Facts About Tristan da Cahu

Facts about Tristan da Cahu – The World's Most Remote Island and the Closest Land to the MV Explorer Today

1  Tristan Da Cunha is located about 1,750 miles away from South Africa, and 1,500 miles away from the nearest land mass (Saint Helena). This means it is the most remote island in the world. It is a British overseas territory. 

2.  The island's highest point is a volcano called Queen Mary's Peak, which erupted last in 1961, forcing the evacuation of the entire population to the U.K

3. The climate is marine subtropical with small temperature differences between summer and winter and between day and night (around 59 degrees F). The island has 90% humidity, 100% of the time

4. The main island is quite mountainous; the only flat area is the location of the capital, Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, on the northwest coast.

5. The island runs a very small tourist industry consisting of 6 cabins. Tourism activities include fishing, golfing, hiking and boat trips to the other islands, two of which are wild life reserves.

6. Health care is free, but there is just one resident doctor from South Africa and only five nurses.

7. It has a population of 275, from 15 original settlers of English and Dutch nationality. Today's population consists of 80 families with only 8 surnames. Glass, Green, Hagan, Lavarello, Repetto, Rogers and Swain.

8. Three boats make nine trips a year from Cape Town, so any visit to the island has to be planned well in advance

9. The islands were first sighted in 1506 by Portuguese explorer Tristão da Cunha, although rough seas prevented a landing. He named the main island after himself, Ilha de Tristão da Cunha. The island was first inhabited in 1810.

10.The island's main income is generated from crawfishing, exported to Japan and the US.

11.No new residents are allowed to settle on the island.

12.All Tristan families are farmers, owning their own stock. All land is communally owned.

13.The territory is home to some 200,000 penguins, including almost half the world's total of northern rockhopper penguins. Nearly 20,000 penguins were coated in oil in March's oil disaster.

14.Television did not arrive on the island until 2001, and the sole channel available is the British Forces Broadcasting Service from the Falkland Islands.