The UK has 14 Overseas Territories (OTs), including Bermuda, Gibraltar, the Falkland and Cayman islands, ranging from small islands to large territories spread across the world.
The territories are part of one realm with the UK and Crown Dependencies, where King Charles III is sovereign.
Saint Helena, a small volcanic and tropical island located in the South Atlantic Ocean is one such territory.
It is one of the most remote major islands in the world and was completely uninhabited when it was discovered by the Portuguese en route to the Indian subcontinent in the early 16th century.
It lies some 1,600 miles west of mainland Africa, with Angola and Namibia being its closest geographical neighbours, and around 4,900 miles from the UK.
Saint Helena measures about 10 by five miles and has a population of over 4,400 as of the 2021 census. It is composed largely of rugged terrain of volcanic origin, the last eruptions occurring about seven million years ago. The highest point is Diana’s Peak at 818 metres. Coastal areas are scattered with vegetation, and much of the island is covered by New Zealand flax, a legacy of former industry.
There are no native land mammals, but cattle, cats, dogs, donkeys, goats, mice, rabbits, rats and sheep have been introduced. The national bird of Saint Helena is the Saint Helena plover, known locally as the wirebird, thanks to its wire-like legs. It appears on the coat of arms of Saint Helena and on the flag.
It was named after Helena, mother of Constantine I, the Roman emperor and the first to convert to Christianity.
After its discovery in 1502, the island acted as an important stopover for ships from Europe to Asia and back while sailing around the African continent for about 400 years, until the opening of the Suez Canal.
Saint Helena is the UK’s second-oldest OT after Bermuda, having become a Crown Colony in 1834. In 1966, the island was given some self-rule and a new constitution was introduced in 1989, giving it more authority to elect councils and limiting the governor’s powers. Another was approved in 2009, which included a bill of rights.
Until the opening of its airport, in 2017, the primary method of reaching the island was via a six-day journey by sea on the RMS St Helena.
The island is known for being the site of Napoleon Bonaparte’s second exile, following his final defeat in 1815 at the Battle of Waterloo. He died there in May 1821.
The importation of slaves to Saint Helena was banned in 1792. In 1818, the governor freed children born of slaves on the island. The phased emancipation of over 800 resident slaves took place in 1827, some six years before the British parliament passed legislation to abolish slavery in the colonies.
Incredibly, in 1899, Saint Helena was connected to London by undersea cable, allowing for telegraph communication.
The island is also home to the world’s oldest living land animal, Jonathan, a 191-year-old tortoise, who was visited by Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, earlier this year.