Ascension Island
Georgetown, Ascension Island, South Atlantic Ocean, ASCN 1ZZ
Tel: 6311 (office). Fax: 6152.
E-mail: aigenquiries@ascension.gov.ac
Website: www.ascension-island.gov.ac
South Atlantic. Area: 88 sq km (34 sq miles). Population: 1100 (2003). Population density: 12.5 per sq km. Geography: Ascension Island lies 1207km (750 miles) northwest of St Helena and is of purely volcanic origin. The island is famous for green turtles and is also a breeding ground for Wideawakes (Sooty Tern). Religion: Anglican and Roman Catholic. Time: GMT. Communications: Telephone: Country code: 247. The BBC World Service and their contractors Merlin Communications operate their Atlantic Relay Station on the island. Cable & Wireless (website: www.cw.com/ascension) operates telecommunications services and the European Space Agency has a monitoring station. Post: There is a Royal Mail ship with a monthly shipping service to the UK available. Press: The Islander is published weekly. Money: The St Helena/Ascension Island Pound is equivalent to the UK Pound Sterling. History: A dependency of St Helena, the island was first occupied in 1815 and remained under British Admiralty control until 1922. Its airfield was built by US forces during World War II. The main importance of the island is as a communications centre and a military base, but attempts are being made to attract tourists to what was once a closed island. The island’s administrative costs are borne collectively by the user organisations. The Royal Air Force has a facility supporting its garrison in the Falklands and there is a small US Air Force base on the island. Public services are provided by Ascension Island Services.
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