Tristan da Cunha is a remote dependency in the South Atlantic, consisting of several islands including the inhabited island of Tristan da Cunha. It is the most isolated inhabited place in the world, with a population of around 270 people. The island was first sighted by a Portuguese captain in the early 16th century and was later used as a naval base by America and Britain. It is now a port of replenishment for ships and can only be reached by boat from St. Helena or South Africa.
Tristan da Cunha is a small dependency in the South Atlantic. The islands cover 120 square miles (200 sq km). Tristan da Cunha consists of a number of islands in addition to the populated island of Tristan da Cunha. Inaccessible Island, Gough Island and Nightingale Island are officially part of the dependency, although they are all uninhabited.
Tristan da Cunha is the most isolated inhabited place in the world, approximately 1350 miles (2160 km) from its mother island of St. Helena, itself a small island with a population of fewer than 4,000. The closest landmass is South Africa, which is 1750 miles (2810 km) away.
Not surprisingly, Tristan da Cunha was never inhabited before the European discovery. The island was first sighted by a Portuguese captain, Tristão da Cunha, in the early 16th century. However, he never landed and the islands remained unexplored for the next two centuries.
A French survey was made of the island in the mid-18th century, and it was at this point that fresh water was discovered on the island, giving the island some value as a waypoint in Atlantic crossings. In the early 19th century an American settled on the island, claiming it as his own and calling it Isola del Ristoro, before dying just a few years after his arrival. Shortly after his death, the War of 18 broke out between America and Great Britain, and America used Tristan da Cunha as a naval base to attack British ships en route to the United States.
After the British defeat of Napoleon in Europe, and their subsequent exile on St. Helena, some 1350 miles (2160 km) away, the British reclaimed Tristan da Cunha. Although the island was remote, the British were still concerned that French sympathizers would use it as a base from which to rescue Napoleon. The British initially built a military base on the island and civilians were sent there over time. With an established population, Tristan da Cunha began to be used as a port of replenishment for ships that circled the Cape of Africa from Europe to the East.
When the Suez Canal was opened, however, there was no need for ships to sail around the Cape, and Tristan da Cunha once again became incredibly isolated. Whalers still occasionally used the island as a base, but this too became less frequent over time.
In World War II, Tristan da Cunha was used as a base by the British to monitor the South Atlantic. It was at this time that the island was placed as a dependency under the territory of Sant’Elena. In the early 1960s a volcano erupted on the island and drove the population temporarily to England, though they returned a few years later.
Tristan da Cunha is one of the least inhabited places in the world, with a population of around 270 people. This small population is further complicated by the island’s incredible isolation. With only 80 families making up the island’s entire social group, many young people leave the islands to find spouses and eventually hope to return.
There are no planes to Tristan da Cunha, and the most common way to get there is to take a boat ride from St. Helena or hitchhike on a fishing boat from South Africa.
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