həlēˈnə, island (1998 pop. 4,916), 47 sq mi (122 sq km), in the S Atlantic Ocean, 1,200 mi (1,931 km) W of Africa. Together with the islands of Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, it comprises the British dependency of St. Helena. The capital and port is Jamestown. Mountainous and of volcanic origin, the island rises to a height of 2,685 ft (818 m) on Mt. Actaeon. Corn, potatoes, vegetables, and livestock are raised, and there is a fishing industry.

History

Discovered uninhabited by the Portuguese navigator João da Nova Castella in 1502, St. Helena was annexed by the Dutch in 1633. In 1659 it was annexed and occupied by the British East India Company, and in 1834 it became a British crown colony. The island served as a prison for South African Boers (Afrikaners) from 1900 to 1902. St. Helena is best known as the place of exile of Napoleon I, who was sent there in 1815 and who died at Longwood, near Jamestown, in 1821. His home has been maintained as a memorial.

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright© 2004, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products N.V. All rights reserved.

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