Edinburgh Tristan da Cunha. Tristan da Cunha: the most remote archipelago on the globe. Napoleon's final resting place

We live in fascinating world. There are still many secrets on the planet to be discovered. The more a person studies the world around him, the more curious he becomes. There is one very interesting place– a remote group of volcanic islands in South Atlantic called Tristan da Cunha. It's also called main island archipelago. This place is ideal for those who want to take a break from the noisy city life.

Tristan da Cunha is the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world



It was not until 1767 that a complete exploration of the island of Tristan was carried out. The crew of the French corvette stayed on it for three days. And the island remained uninhabited until the 19th century.

In 1810, a man named Jonathan Lambert arrived from Massachusetts and settled on the island. He immediately demanded ownership of the archipelago. He arrived in December of that year with two other men and claimed the islands as his own, calling them the Recuperation Islands. However, two years later, only Thomas Curry remained on the island. He was a farmer. In 1816, the archipelago was annexed by the United Kingdom.

The only settlement of Tristana da Cunha is located in the north of the island, and is called Edinburgh of the Seven Seas

Photo: Brian Gratwicke/flickr (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/)

The islands are home to volcanoes that have erupted in the past. So, when large eruptions, landslides and an earthquake occurred in 1961, the entire population left for England. The men reportedly eventually grew tired of city life and the English weather, and returned to Tristan when experts confirmed that the danger had passed.

Tristan da Cunha is an island with a poetic name, a trip to which will not be offered at the travel agency. And yet this piece of earth is inhabited. Its population does not reach even three hundred people, but travelers come here in search of peace in the bosom of wildlife and scientific expeditions.

Territorial affiliation

Geographically, the archipelago belongs to the lands of Great Britain, although it is located almost 9 thousand kilometers from the British capital. This group includes such inhabited islands as Saint Helena (St. Helena), Ascension Island, Tristan da Cunha. The remaining small pieces of land are not inhabited.

These islands are remote not only from the continents, but also from each other. So from Tristan da Cunha to Africa there are 2,816 km of ocean surface, and to South America and even more - 3,360 km. The nearest inhabited island of Saint Helena is 2,161 km away.

The capital of the archipelago is located on the island of Tristan da Cunha. It is also named very romantically - Edinburgh of the Seven Seas. This is the only settlement on the island. It has postal service, telegraph, internet, electricity and other amenities of civilization, but no cellular communications.

There are no regular flights between the islands passenger transport. Ascension Island can be reached by military aircraft from the British Kingdom, which can also carry a limited number of civilians. But such a trip requires special permission. Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha are connected only by private sea yachts or fishing vessels. Scientific expeditions sometimes use helicopters.

Lost in the ocean

The Tristan da Cunha archipelago is lost in the middle of the Atlantic and is the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world. Several tiny islands appeared on the ocean surface about a million years ago as a result of volcanic activity.

Flora and fauna

Due to their remoteness from continents and other inhabited islands, these pieces of land have developed an absolutely unique ecosystem. Many plants, animals and birds are found nowhere else in the world. Therefore, the import of seeds, eggs and any types of living creatures is prohibited to these islands, so as not to disturb the fragile natural balance.

Despite the fact that it is quite warm here most of the year, the island of Tristan da Cunha is not inhabited by butterflies, mammals and reptiles. But here you can see penguins, seals and the smallest flightless bird in the world - the Tristan rail.

Story

The first records of the archipelago date back to 1506. Then the famous navigator from Portugal Trishtan da Cunha sailed past these shores. Seeing unknown pieces of land, he put them on maps, but the sailor did not dare to land on the rocky shores. Apparently, the traveler was not modest, because he named the entire archipelago and one of the islands after himself.

The first people entered these lands only 261 years after the discovery. These were French sailors from the frigate L'Heure du Berger. But the first settler to appear on the island was a native of Massachusetts in 1810, whose name was lost in history. He barely lasted for these harsh lands two years.

Volcanic island

The main island of the archipelago is Tristan da Cunha with an area of ​​98 km 2. The highest point is located on it - a volcano called Queen Mary Peak. Its height is 2,055 meters. It has erupted twice over the last century: in 1906 and 1961. Both times the population was evacuated. But as soon as the danger had passed, all the settlers returned to the island. During last eruption lava destroyed the port and changed coastline. Now it is impossible to approach the island on large ships.

Locals

About three hundred people live on the island. These people are hospitable and ready to help. The population of the island is strictly limited, so anyone cannot come here and stay forever. Genetically, almost all the inhabitants of the island are related to each other. There are only 7 names. Because of this, newborns often exhibit genetic abnormalities, which is typical in closed communities like this.

The main activity of the local population is fishing. Tourists can go out to sea with fishermen for a reasonable fee and catch lobster, sardines and other marine life.

Edinburgh of the Seven Seas has a swimming pool, bar, cafes and restaurants to sample local cuisine. There is also a factory on the island for cutting lobsters, which are sent for export.

There is also a police station, in which there is only one representative of the law. And no more is needed: thefts are practically never committed here, and the last murder was registered in 1876.

Climate

Tristan da Cunha is quite warm. IN summer period The average daily temperature is around 20 degrees. And in winter it’s plus 14. The minimum temperature recorded here is +5 °C. But even in summer the water is quite cool - 18°. It rains from May to October.

It is very windy on the island. The wind blows either from west to east or vice versa. To protect themselves from the elements, local residents line their homes with New Zealand flax. This herbaceous plant grows three times human height and serves as a reliable shelter.

How to get there

To visit the island of Tristan da Cunha you do not need a UK visa, but you must request entry permission from local authorities, specifying the purpose of your trip and length of stay. Once approved, you must book your tickets for passenger airliner, which departs from Cape Town once a month. The one-way journey takes at least five days. You can negotiate with fishermen or rent a yacht yourself.

Local currency applies here. But you can also pay in British pounds. It is advisable to cash them before arriving on the island, although you can find a bank branch in the settlement, but problems may arise with plastic cards.

Mentions in literature

Tristan da Cunha, whose photos can serve as an illustration for any adventure novel about travelers in distress, has been mentioned in literature. It lies on the famous 37th parallel of the southern hemisphere and the heroes of Jules Verne’s novel “The Children of Captain Grant” swam to it. And in the work of Herve Bazin, the volcanic eruption and the rescue of the settlers are described. This is the novel “The Lucky Ones from the Island of Despair.”

Napoleon's final resting place

Another island from the archipelago is also historically known - this is the island of St. Helena. Emperor Napoleon spent his last years of life here. Tourists can see where the disgraced monarch spent the last five years of his life.

Tristan da Cunha is not a place for partygoers and sunny beaches. People come here for exotic adventures: to see nature almost untouched by civilization, to live away from megacities with their crowds and frantic rhythm. Here you can watch wild animals in natural environment. Or go out for amazing sea fishing. You can also watch whales swim by in Calshot Harbour. Or go by boat to a real uninhabited island, feeling like the hero of a novel.

Illustration copyright NASA Image caption The area of ​​Tristan da Cunha is 98 square kilometers, but most of these kilometers are occupied by the steep slopes of the volcano

What do the collective farm, Napoleon Bonaparte and the Royal Institute of British Architects have in common?

Island of Tristan da Cunha.

This island is unique. British overseas territory in the south Atlantic Ocean. The most isolated settlement on Earth. The nearest inhabited island (St. Helena) is 2 thousand kilometers of open ocean.

Illustration copyright RIBA Image caption All land on Tristan da Cunha is jointly owned by the islanders

Why Napoleon? Because the island was annexed by Britain in 1816 to prevent the French from helping Napoleon escape from exile on the "neighboring" island of St. Helena.

Why collective farm? Because when Great Britain stopped being afraid of French conspiracies and withdrew its troops from the island, some people decided to stay there. And, according to the principles established by the colony's founder, William Glass, in 1817, all land on the island is owned jointly by the islanders.

Illustration copyright Getty Image caption Until the end of the 60s, houses on Tristan da Cunha looked like this

Local residents grow potatoes and raise sheep, the number of which is strictly controlled by the entire community, so that, God forbid, the sheep do not eat all the grass, or the owners of the sheep do not get too rich. When the weather permits, people go out to sea to fish. In addition, all residents, to the extent of their physical abilities, participate in community service– renovating a government building, or laying a “road”.

Why British architects? Because the islanders and their local government asked the Royal Institute of British Architects to help them reorganize all the local architecture and infrastructure so that the island would be even more self-sufficient than it is today.

Illustration copyright Thinkstock Image caption Tristan da Cunha has neither port nor airport

The population of the island is about 280 people. All of them are descendants of the first settlers who arrived here 200 years ago from England, Holland and Italy. The island's inhabitants have only seven surnames - Glass, Green, Hagan, Lavarello, Repetto, Rogers and Swain.

Tristanians speak a dialect of English similar to that of northern England in the early 19th century.

Illustration copyright Thinkstock Image caption Among other things, Tristan da Cunha receives income from the sale of stamps. There are more penguins on the island than people

Since the entire island belongs to the entire community as a whole, outsiders are prohibited from settling there. Britain sends a teacher and sometimes a policeman to the island - but only for three years, and these migrants are not considered members of the community and have no right to work the land, raise sheep or go to sea to fish.

The only connection with the outside world is the very slow Internet, which appeared there only a few years ago, and a ship that calls here about once a month, depending on the weather, from Cape Town.

Illustration copyright Thinkstock Image caption Tristan da Cunha has its own flag and its own government

There is no port on the island, as a result, when the ship does arrive from Cape Town, the entire adult population drops their business, gets into boats, and goes to receive the cargo.

This is what prompted the islanders to turn to architects for help in order to create a more independent economy and infrastructure - they are too dependent on imported diesel fuel and want to switch to renewable energy sources.

Illustration copyright Thierry Assef Image caption The capital of the island, Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, local residents called "village"

All the islanders live in the only one on the island locality, which is also the capital of Tristan da Cunha. No other capital in the world has a more romantic name - Edinburgh of the Seven Seas (although locals simply call it “The Settlement”).

The island is governed by the governor of St. Helena, who sends an administrator to Tristan da Cunha every three years. He, in turn, relies on the local “parliament” - a council of five people. The leader of the "parliament" is not officially called the Prime Minister, but the Chief Islander.

Illustration copyright Getty Image caption This is what the "supermarket" looks like in Edinburgh of the Seven Seas

Tristan da Cunha represents the tip active volcano, protruding above sea level. The island's area is 98 square kilometers, but most of these kilometers are occupied by the steep slopes of the volcano.

It would seem - who would want to stay on a tiny island, almost completely cut off from the rest of the world, where all people are related to each other?

Image caption Fishing is one of the main local industries

But, as it turned out, almost everything.

In 1961, the Tristan da Cunha volcano began to erupt, and the British government evacuated the entire local population to England. Everyone who heard at least something about the living conditions on the island was convinced that, having tasted the benefits of real civilization, the islanders would remain in England.

Illustration copyright Getty Image caption Evacuation of residents of Tristan da Cunha

But it was not there. Evacuation and life in a foreign land among people who did not understand the idea of ​​​​joint collective farming only further united the community, and after a couple of years almost all Tristanians insisted on being returned home to their native potato gardens, sheep and waiting for a ship from Cape Town.

Illustration copyright Getty Image caption Residents of Tristan da Cunha survived only two years of life in evacuation in England

British architects now hope to install solar panels on Tristan da Cunha, rebuild local houses, many of which look more like shacks, help with the collection of drinking water and generally do everything so that even on this almost forgotten island it is possible to live as it should be in the 21st century.

Well, or at least in the twentieth century.

“...another day passed, and at dawn the voice of the sailor on watch was suddenly heard.
“Earth!” he shouted.
A spyglass appeared from the hatch. Jacques Paganel pointed his instrument in the indicated direction, but did not see anything resembling land there.
“Look at the clouds,” John Mangles advised him.
“Indeed,” said Paganel, “there looms something like a cliff.”
“This is Tristan da Cunha,” announced John Mangles...
"Captain Grant's Children", Jules Verne

Have you ever heard of Tristan da Cunha? If not, don't feel bad because the people living there have probably never heard of you either. The Tristan da Cunha archipelago, located in the southern Atlantic Ocean, is the most remote inhabited place on the planet. Its closest “neighbor” is the island of St. Helena, located 2,430 kilometers from the archipelago, known as a place of exile and recent years life of Napoleon Bonaparte. Tristan da Cunha consists of several islands - Tristan itself, the largest and only inhabited, Nightingale Island and Inaccessible Island, Gough and many small islands. The coast of South Africa is more than 2,800 kilometers from here, and all ten from London!

The history of the islands begins in 1506, when the Portuguese navigator Tristan da Cunha saw them through a telescope and left his name here forever. For various reasons, Tristan was not able to walk around the wreck, so the first to set foot on the “most remote land” were only in 1767, and they were the French. Despite this, he named the island after himself - Tristan da Cunha. The first settler of the island was the American Jonathan Lambert, who landed on the shore in January 1811. He named himself the ruler of the island and renamed it "Rest Island".

When the English Governor of the Cape Good Hope Having learned that the island had already been colonized, he offered Lambert the protectorate of England. Lambert agreed and raised the British flag over Tristan. However, two years later Lambert died in a shipwreck, and the island was given its former name.

In 1815, the British settled Napoleon on St. Helena, a similarly lonely piece of land thousands of miles to the north. And to guard possible sea routes for his escape from there, it was decided to place a garrison on Tristan da Cunha. The small, dying American colony took this as a gift from heaven, and recognized the sovereignty of Great Britain over this island.

In 1821, Napoleon died and the garrison was transferred to the Cape of Good Hope.

The main island of the Tristan da Cunha archipelago is the only one of the islands with a permanent population. Center - village Edinburgh of the Seven Seas(Edinburgh of the Seven Seas) with a population of about 300 people (2005). But the residents simply call it settlement(Settlement). And local residents use their ceremonial name as rarely as they use their surnames, of which there are only seven or eight: almost all the families have long been related to each other. No give or take - Noah's Ark. The oldest families on the island are Glass (immigrants from the USA, on the island since 1816), Swain (immigrants from England, since 1826), Green (from Holland since 1836), Rogers (from the USA since 1836), Hagan ( USA, 1849), Repetto and Lavarello (both families from Italy since 1892).

Other settlements are simply scientific bases and weather stations.

Today, Tristan da Cunha is a British overseas colony that has so far not demanded independence, all because the island's inhabitants value their historical connection with Great Britain. The island is governed by the Governor of Saint Helena, who appoints an Administrator to represent its interests in the archipelago.

Well, okay, people don’t live on continents alone, but these islands are so far from sea ​​routes that ships enter there no more than once a month. The rest of the time, all 300 residents of the islands’ only city, “Edinburgh of the Seven Seas,” are left to their own devices, and they cope excellently with the elements, with illness, with work, and with unemployment. Just kidding - they have no unemployment.

Most of the residents are engaged in farming, the rest serve government facilities - weather stations and some other towers inherited from Mother Britain. But what’s interesting is that land is constantly redistributed among community members in order to avoid the accidental enrichment of a random family due to accidental seizure best plot. Since all the Tristanians are distant and close relatives, they decide their affairs in a family way, without involving any “committees on the rights of black-browed and red-cheeked people,” and they do it extremely charmingly. The island is ruled by an elected Chief Islander and eleven members of the Council; there are no other General Courts or Memorial Chambers. But the islanders are such a peaceful and friendly people that litigation between them is a complete fantasy.

All tourists who want to go to Tristan da Cunha must first obtain permission from the Administrator and the Council and take with them a police certificate of no criminal record (with a translation into English). To do this, you need to write a letter to the Secretary of the Administrator [email protected] and indicate when you plan to arrive, where you intend to stay and what the purpose of your visit is. You should also have with you health insurance, which will cover the costs of treatment and evacuation to Cape Town, and sufficient financial resources. Once the Council has issued your permit, the Administrator's Secretary will contact you to assist you in booking your boat tickets from Cape Town.

A visa is not required, but all tourists must carry a passport, which will be stamped upon arrival. In addition, you need to pay a fee: for passengers cruise ships- 30 pounds, and for fishing boats - 20 pounds. Finally, you need to know that the import of food and alcohol here is very strictly controlled. For example, tourists are allowed to bring only 4 liters of beer with them.

Tristana da Cunha has no airport or sea harbor (it was destroyed by the volcanic eruption of Queen Mary Peak in 1961).

You can only get here through the port, which is used by fishing boats, ferries and scientific expeditions. Travel to the island from the nearest large city– South Africa's capital Cape Town takes six days one way. Currently, the Ovenstone company, which owns several fishing vessels - Edinburgh, MV Baltic Trader and SA Agulhas, transports tourists along the route Cape Town - Tristan da Cunha - Cape Town. Flight schedules can be found on the website. The average cost of a round trip ticket is about a thousand US dollars.

Tristan da Cunha is an island of volcanic origin. The inhabitants of Tristan da Cunha are tightly tied to their homeland. When in 1961 a volcano seriously damaged the fish factory and the local atmosphere, people were evacuated to Britain and the island of St. Elena, which is nearby (about a thousand kilometers is a mere trifle). It would seem that civilization will inevitably swallow up the provincials with its tenacious advantages. But no, as soon as the military repaired the island, the population in full force returned to their “most remote from the whole world” homes. And, probably, they can be understood - they have peace and grace there, a piece of heaven on Earth, albeit without excesses, but also without racial hatred, terrorism, crime, corruption and other “benefits” of the modern world.

Only a small part of the island is accessible to life, on the northern side of which is the capital of the archipelago - “Edinburgh of the Seven Seas”, and locals like to call it simply “The Settlement”. Tristana da Cunha is currently home to 261 people who proudly call it home. All of them are descendants of American, Italian, and Dutch settlers. There is a ban on the settlement of new residents on the island, so the population here fluctuates slightly. This leads to another problem - for more than 200 years, inbreeding occurred on the island, which still leads to serious genetic diseases. Recently, marriages between close relatives (cousins) were officially prohibited, and now residents are faced with another problem: many have to wait several years for their future husband or wife to “grow up.” However, this is a common problem for all such societies.

The official language in Tristan da Cunha is English, but there are several dialects that stem from the fact that the first settlers did not originally speak English. English language. Tristanians profess Christianity (Anglicanism and Catholicism). The island has telephones, television and Internet access.

A few words about the economy. The main source of income for the residents is the factory for catching and processing lobsters and lobsters, which closely cooperates and sells its products to Japan and the USA, although now the turnover with the Americans has dropped significantly, complicating the already difficult life of the residents of Tristan. In addition, Tristan da Cunha sells coins and postage stamps all over the world, which are very rare and highly sought after by collectors. The local currency is the British pound sterling. Credit cards are not accepted but traveler's checks and foreign currencies (Euros, Dollars, South African Rands) can be exchanged at the local treasury.

All land is in common use. No one can buy it here, not even Bill Gates and Roman Abramovich. All families are engaged in farming, growing vegetables, and raising livestock. By the way, livestock numbers are strictly controlled in order to preserve pastures and prevent individual families from accumulating wealth. In other words, there is complete equality here.

The island has a school, post office, museum, cafe, two churches, a supermarket and a tourist center. Your local health center provides free medical care to all residents, many of whom suffer from the same genetic diseases caused by the previously mentioned incest. And most importantly, there is no crime, corruption, or murder on the island. Complete idyll, isn't it?

You must book accommodation on the island in advance by contacting the Administrator’s secretary (it is worth noting that you will often be in contact with him; all communication with the “outside world” for Tristanians goes through him). He can advise you and help you with your booking. Two types of accommodation are available for tourists - in a home family with full board(cost - 40 pounds/night), three meals a day, laundry service and guest house(there are six of them on the island), which can be booked for any period (cost 20 pounds per night + meals).

Local tourist center You can buy a postcard and send it to your friends. But they will immediately tell you that delivery may take several months. Although Russians probably shouldn’t be too upset, because we have long been accustomed to the “super-fast” work of the Russian Post.

Tristan da Cunha offers tourists a number of activities and excursions that can be specially organized by local guides. All inquiries should be directed to Tourism Coordinator Dawn Repetto via email [email protected]

Among the most beloved tourist entertainment on Tristana da Cunha three can be distinguished. The first is conquering the top of the Queen Mary Peak volcano. All excursions that take place outside the Edinburgh of the Seven Seas require the presence of a local guide (for the safety of tourists and the conservation of wildlife). The second is crested penguins (Rockhopper penguins), which make their nests on rocks and coastal slopes, and after the traditional January molt they return to the sea.

Third, and perhaps the most unique, is a trip to neighboring uninhabited islands archipelago. For example, on a fishing boat you can visit Nightingale Island or Inaccessible Island, but again, you must first coordinate the excursion with the Tristan administration. You can also go to Gough Island, which, like Inaccessible, was declared a wildlife reserve by UNESCO in 1995. This island was discovered by the navigator Gough in 1731. It belongs to the British maritime domain, but the only inhabitants of the island are members of the South Atlantic weather station SANAP, which, in agreement with the British government, was placed here in 1956.

Doesn't exist on Tristan da Cunha organized tours, no hotels, no airport, no nightclubs and expensive restaurants, no normal permanent transport communication. However, he is one of the most unusual places For independent travelers who are determined to discover something new and unknown. Many who come here decide to stay for a long time (several months), realizing that they have found something that they were so missing before. The most important thing is to remember that your trip to Tristan da Cunha needs to be planned in advance, not two or three months in advance, but at least a year in advance.

Such increased attention to these islands at that time was by no means accidental. They were advantageously placed on routes connecting old light and India and, moreover, were under the protectorate of England, which made them very visited. But the rapid prosperity of Tristan da Cunha came to an end with the construction of the Suez Canal. The settlers who settled on the island did not want to return to mainland under no pretext, so some of them were “attached” for scientific research, while the rest are engaged in agriculture, animal husbandry, fishing and handicrafts.

You can go there for tourism purposes only to expand your geographical horizons - there is absolutely nothing to see there. Of the entire area of ​​the island, a small piece of land in the north is suitable for life, the rest is a volcano, which has made its appearance four times over the past 100 years. In addition to Tristan da Cunha, the archipelago includes three more smaller islands and many hillocks above sea level, which one wouldn’t dare call an island. So, everything except Tristan has no permanent residents.

Tristan is still registered in Britain, but this is more nominal, just so as not to be “passportless” and not to create another independent island state from nowhere.

The social system of the island is real communism. Even at the very beginning of the colony, Cpl. Grass formulated something like a constitution. Its provisions were determined by the ideas of the French Revolution: freedom, equality, fraternity. And this is still the case here. The whole community will build a house for the newlyweds here. If the harvest is bad, the neighbors will share theirs. Among the applicants, the one who previously earned less gets the job. Health care and education are free.

For the last 60-odd years, the island has been governed by a council consisting of 10 people and the head of the council, who is also approved by the governor British island Saint Helena. Since the commune on the island is tiny, local politics are in full view: the reins of government are held by representatives of the most ancient families of immigrants to the island (in fact, the island is a very simplified model of migrant-type countries). Of the 11 members of the council, the head is a representative of the Lavarello clan, the council includes 4 representatives of the Repetto clan, 3 of the Green clan, 1 of the Rogers clan, 2 of the Glass clan. In total, the “Italians” have 5 out of 11 seats, the “Americans” – 3, the Dutch – 3 places. As we see, there was no place for the “Englishmen”.

However, according to local political scientists, the current rise in the influence of Italian clans is a purely temporary phenomenon. Ian Lavarello generally became the first representative of his clan to be appointed to the position of chairman of the council.

It is not customary to shirk community work. It is always there: to fix the road, help in building a house, to crush the lava from which bricks will later be made. The entire list of work necessary for the community is compiled by the British manager.

There is little that can take the Council, or indeed the rest of the island's inhabitants, by surprise, because they have in stock for any conceivable situation. iron rule: remember how older generations of settlers acted in such cases. Traditions are what all actions here are based on. Why build a new restaurant building on the island? It would be better to leave everything as it is: how many years have you lived without a restaurant, and why do you need it now? Why build a new board building? After all, the old one is still quite good. What's the use of a satellite phone? After all, if something happened, the ship from Cape Town, at best, would only reach here in a week. In 1906, a volcanic eruption occurred, resulting in the death of livestock and potato plantations. People were resettled in Cape Town. As can be seen from these facts, all external relations of the island have long been limited to the support of the authorities from another British colony, the Cape of Good Hope (currently a province of South Africa).


sources
http://www.mirmarok.ru/prim/view_article/461/, http://ttolk.ru/?p=8785
http://www.terra-z.ru/archives/14313
http://59travel.ru/blog/index/node/id/1758-arhipelag-tristan-da-kunya/ Link to the article from which this copy was made -

Tristan da Cunha is the most remote inhabited island in the world. The nearest land - the island of St. Helena - is more than 2 thousand kilometers, and the nearest coast of the African continent is more than 2,700 kilometers. 272 people permanently live on the island. the only island archipelago with a permanent population.

Tristan da Cunha is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena. Along with Easter Island, it is one of the most remote populated areas on the ground. Located 2816 km from South Africa, 3360 km from South America and 2161 km south of St. Helena.

Tristan da Cunha is a group of small volcanic islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, part of the British dependency of St. Helena. The islands are located within latitude 37°6' south and longitude 12°1' west. total area islands - approximately 202 sq. km. On Tristan da Cunha, the largest (98 sq. km) and the only inhabited island of the entire group (population in 1988 - 313 people), at an altitude of 2060 m there is a volcano that was silent until 1961, when the its eruption. Most of the island's inhabitants are descendants of British soldiers who were stationed on Tristan da Cunha during Napoleon's imprisonment on St. Helena, while some residents are descendants of whaling ship sailors who once settled on the islands. The inhabitants of the islands are engaged agriculture, fishing and livestock farming. Since 1942, the island has housed a British radio and weather station. Before 1948, there was no organized form of government on the islands. In 1950, the first Governor of St. Helena was appointed, and in 1952 general elections to the Island Council were held. Other islands in this group: Gough, Inaccessible (Inaccessible) and Nightingale (Nightingale). The islands were discovered in 1506 by Portuguese sailors under the leadership of Admiral Tristro Cunha and were annexed by Britain in 1816. During the volcanic eruption in 1961, all residents of the islands were evacuated, but later, in 1963, they returned to their native places.

Tristan Da Canha is home to a population of 270 very isolated people, with an economy based in the fishing industry. The climate of the islands is temperate oceanic, rainy and windy. On Gough Island, the average monthly temperature ranges from +9°C to 14.5°C, on northern islands- from +11 °C to 17.5 °C. Annual precipitation ranges from 2000 mm in the north to 2500 mm on Gough Island.

Islanders often find themselves hostage to Atlantic storms: wind gusts of almost 190 km per hour were once so strong that they lifted cows and sheep into the air, and they fell into the ocean and died there...

The island of Tristan da Cunha is the only island in the archipelago with a permanent population. The main settlement of the island is Edinburgh of the Seven Seas in the northwestern part of the island. Other settlements are temporary and are scientific bases and meteorological stations. The population of the island is about 300 people. Tristan da Cunha is an island of volcanic origin that appeared about a million years ago. The island is located highest point archipelago - Queen Mary (Queen Mary) peak, 2055 meters above sea level. In winter, the top of the mountain is covered with snow. Queen Mary is a volcano that has erupted several times since the island's discovery. The island of Tristan da Cunha has a rocky coast and mountainous terrain, there are numerous ravines, which locals call “gorges” (“gulches”). The only territory of the island adapted for permanent human life is the northern and northwestern part. You can also land there from the sea without much risk.

And this is the “breakfast” of the inhabitants of this island - Genuine Tristan Lobster Tails - they say it is very tasty!

The island now has a mini market, radio station, cafe, video store and swimming pool. Tristan is connected to the world by one telephone and fax in the Manager's Department, and is visited once a year by the only mail ship in the world. This ship brings not only mail, but also canned food, videos, books and magazines, and medicines.

The island is inhabited not only by people, but also by an albatross chick:

And also penguins:

Some more photos of the inhabitants of this remote island

In continuation, read also about the wildest places on Earth, which also includes the island of Tristan da Cunha.

 

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