In the world's most remote and inhabited island - Tristan da Cunha Archipelago, 2443 kilometers northeast, there is an island because of Napoleon's exile from 1815 to 1821, it rose from the seabed of more than 4,000 meters, standing above the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, it was once the docking base for ships from Western Europe and North America to the Indian Ocean, it flourished because of the slave trade, due to the decline of the Suez Canal, but now it is in the news because of the construction of "the world's most useless airport", This isolated island in the Atlantic Ocean is the island of St. Helena.
St. Helena rises from more than 4,000 meters above the seabed and rises above the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
An extinct volcanic island hanging alone in the South Atlantic
St. Helena is a volcanic island in the South Atlantic Ocean, located at 5 ° 43 ′ west longitude and 15 ° 56 ′ south latitude, 1867 km from Angola, the nearest continent to Angola, 3276 km from Brazil, the closest to South America, 2273 km from the West African coast, and 1296 km from the nearest inhabited Island of Assuncón. St. Helena, together with assuncón to the northwest and tristan da Cunha to the southwest, form St. Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, which is a British overseas territory in the South Atlantic.
St. Helena is a volcanic island in the South Atlantic Ocean, 1,867 km from Angola, the closest island to the African continent, and 3,276 km from Brazil, the closest to South America
St. Helena is 2,273 km from the West African coast and 1,296 km from the nearest inhabited island of Assuncón.
St. Helena is located on the mid-Atlantic ridge, 15 km long, 11 km wide, with a total area of 121.7 square kilometers, and the highest points are the extinct volcano Diana Peak at 823 meters above sea level and the Aktion Mountain at 820 meters. The island is flanked by vertical cliffs at an altitude of 490 to 700 meters above sea level, and the mountains form a semicircular edge north of Sandy Bay. There are many canyons washed by mountain currents in Shannan, and the coast is deeper. Only the northwestern james bay, a narrow 2.4-kilometre-long river valley, is located in James Harbor, the capital of St. Helena.
Located above the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, St. Helena is 15 kilometres long and 11 kilometres wide with a total area of 121.7 square kilometres.
The only landing point on St. Helena is James Bay to the northwest, which is home to a narrow 2.4-kilometre-long river valley.
St. Helena has a subtropical oceanic climate, influenced by the cool South Atlantic monsoon, with mild temperatures throughout the year.
Climatically, St. Helena has a subtropical oceanic climate, influenced by the cool South Atlantic monsoon, with mild temperatures all year round, with annual precipitation of 300-500 mm in the west and 800 mm in the east, which makes the island full of volcanic limestone have many springs. Therefore, the vegetation of the island has three obvious ring-like distributions, that is, there are many desolate rocks within 1.6 kilometers of coastal extension inland; then the middle layer extends inland for 0.4 to 1.6 kilometers, full of herbs; the central area is about 5 kilometers long, and the area 3 kilometers wide is growing trees such as vegetable palm, willow fir, eucalyptus, banana, oak and European red pine.
The most central part of St. Helena is about 5 km long and 3 km wide, with trees such as vegetable palms, willow fir, eucalyptus, banana, oak and European red pine.
St. Helena receives 300-500 mm of annual precipitation to the west and 800 mm to the east, which makes the island full of volcanic limestones with many springs.
St. Helena is a British overseas territory nominally administered by a British King or Queen-designated Governor-General, but in practice the choice of the British Foreign Office is decided. The island's external relations are mainly based on submarine cables, satellite communications and aviation, as St. Helena is one of the relay stations for international cables between South Africa and Portugal and the United Kingdom, which is much more convenient than Tristan da Cunha. Therefore, the population is also far more than the latter, with 4534 people (2016), mainly mixed races, of which African descent accounts for half, including Chinese, Indians, including Asians and whites account for 25% each, speak English, mostly Christian.
St. Helena is a British overseas territory nominally administered by a British King or Queen-designated Governor-General, but in practice the choice of the British Foreign Office is decided.
The ladder of Jamestown, the capital of St. Helena
Flourished in the slave trade
The phenomenon that this mixed race and white population is not predominant is closely related to the colonial history of St. Helena. On May 21, 1502, the Portuguese navigator John da Nova stumbled upon St. Helena on his way to India, and it was the day of the feast of St. Helena Augusta in the Catholic Calendar, hence the name of St. Helena. From then until 1588, when Captain Gavindicht sailed around the globe to return to england through the middle of the island, during which time St. Helena was known only to the Portuguese.
The ladder of Jamestown, the capital of St. Helena
In 1659 the island of St. Helena was colonized by the British East India Company and the fortress of Jamestown was established
After 1588 St. Helena became a port of call for the Western European sea route to and from the East Indies, and the Dutch occupied St. Helena from 1645 to 1651, but did not colonize it. But then in 1659, St. Helena was colonized by the British East India Company and established the fortress of Jamestown, where troops were stationed, although the Dutch wanted to retake it, but without success. Since the Suez Canal was only built and opened in 1869, for two hundred years, Western European ships sailing to the Indian Ocean had to circumvent south Africa's Cape of Good Hope, so St. Helena became an important ship docking base in the Atlantic Ocean.
Western European ships sailed into the Indian Ocean to circumvent South Africa's Cape of Good Hope, so St. Helena became an important ship base in the Atlantic Ocean.
The "Black Triangle Trade" took place in the 16th and 19th centuries, with large numbers of blacks kidnapped from Africa traveling through "medium-haul routes" to the West Indies and the American colonies
Coupled with the "black triangle trade" carried out from the 16th century to the 19th century, a large number of black slaves kidnapped from Africa had to transit through St. Helena through the "medium-distance route" to the West Indies and the American colonies for transit and docking, which made nearly half of the islanders were black slaves sold to the island, until 1792, as the European powers completed the primitive accumulation of capital, capital export replaced commodity exports, no longer need more black slaves, as well as the abolitionist movement and the development of human rights concepts, No new slaves arrived on St. Helena.
Of the six East India Companies of the colonial era, the British East India Company was the most powerful.
In 1810 the East India Company began transporting labor from Guangdong, China, to St. Helena
As a result, the treatment of black slaves on the island of St. Helena has also been slightly improved, but the special labor force of black slaves is different from that of wage labor, without personal freedom, there is no enthusiasm for production, and the efficiency is very low. Therefore, in order to obtain better labor for development work, in 1810 the East India Company began to transport labor from Guangdong, China, to St. Helena, which is an important reason why the Chinese on St. Helena now account for nearly 20% of the total population.
In 1812 Napoleon was attacked by the Sixth Coalition, and Napoleon, who had fallen from power, was exiled to the Mediterranean island of Elba.
Italian island of Elba at sunset
Exile of Emperor Napoleon I of France
But what really made St. Helena famous was Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo in 1815, when he was exiled and died there on May 5, 1821. In fact, in 1812, the French First Empire founded by Napoleon was defeated by the expedition to Russia, and was attacked by the Sixth Anti-French Coalition Army, and Napoleon, who was ousted from power, was exiled to the Mediterranean island of Elba. This small island, located between Napoleon's hometown of Corsica and the west coast of Italy, took advantage of the infighting between the anti-French parties at the "Vienna Conference" in 1814, Napoleon successfully escaped and returned to Paris, once again dominating France.
In 1814, when the anti-French parties were infighting at the "Vienna Conference", Napoleon successfully escaped and returned to Paris, dominating France again.
The Battle of Waterloo was the victory of the Anti-French Coalition over France in 1815 that changed the history of Europe and was the last battle of Napoleon I.
Thus there was a battle in which Napoleon attempted to overturn the throne in 1815, and he did not want to lose again at the Battle of Waterloo. This anti-French alliance, led by Britain, learned a lesson to prevent its comeback, to exile Napoleon to a desert island that could never be relied on, so that he could never return to Europe, so that St. Helena, which was regarded by Europeans as the end of the world, was undoubtedly the best choice. In July 1815 Napoleon was banished to a villa estate in Longwood, St. Helena, where his range was limited to 12 kilometres.
In July 1815 Napoleon was banished to a villa estate in Longwood, St. Helena
Napoleon's range of activity was limited to a range of 12 kilometers around him.
Villa estate in Longwood, St. Helena, where Napoleon I was placed under house arrest and exile
In order to prevent Napoleon from escaping again, the British stationed a British Royal Navy detachment on Ascension Island, north of St. Helena, and also annexed the Tristan da Cunha Islands more than 2,400 kilometers away from st. Helena, with a tight north-south attack. Napoleon eventually spent 5 years in exile on St. Helena and died in 1812. However, the cause of his death is still a mystery, some people speculate that according to the completely different mental state of Napoleon before and after napoleon, it is speculated that the death of St. Helena is only a stand-in, and the real Napoleon Bonaparte has returned to France to direct the Bonaparte dynasty behind the scenes.
Napoleon, who first arrived on St. Helena, was in a positive state of mind, but later he was mentally weak and almost driven mad by rats
In 1978, Fürschaud examined Napoleon's hair and believed that he had died of arsenic (i.e., arsenic) poisoning, showing the bedroom where Napoleon lived
However, in 1978, Fürschaud tested Napoleon's hair left behind by neutron activation analysis, believing that it died of arsenic (i.e., arsenic) poisoning, suspected to be the work of waiters, although the British could not get rid of it. But whether Napoleon escaped from St. Helena (if he escaped like Huang Silang in the movie "Let the Bullets Fly", a real person turned into a stand-in) or died on the island, at least in official name, his life ended on St. Helena.
Napoleon's burial place on the mountain spring on the island of St. Helena is still visited by many tourists as a place to commemorate the former tyrants.
In 1840, 19 years after Napoleon's death, Napoleon's body was welcomed back to Paris, France, and buried in the Invalides on the banks of the Seine, and the truth of history has long been blown away by the mighty Sea Breeze of the Atlantic Ocean. However, at the Napoleon's burial place on the mountain spring on the island of St. Helena, many tourists still come here to remember the former tyrants; The villa where Napoleon lived for more than 5 years has also been well preserved, becoming a popular destination for history and military fans around the world.
When the Suez Canal, which runs through the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, opened in 1869, St. Helena, which had been a thriving port of call, declined in 1870.
Depression in the Suez Canal
By 1834, st. Helena, which had been under the control of the East India Company, was transferred to the British crown. However, with the invention and popularization of steamships, sailing ships were gradually replaced, coupled with the opening of the Suez Canal through the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea in 1869, Western Europe and North America to the Indian Ocean no longer passed through St. Helena, which was originally a prosperous berthing port, also declined in 1870, and the economy fell into depression. It became a prisoner-of-war detention center, such as the Zulu Kingdom in South Africa imprisoned on St. Helena after the Zulu War in 1879, and the British sent thousands of prisoners of war to the island after the Boer War in 1899.
St. Helena became a prisoner-of-war detention center after its decline in 1870 and its economy fell into a depression.
St. Helena Airport was built at a cost of £285 million (approximately RMB2.495 billion) in 2016.
St. Helena Airport has so far received only one South African airliner and has been dubbed by the British as "the world's most useless airport".
However, with the withdrawal of all British troops stationed on the island in 1906, St. Helena gained a degree of autonomy in the Privy Council and the Royal Decree of the British In 1966, allowing for the establishment of local governments and unicameral parliaments. However, it does not change the current situation of the depression on St. Helena, the most typical example is the St. Helena Airport, which cost 285 million pounds (about 2.495 billion RMB) in 2016, but no one cares, so far has received only one South African airliner, which has been self-deprecated by the British as "the world's most useless airport".
St. Helena has an undersea international cable connecting South Africa with the United Kingdom and Portugal, at least wifi, but also wife.
Behind the irony is the geography of St. Helena's Atlantic islands, harsh windy climate and declining economy, which has led many islanders to leave St. Helena in search of a livelihood elsewhere. However, compared to the more remote Tristan da Cunha Islands, St. Helena has an undersea international cable connecting South Africa with the United Kingdom and Portugal, at least wifi, but also wi-fi.
Last issue in review: Tristan da Cunha: the world's most remote and inhabited island, the world's most prolific
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