Ascension (island)

Ascension (island), part of the British dependency of St Helena (which also includes St Helena and the Tristan da Cunha group), in the South Atlantic Ocean, about midway between Africa and South America and 1126 km (700 mi) north-west of St Helena. The small, volcanic island, with an area of 88 sq km (34 sq mi), was sighted by the Portuguese in 1501, but it was uninhabited until the exile of Napoleon to St Helena in 1815, when the British established a garrison here to guard against his escape. In 1922 the island was annexed to St Helena. It was a refuelling base for United States aircraft in World War II. The United States built a station here in 1957 as a post for observing guided missiles. Huge numbers of sea turtles and sooty terns breed on the island. Georgetown is the main settlement. The island's population (1988) is 1,007.