Tristan Da Cunha - Welcome - tristandacunha.org TristanDaCunha.org Welcome to Tristan Da Cunha Welcome to TristanDaCunha.org – a website about the remotest island in the world, Tristan Da Cunha. Tristan Da Cunha lies 2,816 kilometres (1,750 miles) from South Africa and 3,360 kilometres (2,088 miles) from South America. The closest land mass is Saint Helena a mere 2,430 kilometres (1,510 miles) distant. For more details on its location, please view our Map/Nearest Islands page. Tristan was first discovered in 1506 by the the Portuguese sailor Tristão da Cunha. However, Tristão was unable to land on Tristan because of accessibility difficulties and rough seas. Despite this, Tristão named the island ‘Ilha de Tristão da Cunha’ – roughly translated as ‘The Islands of Tristão da Cunha’. The name was changed to Tristan Da Cunha at a later date. The island is a dependency of Saint Helena – a British Overseas Terrority.

Tristan Da Cunha’s motto is “Our faith is our strength”, and its National Anthem is the British God Save the Queen. The island’s capital (and most populated city) is ‘Edinburgh of the Seven Seas’, more commonly called Edinburgh. In 2005, the Royal Mail assigned Tristan the postcode of TDCU 1ZZ. This was for two reasons: - the mail was getting lost because the island had no postcode - the capital was being confused with the Scottish city of Edinburgh. The territory consists of a number of islands – Tristan Da Cunha (38 square miles approximately), the uninhabited Nightingale Islands, and the wildlife reserves of Inaccessible Island and Gough Island. For further general information about Tristan Da Cunha, please view our About Tristan page. Every citizen who is able to work is a farmer by trade. All land is communally owned and various measures are in place to prevent better off families from gaining excess wealth. The main source of income is the island’s lobster factory. Most people have more than one job and many work for the local government. If you want, view more information about Tristan’s economy .

Advertisements Tristan da Cunha (including Gough Island, Nightingale Island and Stoltenhoff Island) Coins with brief History 27 Dec 1810 - 17 May 1812 Claimed by Jonathan Lambert as Lovel Island. 14 Aug 1816 Britain takes possession along with Tristan da Cunha. 01 Jan 1938 Made a dependency of St. Helena. Currency: British Pound are used on this Island, while South African Rand, US Dollar and Euro are readily accepted. Tristan da Cunha has since 1977 (Queen Elizabeth II silver jubilee), produced commemorative coins from time to time. KM#3 25 pence. Year: ND (1980). Weight: 28.28g. Metal: Copper-Nickel. Diameter: 38.50 mm. Edge: Reeded. Alignment: Medal. Mint: British Royal Mint. Obverse: Queen Mother 1/4 left above sprig. Reverse: Young Elizabeth II bust facing right. Mintage: 65,000. Minted Years: One year type.

Subject: 80th Birthday of Queen Mother. Ruler: Elizabeth II [Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor]. This coin also exists in .925 silver (Mintage: 25,000). KM#9a 50 pence. Year: 1999. Weight: 28.28g. Metal: 0.925 Silver. Diameter: 38.61 mm. Edge: Reeded. Alignment: Medal. Mint: British Royal Mint. Obverse: Winston Churchill uniformed bust 1/4 left and two fighter planes. Reverse: Crowned head facing right. Mintage: 2,500. Minted Years: One year type. Ruler: Elizabeth II [Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor]. This coin also exists in CuNi 28.28g (unknown mintage) and 0.917 gold 47.54g (125 pieces). Churchill Commemorative Coins from Tristan da Cunha: Soldier, writer, painter and stateman - considered by many to be person of the 20th century.

Winston Churchill was born in 1874 and became a major personality who was rarely away from the centre stage. This coin mark the 125th Anniversary of his birth. Remembered by many as the Wartime Prime Minister, and an inspiration during Europe's darkest hours, these commemorative coins, designed by David Cornell, pay tribute to a remarkable man. The obverse portrait captures the "bull dog" determination and shows Churchill in one of his favourite uniforms - that of the Royal Yacht Squadron. He had very strong links with the sea and particularly the Navy as he served as First Lord of the Admiralty on two occasions, (1911-1915, and on the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939). After the First World War, Churchill was appointed Secretary of State for War, and also for Air, and played a major part in the modernisation of the Navy and the development of air power. Fittingly the design also includes, in the background , the Spitfire and Hurricane - two of the famous fighter planes of WWII. The reverse of the issue features the Raphael Maklouf portrait of H.M. The Queen together with the country name and the denomination.

Tristan da Cunha (including Gough Island, Nightingale Island and Stoltenhoff Island) coins produced by Commonwealth Mint. Tristan da Cunha Commemorative Coins was initiated by administrator Mike Hentley through the Commonwealth Mint & Philatelic Bureau Ltd . According to Tristan da Cunha's website at :- A change for the better happened in November 2004 when, with the approval of the Governor and the Secretary of State, the Tristan Government entered into a five year agreement with the Commonwealth Mint & Philatelic Bureau Ltd (formerly known as London Mint Ltd). This innovative partnership enables Tristan to select and approve designs for proposed issues, with the company arranging production and distribution to collectors via established dealerships worldwide. Production costs are met by the income from sales and, in addition, the Government receives a royalty on each coin sold. This provides a welcome revenue stream in addition to traditional income from the fisheries sector, a modest amount of tourism, and sales of stamps and souvenirs; and helps to finance the provision of essential government services such as Camogli Hospital and St Mary's School. Details of their Post office, Stamps, Published Books, Coins, Products current for sale and Jobs can be viewed at .

The Commonwealth Mint has been producing coins of Tristan da Cunha and on related islands in the group since January 2005. Gough Island Gough Island is major bird sanctuary in the Tristan da Cuhna group. Gough Island recently issued a set of eight legal tender, each featuring a different bird. I sincerely doubt the coins circulate as the small island is only inhabited by about six people who man a weather station, along with thousands of birds. 1 crown (25 pence). Year: 2005. Weight: 24.60g. Metal: Copper-Nickel. Diameter: 38.60 mm. Edge: Reeded. Alignment: Medal. Mint: Commonwealth Mint. Obverse: Crowned head facing right Reverse: Europe Victory in WWII. Mintage: N/A. Minted Years: One year type. Ruler: Elizabeth II [Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor]. ï¿½ penny. Year: 2009. Weight: 3.80 g. Metal: Copper. Diameter: 16.5 mm. Edge: Plain. Alignment: Medal. Mint: Commonwealth Mint.

Obverse: Crowned head facing right Reverse: Birds. Mintage: N/A. Minted Years: One year type. Ruler: Elizabeth II [Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor]. 1 penny. Year: 2009. Weight: 4.60 g. Metal: Copper. Diameter: 18 mm. Edge: Plain. Alignment: Medal. Mint: Commonwealth Mint. Obverse: Crowned head facing right Reverse: Birds. Mintage: N/A. Minted Years: One year type. Ruler: Elizabeth II [Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor]. 2 pence. Year: 2009. Weight: 6.60 g. Metal: Copper. Diameter: 22 mm. Edge: Plain. Alignment: Medal. Mint: Commonwealth Mint. Obverse: Crowned head facing right Reverse: Birds. Mintage: N/A. Minted Years: One year type. Ruler: Elizabeth II [Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor]. 5 pence. Year: 2009. Weight: 3.75 g. Metal: Copper-Nickel. Diameter: 16.5 mm. Edge: Plain. Alignment: Medal.

Mint: Commonwealth Mint. Obverse: Crowned head facing right Reverse: Penguins. Mintage: N/A. Minted Years: One year type. Ruler: Elizabeth II [Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor]. 10 pence. Year: 2009. Weight: 6.50 g. Metal: Copper-Nickel. Diameter: 22 mm. Edge: Plain. Alignment: Medal. Mint: Commonwealth Mint. Obverse: Crowned head facing right Reverse: Duck. Mintage: N/A. Minted Years: One year type. Ruler: Elizabeth II [Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor]. 20 pence. Year: 2009. Weight: 6.20 g. Metal: Brass. Diameter: 22 mm. Edge: Plain. Alignment: Medal. Mint: Commonwealth Mint. Obverse: Crowned head facing right Reverse: Bird. Mintage: N/A. Minted Years: One year type. Ruler: Elizabeth II [Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor]. 25 pence. Year: 2009. Weight: 8.70 g.

Metal: Bi-metallic; outer: Copper-Nickel, inner: Brass. Diameter: 26.50 mm. Edge: Plain. Alignment: Medal. Mint: Commonwealth Mint. Obverse: Crowned head facing right Reverse: Owl. Mintage: N/A. Minted Years: One year type. Ruler: Elizabeth II [Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor]. 1 crown (25 pence). Year: 2009. Weight: 24.85 g. Metal: Copper-Nickel. Diameter: 38.60 mm. Edge: Plain. Alignment: Medal. Mint: Commonwealth Mint. Obverse: Crowned head facing right Reverse: Falcons. Mintage: N/A. Minted Years: One year type. Ruler: Elizabeth II [Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor]. Nightingale Island A set of five design of one crown coins were made in 2005 to commemorative the life of Queen Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the Queen Elizabeth II's mother with coloured pictures.

Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon was the fourth daughter and the ninth of ten children of Claude George Bowes-Lyon, Lord Glamis, (later 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne), and his wife, Nina Cecilia Cavendish-Bentinck. Elizabeth was the last Queen of Ireland and Empress of India. As Queen Consort, Elizabeth was famous for her role in providing moral support to the British public during World War II, so much so that Adolf Hitler described her as "the most dangerous woman in Europe." 1 crown (25 pence). Year: 2005. Weight: 24.60 g. Metal: Copper-Nickel. Diameter: 38.60 mm. Edge: Reeded. Alignment: Medal. Mint: Commonwealth Mint. Obverse: Crowned head facing right Reverse: Queen Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon's child picture with white dress. Mintage: N/A. Minted Years: One year type. Ruler: Elizabeth II [Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor]. 1 crown (25 pence). Year: 2005. Weight: 24.60 g. Metal: Copper-Nickel.

Diameter: 38.60 mm. Edge: Reeded. Alignment: Medal. Mint: Commonwealth Mint. Obverse: Crowned head facing right Reverse: Queen Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon's young picture with blue dress. Mintage: N/A. Minted Years: One year type. Ruler: Elizabeth II [Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor]. 1 crown (25 pence). Year: 2005. Weight: 24.60 g. Metal: Copper-Nickel. Diameter: 38.60 mm. Edge: Reeded. Alignment: Medal. Mint: Commonwealth Mint. Obverse: Crowned head facing right Reverse: Queen Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon's old picture with green dress. Mintage: N/A. Minted Years: One year type. Ruler: Elizabeth II [Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor]. 1 crown (25 pence). Year: 2005. Weight: 24.60 g. Metal: Copper-Nickel. Diameter: 38.60 mm. Edge: Reeded. Alignment: Medal. Mint: Commonwealth Mint.

Obverse: Crowned head facing right Reverse: Queen Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon's old picture with greenish blue dress. Mintage: N/A. Minted Years: One year type. Ruler: Elizabeth II [Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor]. 1 crown (25 pence). Year: 2005. Weight: 24.60 g. Metal: Copper-Nickel. Diameter: 38.60 mm. Edge: Reeded. Alignment: Medal. Mint: Commonwealth Mint. Obverse: Crowned head facing right Reverse: Queen Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon's older picture with pink dress. Mintage: N/A. Minted Years: One year type. Ruler: Elizabeth II [Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor]. Stoltenhoff Island (part of Nightingale Island group) ï¿½ penny. Year: 2008. Weight: 3.80 g. Metal: Copper. Diameter: 16.5 mm. Edge: Plain. Alignment: Medal. Mint: Commonwealth Mint. Obverse: Crowned head facing right Reverse: Boat with masts. Mintage: N/A. Minted Years: One year type.

Ruler: Elizabeth II [Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor]. 1 penny. Year: 2008. Weight: 4.60 g. Metal: Copper. Diameter: 18 mm. Edge: Plain. Alignment: Medal. Mint: Commonwealth Mint. Obverse: Crowned head facing right Reverse: Boat with masts. Mintage: N/A. Minted Years: One year type. Ruler: Elizabeth II [Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor]. 2 pence. Year: 2008. Weight: 6.55 g. Metal: Copper. Diameter: 22 mm. Edge: Plain. Alignment: Medal. Mint: Commonwealth Mint. Obverse: Crowned head facing right Reverse: Boat with masts. Mintage: N/A. Minted Years: One year type. Ruler: Elizabeth II [Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor]. 5 pence. Year: 2008. Weight: 3.75 g. Metal: Copper-Nickel. Diameter: 16.5 mm. Edge: Plain. Alignment: Medal. Mint: Commonwealth Mint. Obverse: Crowned head facing right Reverse: Boat with masts.

Mintage: N/A. Minted Years: One year type. Ruler: Elizabeth II [Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor]. 10 pence. Year: 2008. Weight: 6.50 g. Metal: Copper-Nickel. Diameter: 22 mm. Edge: Plain. Alignment: Medal. Mint: Commonwealth Mint. Obverse: Crowned head facing right Reverse: Boat with masts. Mintage: N/A. Minted Years: One year type. Ruler: Elizabeth II [Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor]. 20 pence. Year: 2008. Weight: 6.20 g. Metal: Brass. Diameter: 22 mm. Edge: Plain. Alignment: Medal. Mint: Commonwealth Mint. Obverse: Crowned head facing right Reverse: Boat with masts. Mintage: N/A. Minted Years: One year type. Ruler: Elizabeth II [Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor]. 25 pence. Year: 2008. Weight: 8.70 g. Metal: Bi-metallic; outer: Copper-Nickel, inner: Brass.

Diameter: 26.50 mm. Edge: Plain. Alignment: Medal. Mint: Commonwealth Mint. Obverse: Crowned head facing right Reverse: Boat with masts. Mintage: N/A. Minted Years: One year type. Ruler: Elizabeth II [Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor]. 1 crown (25 pence). Year: 2008. Weight: 25.15 g. Metal: Copper-Nickel. Diameter: 38.60 mm. Edge: Plain. Alignment: Medal. Mint: Commonwealth Mint. Obverse: Crowned head facing right Reverse: Boat with masts. Mintage: N/A. Minted Years: One year type. Ruler: Elizabeth II [Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor]. Tristan da Cunha Tristan da Cunha is a small, wet and windy island in the mid-Atlantic. In 2008 Tristan da Cunha issued its first coin set. 1 crown (25 pence). Year: 2005. Weight: 24.60 g. Metal: Copper-Nickel. Diameter: 38.60 mm. Edge: Reeded.

Alignment: Medal. Mint: Commonwealth Mint. Obverse: Crowned head facing right Reverse: 200th Anniversary Battle of Trafalgar 1805-2005 with Lord Nelson. Mintage: N/A. Minted Years: One year type. Ruler: Elizabeth II [Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor]. 1 crown (25 pence). Year: 2005. Weight: 24.60 g. Metal: Copper-Nickel. Diameter: 38.60 mm. Edge: Reeded. Alignment: Medal. Mint: Commonwealth Mint. Obverse: Crowned head facing right Reverse: 1920-2005 Pope John Paul II. Mintage: N/A. Minted Years: One year type. Ruler: Elizabeth II [Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor]. ï¿½ penny. Year: 2008. Weight: 3.80 g. Metal: Copper. Diameter: 16.5 mm. Edge: Plain. Alignment: Medal. Mint: Commonwealth Mint. Obverse: Crowned head facing right Reverse: Snipe eel. Mintage: N/A.

Minted Years: One year type. Ruler: Elizabeth II [Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor]. 1 penny. Year: 2008. Weight: 4.60 g. Metal: Copper. Diameter: 18 mm. Edge: Plain. Alignment: Medal. Mint: Commonwealth Mint. Obverse: Crowned head facing right Reverse: Lobster. Mintage: N/A. Minted Years: One year type. Ruler: Elizabeth II [Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor]. 2 pence. Year: 2008. Weight: 6.55 g. Metal: Copper. Diameter: 22 mm. Edge: Plain. Alignment: Medal. Mint: Commonwealth Mint. Obverse: Crowned head facing right Reverse: Violet sea snail. Mintage: N/A. Minted Years: One year type. Ruler: Elizabeth II [Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor]. 5 pence. Year: 2008. Weight: 3.75 g. Metal: Copper-Nickel. Diameter: 16.5 mm. Edge: Plain. Alignment: Medal. Mint: Commonwealth Mint.

Obverse: Crowned head facing right Reverse: Sea turtle. Mintage: N/A. Minted Years: One year type. Ruler: Elizabeth II [Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor]. 10 pence. Year: 2008. Weight: 6.50 g. Metal: Copper-Nickel. Diameter: 22 mm. Edge: Plain. Alignment: Medal. Mint: Commonwealth Mint. Obverse: Crowned head facing right Reverse: Crab. Mintage: N/A. Minted Years: One year type. Ruler: Elizabeth II [Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor]. 20 pence. Year: 2008. Weight: 6.20 g. Metal: Brass. Diameter: 22 mm. Edge: Plain. Alignment: Medal. Mint: Commonwealth Mint. Obverse: Crowned head facing right Reverse: Killer whale (Orca). Mintage: N/A. Minted Years: One year type. Ruler: Elizabeth II [Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor]. 25 pence. Year: 2008. Weight: 8.70 g.

Metal: Bi-metallic; outer: Copper-Nickel, inner: Brass. Diameter: 26.50 mm. Edge: Plain. Alignment: Medal. Mint: Commonwealth Mint. Obverse: Crowned head facing right Reverse: Pair of bottlenose dolphins. Mintage: N/A. Minted Years: One year type. Ruler: Elizabeth II [Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor]. 1 crown (25 pence). Year: 2008. Weight: 24.77 g. Metal: Copper-Nickel. Diameter: 38.60 mm. Edge: Plain. Alignment: Medal. Mint: Commonwealth Mint. Obverse: Crowned head facing right Reverse: Pair of whales. Mintage: N/A. Minted Years: One year type. Ruler: Elizabeth II [Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor]. What is the World's Most Isolated Inhabited Island? What is the World's Most Isolated Inhabited Island?

Images By: Brian Gratwicke, Jenny Thompson, Wimbledon, Antonioguillem Last Modified Date: 23 December 2016 Copyright Protected: Top 10 facts about the world The world’s most isolated inhabited island is Tristan da Cunha, a dependency of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena. It is located far in the South Atlantic, roughly equidistant between Cape Town, South Africa and Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay. Tristan da Cunha is 1,750 miles (2,816 km) from South Africa and 2,088 miles (3,360 km) from South America, making it the most remote inhabited island on the planet. There are numerous islands in the central Pacific more distant from continental landmasses, but they are not inhabited. The closest inhabited island to Tristan da Cunha is Saint Helena, 1,350 miles (2,173 km) to the north. The world’s most isolated island in general, Bouvet Island , is located about 2,000 miles (3,218 km) to its southeast.

Tristan da Cunha is the largest island in an archipelago consisting of two other main islands and a couple tiny ones. In order of size, these are Inaccessible Island, Nightingale Island, Middle Island, and Stoltenhoff Island. They are all located about 20 miles (32 km) from one another, the arrangement of the largest three resembling an isosceles triangle pointing towards the northeast, with the largest, Tristan da Cunha, serving as the leading vertex. The two smallest are located right alongside Nightingale Island. Another, the uninhabited Gough Island, is located 245 miles (395 km) to the southeast. Ad Tristan da Cunha itself has an area of 121 square miles (201 square km), similar to a large city such as Paris, although most of the island is mountainous and uninhabited. The only flat area is the location of Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, the capital and only real city. Locally it is known as “the Settlement.” Tristan da Cunha has a population of about 272 people, with 80 families sharing just eight surnames.

Due to the limited size of their gene pool, hereditary health problems, such as asthma and glaucoma are more common among the inhabitants. The island’s inhabitants live off fishing and growing vegetables on small plots of land. Its economy is built around its canned crayfish factory and the exporting of distinctive stamps and coins. Due to the lack of an airstrip, transportation to and from Tristan da Cunha is difficult, and must be conducted by boat. The island lies near the trading path for ships traveling from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Cape Town in South Africa. The highest point is a volcano , Queen Mary’s Peak, with an altitude of 6,765 ft (2,062 m). In 1961, it erupted, pouring lava down a side of the island and forcing the evacuation of all residents to the United Kingdom. Most of the residents returned in 1963 after a Royal Society expedition sent there to investigate reported little damage to the primary settlement. In 1958, as a part of Operation Argus, the United States exploded an atomic bomb in the area. This was not made public until May 2006.

Ad Tristan Da Cunha - The Full Wiki The Full Wiki Note: Many of our articles have direct quotes from sources you can cite, within the Wikipedia article! This article doesn't yet, but we're working on it! See more info or our list of citable articles . Top rankings for Tristan Da Cunha 211st (Redirected to Tristan da Cunha article) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Tristan da Cunha 3.4/sq mi Currency Pound sterling (£) ( GBP ) Time zone GMT ( UTC +0) Internet TLD .sh Calling code 290 Tristan da Cunha (pronounced /ˈtrɪstən də ˈkuːnə/) is a remote volcanic group of islands in the south Atlantic Ocean ,and also the name of the main island of that group. It is the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world, [1] lying 2,816 kilometres (1,750 mi) from the nearest land, South Africa , and 3,360 kilometres (2,090 mi) from South America .

It is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha [2] which also includes Saint Helena 2,430 kilometres (1,510 mi) to its north, and equatorial Ascension Island even farther removed, grouping the British South Atlantic islands into one far-flung centrally administered aggregate. Tristan da Cunha is said to be the "most remote inhabited location on Earth." [3] It has a population of 275 (2009 figures). [4] The territory consists of the main island of Tristan da Cunha itself, which measures about 7 miles across and has an area of 98 square kilometres (38 sq mi), along with the uninhabited Nightingale Islands and the wildlife reserves of Inaccessible Island and Gough Island . Contents Main article: History of Tristan da Cunha The islands were first sighted in 1506 by Portuguese explorer Tristão da Cunha , although rough seas prevented a landing. He named the main island after himself, Ilha de Tristão da Cunha, which was later anglicised to Tristan da Cunha Island.

The first survey of the archipelago was made by the French frigate L'Heure du Berger in 1767. Soundings were taken and a rough survey of the coastline was made. The presence of water at the large waterfall of Big Watron and in a lake on the north coast were noted, and the results of the survey were published by a Royal Navy hydrographer in 1781. The first permanent settler was Jonathan Lambert, from Salem , Massachusetts , United States , who arrived at the islands in December 1810. [5] He declared the islands his property and named them the Islands of Refreshment . Lambert's rule was short-lived, as he died in a boating accident in 1812. In 1816 the United Kingdom formally annexed the islands, ruling them from the Cape Colony in South Africa . This is reported to have primarily been a measure to ensure that the French would not be able to use the islands as a base for a rescue operation to free Napoleon Bonaparte from his prison on Saint Helena .

The occupation also prevented the United States from using Tristan da Cunha as a base, as they had during the War of 1812 . Attempts to colonise Inaccessible Island failed. The islands were occupied by a garrison of British Marines, and a civilian population was gradually built up. Whalers also set up on the islands as a base for operations in the Southern Atlantic. However, the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, together with the gradual move from sailing ships to coal-fired steam ships , increased the isolation of the islands, as they were no longer needed as a stopping port for journeys from Europe to the Far East . In 1867, Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and second son of Queen Victoria , visited the islands. The main settlement, Edinburgh of the Seven Seas , was named in honour of his visit. Lewis Carroll 's youngest brother, the Rev. Edwin H. Dodgson , served as an Anglican missionary and school teacher in Tristan da Cunha in the 1880s. The second Duke of Edinburgh , the husband of Queen Elizabeth II , visited the islands in 1957 as part of a world tour onboard the royal yacht Britannia .

On 12 January 1938, by Letters Patent , the islands were declared a dependency of Saint Helena. Prior to this, passing ships stopped irregularly at the island for a period of mere hours. [6] Tristan da Cunha Politics portal view • talk • edit During World War II , the islands were used as a top secret Royal Navy weather and radio station codenamed HMS Atlantic Isle, to monitor U Boats (which needed to surface to maintain radio contact) and German shipping movements in the South Atlantic Ocean . The only currency in use on the island at this time was the potato, and islanders labouring to construct the station were paid in kind with naval supplies for their own use, such as wood, paint and tea. Money was introduced the following year, as was the island's first newspaper, The Tristan Times. The first Administrator was appointed by the British Government during this time. In 1958, as part of Operation Argus , the United States Navy exploded an atomic bomb 200 kilometres high in the upper atmosphere, 115 kilometres southeast of the main island.

In 1961, a volcanic eruption forced the evacuation of the entire population to wooden huts in the disused Pendell Army Camp in Merstham , Surrey , England before moving to a more permanent site at a former Royal Air Force station in Calshot near Southampton , England , living mainly in a road called Tristan Close. In 1962, a Royal Society expedition went to the islands to assess the damage, and reported that the settlement Edinburgh of the Seven Seas had been only marginally affected. Most families returned in 1963 led by Willie Repetto (head of the ten-person island council) and Allan Crawford (the former island welfare officer). In 2005, the islands were given a United Kingdom post code (TDCU 1ZZ) to make it easier for the residents to order goods online. The St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Constitution Order 2009 was made by HM the Queen and the Privy Council on 8 July and is expected to come into operation shortly thereafter.

The new Constitution replaces the 1988 version and among other changes limits the Governor's powers, includes a Bill of Rights, establishes independence of the judiciary and the public service and formally designates the Governor of St Helena as, concurrently, the Governor for Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. It also ends the "dependency" status of Ascension and Tristan da Cunha on St Helena Advertisements Recent events On 4 December 2007 an outbreak of an acute viral-induced asthma was reported. This outbreak was compounded by Tristan's lack of suitable medical supplies. [7] The British coastguard in Falmouth co-ordinated international efforts to get appropriate medicines to Tristan in order to treat the virus. Tristan’s elderly population and the very young were most at risk; however, only four elderly people were hospitalised. Royal Fleet Auxiliary Vessel RFA Gold Rover upon reaching the island with the required medical supplies found no emergency and the islanders in good general health. On February 13, 2008, fire destroyed the fishing factory and the two generators that supply power to the island. Backup generators were used to power the hospital and give power for part of the day to the rest of the island.

Power was on during the day and early evening and candlelight was used the rest of the time. On March 14, 2008 new generators were installed and 24/7 power was restored. This fire was devastating to the island because fishing is a mainstay of the economy. Royal Engineers from the British Army are working on the harbour to help maintain it as everything comes and goes by boat. Politics and law Executive authority is vested in the Queen, who is represented in the territory by the Governor of Saint Helena . [8] As the Governor resides permanently in Saint Helena , an Administrator is appointed to represent the Governor in the islands. The Administrator acts as the local head of government, and takes advice from the Island Council, made up of eight elected and three appointed members. Policing in Tristan da Cunha is undertaken by one full-time police officer and three special constables . Tristan da Cunha has its own legislation, but the law of Saint Helena applies to the extent that it is not inconsistent with local law, insofar as it is suitable for local circumstances and subject to such modifications as local circumstances make necessary.

Geography and ecology Map of Tristan da Cunha group (including Gough Island) The name "Tristan da Cunha" is also used for the archipelago , which consists of the following islands: the main island Tristan da Cunha and its surrounding islands Tristan da Cunha, the main island and largest ( 37°6′44″S 12°16′56″W﻿ / ﻿37.11222°S 12.28222°W﻿ / -37.11222; -12.28222﻿ (Tristan da Cunha) ) area: 98 square kilometres (38 sq mi) [9] Inaccessible Island area: 14 square kilometres (5.4 sq mi) Nightingale Islands area: 3.4 square kilometres (1.3 sq mi) Nightingale Island area: 3.2 square kilometres (1.2 sq mi) Middle Island area: 0.1 square kilometres (25 acres) Stoltenhoff Island area: 0.1 square kilometres (25 acres) Gough Island (Diego Alvarez)

 area: 68 square kilometres (26 sq mi) Inaccessible Island and the Nightingale Islands are located 35 kilometres (22 mi) southwest of the main island, while Gough Island is located 395 kilometres (245 mi) south-southeast.

The main island is quite mountainous; the only flat area is the location of the capital, Edinburgh of the Seven Seas , on the northwest coast. The highest point is a volcano called Queen Mary's Peak 2,062 metres (6,765 ft); it is covered by snow in winter. The climate is marine subtropical with small temperature differences between summer and winter and between day and night. The other islands of the group are uninhabited, except for the weather station on Gough Island, which has been operated by South Africa since 1956 (since 1963 at its present location at Transvaal Bay on the southeast coast), with a staff of six. Tristan da Cunha is the nesting place of Tristan Albatrosses . Gough Island , Tristan da Cunha Tristan da Cunha is thought to have been formed by a long-lived centre of upwelling magma called the Tristan hotspot . Numerous flora and fauna occur in Tristan da Cunha. Many of these have a broad circumpolar distribution in the South Atlantic and South Pacific Oceans. Thus many of the species that occur in Tristan da Cunha occur as far away as New Zealand .

For example the species Nertera depressa was first collected in Tristan da Cunha, [10] but has since been recorded in occurrence as far distant as New Zealand. [11] Economy All Tristan families are farmers, owning their own stock. All land is communally owned. Livestock numbers are strictly controlled to conserve pasture and to prevent better-off families accumulating wealth. No outsiders are allowed to buy land or settle on Tristan. [12] The islands' main source of foreign income is the lobster factory and the sale of postage stamps and coins to overseas collectors. Most people have dual occupations, often working for the local government. Many inhabitants have plots of land (at the patches) on which they grow potatoes. The 1961 volcanic eruption destroyed the Tristan da Cunha canned crayfish factory, which was rebuilt a short time later. The crayfish farmers work for the South African company Ovenstone, which has an exclusive contract to sell crayfish to the United States and Japan . Even though Tristan da Cunha is a UK overseas territory , it is not permitted direct access to European Union markets. Recently the decline in interest in Tristan crayfish in the United States has meant that the islanders have had to borrow from their reserves.

The islands' financial problems may cause delays in updating communication equipment and improving education on the island. The fire of February 13, 2008, (see history above) has resulted in major economic disruption. Banking and currency Although Tristan da Cunha is part of the same overseas territory as Saint Helena, it does not use the local Saint Helena pound . Instead, the island uses the United Kingdom issue of the pound sterling . For more information on currency in the wider region, see The Sterling Currency in the South Atlantic and the Antarctic . The Bank of Saint Helena was established on Saint Helena and Ascension Island in 2004. Although this bank does not have a physical presence on Tristan da Cunha, the residents of Tristan are entitled to use its services. [13] Education The school on the island is the St. Mary's School, which has children from ages three to sixteen. The current facility, which opened in 1975, has five classrooms, a kitchen, a stage, a computer room, and a craft and science room. [14] Demographics The islands have a population of 275 people.

[15] The main settlement is Edinburgh of the Seven Seas (known locally as "The Settlement"). The only religion is Christianity , with denominations of Anglican and Roman Catholic . There are instances of health problems attributed to endogamy , including asthma and glaucoma . The current population is thought to have descended from 15 ancestors, eight males and seven females who arrived on the island at various times between 1816 and 1908. The male founders originated from Scotland, England, The Netherlands, the USA and Italy. [16] There is a very high incidence of asthma among the population and research by Dr. Noe Zamel of the University of Toronto has led to discoveries about the genetic nature of the disease. [17] Three of the original settlers of the island were sufferers. [18] Transport The remote location of the islands makes transport to the outside world difficult. There is no airport, so the islands can be reached only by boat. Fishing boats from South Africa regularly service the islands. The RMS Saint Helena formerly connected the islands to South Africa, and the United Kingdom via Saint Helena and Ascension Island , but she no longer calls at Tristan da Cunha.

Society Housing in Tristan da Cunha On Tristan da Cunha the population of 275 people share just eight surnames: Glass, Green (Dutch), Hagan (American), Lavarello (Italian, a typical Ligurian surname), Repetto (Italian, another typical Ligurian surname), Rogers (American), Swain (English), and Patterson. [19] The addition of the eighth surname, Patterson, occurred recently when a Tristanian married an Englishman and returned to settle on Tristan. [19] There are 80 families on the island. Health care is free, but, with just one resident doctor from South Africa and five nurses, the delivery and surgery are limited and serious injury can necessitate sending signals to passing fishing vessels, so that the injured person can be transferred to Cape Town . As of late 2007 IBM and Beacon Equity Partners, co-operating with Medweb, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and the government of Tristan da Cunha on ”Project Tristan”, has availed the island doctor with access to long distance tele-medical help, making it possible to send EKG and x-ray pictures to doctors in other countries for instant consultation.

Television did not arrive on the island until 2001, and the sole channel available is the British Forces Broadcasting Service from the Falkland Islands . Education is rudimentary; children leave school at fifteen, and although it is possible to take GCSEs a year later, results are poor. [20] [21] Tristan da Cunha's isolation has led to an unusual, patois -like dialect of English . Bill Bryson documents some examples of the island's dialect in his book, The Mother Tongue . In literature Hervé Bazin 's novel Les Bienheureux de la Désolation (1970) describes the 1961 forced exile of the population to England and their subsequent return. Edgar Allan Poe 's The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket (1838), Chapter 15, has a detailed history and description. Zinnie Harris' play Further Than the Furthest Thing (2000) is inspired by events on the island, notably the 1961 volcanic eruption and evacuation of the islanders.

Raoul Schrott 's novel Tristan da Cunha oder die Hälfte der Erde (2003) is almost entirely set on Tristan da Cunha and Gough islands and chronicles the history of the archipelago. Robert A Heinlein 's novel Tramp Royale (1992) devoted an entire chapter to his (almost) visit to Tristan da Cunha, arguably the most remote human settlement on earth. See also ^ CNN Traveler: A long way from anywhere Further reading Barrow, Kathleen Mary. (1910). Three Years in Tristan da Cunha. 280 pp. London: Skeffington & Son Ltd. Reprinted (2005) by Echo Library. ISBN 1846378664. Brander, J. (1940). Tristan da Cunha: 1506–1902. London: Allen & Unwin. Crawford, Allan B. (1941). I Went to Tristan. London: Hodder and Stoughton Ltd. Hosegood, Nancy. (1964).

Corporal Glass's Island: The Story of Tristan da Cunha. London: Hodder and Stoughton Ltd. 192 pp. Crawford, Allan B. (1982). Tristan Da Cunha and the Roaring Forties. Edinburgh: Charles Skilton Ltd. ISBN 0284985899. Crawford, Allan B. (1999). Penguins, Potatoes and Postage Stamps: a Tristan Da Cunha Chronicle. Oswestry, Shropshire: Anthony Nelson. ISBN 0904614689 Rogers, Rose Annie (1927). "The Lonely Island" Published by Ancestry24 [3] ISBN 1-86918-039-9 External links Nearest Island to Tristan Da Cunha - tristandacunha.org TristanDaCunha.org Videos Nearest Island to Tristan Da Cunha Tristan da Cunha is the remotest group of islands in the world. As such, there are no islands ‘nearby’ to the Tristan Da Cunha group.

Here is a satellite image of the island of Tristan da Cunha from Google Maps: View Larger Map If you zoom out from the image, you will see Inaccessible Island and the Nightingale Islands. Gough Island, the final island in the Tristan da Cunha group, can’t be seen without zooming out further, as it lies some some 400 kilometres (250 miles) south east/south south east of the other islands. If you continue to zoom out, Tristan da Cunha’s remoteness unfolds, with South America 3,360 kilometres (2,088 miles) to the west and South Africa 2,816 kilometres (1,750 miles) to the east. There are a few land masses nearer to Tristan Da Cunha than South America and Africa, but many are uninhabited. Zooming in allows you to see the island in more detail, including Edinburgh, the major settlement. Currently the only method of travelling to Tristan Da Cunha is by boat from Cape Town, South Africa – this is one of Tristan’s ‘nearby’ locations.

Saint Helena (north of Tristan) is also ‘nearby’, a mere 2,430 kilometres (1,510 miles) distant. As we have said elsewhere, it is not possible for outsiders to settle in Tristan da Cunha. If you would like to make your home in the southern hemisphere, both New Zealand and Australia accept large numbers of new residents each year. Advertisements Easter Island - Chile | Easter Island (Rapa Nui: Rapa Nui, S… | Flickr Sam valadi By: Sam valadi Easter Island - Chile Easter Island (Rapa Nui: Rapa Nui, Spanish: Isla de Pascua) is a Chilean island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle. Easter Island is famous for its 887 extant monumental statues, called moai, created by the early Rapa Nui people. In 1995, UNESCO named Easter Island a World Heritage Site, with much of the island protected within Rapa Nui National Park.

Polynesian people most likely settled on Easter Island sometime between 700 to 1100 CE, and created a thriving and industrious culture as evidenced by the island's numerous enormous stone moai and other artifacts. However, human activity, the introduction of the Polynesian rat and overpopulation led to gradual deforestation and extinction of natural resources which severely weakened the Rapa Nui civilization.[5] By the time of European arrival in 1722, the island's population had dropped to 2,000–3,000 from an estimated high of approximately 15,000 just a century earlier.

European diseases and Peruvian slave raiding in the 1860s further reduced the Rapa Nui population, to a low of only 111 inhabitants in 1877.[6] Easter Island is one of the most remote inhabited islands in the world.[7] The nearest inhabited land (around 50 residents in 2013) is Pitcairn Island, 2,075 kilometres (1,289 mi) away;[8] the nearest town with a population over 500 is Rikitea, on the island of Mangareva, 2,606 km (1,619 mi) away; the nearest continental point lies just in central Chile, 3,512 kilometres (2,182 mi) away. Easter Island is a special territory of Chile that was annexed in 1888.

Administratively, it belongs to the Valparaíso Region, and, more specifically, it is the only commune of the Province Isla de Pascua.[9] According to the 2012 Chilean census, the island has about 5,800 residents, of whom some 60 percent are descendants of the aboriginal Rapa Nui. Name The name "Easter Island" was given by the island's first recorded European visitor, the Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen, who encountered it on Easter Sunday (5 April) in 1722, while searching for Davis or David's island. Roggeveen named it Paasch-Eyland (18th-century Dutch for "Easter Island"). The island's official Spanish name, Isla de Pascua, also means "Easter Island". The current Polynesian name of the island, Rapa Nui ("Big Rapa"), was coined after the slave raids of the early 1860s, and refers to the island's topographic resemblance to the island of Rapa in the Bass Islands of the Austral Islands group.

However, Norwegian ethnographer Thor Heyerdahl argued that Rapa was the original name of Easter Island and that Rapa Iti was named by refugees from there. The phrase Te pito o te henua has been said to be the original name of the island since Alphonse Pinart gave it the romantic translation "the Navel of the World" in his Voyage à l'Île de Pâques, published in 1877. William Churchill (1912) inquired about the phrase and was told that there were three te pito o te henua, these being the three capes (land's ends) of the island. The phrase appears to have been used in the same sense as the designation of "Land's End" at the tip of Cornwall. He was unable to elicit a Polynesian name for the island itself, and concluded that there may not have been one. According to Barthel (1974), oral tradition has it that the island was first named Te pito o te kainga a Hau Maka "The little piece of land of Hau Maka".

However, there are two words pronounced pito in Rapa Nui, one meaning 'end' and one 'navel', and the phrase can thus also mean "the Navel of the World". This was apparently its actual meaning: French ethnologist Alphonse Pinart gave it the actual translation "the Navel of the World". Another name, Mata ki te rangi, means "Eyes looking to the sky". Diamond suggested that cannibalism took place on Easter Island after the construction of the moai contributed to environmental degradation when extreme deforestation destabilized an already precarious ecosystem. Archeological record shows that at the time of the initial settlement the island was home to many species of trees, including at least three species which grew up to 15 metres (49 ft) or more: Paschalococos – possibly the largest palm trees in the world at the time, Alphitonia zizyphoides, and Elaeocarpus rarotongensis, as well as at least six species of native land birds. A major factor that contributed to the extinction of multiple plant species was the introduction of the Polynesian rat.

Studies by paleobotanists have shown rats can dramatically affect the reproduction of vegetation in an ecosystem. In the case of Rapa Nui, recovered plant shell seeds showed markings of being gnawed on by rats. Barbara A. West wrote, "Sometime before the arrival of Europeans on Easter Island, the Rapanui experienced a tremendous upheaval in their social system brought about by a change in their island's ecology... By the time of European arrival in 1722, the island's population had dropped to 2,000–3,000 from a high of approximately 15,000 just a century earlier." By that time, 21 species of trees and all species of land birds went extinct through some combination of over harvesting / over hunting, rat predation, and climate change. The island was largely deforested, and it did not have any trees more than 3 metres (10 feet) tall. Loss of large trees meant that residents were no longer able to build seaworthy vessels, significantly diminishing their fishing abilities. Deforestation also affected agricultural production on Rapa Nui. At first, the native tropical forests provided ideal shade cover for soil.

But with many of the native forest being destroyed, the topsoil became eroded causing a sharp decline in agricultural production. This was further exacerbated by the loss of land birds and the collapse in seabird populations as a potential source of food. By the 18th century, residents of the island were largely sustained by farming, with domestic chickens as the primary source of protein. As the island became overpopulated and resources diminished, warriors known as matatoa gained more power and the Ancestor Cult ended, making way for the Bird Man Cult. Beverly Haun wrote, "The concept of mana (power) invested in hereditary leaders was recast into the person of the birdman, apparently beginning circa 1540, and coinciding with the final vestiges of the moai period." This cult maintained that, although the ancestors still provided for their descendants, the medium through which the living could contact the dead was no longer statues, but human beings chosen through a competition. The god responsible for creating humans, Makemake, played an important role in this process.

Katherine Routledge, who systematically collected the island's traditions in her 1919 expedition, showed that the competitions for Bird Man (Rapanui: tangata manu) started around 1760, after the arrival of the first Europeans, and ended in 1878, with the construction of the first church by Roman Catholic missionaries who formally arrived in 1864. Petroglyphs representing Bird Men on Easter Island are exactly the same as some in Hawaii, indicating that this concept was probably brought by the original settlers; only the competition itself was unique to Easter Island. After an agreement in 1985 between Chile and United States, the runway at Mataveri International Airport was enlarged and was inaugurated in 1987. The runway was expanded 423 metres (1,388 ft) reaching 3,353 metres (11,001 ft).

Pinochet is reported to have refused to attend the inauguration in protest of pressures from the United States to attend human rights cases.[36] 21st century Starting in August 2010, members of the indigenous Hitorangi clan occupied the Hangaroa Eco Village and Spa.[40][41] The occupiers allege that the hotel was bought from the Pinochet government, in violation of a Chilean agreement with the indigenous Rapa Nui, in the 1990s.[42] The occupiers say their ancestors had been cheated into giving up the land.[43] According to a BBC report, on 3 December 2010, at least 25 people were injured when Chilean police using pellet guns attempted to evict from these buildings a group of Rapa Nui who had claimed that the land the buildings stood on had been illegally taken from their ancestors. Easter Island is one of the world's most isolated inhabited islands. Its closest inhabited neighbor is Pitcairn Island, 2,075 km (1,289 mi) to the west, with fewer than 100 inhabitants.

The nearest continental point lies in central Chile near Concepción, at 3,512 kilometres (2,182 mi). Easter Island's latitude is similar to that of Caldera, Chile, and it lies 3,510 km (2,180 mi) west of continental Chile at its nearest point (between Lota and Lebu in the Biobío Region). Isla Salas y Gómez, 415 km (258 mi) to the east, is closer but is uninhabited. Archipelago Tristan da Cunha in the southern Atlantic competes for the title of the most remote island, lying 2,430 kilometres (1,510 mi) from Saint Helena island and 2,816 kilometres (1,750 mi) from the South African coast. The island is about 24.6 km (15.3 mi) long by 12.3 km (7.6 mi) at its widest point; its overall shape is triangular.

It has an area of 163.6 square kilometres (63.2 sq mi), and a maximum altitude of 507 meters (1,663 ft). There are three Rano (freshwater crater lakes), at Rano Kau, Rano Raraku and Rano Aroi, near the summit of Terevaka, but no permanent streams or rivers. Geology Typical landscape on Easter Island; rounded extinct volcanoes covered in low vegetation. Easter Island is a volcanic high island, consisting mainly of three extinct coalesced volcanoes: Terevaka (altitude 507 metres) forms the bulk of the island, while two other volcanoes, Poike and Rano Kau, form the eastern and southern headlands and give the island its roughly triangular shape. Lesser cones and other volcanic features include the crater Rano Raraku, the cinder cone Puna Pau and many volcanic caves including lava tubes.[45] Poike used to be a separate island until volcanic material from Terevaka united it to the larger whole.

The island is dominated by hawaiite and basalt flows which are rich in iron and show affinity with igneous rocks found in the Galápagos Islands. Easter Island and surrounding islets, such as Motu Nui and Motu Iti, form the summit of a large volcanic mountain rising over 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) from the sea bed. The mountain is part of the Sala y Gómez Ridge, a (mostly submarine) mountain range with dozens of seamounts, formed by the Easter hotspot. The range begins with Pukao and next Moai, two seamounts to the west of Easter Island, and extends 2,700 km (1,700 mi) east to the Nazca Ridge. The ridge was formed by the Nazca Plate floating over the Easter hotspot.[47] The movement of Nazca and formerly the Farallon Plate over the hotspot has created a long underwater ridge, the Nazca Ridge, whose eastern end is being subducted under Peru. Only at Easter Island, its surrounding islets and Sala y Gómez does the Sala y Gómez Ridge form dry land.

Pukao, Moai and Easter Island were formed in the last 750,000 years and are the ridge's youngest islands. The most recent eruption was a little over 100,000 years ago. Climate of Chile Under the Köppen climate classification, the climate of Easter Island is classified as a tropical rainforest climate (Af) that borders on a humid subtropical climate. The lowest temperatures are recorded in July and August (18 °C or 64 °F) and the highest in February (maximum temperature 28 °C or 82 °F[49]), the summer season in the southern hemisphere. Winters are relatively mild. The rainiest month is May, though the island experiences year-round rainfall.[50] Easter Island's isolated location exposes it to winds which help to keep the temperature fairly cool. Precipitation averages 1,118 millimetres or 44 inches per year. Occasionally, heavy rainfall and rainstorms strike the island. These occur mostly in the winter months (June–August).

Since it is close to the South Pacific High and outside the range of the intertropical convergence zone, cyclones and hurricanes do not occur around Easter island. Ecology Easter Island, together with its closest neighbour, the tiny island of Isla Sala y Gómez 415 kilometers (258 mi) farther east, is recognized by ecologists as a distinct ecoregion, the Rapa Nui subtropical broadleaf forests. The original subtropical moist broadleaf forests are now gone, but paleobotanical studies of fossil pollen, tree moulds left by lava flows, and root casts found in local soils indicate that the island was formerly forested, with a range of trees, shrubs, ferns, and grasses. A large extinct palm, Paschalococos disperta, related to the Chilean wine palm (Jubaea chilensis), was one of the dominant trees as attested by fossil evidence. Like its Chilean counterpart it probably took close to 100 years to reach adult height. The Polynesian rat, which the original settlers brought with them, played a very important role in the disappearance of the Rapanui palm.

Although some may believe that rats played a major role in the degradation of the forest, less than 10% of palm nuts show teeth marks from rats. The remains of palm stumps in different places indicate that humans caused the trees to fall because in large areas, the stumps were cut efficiently.[55] Trees are sparse, rarely forming natural groves, and it has been argued whether native Easter Islanders deforested the island in the process of erecting their statues,[61] and in providing sustenance for an overpopulated island. Experimental archaeology demonstrated that some statues certainly could have been placed on "Y" shaped wooden frames called miro manga erua and then pulled to their final destinations on ceremonial sites.[61] Other theories involve the use of "ladders" (parallel wooden rails) over which the statues could have been dragged.[62] Rapanui traditions metaphorically refer to spiritual power (mana) as the means by which the moai were "walked" from the quarry. Recent experimental recreations have proven that it is fully possible that the moai were literally walked from their quarries to their final positions by use of ropes, casting doubt on the role that their existence plays in the environmental collapse of the island.

Given the island's southern latitude, the climatic effects of the Little Ice Age (about 1650 to 1850) may have exacerbated deforestation, although this remains speculative.[61] Many researchers[64] point to the climatic downtrend caused by the Little Ice Age as a contributing factor to resource stress and to the palm tree's disappearance. Experts, however, do not agree on when exactly the island's palms became extinct. Easter Island has suffered from heavy soil erosion in recent centuries, perhaps aggravated by agriculture and massive deforestation. This process seems to have been gradual and may have been aggravated by sheep farming throughout most of the 20th century. Jakob Roggeveen reported that Easter Island was exceptionally fertile. "Fowls are the only animals they keep. They cultivate bananas, sugar cane, and above all sweet potatoes." In 1786 Jean-François de La Pérouse visited Easter Island and his gardener declared that "three days' work a year" would be enough to support the population.

According to Diamond, the oral traditions (the veracity of which has been questioned by Routledge, Lavachery, Mètraux, Peiser and others) of the current islanders seem obsessed with cannibalism, which he offers as evidence supporting a rapid collapse. For example, he states, to severely insult an enemy one would say, "The flesh of your mother sticks between my teeth." This, Diamond asserts, means the food supply of the people ultimately ran out.[67] Cannibalism, however, was widespread across Polynesian cultures.[68] Human bones have not been found in earth ovens other than those behind the religious platforms, indicating that cannibalism in Easter Island was a ritualistic practice. Contemporary ethnographic research has proven there is scarcely any tangible evidence for widespread cannibalism anywhere and at any time on the Island.[69] The first scientific exploration of Easter Island (1914) recorded that the indigenous population strongly rejected allegations that they or their ancestors had been cannibals. The most important myths are: Aku-aku, the guardians of the sacred family caves.

Moai-kava-kava a ghost man of the Hanau epe (long-ears.) Hekai ite umu pare haonga takapu Hanau epe kai noruego, the sacred chant to appease the aku-aku before entering a family cave. Stone work The Rapa Nui people had a Stone Age culture and made extensive use of several different types of local stone: Basalt, a hard, dense stone used for toki and at least one of the moai. Obsidian, a volcanic glass with sharp edges used for sharp-edged implements such as Mataa and also for the black pupils of the eyes of the moai. Red scoria from Puna Pau, a very light red stone used for the pukao and a few moai. Tuff from Rano Raraku, a much more easily worked rock than basalt, and was used for most of the moai.

Statues The large stone statues, or moai, for which Easter Island is famous, were carved in the period 1100–1680 CE (rectified radio-carbon dates).[16] A total of 887 monolithic stone statues have been inventoried on the island and in museum collections so far.[70] Although often identified as "Easter Island heads", the statues have torsos, most of them ending at the top of the thighs, although a small number are complete figures that kneel on bent knees with their hands over their stomachs.[71][72] Some upright moai have become buried up to their necks by shifting soils. Almost all (95%) moai were carved from compressed, easily worked solidified volcanic ash or tuff found at a single site on the side of the extinct volcano Rano Raraku. The native islanders who carved them used only stone hand chisels, mainly basalt toki, which lie in place all over the quarry. The stone chisels were sharpened by chipping off a new edge when dulled. While sculpting was going on the volcanic stone was splashed with water to soften it.

While many teams worked on different statues at the same time, a single moai took a team of five or six men approximately a year to complete. Each statue represented the deceased head of a lineage. Only a quarter of the statues were installed, while nearly half remained in the quarry at Rano Raraku and the rest sat elsewhere, presumably on their way to intended locations. The largest moai raised on a platform is known as "Paro". It weighs 82 tons and is 9.8 m (32.15 ft) long.[73] Several other statues of similar weight were transported to several ahu on the North and South coasts. Possible means by which the statues were moved include employment of a miro manga erua, a Y-shaped sledge with cross pieces, pulled with ropes made from the tough bark of the hau-hau tree,[74] and tied around the statue's neck. Anywhere from 180 to 250 men were required for pulling, depending on the size of the moai. Some 50 of the statues were re-erected in modern times.

One of the first was on Ahu Ature Huke in Anakena beach in 1956.[75] It was raised using traditional methods during a Heyerdahl expedition. Another method that might have been used would be to attach ropes to the statue and rock it, tugging it forward as it rocked. This would fit the legend of the Mo'ai 'walking' to their final locations. This might have been managed by as few as 15 people. This is supported by the following evidence: 1) The heads of the moai in the quarry are sloped forward whereas the ones moved to final locations are not. This would serve to provide a better centre of gravity for transport. 2) The statues found along the transport roads have wider bases than statues installed on ahu; this would facilitate more stable transport. Studies have also shown fractures along the bases of the statues in transport; these could have arisen from rocking the statue back and forth and placing great pressures on the edges. The statues found mounted on ahu do not have wide bases and stone chips found at the sites suggest they were further modified on placement.

3) The abandoned and fallen statues in proximity to the old roads are found (more often than would be expected from chance) face down when headed down ascending grades, and on their backs when headed uphill. Some were documented standing upright along the old roads, e.g., by a party from Captain Cook's voyage which rested in the shade of a standing statue. This would be consistent with upright transport. In 2011, a large moai statue was excavated from the ground. Stone platforms Two ahu at Hanga Roa. In foreground Ahu Ko Te Riku (with a pukao on its head). In the mid-ground is a side view of an ahu with five moai showing retaining wall, platform, ramp and pavement. The Mataveri end of Hanga Roa is visible in the background with Rano Kau rising above it. Ahu are stone platforms. Varying greatly in layout, many were reworked during or after the huri mo'ai or statue-toppling era; many became ossuaries; one was dynamited open; and Ahu Tongariki was swept inland by a tsunami.

Of the 313 known ahu, 125 carried moai—usually just one, probably because of the shortness of the moai period and transportation difficulties. Ahu Tongariki, one kilometer (0.62 miles) from Rano Raraku, had the most and tallest moai, 15 in total. Other notable ahu with moai are Ahu Akivi, restored in 1960 by William Mulloy, Nau Nau at Anakena and Tahai. Some moai may have been made from wood and were lost. One of the highest-quality examples of Easter Island stone masonry is the rear wall of the ahu at Vinapu. Made without mortar by shaping hard basalt rocks of up to seven tons to match each other exactly, it has a superficial similarity to some Inca stone walls in South America.[81] Stone houses Two types of houses are known from the past: hare paenga, a house with an elliptical foundation, made with basalt slabs and covered with a thatched roof that resembled an overturned boat, and hare oka, a round stone structure.

Related stone structures called Tupa look very similar to the hare oka, except that the Tupa were inhabited by astronomer-priests and located near the coast, where the movements of the stars could be easily observed. Settlements also contain hare moa ("chicken house"), oblong stone structures that were used to house chickens. The houses at the ceremonial village of Orongo are unique in that they are shaped like hare paenga but are made entirely of flat basalt slabs found inside Rano Kao crater. The entrances to all the houses are very low, and entry requires crawling. The island and neighbouring Motu Nui are riddled with caves, many of which show signs of past human use for planting and as fortifications, including narrowed entrances and crawl spaces with ambush points. Many caves feature in the myths and legends of the Rapa Nui. Easter Island once had an apparent script called rongorongo. Glyphs include pictographic and geometric shapes; the texts were incised in wood in reverse boustrophedon direction. It was first reported by a French missionary, Eugène Eyraud, in 1864.

At that time, several islanders said they could understand the writing, but according to tradition, only ruling families and priests were ever literate, and none survived the slave raids and subsequent epidemics. Despite numerous attempts, the surviving texts have not been deciphered, and without decipherment it is not certain that they are actually writing. Part of the problem is the small amount that has survived: only two dozen texts, none of which remain on the island. There are also only a couple of similarities with the petroglyphs on the island. Population at the 2012 census was 5,761 (increased from 3,791 in 2002).[88] In 2002, 60% were Rapanui, 39% were Chileans of European or mixed European and Amerindian descent, and the remaining 1% were Native Americans from mainland Chile.[89] Population density on Easter Island in 2012 is only 35 inhabitants per square kilometre (91/sq mi).

Transportation Easter Island is served by Mataveri International Airport, with jet service (currently Boeing 767s and Boeing 787s) from LAN Airlines and, seasonally, subsidiaries such as LAN Peru. Done

Question: The islands of Tristan da Cunha are 2,816 kilometres (1,750 miles) from the nearest land. What country is closest to them?
Answer: South Africa