Ascension is like something out of a James Bond movie

From the air, the tiny island of Ascension looks almost lost in the vastness of the South Atlantic Ocean. It’s a daunting, inhospitable-looking prospect, accentuated by the utilitarian airstrip – built by the US in 1942 by agreement with the British government; Ascension is classified as a British overseas territory, in conjunction with St Helena and Tristan da Cunha. The nearest land – St Helena – is more than 800 miles to the southeast; to reach solid mainland you’d have to head west for over 1,400 miles to the coast of Brazil. Huge numbers of sooty terns have colonised the beach south of the airport, improbably large land crabs scuttle among the rocks, gin-clear waters teem with endemic fish and frigatebirds lord it from the skies. Ascension’s very remoteness makes it appealing both to the communications industry and for strategic defence and the overall effect is like something out of a James Bond movie.