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St Helena Island was discovered by Portuguese navigator, Joao dã Nova, who landed on the site of what is now Jamestown on 21 May 1502. The island soon became a haven for visiting ships plying their trade because of its plentiful supply of fresh water, fruit and goats.

View of Jamestown 1800's

Famous Visitors

emblemOver the years the island has had many famous visitors such as Edmund Halley (1677), William Dampier the navigator and explorer who visited the island in 1691, Captain Cook (1775) and Charles Darwin who stopped on his homeward bound journey in 1836.

Other famous residents on the island include Napoleon Bonaparte - exiled to the island in 1815 and South African Zulu Chief Dinizulu, son of Cetewayo, who was exiled to St Helena in 1890 and who remained there for several years.
St Helena first became a British Colony in 1834.
St Helena was a place of exile for many years with famous exiles such as Napoleon Bonaparte, Chief Dinizulu and over 6000 Boer war prisoners from the Anglo-Boer war.
The main source of island income was New Zealand flax until the 1960's. Invention of synthetic fibre caused a global collapse of the flax industry in the 1960's.
St Helena Island was named after St Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine the Great.

Settlement on the Island

In 1659, the English East India Company took possession of the island and started the first permanent settlement at Chapel Valley, now Jamestown. Dutch opposition culminated in an invasion in December 1673, when the English were forced to withdraw temporarily, before the British bombarded the Dutch into surrender.

One of its most famous residents, Napoleon Bonaparte spent his last years in St Helena at Longwood - where he finally died, and was buried nearby in Sane Valley. [video clip of Longwood]

Historical records show that the oldest resident of St Helena Island is Jonathan the island's tortoise. It is thought that Jonathan arrived in 1882 at the age of 50 years which will make him almost 170 years old!

Enquiries or questions about visiting the Island of St Helena can be addressed to the St Helena Tourist Office. Remember to include your full name and return contact details.
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