Jamestown, Saint Helena

Jamestown
City of James Town[1]
Jamestown in Saint Helena
Coordinates: 15°55′28″S 5°43′5″W / 15.92444°S 5.71806°W / -15.92444; -5.71806
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
British overseas territory	Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
Island	Saint Helena
Status	City (1859);[1] District
First settled	1659
Founded by	English East India Company
Named for	James, Duke of York
Capital of	Saint Helena; Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
Area
• City	3.6 km2 (1.4 sq mi)
Population  (2016)
• City	629
• Density	198.3/km2 (514/sq mi)
• Urban	1,614 (Jamestown and Half Tree Hollow)
Time zone	UTC+0 (GMT)
Area code	+290 2xxx

Jamestown is the capital city of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, located on the island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is also the historic main settlement of the island and is on its north-western coast. Before the development of the port at Rupert's Bay, it was the island's only port and the centre of the island's road and communications network. It was founded when colonists from the English East India Company settled on the island in 1659 and was briefly occupied by the Dutch East India Company in 1673 before being recaptured. Many of the buildings built by the East India Company in the 18th century survive and give the town its distinctive Georgian flavour.

The city briefly hosted Napoleon in 1815 during his exile on St. Helena and later served as a base for the Royal Navy's efforts to suppress the slave trade. It had no role during the First World War and only played a minor role during the Second World War.