Ascension Island is a small, remote island in the South Atlantic with a population of just over 1000 people. It was first discovered by the Portuguese in 1501 and became strategically important in the early 19th century. The island was used as a base for ships capturing illegal slave ships and later as an airbase during World War II. The British government used it to launch its Falkland Islands initiative in the 1980s. The island is open to tourists and offers flora and fauna, a golf course, clubs, and water activities. Access is limited to occasional flights and ships.
Ascension Island is a tiny island in the South Atlantic. It covers 35 square miles (91 sq km), making it the 12th smallest territory or country in the world, with a population of just over 1000 people. The island is very remote, with the closest land being the small island territory of St. Helena some 800 miles (1300km) away, and the closest landmass being Africa, nearly 1000 miles (1600km) away. km) away.
Ascension Island was first discovered by the Portuguese in 1501, and then rediscovered in 1503, on Ascension Day. For the next several hundred years the island was rarely visited and never inhabited. St Helena was a preferable staging post due to its larger size and excellent harbours, so there was little incentive to develop Ascension Island. Some sailors used the island for their meager supply of game and eggs, and goats were introduced to the island to provide future ships with more meat.
In the early 19th century Ascension Island suddenly became strategically important with the defeat of Napoleon. He was exiled to St. Helena, and although the island was 19 miles (800 km) away, the British feared that the French might try to use Ascension Island or Tristan da Cunha to stage a rescue attempt. As a result a garrison was established and a permanent settlement formed.
Once a garrison was established, the island began to be visited more regularly, even after Napoleon’s death. Ascension Island served as a base for ships that the British used to help capture and repel illegal slave ships coming from the coast of Africa to the Americas. A telegraph line was laid to connect South Africa with Great Britain in the late 19th century, and the East Telegraph Company assumed responsibility for the island, continuing to administer it until the 1919s.
In the 1940s the United States built an air base on the island. The airbase was used throughout the war as a stopover for aircraft traveling to and from Africa and Europe. When the war ended the base was no longer used and the island was relatively forgotten until the 1950s when the United States refocused on the island, retrofitting the air base to serve as a runway for the Space Shuttle in case it landed of emergency .
During the 1980s, the British government used Ascension Island to launch its Falkland Islands initiative, and for a short while, the quiet little ocean in the South Atlantic was the busiest airport in the world. Since the Falklands War, the British have maintained a constant presence on Ascension Island and a relatively large population is present year round now.
For some time the island was closed to general traffic, but has become open to tourists in recent years. While no one comes to Ascension Island lightly, with a little work you can get there. There isn’t much to do on Ascension Island, but there is some incredible flora and fauna, including wild asses and green turtles, and a number of bird species, such as mynah and Ascension frigatebirds . The island also has a few amenities, including a golf course, a number of clubs, and plenty of snorkeling, diving, and fishing.
Getting to Ascension Island takes some planning, but flights do arrive occasionally, usually from British military bases. Ships also regularly visit the island from St Helena and yachts occasionally stop over.
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