Ascension Island is an island in the South Atlantic Ocean, east from ► Brazil and around 1,000 miles (1,600 km) from the coast of ► Africa. It is a dependency of the British overseas territory of ► Saint Helena, which is 800 miles (1,287 km) to the south east. The Island is named after the day of its recorded discovery, Ascension Day.
Dependency of the British overseas territory of ► Saint Helena, British since 1815
This section holds a short summary of the history of the area of present-day Ascension Island, illustrated with maps, including historical maps of former countries and empires that included present-day Ascension Island.
The island of Ascension is discovered by the Portuguese explorer João da Nova Castella on Ascension Day of 1501. In 1815 the United Kingdom takes possession of the island of Ascension. The island is annexed in 1922 to Saint Helena as an dependency.
Notes and references
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