Saint Helena Current

This open stretch of the South Atlantic belongs to the waters associated with the Saint Helena Current. Winds and currents shaped the routes sailing ships took across the wide ocean between Africa and South America, especially on voyages to and from the Cape of Good Hope.

Saint Helena, the isolated island that gives the surrounding sea area its name, became a valuable place to replenish ships on long passages. Portuguese navigators reached it in 1502, and in 1659 the English East India Company established a settlement there. The island's provisions and anchorage served ships travelling between Europe and Asia; its colonial society also depended on the labour of enslaved people brought to the island. These are landmarks in the history of the wider sea area, rather than evidence of a settlement in this open-water location.