Community Chat

[Oznell]

It's Tristan da Cunha, often billed as the most remote inhabited island in the world.  Can not get it out of my mind!

It's a British territory in the south Atlantic, partway between South America and Africa--

The closest city is Cape Town in South Africa, and it's 1500 miles away.  ( Until recently, pregnant Tristanian women had to take the week long journey by boat to deliver their babies in Cape Town).

The population hovers around 240, and everyone lives in the settlement of Edinburgh of the Seven Seas:

Almost everyone is a descendant of the original settlers of about 15 people.  The men were a combo of shipwrecked sailors, and others who fetched up on shore-- they were all British, Italian, Dutch, and one Russian. 

They married women who were from the island of St. Helena and the Cape colony-- who were of African, Asian and other ethnicities.  All the descendants are therefore of mixed European, African and Asian ethnicity.

In modern times, a tiny handful of "newcomers" has added to the mix.

(Interesting genetic side note-- some of the originals were known to have had asthma, and there's a very high rate of asthma among the Tristanians.).

   

Intrepid traveler Josh Cahill has been there twice.  You can take a 2 week boat voyage from Buenos Aires to get there ( as he did), or you can take a 7 day boat trip from Capetown to get there.  A successful docking is not guaranteed every time, b/c of the steep, rocky coast and cliffs, and turbulent weather.

Cahill immediately ran into a number of the very friendly Tristanians that he had met on his previous visit, who were happy to stop and catch up--

There are only about eight surnames on the island, going back to the original settlers-- Green, Glass, Repetto, Hagan, etc.  And they recur again and again.

It's a close, traditional, quite self-sufficient society.  When you look for pictures of the residents, it's usually at celebrations of the basic things of life-- births, weddings, baptisms.  ( There are two churches on the island, Anglican and Roman Catholic.)

Taking care of one of the island's little lambs.  This shot reminded me of the Scottish Highlands!

 

There is a school, the two churches, a wee hospital, a grocery store, the Prince Philip Community Center, and a pub, "The Albatross".   There are no restaurants.

 

There is one policeman, but years and years go by with no crime.  Cahill encountered the policeman, who immediately invited him in to his house for tea and a chat.

People talk with a charming lilt of an English accent, just a little "off-center".  In the early Sixties, they were all imported to London when the island's volcano became active-- but when the danger had passed, every one of them elected to return to Tristan!

There is so much to this fascinating island -- the wildlife, the birds, the way the islanders fish and farm to supply their needs, the other empty islands nearby, like mysteriously forbidding "Inaccessible Island".  That's a whole 'nother discussion!

Josh Cahill must have hated to have to motor back to the mother ship for the long trip back to Buenos Aires--

I was sorry to see Cahill leave!   It must have been a magical experience, and a way of traveling back in time, in a sense.  I'd be having dreams of faraway Tristan da Cunha, for a long time!

[Kachina624]

The island looks like a volcanic caldera.  It would be an austere existence to say the least.  I wonder what they do for entertainment beside having family celebrations?  

After this past year in the USA,  that lifestyle is not completely unappealing.

[JudyL]

Thank you for posting this @Oznell.  I found it fascinating.  Learned something new today.

[Desert Lily]

I'd never live on a remote island. My sibling lived on a not-remote island in the Caribbean for over 25 years. Medical care, dental care, home necessities, education, tech products, etc. meant trips to the U.S. It was beautiful on the island, as was the surrounding ocean, but living there was almost 3rd world in some respects. Things like dependable energy (electricity), 1st responders, emergency assistance after hurricanes, etc. do matter in this world. My sibling moved back to the U.S. for the golden years.

[Cakers3]

@Oznell Thank you again for another fascinating lesson.

The people are some of the happiest in the world, I'm sure.

I would have no problem living there.👍

[Puzzle Piece]

Pleased you shared as I will never visit there.  

Lovely bride.  

[candys mine]

@Oznell  Uninhabited Volcanic Island in the middle of the ocean? 

Inspiration for Tracy Island perhaps?

[bmorechick]

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@Kachina624 wrote:

The island looks like a volcanic caldera.  It would be an austere existence to say the least.  I wonder what they do for entertainment beside having family celebrations?  

After this past year in the USA,  that lifestyle is not completely unappealing.

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Amen @Kachina624 

[bmorechick]

@Oznell   Sometimes I look up info on these tiny islands all over the globe with same characteristics and wonder how quiet, peaceful and idyllic it would be to live like that.

[We rescue cats]

There are times that I would love to be there.