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Who discovered Ascension Island?
seafarer João da Nova
Ascension Island was discovered by the Portuguese seafarer João da Nova in 1501, and was initially named Conception, before being rediscovered two years later in 1503 on Ascension Day by Alphonse d’Albuquerque, who gave the island its lasting name.
How did Ascension Island form?
The geology of Ascension Island is the geologically young, exposed part of a large volcano, 80 kilometers west of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The island formed within the last six to seven million years and is primarily mafic rock with some felsic rock.
Can I live on Ascension Island?
Living on Ascension Island. Although the island population fluctuates there are approximately 800 residents living on the island at any one point. There is no indigenous population on Ascension. Instead, the population is made up of employees of the organisations operating on the island.
Who owns the area around the Ascension Islands?
British Overseas
It is governed as part of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, of which the main island, Saint Helena, is around 800 miles (1,300 km) to the southeast.
Are there sharks around Ascension Island?
As many members of the public will be aware, there remain an unusually high number of sharks in the inshore waters around Ascension. Sharks are apex predators, so when in or on the water individuals should exercise caution, both in their own interest and in the interest of other water users.
Can you swim on Ascension Island?
Along its coastline of roughly 40 kilometers, Ascension island offers about twenty more or less remote beaches, among beautiful landscapes. Of all these beaches, however, only a few are sufficiently protected by the big waves of the Atlantic Ocean and are therefore suitable for swimming.
What sharks are on Ascension Island?
Ascension Island, a remote Mid-Atlantic outpost famous for its big game fishing, is under siege. Tiger sharks, hammerheads, even great whites, lured here every year by the bountiful reefs, are displaying aggressive behavior, culminating in the island’s first shark attacks in its history.
What is the most isolated island in the world?
But Tristan da Cunha is enticing because it offers something that no other island destination can: the most extreme isolation. Located in the south Atlantic Ocean, the 8-mile-wide British overseas territory is the most remote populated island in the world.
Are there sharks Ascension Island?
Where does the RAF fly to from Ascension Island?
The RAF airfield on Ascension Island is run on a day-to-day basis by around 19 RAF personnel, headed by a wing commander. RAF Ascension Island is normally the refuelling point for the Ministry of Defence’s South Atlantic air bridge flights to RAF Mount Pleasant, on the Falkland Islands, from RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, in the UK.
What did RAF Ascension Island do during the Falklands War?
RAF Ascension Island was re-garrisoned by the RAF in 1982 and used extensively as a staging base during the Falklands War. Operation Black Buck, the long range bombing raid, was carried out from there. The base continues this staging post role for the Falkland Islands, for both the RAF and the United States Air Force .
What was the first aircraft to land on Ascension Island?
The first aircraft to land on Ascension Island was a Fairey Swordfish from HMS Archer in June, 1942 and it went on to be used by more than 25,000 aircraft as a staging point during the war. [3] A U.S. Air Force tracking station was officially activated as a satellite of Patrick Air Force Base in Florida on 25 June 1956.
Where is the refuelling point for RAF Brize Norton?
RAF Ascension Island is normally the refuelling point for the Ministry of Defence’s South Atlantic air bridge flights to RAF Mount Pleasant, on the Falkland Islands, from RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, in the UK.