Ascension Island is an island in the South Atlantic Ocean, 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. It is located at 7.56° S, 14.25° W.
The island is the location of Wide-awake Airfield, which is a joint facility of the Royal Air Force and the United States Air Force. The island was used extensively by the British military during the Falklands War. Ascension Island hosts one of three ground antennas (others are on Kwajalein and Diego Garcia) that assist in the operation of the Global Positioning System (GPS) navigational system.
Ascension Island does not have its own flag or coat of arms. The Union Flag and Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom are used instead. The main island has an area of approximately 35 square miles (91 km²). A volcanic peak rising from just west of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, much of the island is a wasteland of lava flows and cinder cones; no fewer than forty-four distinct craters have been identified.
While the island was barren with few plants as recently as 1843, Ascension Island's Green Mountain is now one of the few large-scale planned forests, and is gradually growing with each year. Its highest point is at 2,817 feet (859 m).
Off the east coast of Ascension is the tiny island of Boatswain Bird Island. It is a haven for sea birds, to get away from the rats, cats and people that came to Ascension Island from Europe and Africa. Following a successful campaign headed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the main island was in 2006 declared free of feral cats, and sea birds are now once again nesting on Ascension Island.
Ascension's climate is subtropical, with temperatures at the coast ranging from about 68 to 88 degrees Fahrenheit (20–31 °C), and about 10 degrees cooler at the highest point. Rain showers may occur at any time during the year, but tend to be heavier between January and April. | 
