Tristan da Cunha

Tristan da Cunha
Motto
"Our faith is our strength"
Anthem: "God Save the King"
Territorial song: "The Cutty Wren"
Map of Tristan da Cunha
Map of Tristan da Cunha
Tristan da Cunha is located in South Atlantic
Tristan da Cunha
Tristan da Cunha
Tristan da Cunha
Tristan da Cunha
Tristan da Cunha
Tristan da Cunha
Tristan da Cunha
Tristan da Cunha
Location of Tristan da Cunha archipelago (circled in red) in the southern Atlantic Ocean
Sovereign state United Kingdom
First settlement1810
Dependency of Cape Colony14 August 1816[1]
Dependency of Saint Helena12 January 1938
Current constitution1 September 2009
Capital
and largest settlement
Edinburgh of the Seven Seas
37°4′S 12°19′W / 37.067°S 12.317°W / -37.067; -12.317
Official languagesEnglish
Demonym(s)Tristanian
GovernmentDevolved locally governing dependency under a constitutional monarchy
• Monarch
Charles III
• Governor
Nigel Phillips
Philip Kendall [2]
James Glass[3]
LegislatureIsland Council
Government of the United Kingdom
Vacant
Area
• Total
207 km2 (80 sq mi)
• Main island
98 km2 (38 sq mi)
Highest elevation
2,062 m (6,765 ft)
Population
• 2023 estimate
238[4]
• 2016 census
293[5]
• Density
1.4/km2 (3.6/sq mi)
CurrencyPound sterling (£) (GBP)
Time zoneUTC±00:00 (GMT)
Date formatdd/mm/yyyy
Driving sideleft
Calling code+44 20 (assigned +290)
UK postcode
TDCU 1ZZ
ISO 3166 codeSH-TA
Internet TLD

Tristan da Cunha (/ˌtrɪstən də ˈkn(j)ə/), colloquially Tristan, is a remote group of volcanic islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world, lying approximately 2,787 kilometres (1,732 mi) from Cape Town in South Africa, 2,437 kilometres (1,514 mi) from Saint Helena, 3,949 kilometres (2,454 mi) from Mar del Plata[6] in Argentina, South America and 4,002 kilometres (2,487 mi) from the Falkland Islands.[7][8]

The territory consists of the inhabited island, Tristan da Cunha, which has a diameter of roughly 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) and an area of 98 square kilometres (38 sq mi); the wildlife reserves of Gough Island and Inaccessible Island; and the smaller, uninhabited Nightingale Islands. As of October 2018, the main island has 250 permanent inhabitants, who all carry British Overseas Territories citizenship.[9] The other islands are uninhabited, except for the South African personnel of a weather station on Gough Island.

Tristan da Cunha is one of three constituent parts of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, with its own constitution.[10] There is no airstrip on the main island; the only way of travelling in and out of Tristan is by ship, a six-day trip from South Africa.[11]

  1. ^ Crawford, Allan (1982). Tristan da Cunha and the Roaring Forties. Charles Skilton. p. 20. ISBN 9780284985897. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  2. ^ Grundy, Richard. "Philip Kendall sworn-in as Tristan Administrator". www.tristandc.com.
  3. ^ "Tristan da Cunha Chief Islander". Tristan da Cunha Government & Tristan da Cunha Association. Archived from the original on 6 September 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
  4. ^ Green, Cynthia. "Tristan da Cunha Population Update". www.tristandc.com.
  5. ^ "Census 2016 – summary report" (PDF). St. Helena Government. June 2016. p. 9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 October 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  6. ^ "tristan da cunha to mar del plata distance - Google Search". www.google.com.
  7. ^ Winkler, Sarah (25 August 2009). "Where is the Most Remote Spot on Earth? Tristan da Cunha: The World's Most Remote Inhabited Island". How Stuff Works. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  8. ^ Rosenberg, Matt (6 March 2017). "Tristan da Cunha: The World's Most Remote Island". ThoughtCo.com. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  9. ^ "Tristan da Cunha Family News". Archived from the original on 21 November 2021. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  10. ^ "The St. Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Constitution Order 2009". The National Archives. 2009. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
  11. ^ Corne, Lucy. "Tristan da Cunha: a journey to the centre of the ocean". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 9 April 2020.