Tristan da Cunha (original) (raw)

Tristan da Cunha is an island in the South Atlantic Ocean, at latitude 37°S, longitude 12°W. It is a dependency of St. Helena (United Kingdom), from which it is 2,000 km distant. In 1961, a volcanic eruption on the island resulted in the bulk of the population (a few hundred people) being evacuated to Britain, though most have since returned.

Residents of the island are known as Tristanians.

Table of contents
1 Geography 2 Population [3 External links](#External links)

Geography

The name "Tristan da Cunha" is also used for the archipelago, which consists of

snow in winter.

It is one of the nesting places of wandering albatrosses.

Population

There are around 300 inhabitants, all carrying one of seven surnames, though surnames are not used in practice. They speak English and are Anglicans (there are two parishes). There are some health problems because of endogamy, including asthma and glaucoma. Almost all the inhabitants work for the local government. The islands are largely self-sufficient. A ship arrives every 3 or 4 months with supplies and news from the exterior.

There is no airport and only a small fishing port.

There is no television, but TV sets are used to watch videotapes, though there is no video rental service. There are no newspapers.

There is one school, one hospital, one post office, one museum, one cafe, one pub and one swimming pool.

After the age of 16, those who want can continue studies in Britain.

As of 2003, there are no permissions for establishment of foreigners.

History of Tristan da Cunha

The archipelago's main source of foreign income is selling stamps to stamp collectors. For this reason, TA and TAA have an exceptional reservation under ISO 3166-1 on behalf of the UPU to represent Tristan da Cunha. Another source of income is the fishing of lobsters for export to Japan and the United States.