37°04'05.30"S 12°18'37.31"W
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| (from Global Fishing Watch) |
Throughout this blog we have investigated and will investigate many detached wonders, but nothing quite compares to the one we have in front of us today. Tristan da Cunha is widely considered the world's most remote inhabited island, with its roughly 250 citizens living 2400 kilometers (1500 miles) apart from South Africa, the nearest part of the mainland. But beyond this world record, Tristan also features multiple kinky facts together with a rather absurd history. Let's dive in.
The first sight of the volcanic isle was made by Portuguese admiral Tristão da Cunha, who was passing by, en route to South Africa. He simply named it, added it to a map and continued sailing without giving it relevance. What followed were multiple failed attempts of permanent settling, from both Dutch and US-American sailors, which culminated in 1810 when a crazy adventurer named Jonathan Lambert would take control over the islands with the foolish idea of creating a country. Accompanied by three mates and a dog, he moved to Tristan and started running his country: firstly, he renamed the archipelago conformed by Tristan and some tiny islets to "Islands of Refreshment", and later he would design the national flag. Lambert's initial plan was to use his new little kingdom as a service station for passing vessels ---which ended up in vain due to Tristan's remoteness. So instead of profiting from valuable goods such as exotic fruits or gold, he and his mates spent the day hunting seals. And for a glorious end, five years after their arrival, they shipwrecked and drowned. Leaving this ludicrous story apart, now the important stage comes.
In 1816, it was the Brits who annexed and permanently settled Tristan da Cunha, with a clear goal in mind. The settlement they named Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, was arranged to guard Napoleon Bonaparte, who was exiled in the relatively "nearby" Saint Helena after his defeat at Waterloo (we could say the Brits learnt from the past episode in Elba). With another guarding post in Ascension and in Saint Helena itself, Napoleon didn't attempt an escape and died poisoned by the toxic bright-green paint of his walls, or at least, that's a belief. After his death, Edinburgh of the Seven Seas was worthless, so the UK sent a Navy ship to pick up the stranded officials. But some refused to go.
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| Painting showing William Glass (from Tristan's official website) |
A group of twelve men led by William Glass thought it would be wiser to transform Edinburgh of the Seven Seas into a sort of little communist environment based on equal profit and total lack of private property, a project they called "the firm". This economy, which still stands in the present, relies mainly on the breed of potatoes in an agricultural region called "Potato Patches", followed by the fishing industry. On the other hand, the essential merchandises can be found in the local supermarket, which are imported regularly through vessels coming from the mainland. However, in the early days, there was a big problem in Tristanian society which also affected the economy: there was only one woman in the whole of Tristan (the wife of William Glass) and descendancy was required for a proper future. Looking for answers, the islanders finally decided to do an exchange with Saint Helena; allegedly, Tristanians traded five potato bags in return for five women. Although the credibility of this story is doubted, the women did arrive in one way or another, and tripled the population in just 6 years.
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| Potato Patches (from Tristan da Cunha's Official Website) |
And two centuries later, the number approaches 250 residents, which is not bad for a far-flung volcano in the middle of the sea. Still and all, the marks of isolation can be seen in other statistics: the community in its entirety shares the same 8 surnames from the first settlers (Glass, Swain, Green, Rogers, Repetto, Hagan, Lavarello) while an estimate 60% of the population has asthma due to some gene variants, breaking the record of the highest asthma incidence worldwide (to make yourself an idea, the world's asthma rate is of an estimate 8%). Besides, the natives had to adapt to a volcanic eruption of the lone Queen Mary's Peak that forced an evacuation to the UK, as well as to the Covid-19 pandemic and the spread of hantavirus. Yet, this hasn't stolen Tristanians their characteristic friendliness and openness.
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| British paramedic had to parachute into Edinburgh of the Seven Seas after the first and only case of hantavirus in the island. The landing option was discarded due to Tristan's uneven surface (article link) |
Tourist attractions include the nearby uninhabited Gough Island, which have deserved the title of UNESCO World Heritage Site thanks to their vast biodiversity and rare wildlife; the two local museums which have expositions of Tristans history; Albatross Bar, the remotest pub in the world; the post office at Edinburgh of the Seven Seas which has a beautiful collection of post stamps; and evidently, the famous welcoming sign which greets you like this: "WELCOME TO THE REMOTEST ISLAND - TRISTAN DA CUNHA - SOUTH ATLANTIC".
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| (from Bigsky Spaces) |
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