It was transformed into the most famous prison in the 19th century. It is thousands of kilometers from other populated places and for centuries it took several days to get there by boat. We invite you to visit Saint Helena, the island where an airport was built to integrate into the world but which had unexpected obstacles. In the south of the Atlantic Ocean we find the island of Saint Helena. It is a small point on the map, located 1900 kilometers from the African coast and 3500 from the American. It is a colony that belongs to the United Kingdom and is politically integrated with two other territories that are also very remote. Ascensión Island is 1,300 kilometers to the north and the Tristán de Acuña island group is 2,400 kilometers to the south. 4,500 people live in Saint Helena in an area of 121 square kilometers. Something like a fifth of Cozumel or a little smaller than Rapa Nui. It is a very steep island, and despite not being very extensive, it achieves an elevation of more than 800 meters above sea level. Not all the land is arable or easy to install for human settlement. It was discovered at the beginning of the 16th century, but only a century and a half later it began to be inhabited. It was administered by the British East India Company, which was in charge of transcontinental trade. St. Helena was a prime source of supply on the long journey between England and India, which explained its strategic value. However, with the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 its importance declined. Jamestown, the port, no longer received large ships constantly, but became an isolated place where ships with supplies eventually arrived . But on a historical level there is a fact that makes Saint Helena known throughout the world. It was the place where Napoleon was imprisoned after his defeat at Waterloo and lived the last six years of his life, until his death in 1821. It was not the only island on which the French military leader settled, who was born in Corsica and who was briefly exiled on the Isle of Elba in 1814 until he escaped. But after his final setback he was captured by the English, who made sure that any escape plan was very difficult. They sent him to Saint Helena, one of the most remote and isolated places on the planet. At that time, the English feared that there were French eager to rescue their former leader, so they increased the care. In fact, there they began to populate Tristán de Acuña, which had no stable inhabitants. In this way they prevented France from taking the island and from there executing a plan to repatriate Napoleon. This did not happen and the former emperor remained on Saint Helena until the end of his days. Official history indicates that he died of stomach cancer. However, several alternative theories have emerged. One indicates that he was poisoned, since high traces of arsenic were found in his body , although this could be normal in the population of that time. Visiting the places where Napoleon lived during his last years has been a tourist attraction ever since. However, it was not easy to get to Saint Helena, since it was only possible by boat. The RMS St. Helena was the only one doing this route. It took five days from Cape Town, South Africa, and did it every three weeks. It not only transported people, but also food, vehicles and all kinds of goods. This made it very difficult to do tourism on the island, since you had to have 10 days just to go and return to Cape Town and stay in St. Helena until the ship passed again. It was, without a doubt, one of the most remote inhabited places on the planet, both due to the distance and the difficulties to get there. However, this began to change in 2012: the British government approved to build an international airport on the island. It was not so easy to do the track, since the terrain is small and mountainous. In addition, the intense wind generated a current that made landing not an easy task. Finally, in 2016 the airport was inaugurated. But it was not easy to achieve profitability for companies, despite the government offering subsidies. It was only in October 2017 that a formula was found that was effective. The Airlink company began a weekly flight. It departured from Johannesburg, in South Africa, and made a supply stop in Windhoek, Namibia. There some passengers who came from Cape Town could board the plane, which was the city most closely linked to Saint Helena thanks to the historic maritime connection. The arriving plane stayed only 45 minutes on the island and started back to South Africa. In addition, monthly charter flights were added to Ascension. This generated a revolution on the island. The trip to South Africa, which previously took five days, does not exceed five hours thanks to the air connection. There were even cases of medical emergencies that were solved thanks to special flights. Many islanders were deluded, as this could make tourism grow. It is that economic opportunities do not abound. There is fishing and livestock activity. A rare local coffee is also produced, which is very expensive and required due to its scarcity. In addition postage stamps and stamps are issued for collectors. But deep down, the island's economy depends on aid from the UK. The 320 million euros invested in the airport could begin to bear fruit, not only because of the connection facilities but also because of the commercial opportunities. In this way, the number of people transported began to grow slowly. In 2019 there were more than 8,000, a number that is not marginal if one takes into account that there are only 4,500 inhabitants. However, the impact of the pandemic in 2020 was felt there as in the rest of the world. Although so far the presence of Covid-19 was almost nil and there were no deaths, this was due to restrictive measures. In other words, most of the flights were canceled. Currently, only Titan Airways offers charter flights connecting it to Ascension and from there to London, but at a very high cost. Starting from the airport, many islanders hoped for greater connections. Especially with being able to go to the UK without going through South Africa. There was speculation, for example, about going to London after stopping off in Cape Verde. Or also add connections with South America, such as the Malvinas Islands or Recife, on the Brazilian coast, which could multiply the possibilities of tourism. But while the connections for people to enter and leave the island are not at their best, there is another type of connection that is in the process of improvement. On August 29, 2021, the Equiano fiber optic cable arrived in Santa Elena, which will allow an internet connection to be much higher than the current one. Likewise, some patience is needed, since the service will be available from 2022. In short, Saint Helena fights against the lack of opportunities for young people and seeks their way of integration with the world, despite the fact that some prefer the isolation they were used to. Since 2002, the islanders became British citizens again, making it easier to emigrate. In this way, in 10 years the population was reduced by 20%. When the airport was being built and technical difficulties arose, some British media considered it the "most useless in the world", due to the waste of money and the low population of the place. However, it managed to change the lives of these people and gave them another perspective towards what is to come. How do you think the future of Saint Helena will be? Leave your comment below. 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