Ascension Island in the context of "Boundaries between the continents"

ā­ In the context of boundaries between the continents, Ascension Island is considered associated with a particular continent primarily due to:

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ā­ Core Definition: Ascension Island

Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island, 7Ā°56ā€² south of the Equator in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is about 960 miles (1,540Ā km) from the coast of Africa and 1,400 miles (2,300Ā km) from the coast of South America. 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 (1,300Ā km) to the southeast. The territory also includes the sparsely populated Tristan da Cunha archipelago, 2,000 miles (3,200Ā km) to the south, about halfway to the Antarctic Circle.

Ascension Island was possibly discovered by the Portuguese seafarer JoĆ£o da Nova in 1501, before being named Ascension by Afonso de Albuquerque in 1503 on Ascension Day. Ascension Island was garrisoned by the British Admiralty from 22 October 1815 to 1922 and was an important refuelling stop for ships and commercial airliners in the days of international air travel by flying boats. During World War II, it was an important naval and air station, especially providing antisubmarine warfare bases in the Battle of the Atlantic.

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šŸ‘‰ Ascension Island in the context of Boundaries between the continents

Determining the boundaries between the continents is generally a matter of geographical convention and consensus. Several slightly different conventions are in use. The number of continents is most commonly considered seven (in English-speaking countries) but may range as low as four when Afro-Eurasia and the Americas are both considered as single continents. An island can be considered to be associated with a given continent by either lying on the continent's adjacent continental shelf (e.g. Singapore, the British Isles) or being a part of a microcontinent on the same principal tectonic plate (e.g. Madagascar and Seychelles). An island can also be entirely oceanic while still being associated with a continent by geology (e.g. Bermuda, the Australian Indian Ocean Territories) or by common geopolitical convention (e.g. Ascension Island, the South Sandwich Islands). Another example is the grouping into Oceania of the Pacific Islands with Australia and Zealandia.

There are three overland boundaries subject to definition:

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Ascension Island in the context of Land crabs

A number of lineages of crabs have evolved to live predominantly on land. Examples of terrestrial crabs are found in the families Gecarcinidae and Gecarcinucidae, as well as in selected genera from other families, such as Sesarma, although the term "land crab" is often used to mean solely the family Gecarcinidae.

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Ascension Island in the context of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha

Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha is a British Overseas Territory located in the South Atlantic and consisting of the island of Saint Helena, Ascension Island, and the archipelago of Tristan da Cunha (including Gough Island). Its name was Saint Helena and Dependencies until 1 September 2009, when a new constitution came into force, giving the three islands equal status as three territories, with a grouping under the Crown.

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Ascension Island in the context of JoĆ£o da Nova

JoĆ£o da Nova (Galician: XoĆ”n de Novoa, Joam de NĆ“voa; Spanish: Juan de Nova; Portuguese pronunciation: [Ź’uĖˆÉĢƒw dɐ Ėˆnɔvɐ]; c.ā€‰1460 in Maceda, Ourense, Galicia, Spain ā€“ July 16, 1509, in Kochi, India) was a Galician-born explorer in the service of Portugal. He is credited as the discoverer of Ascension and Saint Helena islands.

The Juan de Nova Island, in the Mozambique Channel, is named after him. The Farquhar atoll (in the Seychelles) was, for a long time, known as the JoĆ£o da Nova islands. It is sometimes thought that the AgalĆ©ga islands (in the Indian Ocean) were also named after him (although it is almost certain he never visited them).

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LINKED FROM (PARENTS)
← Boundaries between the continents ← Boundary between Asia and Europe ← Boundaries between the continents of Earth ← Border between Europe and Asia ← Land crabs ← Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha ← JoĆ£o da Nova ← Borders of the continents ← Boundary between Europe and Asia ← RAF Ascension Island
LINKS TO (CHILDREN)
Equator → Atlantic Ocean → South America → British Overseas Territories → Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha → Saint Helena → Tristan da Cunha → Antarctic Circle → JoĆ£o da Nova → Afonso de Albuquerque → British Admiralty → Flying boat → World War II → Antisubmarine warfare → Battle of the Atlantic →