Ascension Island is a remote island only 35.14 square miles in land area. It is in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean about 1,000 miles away from all surrounding continents. It was first seen in 1501 by the Portuguese but it was not recorded as discovered until 1503 when a Portuguese navigator, Afonso de Alburquerque, finally named it when he “refound” it on Ascension Day. In 1815, the British claimed the island and built a fort because the French were using St Helena which is the closest land to Ascension. Then, during World War II, the United States used it as an airfield and built a 2 mile long runway. Other than that, there are no indigenous peoples and there were never any permanent settlements created.
The only wildlife on the island are the seabirds and turtles. There are many colonies of seabirds on the island and it was recorded to have over 20 million pairs! They survive mainly on the fish that swim in the surrounding waters. The island itself has nearly no water sources. Today, people travel there to see it beauty. The beaches are home to the seabirds and the oceans are not safe for swimming due to the abundant presence of turtles in the water. There are few attractions on the island. For fun, most travelers will take walks to see the natural lava caves that were created when the island formed.
Fell free to skip around in the video. 🙂
Rachel & Dean
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