Ascension Island: where is it, population, is there airport - island considered if Rwanda migrant policy fails

The government has contingency plans in place to tackle its migrant problem in the event that its contentious Rwanda policy does not go ahead. A volcanic island 4,000 miles away in the Atlantic Ocean has emerged as a candidate.

Ascension Island is being considered as a place to house migrants before finding them a permanent home. The location had been suggested for processing asylum seekers previously.

Ministers are in negotiations with at least five countries over a 'Plan B' deportation deal, according to The Times. These include Ghana, Nigeria, Namibia, Morocco and Niger - the latter of which is currently facing a military coup.

The aim is to find somewhere remote enough that deters those who cross the English Channel in small boats.

Plans are being drawn up should the government's Rwanda policy - which will see migrants sent to central Africa - fail. It has already been ruled unlawful by the Court of Appeal and consistently criticised by human rights experts.

Here is everything you need to know about Ascension Island - one of the favourites to replace Rwanda as the location government ministers wish to deport asylum seekers.

Where is Ascension Island?

Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island which is south of the Equator in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is 1,000 miles from the coast of Africa and 1,400 miles from South America and is governed as part of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena.

It was first discovered by famed Portuguese navigator João da Nova in 1501 when it was initially named Conception Island. Yet following a re-discovery two years later on Ascension Day by Alphonse de Albuquerque, it was renamed.

Ascension Island was used as a base by the US during the Second World War and as a support base for the RAF during the Falklands War.

The island is the home of a Royal Air Force station, a European Space Agency rocket tracking station, a British-American signals intelligence facility and the BBC World Service Atlantic Relay Station. A NASA Meter Class Autonomous Telescope - which is used to track orbital debris - can also be found here.

The currency on the island is the St Helena pound which has the same worth as the pound sterling. It has a handful of shops, gyms and swimming pools, and even a cinema and an array of outdoor activities.

What is the population of Ascension Island?

There is no permanent or Indigenous population on the island, rather it is made up of employees and their families who work on the island. It is estimated that Ascension Island has a population of around 800 people at any given time.

Does Ascension Island have an airport and how to get there?

Until only few years ago, Ascension island was closed to tourism and it was only possible to travel there upon invitation for business purposes, or if the visitor was part of the resident military personnel. It is linked by plane to the rest of the world, two or three times every week, with flights operated by the Royal Air Force between Brize Norton and Mount Pleasant in the Falkland Islands making stopovers. Both flights are between eight and nine hours long, nonstop, and are operated by wide-body jets, usually by Airbus A330 Voyager.