th century since 1659  St. Helena (On African Continent) 19th century since 1815  Ascension Island9 (On African Continent) since 1816  Tristan da Cunha9 (On African Continent) since 1833  Falkland Islands11 (South America) 20th century since 1908  British Antarctic Territory10 since 1908  South Georgia and                     the South Sandwich Islands10, 11 9 Dependencies of St. Helena since 1922 (Ascension Island) and 1938 (Tristan da Cunha). 10 Both claimed in 1908; territories formed in 1962 (British Antarctic Territory) and 1985 (South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands). 11 Occupied by Argentina during the Falklands War of April-June 1982. v • d • e   British Peoples Anguillans • Ascension Islanders • Bermudians • British Virgin Islanders • Caymanians • Chagossians (Ilois) • Channel Islanders • Cornish • English • Falkland Islanders • Gibraltarians • Manx • Montserratians • Northern Irish • Pitcairn Islanders • Saint Helenians • Scots • Tristan Islanders • Turks and Caicos Islanders • Welsh

Coordinates: 7°56′S, 14°22′W

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