Atlantic Saint Helena Current

These South Atlantic waters lie near the routes leading to Saint Helena, an isolated island between Africa and South America. Winds and currents shaped the long passages followed by sailing ships returning from the Indian Ocean around the Cape of Good Hope.

Portuguese vessels used Saint Helena as a stopping place in the sixteenth century. In 1659 the English East India Company established a settlement there, supplying ships on their homeward voyages from Asia. The company brought enslaved workers from several regions to support the settlement and its provision grounds.