Tristan da Cunha is the world’s most remote community with the nearest neighbor which is Cape Town, South Africa at the distance of 1,509 miles. This group of volcanic islands is situated in the south Atlantic.
These archipelago (group of islands) where first sighted in 1506 by Portuguese explorer Joao de Nova and named after the Portuguese naval admiral Tristao de Cunha. After that it was visited by whalers, seal hunters, and explorers. This 8-mile-wide British overseas territory is the most remote populated island in the world.
Fast Facts: –
- Tristan da Cunha is a hotspot volcano that last erupted in 1961 and 1962. At that time the population was evacuated and transported to England.
- The main language of the island is English but they use a Patois English in speech. The currency is British pound sterling and only cash is accepted as they cannot facilitate card transactions.
- This island has a population of 275 people derived from 15 original settlers of English and Dutch nationality.
- There is one TV station, an English speaking channel broadcast from the Falkland Islands.
- The highest point of the island is a volcano called “Queen Mary’s Peak” with an elevation of 2062 meters.
- The main industry of Tristan da Cunha is fishing and farming.
- The entire island is made up of upwelling magma called the Tristan Hotspot.
- It became a dependency of the colony of St. Helena in 1938.
- In 1942, an important meteorological and radio base was set up on the island.
- This island is only accessible by a 7 day boat journey from Cape Town, South Africa.
- More than 50% of islanders have partial evidence of asthma and twenty-three per cent have a definite diagnosis.
