Ascension Island
January 25th 2007 06:17
I've never really complete understood why, but I have an intense and obsessive fascination with remote islands. It led me to read this book, and from there I've followed all sorts of lines of curiosity. The biggest tragedy is that I'll probably never have the means or chance to visit these places. But we can dream, can't we?
The first island I would like to summarise here is Ascension Island.
ASCENSION ISLAND
Ascension Island is one of the British Empire's last colonies. It's closest neighbour is the British colony island of St. Helena, about 800 kms away. Ascension Island has no permenant population, due to their being nothing worth staying for on the island. It's main worth in the past has been as a strategic point in the Atlantic Ocean (last utilised in WW2 as a refuelling point for the Americans). As such it has transient populations from both England and America, mostly military or research-based. Supplemental occupations that exist to service the temporary population are mostly filled by St. Helenians.
Ascension Island was first discovered by the Portuguese in the early 16th century. It was used mostly as a rendezvous point by ships for the following three centuries. In 1815 the British claimed it (along with Tristan de Cunha, far to the south in the Atlantic Ocean) to ensure that they controlled the waters around St. Helena, where they had exiled Napoleon Bonaparte.
Capitol: Georgetown
Language(s): English
Area: 91 square kms
Currency: Acceptable currencies are British pound, American dollar and St. Helena pound.
Population: Anywhere between 1000 and 3000.
Government: Ascension Island is looked after by an Administrator, who is appointed by the Governor of St. Helena. Ascension Island is considered to be a dependency of St. Helena.
Accessibility: Provided you have permission from the Administrator (which isn't entirely hard to get), you can fly from Oxford, England, to Ascension Island on a military plane for the sum of roughly 1000 pounds. Otherwise, there is a ship that travels from Cardiff to Cape Horn four times a year that stops at Ascension Island and St. Helena on it's voyage. I'm not sure how easy it is to get a berth on this ship.
Settlements: The biggest settlement is Georgetown, which has over 500 residents. The U.S. Bases, Cat Hill and Traveller's Hill, have about 350 residents between them. A further 120 people live at Two Boats Village in the island's middle.
Culture/Customs: Ascension Island is fairly British, and owing to the fact that very few people spend more than a few years there at the most, it isn't really a proper country or anything.
There are two pubs, a local newspaper, and various casually-operated shops.
There is also a golf course on the island that is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the 'worse golf course on the whole planet'.
Male visitors and residents are expected to take part in a race from the shore to the island's only source of fresh water once a year.
Owing to the island's remoteness, it is said that a visitor can ensure they will never have to come back (most Ascension Island visitors are there for employment - St. Helena is a very poor country) if they paint a rock white on the side of the island's road. There are two conditions though, the painting must be done at night, and no one must see you do it. If someone sees you do it you are cursed to come back again.
Wildlife: Ascension Island is probably most famous for the thousands of Green Turtles that emigrate there year after year to lay their eggs. It is also home to various seabirds, including Wideawake Birds, Terns, Tropicsbirds and Noddies.
Wildlife (introduced): Ascension Island has been home to a feral donkey population for roughly 100 years now. There are also feral goats. Recent attempts have been made to cleanse the island of rats and feral cats.
Wildlife (endemic*): The tiny nearby island of Boatswain Bird Island (heavily protected due to it's natural heritage) is home to the Ascension Frigatebird. The Ascension Island Rail, a small flightless bird, became extinct in the early-to-mid 19th century due to the introduction of cats.
*Endemic - means a native-species that is found nowhere else in the world.
The first island I would like to summarise here is Ascension Island.
ASCENSION ISLAND
Ascension Island is one of the British Empire's last colonies. It's closest neighbour is the British colony island of St. Helena, about 800 kms away. Ascension Island has no permenant population, due to their being nothing worth staying for on the island. It's main worth in the past has been as a strategic point in the Atlantic Ocean (last utilised in WW2 as a refuelling point for the Americans). As such it has transient populations from both England and America, mostly military or research-based. Supplemental occupations that exist to service the temporary population are mostly filled by St. Helenians.
Ascension Island was first discovered by the Portuguese in the early 16th century. It was used mostly as a rendezvous point by ships for the following three centuries. In 1815 the British claimed it (along with Tristan de Cunha, far to the south in the Atlantic Ocean) to ensure that they controlled the waters around St. Helena, where they had exiled Napoleon Bonaparte.
Capitol: Georgetown
Language(s): English
Area: 91 square kms
Currency: Acceptable currencies are British pound, American dollar and St. Helena pound.
Population: Anywhere between 1000 and 3000.
Government: Ascension Island is looked after by an Administrator, who is appointed by the Governor of St. Helena. Ascension Island is considered to be a dependency of St. Helena.
Accessibility: Provided you have permission from the Administrator (which isn't entirely hard to get), you can fly from Oxford, England, to Ascension Island on a military plane for the sum of roughly 1000 pounds. Otherwise, there is a ship that travels from Cardiff to Cape Horn four times a year that stops at Ascension Island and St. Helena on it's voyage. I'm not sure how easy it is to get a berth on this ship.
Settlements: The biggest settlement is Georgetown, which has over 500 residents. The U.S. Bases, Cat Hill and Traveller's Hill, have about 350 residents between them. A further 120 people live at Two Boats Village in the island's middle.
Culture/Customs: Ascension Island is fairly British, and owing to the fact that very few people spend more than a few years there at the most, it isn't really a proper country or anything.
There are two pubs, a local newspaper, and various casually-operated shops.
There is also a golf course on the island that is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the 'worse golf course on the whole planet'.
Male visitors and residents are expected to take part in a race from the shore to the island's only source of fresh water once a year.
Owing to the island's remoteness, it is said that a visitor can ensure they will never have to come back (most Ascension Island visitors are there for employment - St. Helena is a very poor country) if they paint a rock white on the side of the island's road. There are two conditions though, the painting must be done at night, and no one must see you do it. If someone sees you do it you are cursed to come back again.
Wildlife: Ascension Island is probably most famous for the thousands of Green Turtles that emigrate there year after year to lay their eggs. It is also home to various seabirds, including Wideawake Birds, Terns, Tropicsbirds and Noddies.
Wildlife (introduced): Ascension Island has been home to a feral donkey population for roughly 100 years now. There are also feral goats. Recent attempts have been made to cleanse the island of rats and feral cats.
Wildlife (endemic*): The tiny nearby island of Boatswain Bird Island (heavily protected due to it's natural heritage) is home to the Ascension Frigatebird. The Ascension Island Rail, a small flightless bird, became extinct in the early-to-mid 19th century due to the introduction of cats.
*Endemic - means a native-species that is found nowhere else in the world.
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