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Saint Helena Tourism
Saint Helena Geoghraphy
St Helena is situated in the South Atlantic Ocean at longitude 5° 45’ west and latitude 16° 00’ south. The nearest land is Ascension Island which lies 703 miles to the north west; it is one of the island’s dependencies. The other dependency, Tristan da Cunha, lies 1500 miles to the south west. St Helena is 1200 miles from the west coast of Africa and 1800 miles from the east coast of South America. The nearest place of importance to St Helena is Cape Town which lies 1700 miles to the south east.
St Helena has an area of 47 square miles; it is 10½ miles long and 6½ miles wide. It is wholly volcanic in origin and rocky and mountainous almost everywhere along its coastal range. Rising dramatically from the South Atlantic the island has sheer barren cliffs that are intersected with deep valleys which slope steeply from the central ridges.
In contrast with the barren coastal areas the interior contains an abundant growth of lush semi-tropical vegetation. Between its highest point (2,685 ft) and the 1000 ft contour the island maintains it grasslands, pastures and forests. At lower contours the terrain becomes drier and almost barren except for those valleys that carry small streams of water from the central ridges to the sea.
Despite the island’s position within the tropics, its climate is kept mild and equable by the south-east trade winds. Contrasts in climate are noticeable between the capital, Jamestown, which is on the north leeward side, and Longwood which is at a higher elevation to the east.
Temperatures vary from 21 to 31°C in the summer and from 16 to 27° C in the winter. The temperatures in the central areas are, on average, 5 to 6°C lower.
St Helena has an area of 47 square miles; it is 10½ miles long and 6½ miles wide. It is wholly volcanic in origin and rocky and mountainous almost everywhere along its coastal range. Rising dramatically from the South Atlantic the island has sheer barren cliffs that are intersected with deep valleys which slope steeply from the central ridges.
In contrast with the barren coastal areas the interior contains an abundant growth of lush semi-tropical vegetation. Between its highest point (2,685 ft) and the 1000 ft contour the island maintains it grasslands, pastures and forests. At lower contours the terrain becomes drier and almost barren except for those valleys that carry small streams of water from the central ridges to the sea.
Despite the island’s position within the tropics, its climate is kept mild and equable by the south-east trade winds. Contrasts in climate are noticeable between the capital, Jamestown, which is on the north leeward side, and Longwood which is at a higher elevation to the east.
Temperatures vary from 21 to 31°C in the summer and from 16 to 27° C in the winter. The temperatures in the central areas are, on average, 5 to 6°C lower.