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The 60 men who survived the shipwreck lived for two months on the island until they were rescued. In 1701, HMS Roebuck, the British Royal Navy warship, sank in Clarence Bay off the northwestern coast of Ascension. In 2006, feral cats were eradicated from Ascension Island. Ascension Island serves as an important breeding site for endangered green sea turtles and Atlantic sooty terns (colloquially known as “wideawake birds”). Some of the notable avian species that are recorded here include Ascension frigatebirds, red-billed tropicbirds, black noddies, sparrows, francolins, petrels, and white terns. Numerous fish species like barracuda, blackfish, bonito, tuna, wahoo, sharks, marlin are found in the surrounding waters. Several varieties of donkeys, cats, sheep, and other domesticated animals have also been introduced here. The land crab is the largest native terrestrial animal on Ascension Island. The wingless Troglotroctes ashmoleorum is an endemic insect species found on Ascension Island. The Green Mountain National Park was established in June 2005 to conserve the threatened endemic floral species that are found in this cloud forest. This eventually resulted in a fully grown cloud forest which also includes a variety of habitats like grassland, woodland, and scrubland. At Green Mountain, the British introduced a few notable plants like eucalyptus, banana, bamboo, and Norfolk pine. The Ascension Island is mostly barren with only a few endemic plants like ferns and spurges. There are no permanent inhabitants on Ascension Island but anyone who lives on the island must have a contract of employment for the organizations that are working on the island.Īccording to the Köppen climate classification, Ascension Island experiences a hot desert climate, with average temperatures ranging between 22.7 to 27.8 ☌ in the coastal areas and temperatures about 5 to 6 ☌ cooler on the island’s highest point. Some of the other notable settlements on the island include Wideawake Airfield, Cat Hill, Travellers Hill, and Two Boats.
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Georgetown on the western coast serves as the capital and the principal settlement of Ascension Island. Many white sandy beaches are also found here. Numerous alkaline rocks including basalt, rhyolite, trachyte, and trachyandesite have been observed on Ascension Island. No surface streams are found here and a major portion of the island’s water supply is generated by desalinization plants. Green Mountain, which rises to an elevation of 859 m, is the highest point on Ascension Island. As a result of these recent volcanic eruptions, the island’s soil is primarily composed of broken lava rocks (clinkers).