Forgotten World (244): Tristan da Cunha
Tristan da Cunha was at one time on the main trading route between Europe and the Indian Ocean, but the tiny community of 275 living there is now extremely isolated. It is situated 2,800 km west of Cape Town, South Africa, and is part of a group of islands which includes Inaccessible, Nightingale, Middle, Stoltenhoff, and Gough which has a manned weather station.
According to Tristan da Cunha’s official website the island “was ignored by early explorers as a possible home due to its rugged mountain landscape, absence of natural harbour, lack of land for agriculture, and a harsh climate with heavy rain and high winds at all seasons. It took an extra-ordinary breed of people, ready to live at the margins of life, to settle and eventually thrive in the world’s most isolated community.”