Inaccessible Island is a
volcanic island
Geologically, a high island or volcanic island is an island of volcanic origin. The term can be used to distinguish such islands from low islands, which are formed from sedimentation or the uplifting of coral reefs (which have often formed ...
located in the
South Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe and ...
, south-west of
Tristan da Cunha
Tristan da Cunha (), colloquially Tristan, is a remote group of volcanic islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world, lying approximately from Cape Town in South Africa, from Saint Helena ...
. Its highest point, Cairn Peak, reaches ,
and the island is in area. The volcano was last active six million years ago and is currently
extinct
Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...
.
Inaccessible Island is part of the
archipelago of Tristan da Cunha, which is part of the
overseas territory
A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal.
In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or an ...
of the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
known as
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha is a British Overseas Territory located in the South Atlantic and consisting of the island of Saint Helena, Ascension Island and the archipelago of Tristan da Cunha including Gough Island. Its name wa ...
. Tristan da Cunha itself is accessible only by sea via a seven-day voyage from Cape Town, South Africa, and the harbour on Inaccessible Island allows access for only a few days of the year. Access to the island must be granted by the local government office.
[
]
Geography
The island is approximately to the southwest of the main island of the Tristan da Cunha archipelago. Mostly desolate and inhospitable, the island has few small, rocky beaches. Generations of sailors were wary of the difficult landing and inhospitable terrain. Inaccessible Island has been without permanent inhabitants since 1873.
Along with Gough Island
upright=1.3, Map of Gough island
Gough Island ( ), also known historically as Gonçalo Álvares, is a rugged volcanic island in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a dependency of Tristan da Cunha and part of the British overseas territory of Sain ...
, Inaccessible Island is a protected wildlife reserve and both make up the UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
of Gough and Inaccessible Islands
upright=1.3, Map of Gough island
Gough Island ( ), also known historically as Gonçalo Álvares, is a rugged volcanic island in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a dependency of Tristan da Cunha and part of the British overseas territory of Sain ...
. Inaccessible Island is home to the endemic Inaccessible Island rail
The Inaccessible Island rail (''Laterallus rogersi'') is a small bird of the rail family, Rallidae. Endemic to Inaccessible Island in the Tristan Archipelago in the isolated south Atlantic, it is the smallest extant flightless bird in the worl ...
, the world's smallest extant flightless bird.
History
Inaccessible Island was discovered in January 1656 during a voyage by'' ’t Nachtglas'' ("the night glass"), a Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
ship under the command of Jan Jacobszoon, 146 years after Tristan da Cunha was first sighted by Portuguese sailors. Jacobszoon originally named it "Nachtglas" island.
There are two explanations for the name "Inaccessible" island. One is that on maps the newly found island was referred to as "inaccessible" because the Dutch crew who landed were not able to reach its interior. The other claims that French captain d'Etcheverry renamed the island in 1778 after not being able to land.
In 1803, US sailors led by Amasa Delano made landfall on the island.
Moscow-born brothers Gustav and Frederick Stoltenhoff arrived on Inaccessible from Germany in 1871 and lived there for two years intending to make a living sealing and selling their wares to passing traders, though such trade was minimal. Due to the scarcity of food, they were "overjoyed" to be rescued in 1873 during HMS ''Challenger'''s visit to examine the flora and fauna there. The South African author Eric Rosenthal chronicled the Stoltenhoffs' adventure in 1952. The nearby Stoltenhoff Island
Stoltenhoff Island is a small uninhabited island in the South Atlantic Ocean, part of the Nightingale Islands. It is the smallest of the Nightingale Islands, and is to the north west of Nightingale Island itself. They are governed as part of Tr ...
is named for the brothers.[
In 1922, the ]Shackleton–Rowett Expedition
The Shackleton–Rowett Expedition (1921–22) was Sir Ernest Shackleton's last Antarctic project, and the final episode in the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.
The venture, financed by John Quiller Rowett, is sometimes referred to as the ' ...
's ship, the '' Quest'', stopped by Inaccessible briefly, and on-board naturalist Hubert Wilkins
Sir George Hubert Wilkins MC & Bar (31 October 188830 November 1958), commonly referred to as Captain Wilkins, was an Australian polar explorer, ornithologist, pilot, soldier, geographer and photographer. He was awarded the Military Cross afte ...
discovered a bird later named the Wilkins finch (''Nesospiza wilkinsi''). In 1938, the Norwegian Scientific Expedition spent three weeks on the island, during which time they managed to gain access to the plateau and extensively catalogued plants, birds, and rocks. Another attempt at mapping the island was made during the Royal Society
The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...
's expedition of 1962 to Tristan da Cunha, which took scientists to Inaccessible Island. Like many other explorers before them, the scientists were not able to reach the interior of the island.
Inaccessible Island was declared a nature reserve under the Tristan da Cunha Conservation Ordinance of 1976. Tristan islanders, however, were still permitted to harvest seabirds from the island. In a 1982 expedition (16 October 1982 – 10 February 1983), students and faculty of Denstone College
Denstone College is a mixed, independent, boarding and day school in Denstone, Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, England. It is a Woodard School, having been founded by Nathaniel Woodard, and so Christian traditions are practised as part of Colleg ...
in England made detailed maps of the island, studied its flora, fauna, and geology, and carried out a bird ringing
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweight ...
programme on more than 3,000 birds.
In 1997, Inaccessible Island's territorial waters out to were declared a nature reserve under the Tristan da Cunha Conservation Ordinance of 1976. Currently, only guides from Tristan are allowed to take visiting cruise ships to Inaccessible; most trips to the island are now made at the request of expatriates
An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. In common usage, the term often refers to educated professionals, skilled workers, or artists taking positions outside their home country, either ...
. In 2004 Inaccessible Island was added to the UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
of Gough Island to create a new site of Gough and Inaccessible Islands
upright=1.3, Map of Gough island
Gough Island ( ), also known historically as Gonçalo Álvares, is a rugged volcanic island in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a dependency of Tristan da Cunha and part of the British overseas territory of Sain ...
.
Shipwrecks
At least three confirmed shipwrecks have occurred off the coast of Inaccessible Island. The first was ''Blenden Hall'', a British ship which set sail in 1821 with 54 passengers and crew aboard, her destination Bombay
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
. Captain Alexander Grieg intended to sail past Saint Helena
Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constitu ...
, but adverse currents carried her to Tristan da Cunha. She got caught in seaweed and on 22 July drifted aground on Inaccessible Island. All but two of those aboard survived the shipwreck.[ They spent the next four months subsisting on wild celery, seals, penguins, and albatross. They managed to build a boat some months later. The first attempt to sail to Tristan failed, resulting in the loss of six people; but the second attempt alerted the Tristanians to their plight. The remainder were then brought to Tristan, where the ]brig
A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the ...
''Nerina'' arrived about two months later and took most to Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
, South Africa.
The other two shipwrecks are the wreck of ''Shakespeare'' at Pig Beach in 1883, and ''Helenslea'' at North Point in 1897.
Flora and fauna
When Corporal William Glass and his family became the first settlers at Tristan da Cunha in 1816, goats and pigs were brought to Inaccessible Island to serve as a source of food. Cattle, sheep, and dogs were also introduced to the island at various points in the island's history. Some domestic animals helped to keep the Stoltenhoff brothers alive during their expedition, but all remaining domestic animals were removed during the 1950s.[
No land mammals, reptiles, amphibians, butterflies, or snails have been found at Inaccessible. The island does have 64 native plant species, including 20 types of ]flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...
s and 17 species of fern
A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes except t ...
s. In addition, 48 invertebrate species exist on the island, 10 of which were introduced. Subantarctic fur seal
The subantarctic fur seal (''Arctocephalus tropicalis'') is found in the southern parts of the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic Oceans. It was first described by Gray in 1872 from a specimen recovered in northern Australia—hence the inappropri ...
s and southern elephant seal
The southern elephant seal (''Mirounga leonina'') is one of two species of elephant seals. It is the largest member of the clade Pinnipedia and the order Carnivora, as well as the largest extant marine mammal that is not a cetacean. It gets it ...
s have also been seen at the island in increasing numbers, and cetacea
Cetacea (; , ) is an infraorder of aquatic mammals that includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Key characteristics are their fully aquatic lifestyle, streamlined body shape, often large size and exclusively carnivorous diet. They propel them ...
ns live in the surrounding waters: most notably, southern right whale
The southern right whale (''Eubalaena australis'') is a baleen whale, one of three species classified as right whales belonging to the genus ''Eubalaena''. Southern right whales inhabit oceans south of the Equator, between the latitudes of 20 ...
s and a resident population of dusky dolphin
The dusky dolphin (''Lagenorhynchus obscurus'') is a dolphin found in coastal waters in the Southern Hemisphere. Its specific epithet is Latin for "dark" or "dim". It is very closely genetically related to the Pacific white-sided dolphin, b ...
s.
Birds
Inaccessible is perhaps best known for the Inaccessible Island rail
The Inaccessible Island rail (''Laterallus rogersi'') is a small bird of the rail family, Rallidae. Endemic to Inaccessible Island in the Tristan Archipelago in the isolated south Atlantic, it is the smallest extant flightless bird in the worl ...
, the world's smallest living flightless bird. The island has been identified as an Important Bird Area
An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations.
IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...
(IBA) by BirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...
as a breeding site for seabird
Seabirds (also known as marine birds) are birds that are adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same enviro ...
s and its endemic landbirds. Birds for which the IBA is significant include northern rockhopper penguin
The northern rockhopper penguin, Moseley's rockhopper penguin, or Moseley's penguin (''Eudyptes moseleyi'') is a penguin species native to the southern Indian and Atlantic Oceans. It is described as distinct from the southern rockhopper penguin.
...
s (up to 27,000 breeding pairs), Tristan albatross
The Tristan albatross (''Diomedea dabbenena'') is a large seabird from the albatross family. One of the great albatrosses of the genus ''Diomedea'', it was only widely recognised as a full species in 1998.
Taxonomy
Albatrosses belong to the fami ...
es (2–3 pairs), sooty albatross
The sooty albatross, dark-mantled sooty albatross or dark-mantled albatross,BirdLife International (2008b) (''Phoebetria fusca''), is a species of bird in the albatross family. They breed on sub-Antarctic islands and range at sea across the S ...
es (200 pairs), Atlantic yellow-nosed albatross
The Atlantic yellow-nosed albatross (''Thalassarche chlororhynchos'') is a large seabird in the albatross family Diomedeidae.
This small mollymawk was once considered conspecific with the Indian yellow-nosed albatross and known as the yellow-no ...
es (1,100 pairs), broad-billed prion
The broad-billed prion (''Pachyptila vittata'') is a small pelagic seabird in the shearwater and petrel family, Procellariidae. It is the largest prion, with grey upperparts plumage, and white underparts. The sexes are alike. It ranges from the ...
s (up to 500,000 pairs), soft-plumaged petrel
The soft-plumaged petrel (''Pterodroma mollis'') is a species of seabird in the family Procellariidae.
Distribution
It breeds on islands in the Southern Hemisphere, nesting on Tristan da Cunha, Gough Island, the Prince Edward Islands, Crozet ...
s (up to 50,000 pairs), spectacled petrels, great shearwater
The great shearwater (''Ardenna gravis'') is a large shearwater in the seabird family Procellariidae. It breeds colonially on rocky islands in the south Atlantic. Outside the breeding season it ranges widely in the Atlantic.
Taxonomy
The great s ...
s (up to 2 million pairs), little shearwater
The little shearwater (''Puffinus assimilis'') is a small shearwater in the petrel family Procellariidae. Despite the generic name, it is unrelated to the puffins, which are auks, the only similarity being that they are both burrow-nesting s ...
s (up to 50,000 pairs), white-faced storm petrel
The white-faced storm petrel (''Pelagodroma marina''), also known as white-faced petrel is a small seabird of the austral storm petrel family Oceanitidae. It is the only member of the monotypic genus ''Pelagodroma''.
Description
The white-faced ...
s (up to 50,000 pairs), white-bellied storm petrel
The white-bellied storm petrel (''Fregetta grallaria'') is a species of seabird in the family Oceanitidae. It is found in Angola, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, French Polynesia, French Southern Territories, Maldives, Namibia, New ...
s (up to 50,000 pairs), Antarctic tern
The Antarctic tern (''Sterna vittata'') is a seabird in the family Laridae. It ranges throughout the southern oceans and is found on small islands around Antarctica as well as on the shores of the mainland. Its diet consists primarily of small fis ...
s, Inaccessible rails (up to 5,000 pairs), Tristan thrush
The Tristan thrush (''Turdus eremita''), also known as the starchy,Hince (2000). is a species of bird in the thrush family that is endemic to the British overseas territories of the isolated Tristan da Cunha archipelago in the South Atlantic Oc ...
es and Inaccessible buntings.
Economy
Inaccessible Island has been used by the islanders of Tristan da Cunha for several economic purposes. The island has guano
Guano (Spanish from qu, wanu) is the accumulated excrement of seabirds or bats. As a manure, guano is a highly effective fertilizer due to the high content of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, all key nutrients essential for plant growth. G ...
deposits and eggs, but due to the difficulty of travelling about the island, the islanders have generally chosen to go to Nightingale Island
Nightingale Island is an active volcanic island in the South Atlantic Ocean, in area, part of the Tristan da Cunha group of islands. They are administered by the United Kingdom as part of the British overseas territory, overseas territory of Sai ...
instead.
In popular culture
* Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wide ...
's ''The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket
''The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket'' (1838) is the only complete novel written by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. The work relates the tale of the young Arthur Gordon Pym, who stows away aboard a whaling ship called the ''Grampus' ...
'' alluded to Nightingale Island, Inaccessible Island, and Tristan da Cunha.
* In Patrick O'Brian
Patrick O'Brian, Order of the British Empire, CBE (12 December 1914 – 2 January 2000), born Richard Patrick Russ, was an English novelist and translator, best known for his Aubrey–Maturin series of sea novels set in the Royal Navy during t ...
's ''The Thirteen Gun Salute
''The Thirteen-Gun Salute'' is the thirteenth historical novel in the Aubrey–Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian, first published in 1989. The story is set during the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812.
This novel constitutes the first of a ...
'' (1989), pp. 120–29, Captain Aubrey's ship ''Diane'', in a dead calm, is carried toward Inaccessible Island by the onshore current. One sailor recounts the wreck of a whaling ship that he witnessed when it was lost with all hands in similar conditions. Only a fortunate breeze saves Aubrey's ship. The episode is depicted in the cover painting of the book showing the towering cliffs plunging directly into the sea.
* "Sea Lion", the pseudonym of "a serving naval officer" ( Geoffrey Martin Bennett), wrote ''The Phantom Fleet'' (1946), predicated on the supposition that Inaccessible Island contained a natural harbour, the entrance to which was concealed from the sea. The antagonists were assembling a fleet of obsolescent warships in this harbour, with the intention of striking a coup de main
A ''coup de main'' (; plural: ''coups de main'', French for blow with the hand) is a swift attack that relies on speed and surprise to accomplish its objectives in a single blow.
Definition
The United States Department of Defense defines it as ...
leading to world domination, a scheme foiled by the derring-do of a naval officer and the guns of the Royal Navy.
* Eric Newby
George Eric Newby (6 December 1919 – 20 October 2006) was an English travel writer. His works include '' A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush'', ''The Last Grain Race'' and '' A Small Place in Italy''.
Early life
Newby was born in Barnes, London, ...
passed within sight of Inaccessible Island on his 1938–1939 voyage from Ireland to Australia aboard ''Moshulu
''Moshulu'' is a four-masted steel barque, built as ''Kurt'' by William Hamilton and Company at Port Glasgow in Scotland in 1904. The largest remaining original windjammer, she is currently a floating restaurant docked in Penn's Landing, Phila ...
'', as chronicled in his books '' The Last Grain Race'' and ''Learning the Ropes''. Inaccessible Island was the only land that the crew saw on the voyage until reaching Australia, and was therefore a cause for some excitement.
* Daniel Suarez
Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge"Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 68. (cf. Gabriel—"God is my strength"), ...
's 2014 novel ''Influx'' refers to this island as the location of the underground prison 'Hibernity'.
Photographs
See also
*
References
External links
Inaccessible Island: Tristan da Cunha website
*
Tristan Times: Inaccessible Island expedition
*
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20041222005852/http://www.uclan.ac.uk/ldu/resources/accessibility/island/index.htm University of Central Lancashire: Inaccessible Island
Geology of Tristan da Cunha and Inaccessible Island
*
{{Authority control
Islands of Tristan da Cunha
Seabird colonies
Uninhabited islands of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
Volcanoes of Tristan da Cunha
Extinct volcanoes
Former populated places
Important Bird Areas of Saint Helena
Ramsar sites in British Overseas Territories
Penguin colonies