May 21 is the day the Spanish sailor-tourist Juan da Nova discovered the island of St. Helena

SHARE WITH FRIENDS:

On May 1502, 21, the Spanish navigator Juan da Nova discovered the island of St. Helena. Although Portugal has been a state since 1143, it has always faced the sea. From time immemorial, fishing and merchant ships have been an important means of subsistence here. Interest in research led to the expansion of Portugal and great geographical discoveries, along with the development of shipping technologies at sea. One of the first tourists to discover new lands was Juan ha Nova, a Spanish navigator serving in Portugal. In 1501 he commanded a fleet of 4 ships from Portugal to India. Juan da Nova discovered the island of Ascension in the Atlantic Ocean, and on his return - another small island. This island was discovered by Da Nova in the South Atlantic on May 1502, 21, on St. Helena’s Day, hence the name of the island. St. Helena Island is a volcanic island in the southern Atlantic Ocean, located 1900 km west of South Africa and covering an area of ​​122 square kilometers. The island was unknown to other distant Europeans. In 1588, the English captain Cavendish visited him on his way around the globe on a ship. Man's permanent residence on the island began later. Only in the middle of the XVII century, when the Dutch established the first colony here. St. Helena is said to have been the first European colony in the southern hemisphere. The island was a strategically important object, as it served to provide water and food for ships to India. In the 1659th century, the island was briefly owned by the Dutch, but England won the battle for ownership of the island, and in 1834 the island came under the control of the East India Company and was owned until 1815, after which the island became a British colony. . But St. Helena is especially famous for the place where Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled in 1821-1821, where he was held captive by the British government, where he died in 1967. Now the island belongs directly to the English crown. Under the 12 Constitution, St. Helena was granted limited self-government. The administration is headed by the British Governor, who directly directs the activities of the legislature and the executive councils. In addition to the governor, a secretary of the government and a treasurer are appointed to the Legislative Council, and 6 members of the Council are elected by the people. The Executive Council performs the function of government. The main occupation of the Aral population is agriculture and fishing. Foreign trade is conducted only with the United Kingdom and the United States. St. Helena Island receives significant financial support from the metropolis. The island has a population of XNUMX, mostly Abyssinians.