Tristan da Cunha’s only town is called Edinburgh of the Seven Seas.
Chris Howarth/South Atlantic/Alamy Stock Photo (Tristan da Cunha); robertharding/Alamy Stock Photo (sign)
Would You Live Here?
On this island in the middle of the ocean, life is full of surprises.
Imagine living in a place with no movie theater, no airport, and no highways. You and about 220 neighbors all live in one small village. There are fewer than 30 kids, and they all attend one school. There are more cows and sheep than people!
The only way to reach your island is by ship. The trip from South Africa—the nearest mainland country—takes about six days. And you live next to an active volcano.
Welcome to life on Tristan da Cunha, the world’s most remote inhabited island.
Island Life
Jim McMahon/Mapman®
Life as people know it today began on Tristan da Cunha in 1816. The British tried to build a military base there, but they gave up after a year. A few people stayed and slowly started to build a community.
Today all the people on the island are farmers. Some also work as fishers. From visitors to mail, everything arrives on Tristan da Cunha by boat. The same goes for groceries, furniture, and clothes. If rough seas delay a boat, residents may wait weeks for supplies.
British Ministry of Defence via AP Images
Parachuters delivered medical help in May.
Air Rescue
In May, one resident didn’t have time to wait. The person was ill with hantavirus, a rare disease that can be life-threatening. The island’s small hospital was low on oxygen. Time was running out, and there was no airport where an emergency plane could land.
British officials came up with a creative plan. A military plane flew over the island. A doctor and nurse parachuted onto Tristan da Cunha, along with lifesaving medical supplies.
Thankfully, the patient was saved. The rescue showed that on Tristan da Cunha, there’s no such thing as ordinary.
