 Ascension Island lies along the mid-Atlantic volcanic ridge about
half way between Africa and South America. The island is about
34 square miles. Near the end of the 1800?s the Eastern Telegraph
Company, now Cable and Wireless, landed a submarine cable, which
marked the end of the islands isolation. During a Second World
War planes re-fueled here en route from Brazil to Africa. In the
1950s the United States set up a missile tracking station and
a NASA earth station, which tracked the Apollo missions. Communication
projects dominate the economy. Water supply is always a concern
due to the low annual rainfall. Since 1967 distilled water has
been used. The main language is English, the capital is Georgetown
and the resident population is approximately 1000. As a traditional
port of call for ships of Cape of Good Hope route, the few yachts
that sail this route sometimes stop at Ascension. The climate
is tropical, hot and dry. |
