Edinburgh of the Seven Seas

**Edinburgh of the Seven Seas** is the capital and the only settlement of the island of Tristan da Cunha, in Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, an overseas territory of the United Kingdom, in the South Atlantic Ocean. Locally it is always called "The Settlement".

Edinburgh of the Seven Seas is regarded as the most remote permanent settlement on Earth, being  from the nearest human settlement, on Saint Helena.

## History

The first permanent settler was Jonathan Lambert, from Salem, Massachusetts, United States, who came to the islands in December 1810. He declared the islands his property and named them the _Islands of Refreshment_. Lambert's rule was short-lived, as he died in 1812.

The settlement was founded on the island of Tristan da Cunha in 1816 by a Corporal William Glass (with his South African wife and two children) after the UK annexed Tristan da Cunha. A military garrison was maintained on the islands as a guard against any French attempts to rescue Napoleon, imprisoned on  Saint Helena. The military garrison remained until the end of World War II.

It is named after Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, the second son of Queen Victoria, in honour of his visit to the island in 1867, after which the Settlement was officially (but never locally) known as _Edinburgh of the Seven Seas_.

It was damaged in a volcanic eruption near the Settlement in 1961 which forced the entire population to abandon the settlement and move to the UK. The eruption destroyed the settlement's crayfish factory. 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.

After the return of most of the islanders in 1963, the Settlement was rebuilt. The harbour at Edinburgh was named Calshot Harbour, after the place in Hampshire where the islanders temporarily stayed.

Edinburgh of the Seven Seas is the only major settlement of Tristan da Cunha, and contains a small port, the Administrator's residence, and the post office. There is a school, St Mary's School, with five classrooms, a computer room and other facilities.

## Climate

Edinburgh of the Seven Seas has a mild and humid oceanic climate, with moderate temperatures throughout the year.

## Other websites

- DS World's Lands: Edinburgh of the Seven Seas
- tripadvisor: Edinburgh of the Seven Seas

## Infobox (settlement)

- **name**: Edinburgh of the Seven Seas
- **other name**: <small>"The Settlement"</small>
- **image skyline**: Tristan da Cunha4.jpg
- **imagesize**: 250px
- **image caption**: Roofs of Edinburgh of the Seven Seas
- **pushpin map**: United Kingdom Tristan da Cunha
- **subdivision type**: Country
- **subdivision name**: United Kingdom
- **subdivision type1**: British overseas territories, Overseas territory
- **subdivision name1**: Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
- **subdivision type2**: Island
- **subdivision name2**: Tristan da Cunha
- **established title**: First inhabited
- **established date**: 1816
- **established title1**: Named
- **established date1**: 1867
- **named for**: Alfred of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh
- **founder**: William Glass (British Army)
- **seat type**: Capital of
- **seat**: Tristan da Cunha
- **population as of**: 2009
- **population total**: 264
- **timezone1**: Greenwich Mean Time, GMT
- **utc offset1**: +0
- **area code**: +290 8xxx