Governments

Located in the South Atlantic Ocean, Ascension Island (ASC) is part of the United Kingdom’s overseas territory of St Helena, Ascension and Tristan de Cunha. Named Ascension after being rediscovered in 1503 on Ascension Day, Ascension Island was an important safe haven as a coaling station to mariners and a refuelling stop for commercial airliners back in the days of international air travel by flying boats. During World War II, it was an important naval and air station, especially providing antisubmarine warfare bases in the Battle of the Atlantic. It was also a NASA tracking station for the Apollo Lunar Programme.

The British Antarctic Territory (BAT) is a sector of Antarctica claimed by the United Kingdom as one of its 14 British Overseas Territories with the UK’s claim to this part of Antarctica the oldest of any made on the continent. The territory is inhabited by the staff of research and support stations operated and maintained by the British Antarctic Survey. In 2012, the southern part of the territory was named Queen Elizabeth Land in honour of Queen Elizabeth II.

The British Virgin Islands (BVI) is a British Overseas Territory, located in the Caribbean to the east of Puerto Rico. The islands were originally named ‘Saint Ursula and the 11,000 virgins’ in 1493 by Colombus but this was later shortened to ‘The Virgin Islands’. The British Virgin Islands consist of the main islands of Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada and Jost Van Dyke, along with more than 50 other smaller islands and cays, with about 16 of the islands are inhabited. The islands have a total population of about 28,000, of whom approximately 23,000 live on the largest island in the B.V.I., Tortola.

The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf, located 900 miles from the South American mainland.  The population (3,500 approx.) consists primarily of native-born Falkland Islanders, the majority of British descent. Sometimes referred to as one of the last great wilderness destinations in the world, the Falkland Islands have a unique natural environment.

Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about 110 are permanently inhabited—and more than 500 islets, amounting to a total land area of about 18,300 square kilometres (7,100sq mi). The majority of Fiji's islands were formed by volcanic activity starting around 150 million years ago. Fiji has one of the most developed economies in the pacific, and their currency is the Fijian dollar.

Gibraltar (GIB) is a British Overseas Territory located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula. It is recognised historically as the Southernmost point of Europe and is also strategically positioned at the western end of the Mediterranean, forming one of the pillars of Hercules. The landscape is dominated by the Rock of Gibraltar, which is made of Jurassic limestone, believed to be some 200 million years old.

A dependency of the British Crown since 1765, the Isle of Man, situated in the Irish Sea, midway between England, Scotland and Ireland has the oldest parliament in the world (Tynwald) in continuous existence (since 979) and was the first country anywhere to give women the vote (in 1881). Manx coinage was used intermittently from the Middle Ages onwards and regularly from 1679 to 1841. It was revived again in the 1960s and both circulating coins and collectors’ versions are now issued. 
The Isle of Man has established an enviable reputation for innovation combined with technical excellence, with such notable achievements including the World’s first circulation base-metal pound coin (1979), the only seven sided coin with an edge inscription, the first coin inscribed in Braille, the World’s first bi-metal coin in gold and titanium and the first Christmas coins.

Located in the South Pacific Ocean, 2,400 kilometres (1,500 mi) northeast of New Zealand, Niue (NIU) is situated in the middle of the Pacific within a triangle boundary of Tonga, Samoan, and the Cook Islands.  Niue is a single island that is well known as one of the largest upraised coral atolls in the world. The terrain consists of steep limestone cliffs along the coast with a central plateau rising to about 60 metres (200 ft) above sea level. A coral reef surrounds the island, with the only major break in the reef being on the central-western coast, close to the capital, Alofi.

Known officially as the Republic of Seychelles, Seychelles (SEY) is an archipelagic island country consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, off East Africa. Seychelles is among the world's leading countries to protect lands for threatened species, allocating 42% of its territory for conservation and is known today for success stories in protecting its flora and fauna. Their official currency is the Seychelles Rupee.

Officially known as the Republic of Sierra Leone, informally Salone, Sierra Leone (SLE) is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. The country takes its name from the Lion Mountains near its capital, Freetown. The wildlife of Sierra Leone is very diverse due to the variety of different habitats within the country. Sierra Leone is home to approximately 2090 known higher plant species, 147 known species of mammals, 172 known breeding bird species, 67 known reptile species, 35 known amphibian species and 99 known species of fish.

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (SGA) is a British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic Ocean. The territory has been under the UK administration since 1908. It is one of the most visited locations in Antarctica. Along the main island of South Georgia, the South Sandwich Islands are a chain of eleven small volcanic islands situated 800miles South East of the Falkland Islands. In a study from 2011, South Georgia has been discovered to contain one of the highest levels of biodiversity among all the ecosystems on Earth.

The Bahamas (BAH), is a sovereign country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic North Ocean. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area consisting of more than 700 islands, cays, and islets. The Bahamas achieved independence from Britain on 10th July, 1974 and is now a full self-governing member of the commonwealth.

Vanuatu (VAN), officially the Republic of Vanuatu, is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The Y-shaped archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is 1,750 km (1,090 mi) east of northern Australia, 540 km (340 mi) northeast of New Caledonia, east of New Guinea, southeast of the Solomon Islands, and west of Fiji. The archipelago is formed of 83 islands and most of them are mountainous and of volcanic origin, and have a tropical or subtropical climate. Vanuatu is recognised as a distinct terrestrial ecoregion, known as the Vanuatu rain forests.