Together, the islands of St. Helena, Tristan da Cunha, and Ascension form Britain's main dependency in the south Atlantic. St. Helena is famed for being the final place of exile for Napoleon. Its main economic activities – fishing, livestock farming, and the sale of handicrafts – are unable to support the population; as a result, underemployment on the island is a major problem. Many St. Helenians have been forced to seek work on Ascension Island, which has no resident population and is operated as a military base and communications center, although civilian flights have been permitted since 1998. Tristan da Cunha, a volcanic island 2000 km (1240 miles) south of St. Helena, is inhabited by a small, closely knit farming community. It was badly hit by severe winter storms in 2001. The removal in 1981 of the islanders' right to residence in the UK provoked calls for a renegotiation of their constitutional status.