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Tristan da Cunha
Tristan da Cunha |
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Motto: Our faith is our strength | ||||||
Anthem: "God Save the Queen" | ||||||
Location of Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic Ocean.
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Capital and largest settlement | Edinburgh of the Seven Seas 37°4′S 12°19′W / 37.067°S 12.317°W{{#coordinates:37|4|S|12|19|W|type:city|| | |name= }} | |||||
Official languages | English | |||||
Demonym | Tristanian | |||||
Part of | Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha | |||||
Leaders | ||||||
- | Monarch | Elizabeth II | ||||
- | Governor | Mark A. Capes | ||||
- | Administrator | Alex Mitham | ||||
- | Chief Islander | Ian Lavarello | ||||
Establishment | ||||||
- | First inhabited | 1810 | ||||
- | Dependency of Cape Colony (to UK) | 14 August 1816[1] | ||||
- | Dependency of St Helena | 12 January 1938 | ||||
- | Current constitution | 1 September 2009 | ||||
Area | ||||||
- | Total | 207 km2 80 sq mi |
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- | Main island | 98 km2 | ||||
Population | ||||||
- | 2015 census | 302 | ||||
- | Density | 1.4/km2 3.6/sq mi |
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Currency | Pound sterling (£) (GBP) | |||||
Time zone | GMT (UTC) | |||||
Drives on the | left | |||||
Calling code | +290 | |||||
ISO 3166 code | SH-TA | |||||
Internet TLD | nonea | |||||
a. | .sh or .uk can be used. Postcode: TDCU 1ZZ |
Tristan da Cunha /ˈtrɪstən də ˈkuːnə/, colloquially Tristan, is both a remote group of volcanic islands in the south Atlantic Ocean and the main island of that group. It is the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world, lying Script error: No such module "convert". from nearest inhabited land, Saint Helena,[2] Script error: No such module "convert". from the nearest continental land, South Africa,[3] and Script error: No such module "convert". from South America. The territory consists of the main island, also named Tristan da Cunha, which has a north-south length of Script error: No such module "convert". and has an area of Script error: No such module "convert"., along with the smaller, uninhabited Nightingale Islands and the wildlife reserves of Inaccessible and Gough Islands.
Tristan da Cunha is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha.[4] This includes Saint Helena and equatorial Ascension Island some Script error: No such module "convert". to the north of Tristan. The island has a permanent population of 297 (2014 figures).[5]
Contents
History
Discovery
The islands were first sighted in 1506 by Portuguese explorer Tristão da Cunha; tall seas prevented a landing. He named the main island after himself, Ilha de Tristão da Cunha, which was anglicised from its earliest mention on British Admiralty charts to Tristan da Cunha Island.
In 1643, the crew of Heemstede, captained by Claes Gerritsz Bierenbroodspot, made the first recorded landing.
The first survey of the archipelago was made by the French frigate L'Heure du Berger in 1767.
19th century
The first permanent settler was Jonathan Lambert, from Salem, Massachusetts, United States, who arrived at the islands in December 1810 with two other men.[6] Lambert publicly declared the islands his property and named them the Islands of Refreshment. After being joined by an Andrew Millet, three of the four men died in 1812; however, the survivor among the original three permanent settlers, Thomas Currie (or Tommaso Corri) remained as a farmer on the island.
In 1816, the United Kingdom annexed the islands, ruling them from the Cape Colony in South Africa. This is reported to have primarily been a measure to ensure that the French would be unable to use the islands as a base for a rescue operation to free Napoleon Bonaparte from his prison on Saint Helena.[7] The occupation also prevented the United States from using Tristan da Cunha as a cruiser base, as it had during the War of 1812.[6]
On the fifteenth of July, the snow-clad mountains of Tristan da Cunha appeared, lighted by a brilliant morning-sun, and towering to a height estimated at between nine and ten thousand feet."[7]
The islands were occupied by a garrison of British Marines and a civilian population was gradually built up. Whalers also set up on the islands as a base for operations in the Southern Atlantic. However, the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, together with the gradual move from sailing ships to coal-fired steam ships, increased the isolation of the islands, as they were no longer needed as a stopping port or for shelter for journeys from Europe to the Far East.[6]
In 1867, Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and second son of Queen Victoria, visited the islands. The main settlement, Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, was named in honour of his visit. Lewis Carroll's youngest brother, the Rev. Edwin Heron Dodgson, served as an Anglican missionary and school teacher in Tristan da Cunha in the 1880s.[6]
20th century
On 12 January 1938 by Letters Patent the islands were declared a dependency of Saint Helena. Prior to roughly this period, passing ships stopped irregularly at the island for a period of mere hours.[8]
During World War II, the islands were used as a top secret Royal Navy weather and radio station codenamed HMS Atlantic Isle, to monitor Nazi U-boats (which were required to maintain radio contact) and shipping movements in the South Atlantic Ocean. The first Administrator, Surgeon Lieutenant Commander E.J.S. Woolley, was appointed by the British government during this time.
The second Duke of Edinburgh, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II, visited the islands in 1957 as part of a world tour on board the royal yacht Britannia.
In 1958 as part of an experiment, Operation Argus, the United States Navy detonated an atomic bomb Script error: No such module "convert". high in the upper atmosphere[9] about Script error: No such module "convert". southeast of the main island.
The 1961 eruption of Queen Mary's Peak forced the evacuation of the entire population[10] via Cape Town to England. The following year a Royal Society expedition went to the islands to assess the damage, and reported that the settlement of Edinburgh of the Seven Seas had been only marginally affected. Most families returned in 1963.
21st century
On 23 May 2001, the islands experienced an extratropical cyclone that generated winds up to Script error: No such module "convert".. A number of structures were severely damaged and a large number of cattle were killed, prompting emergency aid, provided by the British government.[11]
In 2005, the islands were given a United Kingdom post code (TDCU 1ZZ) to make it easier for the residents to order goods online.
On 4 December 2007 an outbreak of an acute virus-induced flu was reported. This outbreak was compounded by Tristan's lack of suitable and sufficient medical supplies.[12]
On 13 February 2008, fire destroyed the fishing factory and the four generators that supplied power to the island. On 14 March 2008, new generators were installed and uninterrupted power was restored. This fire was devastating to the island because fishing is a mainstay of the economy. While a new factory was being planned and built, M/V Kelso came to the island and acted as a factory ship, with island fishermen based on board for stints normally of one week. The new facility was ready in July 2009, for the start of the 2009–10 fishing season.
The St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Constitution Order 2009 ended the "dependency status" of Ascension and Tristan da Cunha.
On 16 March 2011, the freighter MS Oliva ran aground on Nightingale Island, spilling tons of heavy fuel oil into the ocean, leaving an oil slick threatening the island's population of rockhopper penguins.[13] Nightingale Island has no fresh water, so the penguins were transported to Tristan da Cunha for cleaning.[14]
On November 2011, the sailing boat Puma's Mar Mostro participant in Volvo Ocean Race arrived to the island after her mast broke in the first leg from Alicante and Cape Town. This event made the island, its inhabitants and lifestyle known worldwide thanks to the media reports.
Solar eclipse
A total solar eclipse will pass over the island on 5 December 2048. The island is to be on the centre line for nearly three and a half minutes of totality.[15]
Environment
Geography
Tristan da Cunha is thought to have been formed by a long-lived centre of upwelling mantle called the Tristan hotspot. Tristan da Cunha is the main island of the Tristan da Cunha archipelago, which consists of the following islands:
- Tristan da Cunha, the main island and largest, area: Script error: No such module "convert".,[5] (37°6′44″S 12°16′56″W / 37.11222°S 12.28222°W{{#coordinates:37|6|44|S|12|16|56|W|type:isle
| |name=Tristan da Cunha }})
- Inaccessible Island, area: Script error: No such module "convert".
- Nightingale Islands, area: Script error: No such module "convert".
- Nightingale Island, area: Script error: No such module "convert".
- Middle Island, area: Script error: No such module "convert".
- Stoltenhoff Island, area: Script error: No such module "convert".
- Gough Island (Diego Alvarez), area: Script error: No such module "convert".[16]
Inaccessible Island and the Nightingale Islands are Script error: No such module "convert". SW by W and SSW of the main island respectively, whereas Gough Island is Script error: No such module "convert". SSE.
The main island is generally mountainous. The only flat area is on the north-west coast, which is the location of the only settlement, Edinburgh of the Seven Seas. The highest point is a volcano called Queen Mary's Peak Script error: No such module "convert"., which is covered by snow in winter. The other islands of the group are uninhabited, except for a weather station with a staff of six on Gough Island, which has been operated by South Africa since 1956 (since 1963 at its present location at Transvaal Bay on the south-east coast).
Climate
The archipelago has a wet oceanic climate with pleasant temperatures but consistent moderate to heavy rainfall and very limited sunshine, due to the persistent westerly winds. The number of rainy days is comparable to the Aleutian Islands at a much higher latitude in the northern hemisphere, while sunshine hours are comparable to Juneau, Alaska, 20° further from the equator. Frost is unknown below elevations of Script error: No such module "convert". and summer temperatures are similarly mild, never reaching Script error: No such module "convert"..
colspan="14" #REDIRECTmw:Help:Magic words#Other This page is a soft redirect. Climate data for Tristan da Cunha | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year
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colspan="14" style="text-align:center;font-size:85%" #REDIRECTmw:Help:Magic words#Other This page is a soft redirect.Source #1: Climate and Temperature.[17] #REDIRECTmw:Help:Magic words#Other |
Flora and fauna
Many of the flora and fauna have a broad circumpolar distribution in the South Atlantic and South Pacific Oceans. Thus many of the species that occur in Tristan da Cunha appear as far away as New Zealand. For example, the plant species Nertera depressa was first collected in Tristan da Cunha,[19] but has since been recorded in occurrence as far distant as New Zealand.[20]
Tristan is primarily known for its wildlife. The island has been identified as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International because there are 13 known species of breeding seabirds on the island and two species of resident land birds.[21] The seabirds include northern rockhopper penguins, Atlantic yellow-nosed albatrosses, sooty albatrosses, Atlantic petrels, great-winged petrels, soft-plumaged petrels, broad-billed prions, grey petrels, great shearwaters, sooty shearwaters, Tristan skuas, Antarctic terns and brown noddies. Tristan and Gough Islands are the only known breeding sites in the world for the Atlantic petrel (Pterodroma incerta; IUCN status EN). Inaccessible Island is also the only known breeding ground of the Spectacled Petrel (Procellaria conspicillata; IUCN Vulnerable). The Tristan albatross (IUCN status CR) is known to breed only on Gough and Inaccessible Islands: all nest on Gough except for one or two pairs who nest on Inaccessible Island.
The endemic Tristan thrush or starchy occurs on all of the northern islands and each has its own subspecies, with Tristan birds being slightly smaller and duller than those on Nightingale and Inaccessible. The endemic Inaccessible Island rail, the smallest extant flightless bird in the world, is found only on Inaccessible Island. In 1956 eight Gough moorhens were released at Sandy Point on Tristan, and have subsequently colonised the island.
Various species of whales and dolphins can be seen around Tristan from time to time with increasing sighting rate.[5]
Economy
The island's unique social and economic organization has evolved over the years, but is based on the principles set out by William Glass in 1817 when he established a settlement based on equality. All Tristan families are farmers, owning their own stock and/or fishing. All land is communally owned. All households have plots of land at The Patches on which they grow potatoes. Livestock numbers are strictly controlled to conserve pasture and to prevent better-off families from accumulating wealth. Unless it votes for a change in its law, no outsiders are allowed to buy land or settle on Tristan; theoretically the whole island would have to be put up for sale.[22] All people – including children and pensioners – are involved in farming, while adults additionally have salaried jobs working either for the Government, or, a small number in domestic service, and many of the men are involved in the fishing industry, going to sea in good weather. The nominal fishing season lasts 90 days; however during the 2013 fishing season – 1 July through 30 September – there were only 10 days suitable for fishing.
Valuable foreign earnings come from the royalties from the commercial crawfish or Tristan rock lobster (Jasus) industry and the sale of postage stamps and coins, especially to collectors worldwide. Limited revenue from tourism includes providing accommodation, guides and sales of handicrafts and souvenirs to visitors and by mail order. It is the income from foreign revenue earners that enables Tristan to run Government services, especially health and education.
The 1961 volcanic eruption destroyed the Tristan da Cunha canned crawfish factory, which was rebuilt a short time later. The crawfish catchers and processors work for the South African company Ovenstone, which has an exclusive contract to sell crawfish to the United States and Japan. Even though Tristan da Cunha is a UK overseas territory, it is not permitted direct access to European Union markets. Recent[clarification needed] economic conditions have meant that the islanders have had to draw from their reserves. The islands' financial problems may cause delays in updating communication equipment and improving education on the island. The fire of 13 February 2008 (see History) resulted in major temporary economic disruption.
Although Tristan da Cunha is part of the same overseas territory as Saint Helena, it does not use the local Saint Helena pound. Instead, the island uses the United Kingdom issue of the pound sterling. The Bank of Saint Helena was established on Saint Helena and Ascension Island in 2004. This bank does not have a physical presence on Tristan da Cunha, but residents of Tristan are entitled to its services.[23] There are occasionally commemorative coins minted for the island.[24]
The island is located in the South Atlantic Anomaly, an area of the Earth with an abnormally weak magnetic field. On November 14, 2008 a geomagnetic observatory was inaugurated on the island as part of a joint venture between the Danish Meteorological Institute and DTU Space.[25]
Transport
The remote location of the islands makes transport to the outside world difficult. Lacking an airport, the islands can be reached only by sea. Fishing boats from South Africa service the islands eight or nine times a year. The RMS Saint Helena used to connect the main island to St Helena and South Africa once each year during its January voyage, but has done so only twice in the last few years, in 2006 and 2011.[26] There is no direct service to Ascension Island and the United Kingdom, without flying from Cape Town to London or travelling on the RMS St Helena from Cape Town to St Helena. The March voyage of the RMS St Helena goes to Ascension and Portland from St Helena. The harbour at Edinburgh of the Seven Seas is called Calshot Harbour, named after the place in Hampshire where the islanders temporarily stayed during the volcanic eruption.[27]
Communications
Telecommunications
Although Tristan da Cunha shares the +290 code with St Helena, residents have access to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Telecommunications Network, provided by Global Crossing.[28] This uses a London 020 numbering range, meaning that numbers are accessed via the UK telephone numbering plan.[29] From 1998 to 2006, internet was available in Tristan da Cunha but its expensive cost made it almost unaffordable for the local population, who primarily only used it to send email.[30] The connection was also extremely unreliable, connecting through a 64 kbit/s satellite phone connection provided by Inmarsat. From 2006, a very-small-aperture terminal provides 3072 kbit/s of publicly-accessible bandwidth via an internet cafe.[31]
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Government
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40x40px | Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tristan da Cunha. |
40x40px | Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Tristan da Cunha. |
Videos of the island
- Return to Trista Da Cunha, Global Nomad, National Geographic (2012).
- A Day on Tristan Da Cunha, Global Nomad, National Geographic (2011).
- Tristan da Cunha: The story of Asthma Island, part 1 and part 2, BBC Four (2008).
- TRISTAN DA CUNHA – Life on the island in 1963 (1963).
- TRISTAN DA CUNHA – Life of an islander in 1963 (1963).
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Coordinates: 37°07′S 12°17′W / 37.117°S 12.283°W{{#coordinates:37|07|S|12|17|W|region:SH-TA_type:isle|| |primary |name= }}
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