!!!Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha: Government
||Country name|''conventional long form'': Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha \\ ''conventional short form'': none \\ ''etymology'': Saint Helena was discovered in 1502 by Galician navigator Joao da NOVA, sailing in the service of the Kingdom of Portugal, who named it "Santa Helena"; Ascension was named in 1503 by Portuguese navigator Afonso de ALBUQUERQUE who sighted the island on the Feast Day of the Ascension; Tristan da Cunha was discovered in 1506 by Portuguese explorer Tristao da CUNHA who christened the main island after himself (the name was subsequently anglicized) \\ 
||Dependency status|overseas territory of the UK
||Government type|parliamentary democracy (Legislative Council); limited self-governing overseas territory of the UK
||Capital|Jamestown[{GoogleMap location='Jamestown' zoom='6'}] \\ ''geographic coordinates'': 15 56 S, 5 43 W \\ ''time difference'': UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) \\ 
||Administrative divisions|3 administrative areas; Ascension, Saint Helena, Tristan da Cunha
||Independence|none (overseas territory of the UK)
||National holiday|Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, third Monday in April (1926)
||Constitution|several previous; latest effective 1 September 2009 (The St. Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Constitution Order 2009) (2016)
||Legal system|English common law and local statutes
||Citizenship|see United Kingdom
||Suffrage|18 years of age
||Executive branch|''chief of state'': Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) \\ ''head of government'': Governor Lisa PHILLIPS (since 25 April 2016) \\ ''cabinet'': Executive Council consists of the governor, 3 ex-officio officers, and 5 elected members of the Legislative Council \\ ''elections/appointments'': none; the monarchy is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch \\  \\ ''__note__'': the constitution order provides for an administrator for Ascension and Tristan da Cunha appointed by the governor \\ 
||Legislative branch|''description'': unicameral Legislative Council (17 seats including the speaker and deputy speaker; 12 members directly elected in a single countrywide constituency by simple majority vote and 3 ex-officio members - the chief secretary, financial secretary, and attorney general; members serve 4-year terms) \\ ''elections'': last held on 17 July 2013 (next to be held in 2017) \\ ''election results'': percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 12 \\  \\ ''__note__'': each voter can vote for up to 12 candidates; the Constitution Order provides for separate Island Councils for both Ascension and Tristan da Cunha \\ 
||Judicial branch|''highest resident court(s)'': Court of Appeal (consists of the court president and 2 justices); Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice - a non-resident - and NA judges); note - appeals beyond the Court of Appeal are heard by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London) \\ ''judge selection and term of office'': Court of Appeal and Supreme Court justices appointed by the governor acting upon the instructions from a secretary of state acting on behalf of Queen ELIZABETH II; justices of  both courts appointed until retirement at age 70, but can be extended \\ ''subordinate courts'': Magistrate's Court; Small Claims Court; Juvenile Court \\ 
||Political parties and leaders|none
||Political pressure groups and leaders|''other'': private sector; unions \\ 
||International organization participation|UPU
||Diplomatic representation in the US|none (overseas territory of the UK)
||Diplomatic representation from the US|none (overseas territory of the UK)
||Flag description|blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Saint Helenian shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the upper third of the shield depicts a white plover (wire bird) on a yellow field; the remainder of the shield depicts a rocky coastline on the left, offshore is a three-masted sailing ship with sails furled but flying an English flag
||National symbol(s)|Saint Helena plover (bird)
||National anthem| \\ ''__note__'': as a territory of the UK, "God Save the Queen" is official (see United Kingdom) \\