Economy of Tristan da Cunha
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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 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 ...
and from the Falkland Islands. The territory consists of the inhabited island, Tristan da Cunha, which has a diameter of roughly and an area of ; the wildlife reserves of
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 ...
and Inaccessible Island; and the smaller, uninhabited
Nightingale Islands The Nightingale Islands are a group of three islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, part of the Tristan da Cunha territory. They consist of Nightingale Island, Middle Island and Stoltenhoff Island. The islands are administered by the United King ...
. , the main island has 250 permanent inhabitants, who all carry British Overseas Territories citizenship. The other islands are uninhabited, except for the South African personnel of a weather station on Gough Island. Tristan da Cunha is a
British Overseas Territory The British Overseas Territories (BOTs), also known as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs), are fourteen dependent territory, territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom. They are the last remna ...
with its own constitution. There is no airstrip on the main island; the only way of travelling in and out of Tristan is by boat, a six-day trip from South Africa.


History


Discovery

The uninhabited islands were first recorded as sighted in 1506 by Portuguese explorer Tristão da Cunha, though rough seas prevented a landing. He named the main island after himself, ''Ilha de Tristão da Cunha.'' It was later anglicised from its earliest mention on British
Admiralty chart Admiralty charts are nautical charts issued by the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) and subject to Crown Copyright. Over 3,500 Standard Nautical Charts (SNCs) and 14,000 Electronic Navigational Charts (ENCs) are available with the Admira ...
s to Tristan da Cunha Island. Some sources state that the Portuguese made the first landing in 1520, when the ''Lás Rafael'' captained by Ruy Vaz Pereira called at Tristan for water. The first undisputed landing was made on 7 February 1643 by the crew of the Dutch East India Company ship ''Heemstede,'' captained by Claes Gerritsz Bierenbroodspot. The Dutch stopped at the island four more times in the next 25 years, and in 1656 created the first rough charts of the archipelago. The first full survey of the archipelago was made by crew of the French
corvette A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the slo ...
''Heure du Berger'' in 1767. The first scientific exploration was conducted by French naturalist Louis-Marie Aubert du Petit-Thouars, who stayed on the island for three days in January 1793, during a French mercantile expedition from Brest, France to Mauritius. Thouars made botanical collections and reported traces of human habitation, including fireplaces and overgrown gardens, probably left by Dutch explorers in the 17th century. On his voyage out from Europe to East Africa and India in command of the Imperial Asiatic Company of Trieste and Antwerp ship, ''Joseph et Therese'',
William Bolts William Bolts (1738–1808) was a Dutch-born British merchant active in India. He began his career as an employee of the East India Company, and subsequently became an independent merchant. He is best known today for his 1772 book, ''Consideratio ...
sighted Tristan da Cunha, put a landing party ashore on 2 February 1777 and hoisted the Imperial flag, naming it and its neighboring islets the Isles de Brabant. However, no settlement or facilities were ever set up there by the company. After the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War halted
penal transportation Penal transportation or transportation was the relocation of convicted criminals, or other persons regarded as undesirable, to a distant place, often a colony, for a specified term; later, specifically established penal colonies became their ...
to the Thirteen Colonies, British prisons started to overcrowd. As several stopgap measures proved to be ineffective, the British Government announced in December 1785 that it would proceed with the settlement of New South Wales. In September 1786 Alexander Dalrymple, presumably goaded by Bolts's actions, published a pamphlet with an alternative proposal of his own for settlements on Tristan da Cunha, St. Paul and Amsterdam islands in the Southern Ocean. Captain John Blankett, R.N., also suggested independently to his superiors in August 1786 that convicts be used to establish a British settlement on Tristan. In consequence, the Admiralty received orders from the government in October 1789 to examine the island as part of a general survey of the South Atlantic and the coasts of southern Africa. That did not happen, but an investigation of Tristan, Amsterdam and St. Paul was undertaken in December 1792 and January 1793 by George Macartney, Britain's first ambassador to China. During his voyage to China, he established that none of the islands were suitable for settlement.


19th century

The first permanent settler was
Jonathan Lambert Jonathan Lambert (February 11, 1772 - May 27, 1812) was an American sailor. He was the first settler, and the self-proclaimed ruler of the Tristan da Cunha archipelago. Biography Lambert was born in Salem, Massachusetts. After a tumultuous ca ...
of Salem, Massachusetts, United States, who moved to the island in December 1810 with two other men, to be joined later by a fourth. Lambert publicly declared the islands his property and named them the
Islands of Refreshment Islands of Refreshment was the name given to Tristan da Cunha by its self-proclaimed ruler, Jonathan Lambert, in 1811. History In the early 19th century American whalers frequented the neighboring waters and, on December 27, 1810, the Bosto ...
. Three of the four men died in 1812 and Thomas Currie (Tommaso Corri, from
Livorno Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 158,493 residents in December 2017. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn (pronou ...
, Italy), one of the original three, remained as a farmer on the island. On 14 August 1816, the United Kingdom
annexed Annexation (Latin ''ad'', to, and ''nexus'', joining), in international law, is the forcible acquisition of one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. It is generally held to be an illegal act ...
the islands, making them a dependency of the Cape Colony in South Africa. This was explained as a measure to prevent the islands' use as a base for any attempt to free
Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
from his prison on
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 ...
. The occupation also prevented the United States from using Tristan da Cunha as a base for naval
cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles. The term "cruiser", which has been in use for several hu ...
s, as it had during the War of 1812. Possession was abandoned in November 1817, although some members of the garrison, notably
William Glass William Glass (11 May 1786 – 1853) was a Scottish Corporal and settler. He established the settlement that would become Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, the main settlement on Tristan da Cunha. Early life William Glass was born William Glasgow in ...
, stayed and formed the nucleus of a permanent population. The islands were occupied by a garrison of
British Marines The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...
, and a civilian population gradually grew. stopped there on 25 March 1824 and reported that it had a population of twenty-two men and three women. The barque ''South Australia'' stayed there on 18–20 February 1836 when a certain Glass was Governor, as reported in a chapter on the island by W. H. Leigh. Whalers set up bases on the islands for operations in the Southern Atlantic. However, the opening of the
Suez Canal The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popular ...
in 1869, together with the gradual transition from sailing ships to coal-fired steam ships, increased the isolation of the islands, which were no longer needed as a stopping port for lengthy sail voyages, or for shelter for journeys from Europe to East Asia. A parson arrived in February 1851, the Bishop of Cape Town visited in March 1856 and the island was included within the diocese of Cape Town. In 1867, Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and second son of Queen Victoria, visited the islands. The only settlement, Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, was named in honour of his visit. On 15 October 1873, the Royal Navy scientific survey vessel HMS ''Challenger'' docked at Tristan to conduct geographic and zoological surveys on Tristan, Inaccessible Island and the
Nightingale Islands The Nightingale Islands are a group of three islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, part of the Tristan da Cunha territory. They consist of Nightingale Island, Middle Island and Stoltenhoff Island. The islands are administered by the United King ...
. In his log, Captain George Nares recorded a total of fifteen families and eighty-six individuals living on the island. Tristan became a dependency of the British Crown in October 1875. On 27 November 1885, the island suffered one of its worst tragedies after an iron barque named ''West Riding'' approached the island, whilst en route to
Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
, Australia from Bristol. Due to the loss of regular trading opportunities, almost all of the island's able-bodied men approached the ship in a lifeboat attempting to trade with the passing vessel. The boat, recently donated by the British government, sailed despite rough waters and, although the lifeboat was spotted sailing alongside the ship for some time, it never returned. Various reports were given following the event, with rumours ranging from the men drowning, to reports of them being taken to Australia and sold as slaves. In total, 15 men were lost, leaving behind an island of widows. A plaque at St. Mary's Church commemorates the lost men.


20th century


Hard winter of 1906

After years of hardship since the 1880s and an especially difficult winter in 1906, the British government offered to evacuate the island in 1907. The Tristanians held a meeting and decided to refuse, despite the government's warning that it could not promise further help in the future.


Occasional pre-war visits

No ships called at the islands from 1909 until 1919, when HMS ''Yarmouth'' stopped to inform the islanders of the outcome of World War I. The Shackleton–Rowett Expedition stopped in Tristan for five days in May 1922, collecting geological and botanical samples before returning to Cape Town. Among the few ships that visited in the coming years were the RMS ''Asturias'', a Royal Mail Steam Packet Company passenger liner, in 1927, and the ocean liners RMS ''Empress of France'' in 1928, in 1929, and RMS ''Empress of Australia'' in 1935. In 1936, '' The Daily Telegraph'' of London reported that the population of the island was 167 people, with 185 cattle and 42 horses. From December 1937 – March 1938, a Norwegian party made a dedicated scientific expedition to Tristan da Cunha, and sociologist
Peter A. Munch Peter Andreas Munch (December 19, 1908 – January 10, 1984) was a Norwegian-born sociologist, educator, and writer. In 1948, he immigrated to the United States as a post-doctoral research fellow studying Norwegian-American rural sociology in th ...
extensively documented island culture; he visited the island again in 1964–1965. The island was also visited in 1938 by
W. Robert Foran William Robert Foran (1881–1968) was a British Army officer, big game hunter and travel writer. Biography Foran trained at Royal Military College, Sandhurst, and was commissioned into British Army as it was enlarged during the Second Boer War ...
, reporting for the National Geographic Society. His account was published that same year. On 12 January 1938 by
letters patent Letters patent ( la, litterae patentes) ( always in the plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, president or other head of state, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, titl ...
, Britain declared the islands a dependency of
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 ...
, creating the British Crown Colony of Saint Helena and Dependencies, which also included
Ascension Island Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island, 7°56′ south of the Equator in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is about from the coast of Africa and from the coast of South America. It is governed as part of the British Overseas Territory o ...
.


WW-II military development

During the Second World War, Tristan was commissioned by the Royal Navy as the so-called " stone frigate" and used as a secret
signals intelligence Signals intelligence (SIGINT) is intelligence-gathering by interception of ''signals'', whether communications between people (communications intelligence—abbreviated to COMINT) or from electronic signals not directly used in communication ( ...
station, to monitor
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...
U-boats (which were required to maintain radio contact) and shipping in the South Atlantic Ocean. The weather and radio stations led to extensive new infrastructure being built on the island, including a school, a hospital, and a cash-based general store. The first colonial official sent to rule the island was
Sir Hugh Elliott Sir Hugh Francis Ivo Elliott, 3rd Baronet, OBE (Allahabad 10 March 1913 – 21 December 1989) was an eminent British conservationist, ornithologist and colonial civil servant. Born in India in 1913, the elder son of Sir Ivo Elliott, 2nd Barone ...
in the rank of Administrator (because the settlement was too small to merit a Governor) 1950–1953. Development continued as the island's first canning factory expanded paid employment in 1949.


Rare post-war ship visits

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the Queen's consort, visited the islands in 1957 as part of a world tour on board the royal yacht HMY ''Britannia''. On 2 January 1954, Tristan da Cunha was visited by the Dutch ship ''Ruys'', a passenger-cargo liner, carrying science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein, his wife Ginny and other passengers. The ''Ruys'' was travelling from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Cape Town, South Africa. The visit is described in Heinlein's book "''
Tramp Royale ''Tramp Royale'' is a nonfiction travelogue by science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein, describing how he and his wife, Ginny, went around the world by ship and plane between 1953 and 1954. It was published posthumously in 1992, and subsequently ...
''". The captain told Heinlein the island was the most isolated inhabited spot on Earth and ships rarely visited. Heinlein mailed a letter there to
L. Ron Hubbard Lafayette Ronald Hubbard (March 13, 1911 – January 24, 1986) was an American author, primarily of science fiction and fantasy stories, who is best known for having founded the Church of Scientology. In 1950, Hubbard authored '' Dianetic ...
, a friend who also liked to travel, "for the curiosity value of the postmark". Biographer William H. Patterson, Jr. in his two volume "''Robert A. Heinlein In Dialogue with his Century''," wrote that lack of "cultural context" made it "nearly impossible to converse" with the islanders, "a stark contrast with the way they had managed to chat with strangers" while travelling in South America. Members of the crew bought penguins during their brief visit to the island.


1961 eruption of Queen Mary's Peak

On 10 October 1961, the eruption of
Queen Mary's Peak Queen Mary's Peak is the summit of the island of Tristan da Cunha, in the South Atlantic Ocean. It has an elevation of 2,062 metres (6,765 ft) above sea level. It is named after Mary of Teck, the Queen consort of King George V. It is the hi ...
forced evacuation of all 264 people. The evacuees took to the water in open boats, taken by the local lobster-fishing boats ''Tristania'' and ''Frances Repetto'' to uninhabited Nightingale Island. The next day, they were picked up by the diverted Dutch passenger ship ''Tjisadane'' that took them to Cape Town. The islanders later arrived in the U.K. aboard the liner M.V. ''Stirling Castle'' to a big press reception and, after a short period at Pendell Army Camp in Merstham,
Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
, were settled in an old Royal Air Force camp near Calshot, Hampshire. The following year, a Royal Society expedition reported that Edinburgh of the Seven Seas had survived. Most families returned in 1963.


Gough and Inaccessible Islands wildlife reserves

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 ...
was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995 as Gough Island Wildlife Reserve. Extended in 2004 as Gough and Inaccessible Islands, with its marine zone extended from 3 to 12 nautical miles. Those island have been
Ramsar site A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O) *** Permanent 8 ha (P) *** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts) **
On 23 May 2001, the islands were hit by an
extratropical cyclone Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are low-pressure areas which, along with the anticyclones of high-pressure areas, drive the weather over much of the Earth. Extratropical cyclones are capable of ...
that generated winds up to . A number of structures were severely damaged, and numerous cattle were killed, prompting emergency aid provided by the British government. In 2005, the islands were given a United Kingdom post code (TDCU 1ZZ), to make it easier for the residents to order goods online. On 13 February 2008, a fire destroyed the island's four power generators and fish canning factory, severely disrupting the economy. On 14 March 2008, new generators were installed and power restored, and a new factory opened in July 2009. While the replacement factory was built, M/V ''Kelso'' came to the island as a factory ship. The St. Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha Constitution Order 2009 reorganized Tristan da Cunha as a constituent of the new British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, giving Tristan and Ascension equal status with Saint Helena. On 16 March 2011, the freighter ran aground on Nightingale Island, spilling tons of heavy fuel oil into the ocean. The resulting oil slick threatened the island's population of
rockhopper penguin The rockhopper penguins are three closely related taxa of crested penguins that have been traditionally treated as a single species and are sometimes split into three species. Not all experts agree on the classification of these penguins. Some c ...
s. Nightingale Island has no fresh water, so the penguins were transported to Tristan da Cunha for cleaning. On 13 November 2020 it was announced that the of the waters surrounding the islands will become a Marine Protection Zone. The move will make the zone the largest no-take zone in the Atlantic and the fourth largest on the planet. The move follows 20 years of conservation work by the
RSPB The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a Charitable_organization#United_Kingdom, charitable organisation registered in Charity Commission for England and Wales, England and Wales and in Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, ...
and the island government and five years of the UK government's Blue Belt program support. A total
solar eclipse A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby obscuring the view of the Sun from a small part of the Earth, totally or partially. Such an alignment occurs during an eclipse season, approximately every six month ...
will pass over the island on 5 December 2048. The island is calculated to be on the centre line of the umbra's path for nearly three and a half minutes of totality.


Geography

Tristan da Cunha is thought to have been formed by a long-lived centre of upwelling mantle called the
Tristan hotspot The Tristan hotspot is a volcanic hotspot which is responsible for the volcanic activity which forms the volcanoes in the southern Atlantic Ocean. It is thought to have formed the island of Tristan da Cunha and the Walvis Ridge on the African Plat ...
. Tristan da Cunha is the main island of the Tristan da Cunha archipelago, which consists of the following islands: * Tristan da Cunha, the main and largest island, area: () * Inaccessible Island, area: *
Nightingale Islands The Nightingale Islands are a group of three islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, part of the Tristan da Cunha territory. They consist of Nightingale Island, Middle Island and Stoltenhoff Island. The islands are administered by the United King ...
, area: ** Nightingale Island, area: ** Middle Island, area: ** Stoltenhoff Island, area: *
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 ...
(''Diego Alvarez''), area: Inaccessible Island and the Nightingale Islands are SW by W and SSW away from the main island, respectively, whereas Gough Island is SSE. The main island is generally mountainous. The only flat area is on the north-west coast, which is the location of the only settlement, Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, and the agricultural area of
Potato Patches Potato Patches, also known as Patches Plain or, colloquially, ''The Patches'', is an agricultural area and uninhabited rural settlement in Tristan da Cunha, in Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, an overseas territory of the United Kingd ...
. The highest point is the summit of a volcano called
Queen Mary's Peak Queen Mary's Peak is the summit of the island of Tristan da Cunha, in the South Atlantic Ocean. It has an elevation of 2,062 metres (6,765 ft) above sea level. It is named after Mary of Teck, the Queen consort of King George V. It is the hi ...
at an elevation of , high enough to develop snow cover in winter. The other islands of the group are uninhabited, except for a weather station with a staff of six on Gough Island, which has been operated by South Africa since 1956 and has been at its present location at Transvaal Bay on the southeast coast since 1963.


Climate

The archipelago has a Cfb, wet
oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...
, under the Köppen system, with mild temperatures and very limited sunshine but consistent moderate-to-heavy rainfall due to the persistent westerly winds. Under the Trewartha classification, Tristan da Cunha has a
humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...
due to the lack of cold weather. The number of rainy days is comparable to the Aleutian Islands at a much higher latitude in the northern hemisphere, while sunshine hours are comparable to
Juneau, Alaska The City and Borough of Juneau, more commonly known simply as Juneau ( ; tli, Dzánti K'ihéeni ), is the capital city of the state of Alaska. Located in the Gastineau Channel and the Alaskan panhandle, it is a unified municipality and the se ...
, 20° farther from the equator. Frost is unknown below elevations of , and summer temperatures are similarly mild, never reaching . Sandy Point on the east coast is reputed to be the warmest and driest place on the island, being in the lee of the prevailing winds.


Flora and fauna

Many of the flora and fauna of the archipelago have a broad circumpolar distribution in the South Atlantic and South Pacific Oceans. For example, the plant species ''
Nertera granadensis ''Nertera granadensis'', also known as coral bead plant, pin-cushion plant, coral moss, or English baby tears, is a ground cover with orange berries, of the genus '' Nertera''. ''Nertera granadensis'' has an unusually extensive transcontinental ...
'' was first collected in Tristan da Cunha, but has since been recorded as far away as New Zealand.


Invasive species

The islands of Tristan da Cunha have a high significance of global biodiversity: two of them, Gough and Inaccessible, form a UNESCO natural World Heritage Site. This designation is largely due to the seabird population found there. The biodiversity of the island is vulnerable to introduction of
invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...
. Due to Tristan da Cunha's isolated archipelago ecology, and increase of tourism with cruise ships and research vessels, invasive species are a particular concern for Tristan da Cunha. The islands' vegetation and mammal species are not equipped to defend against or control introduced species, increasing island vulnerability, due to lack of defensive behavioural mechanisms and slow generational output rates. Efforts to decrease and eradicate invasive flora, fauna, and marine species have been undertaken, including a programme aimed at eradicating predatory invasive mice from Gough Island. The following described invasive species have been known to have harmful effects on the islands' vegetation and native species. Invasive house mice on these islands, have adapted to be 50% larger than average house mice. They are thought to have been accidentally introduced by 19th century seal hunters who would dock on the islands. These mice have adapted by consuming sea bird eggs and chicks (as they nest on the ground). Gathering at night in groups of 9 or 10, the mice gather at the bird's nest to feast. With no natural predators, the invasive mice population is able to expand by producing new generations twice a year. In order to prevent the growth of the invasive mice population and extinction of the Albatross bird species, a 2019 Gough Island mouse eradication project was announced (Grundy, 2018). The RSPB and Tristan da Cunha Government have partnered to spread cereal pellets with rodenticide bait across Gough Island, in hopes to eradicate the invasive mice population. The goal of this operation is to restore Tristan da Cunha back to its natural state, ensuring it will still be one of the world's most important seabird nesting sites.


Flora


Native plants

A combination of the list on Kew's ''
Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. It was launched in March 2017 with the ultimate aim being "to enable users to access information on all the world's known seed-bearing plants by ...
'' site with information from a paper by Wace and Holdgate yields the following list (by no means exhaustive) of plant species recorded as native to Tristan da Cunha. Eudicots * ''
Apium australe ''Apium australe'' is a species of the genus ''Apium'' of the family Apiaceae. It is an perennial herb with a distribution in salt-marsh and saline habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and b ...
'' Thouars ( Apiaceae) * '' Atriplex plebeia'' Carmich. ( Amaranthaceae) * ''
Callitriche christensenii ''Callitriche christensenii'' is a species of plant in the family Plantaginaceae. It is endemic to Saint Helena. Its natural habitats are rivers, freshwater marshes, and freshwater spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season ...
''
Christoph. Erling Christophersen (April 17, 1898 – November 9, 1994) was a Norwegian botanist, geographer and diplomat. He participated in and led several notable scientific expeditions in the 20th century, including the fifth Tanager Expedition (1924) to ...
( Plantaginaceae) * ''
Chevreulia sarmentosa ''Chevreulia'' is a genus of plants in the family Asteraceae, described as a genus in 1817. The genus is native to South America (Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador, Argentina) and the Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas ...
'' (
Pers. Christiaan Hendrik Persoon (1 February 1761 – 16 November 1836) was a German mycologist who made additions to Linnaeus' mushroom taxonomy. Early life Persoon was born in South Africa at the Cape of Good Hope, the third child of an immi ...
)
S.F.Blake Sidney Fay Blake (1892–1959) was an American botanist and plant taxonomist, "recognized as one of the world's experts on botanical nomenclature." Biography Blake was born in 1892 in Stoughton, Massachusetts. In 1912, he received a bachelor's d ...
( Asteraceae) * ''
Cotula goughensis ''Cotula'' is a genus of flowering plant in the sunflower family. It includes plants known generally as water buttons or buttonweeds. The species within this genus can vary extensively in their habit, leaf division, involucre, receptacle and ...
'' Rud. Brown ( Asteraceae) * ''
Cotula moseleyi ''Cotula moseleyi'', also known as Nightingale brassbuttons, is a species of flowering plant in the sunflower family. It has been found only in the Tristan da Cunha chain of islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. Its natural habitats are subant ...
''
Hemsl. William Botting Hemsley (29 December 1843, in East Hoathly – 7 October 1924, in Kent) was an English botanist and 1909 Victoria Medal (horticulture), Victoria Medal of Honour recipient. He was born in East Hoathly, Sussex and in 1860 started wo ...
( Asteraceae) * ''
Dysphania tomentosa ''Dysphania'' may refer to: * ''Dysphania'' (moth), a Lepidoptera animal genus * ''Dysphania'' (plant), an Amaranthaceae plant genus {{Genus disambiguation ...
'' ( Thouars)
Mosyakin Sergei Leonidovich Mosyakin (born 30 November 1963) is a Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demogra ...
& Clemants
( Amaranthaceae) * ''
Empetrum rubrum ''Empetrum rubrum'', known as red crowberry or diddle-dee (Chilean Spanish: '' Murtilla de Magallanes''), is a species of plant in the family Ericaceae with a distributional range in Chile from Talca (35°S) to Cape Horn (55°S); in areas of adj ...
'' Vahl ex
Willd. Carl Ludwig Willdenow (22 August 1765 – 10 July 1812) was a German botanist, pharmacist, and plant taxonomist. He is considered one of the founders of phytogeography, the study of the geographic distribution of plants. Willdenow was also ...
( Ericaceae) * ''
Gamochaeta thouarsii ''Gamochaeta'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. There has not always been agreement among botanists regarding its status as a recognized genus, but it has become more accepted in recent years.Nesom, G. L. 1990. The taxonom ...
'' (
Spreng. Kurt Polycarp Joachim Sprengel (3 August 1766 – 15 March 1833) was a German botanist and physician who published an influential multivolume history of medicine, ''Versuch einer pragmatischen Geschichte der Arzneikunde'' (1792–99 in four vo ...
) Anderb.
( Asteraceae) * ''
Gnaphalium thouarsii ''Gnaphalium'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, commonly called cudweeds. They are widespread and common in temperate regions, although some are found on tropical mountains or in the subtropical regions of the world. Cudw ...
''
Spreng. Kurt Polycarp Joachim Sprengel (3 August 1766 – 15 March 1833) was a German botanist and physician who published an influential multivolume history of medicine, ''Versuch einer pragmatischen Geschichte der Arzneikunde'' (1792–99 in four vo ...
( Asteraceae) * ''
Hydrocotyle capitata ''Hydrocotyle'', also called floating pennywort, water pennywort, Indian pennywort, dollar weed, marsh penny, thick-leaved pennywort and even white rot is a genus of prostrate, perennial aquatic or semi- aquatic plants formerly classified in the ...
'' Thouars ( Araliaceae) * ''
Nertera granadensis ''Nertera granadensis'', also known as coral bead plant, pin-cushion plant, coral moss, or English baby tears, is a ground cover with orange berries, of the genus '' Nertera''. ''Nertera granadensis'' has an unusually extensive transcontinental ...
'' Druce ( Rubiaceae) * '' Pelargonium cucullatum'' ( L.) L'Hér. ( Geraniaceae) * ''
Pelargonium grossularioides ''Pelargonium grossularioides'' is a species of geranium known by the common names gooseberry geranium and coconut geranium. It is native to southern Africa and it is known in coastal California and parts of India as an introduced species. It is ...
'' ( L.) L'Hér. ( Geraniaceae) * ''
Phylica arborea ''Phylica arborea'', also known as the Island Cape myrtle, is a shrub or small tree with narrow needle-like dark green leaves, downy silver on the underside, and with greenish white terminal flowers. Usually a shrub or procumbent tree, it may re ...
'' Thouars (
Rhamnaceae The Rhamnaceae are a large family of flowering plants, mostly trees, shrubs, and some vines, commonly called the buckthorn family. Rhamnaceae is included in the order Rosales. The family contains about 55 genera and 950 species. The Rhamnaceae h ...
) * ''
Rumex frutescens The docks and sorrels, genus ''Rumex'', are a genus of about 200 species of Annual plant, annual, Biennial plant, biennial, and perennial plant, perennial herbs in the buckwheat family, Polygonaceae. Members of this genus are very common perennia ...
'' Thouars ( Polygonaceae) * ''
Sophora macnabiana ''Sophora'' is a genus of about 45 species of small trees and shrubs in the pea family Fabaceae. The species have a pantropical distribution. The generic name is derived from ''sophera'', an Arabic name for a pea-flowered tree. The genus former ...
'' (
Graham Graham and Graeme may refer to: People * Graham (given name), an English-language given name * Graham (surname), an English-language surname * Graeme (surname), an English-language surname * Graham (musician) (born 1979), Burmese singer * Clan G ...
)
Skottsb. Carl Johan Fredrik Skottsberg (1 December 1880 – 14 June 1963) was a Swedish botanist and explorer of Antarctica. Life Skottsberg was born in Karlshamn on 1 December 1880 the son of Carl Adolf Skottsberg a schoolmaster and his wife, Maria ...
(
Fabaceae The Fabaceae or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomenc ...
) Commelinids * '' Agrostis carmichaelii''
Schult. Josef (Joseph) August Schultes (15 April 1773 in Vienna – 21 April 1831 in Landshut) was an Austrian botanist and professor from Vienna. Together with Johann Jacob Roemer (1763–1819), he published the 16th edition of Linnaeus' ''Systema ...
&
Schult.f. Julius Hermann Schultes (4 February 1804 in Vienna – 1 September 1840 in Munich) was an Austrian botanist from Vienna. He co-authored volume 7 of the Roemer & Schultes edition of the ''Systema Vegetabilium'' with his father Josef August S ...
(
Poaceae Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns an ...
) * ''
Agrostis crinum-ursi ''Agrostis'' (bent or bentgrass) is a large and very nearly cosmopolitan genus of plants in the grass family, found in nearly all the countries in the world. It has been bred as a GMO creeping bent grass. Species * ''Agrostis aequivalvi'' (Ar ...
'' Mez (
Poaceae Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns an ...
) * ''
Agrostis media ''Agrostis media'' is a species of grass in the family Poaceae. It is found only in Tristan da Cunha. Its natural habitats are subantarctic shrubland, subantarctic grassland, rocky areas, and rocky shores. References media Media may ref ...
'' Carmich. (
Poaceae Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns an ...
) * ''
Agrostis trachychlaena ''Agrostis trachychlaena'' is a species of grass in the family Poaceae. It is endemic to Inaccessible and Nightingale Islands, Tristan da Cunha. Its natural habitat is subantarctic grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation i ...
''
C.E. Hubbard Charles Edward Hubbard (23 May 19008 May 1980) was a British botanist, specialising in agrostology – the study of grasses. He was considered "the world authority on the classification and recognition of grasses" in his time. He is indicated b ...
(
Poaceae Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns an ...
) * ''
Carex insularis The genus '' Carex'', the sedges, is one of the largest genera of flowering plants, containing around 1800 species, according to a 2004 estimate. All the species (including hybrid species) accepted by ''The Plant List'' are given below: In May ...
'' Carmich. (
Cyperaceae The Cyperaceae are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as sedges. The family is large, with some 5,500 known species described in about 90 genera, the largest being the "true sedges" genus ''Carex'' w ...
) * '' Carex thouarsii'' Carmich. (
Cyperaceae The Cyperaceae are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as sedges. The family is large, with some 5,500 known species described in about 90 genera, the largest being the "true sedges" genus ''Carex'' w ...
) * '' Deschampsia wacei''
C.E.Hubb. Charles Edward Hubbard (23 May 19008 May 1980) was a British botanist, specialising in agrostology – the study of grasses. He was considered "the world authority on the classification and recognition of grasses" in his time. He is indicated by ...
(
Poaceae Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns an ...
) * ''
Isolepis bicolor ''Isolepis'' is a cosmopolitan genus of sedge containing around 70 species. ''Isolepis'' is found in cool tropical and temperate climates often in Africa and Australasia. ''Isolepis'' was first described by prolific botanist Robert Brown in 181 ...
'' Carmich. (
Cyperaceae The Cyperaceae are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as sedges. The family is large, with some 5,500 known species described in about 90 genera, the largest being the "true sedges" genus ''Carex'' w ...
) * ''
Isolepis moseleyana ''Isolepis'' is a cosmopolitan genus of sedge containing around 70 species. ''Isolepis'' is found in cool tropical and temperate climates often in Africa and Australasia. ''Isolepis'' was first described by prolific botanist Robert Brown (botani ...
'' ( Boeckeler) Muasya (
Cyperaceae The Cyperaceae are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as sedges. The family is large, with some 5,500 known species described in about 90 genera, the largest being the "true sedges" genus ''Carex'' w ...
) * ''
Isolepis prolifera ''Isolepis prolifera'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Cyperaceae that grows in temperate regions of the Southern Hemisphere. It has leafless stems up to tall, and clusters of flowers that often proliferate into branches. Descrip ...
'' ( Rottb.) R.Br. (
Cyperaceae The Cyperaceae are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as sedges. The family is large, with some 5,500 known species described in about 90 genera, the largest being the "true sedges" genus ''Carex'' w ...
) * ''
Isolepis sulcata ''Isolepis'' is a cosmopolitan genus of sedge containing around 70 species. ''Isolepis'' is found in cool tropical and temperate climates often in Africa and Australasia. ''Isolepis'' was first described by prolific botanist Robert Brown in 181 ...
'' ( Thouars) Carmich. (
Cyperaceae The Cyperaceae are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as sedges. The family is large, with some 5,500 known species described in about 90 genera, the largest being the "true sedges" genus ''Carex'' w ...
) * '' Sporobolus mobberleyanus'' P.M.Peterson & Saarela (
Poaceae Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns an ...
) * ''
Rostkovia tristanensis ''Rostkovia tristanensis'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Juncaceae, the rushes. It is endemic to Tristan da Cunha, where it occurs only on the main island and Gough Island. It grows in heath A heath () is a shrubland habitat ...
''
Christoph. Erling Christophersen (April 17, 1898 – November 9, 1994) was a Norwegian botanist, geographer and diplomat. He participated in and led several notable scientific expeditions in the 20th century, including the fifth Tanager Expedition (1924) to ...
( Juncaceae) Ferns, Mosses and Clubmosses * ''
Asplenium aequibasis ''Asplenium aequibasis'' is a species of fern in the family Aspleniaceae. It is found in Tristan da Cunha. Its natural habitat is subantarctic shrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by veg ...
'' (
C.Chr. Carl Frederik Albert Christensen (16 January 1872 – 24 November 1942) was a Danish systematic botanist. He graduated in natural history from the University of Copenhagen under professor Eugenius Warming. He was then a school teacher in Copenhag ...
) J.P.Roux
(
Aspleniaceae The Aspleniaceae (spleenworts) are a family of ferns, included in the order Polypodiales. The composition and classification of the family have been subject to considerable changes. In particular, there is a narrow circumscription, Aspleniaceae ...
) * ''
Asplenium alvarezense ''Asplenium'' is a genus of about 700 species of ferns, often treated as the only genus in the family Aspleniaceae, though other authors consider ''Hymenasplenium'' separate, based on molecular phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequences, a different ...
'' Rudm. Brown (
Aspleniaceae The Aspleniaceae (spleenworts) are a family of ferns, included in the order Polypodiales. The composition and classification of the family have been subject to considerable changes. In particular, there is a narrow circumscription, Aspleniaceae ...
) * ''
Athyrium medium ''Athyrium medium'' is a species of fern in the family Athyriaceae. It is found in Tristan da Cunha. Its natural habitat is subantarctic shrubland. References medium Medium may refer to: Science and technology Aviation *Medium bomb ...
'' ( Carmich.)
T.Moore Thomas Moore (21 May 1821 – 1 January 1887) was a British gardener and botanist. An expert on ferns and fern allies from the British Isles, he served as Curator of the Society of Apothecaries Garden from 1848 to 1887. In 1855 he authored ''The ...
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Athyriaceae The Athyriaceae (ladyferns and allies) are a family of terrestrial ferns in the order Polypodiales. In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I), the family is placed in the suborder Aspleniineae, and includes two gene ...
) * ''
Austroblechnum penna-marina ''Austroblechnum penna-marina'', synonym ''Blechnum penna-marina'', known as Antarctic hard-fern, alpine water fern and pinque (Chilean Spanish), is a species of fern in the family Blechnaceae, with a natural range from the Araucanía Region to t ...
'' (
Poir. Jean Louis Marie Poiret (11 June 1755 in Saint-Quentin7 April 1834 in Paris) was a French clergyman, botanist, and explorer. From 1785 to 1786, he was sent by Louis XVI to Algeria to study the flora. After the French Revolution, he became a ...
) Gasper & V.A.O.Dittrich
( Blechnaceae) * ''
Elaphoglossum laurifolium ''Elaphoglossum'' is a genus of ferns in the family Dryopteridaceae, subfamily Elaphoglossoideae, in the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I). Taxonomy ''Elaphoglossum'' was first described in 1841 by John Smith, who attr ...
'' ( Thouars)
T.Moore Thomas Moore (21 May 1821 – 1 January 1887) was a British gardener and botanist. An expert on ferns and fern allies from the British Isles, he served as Curator of the Society of Apothecaries Garden from 1848 to 1887. In 1855 he authored ''The ...
( Dryopteridaceae) * ''
Lomariocycas palmiformis ''Lomariocycas palmiformis'', synonym ''Blechnum palmiforme'', is a species of fern in the family Blechnaceae. It is endemic to the Tristan da Cunha group of islands. The species is a tree fern that can grow to 2 m in some sheltered areas. I ...
'' ( Thouars)
C.Chr. Carl Frederik Albert Christensen (16 January 1872 – 24 November 1942) was a Danish systematic botanist. He graduated in natural history from the University of Copenhagen under professor Eugenius Warming. He was then a school teacher in Copenhag ...
( Blechnaceae) * '' Lycopodium diaphanum'' (
P.Beauv. Ambroise Marie François Joseph Palisot, Baron de Beauvois (27 July 1752, in Arras – 21 January 1820, in Paris) was a French Natural history, naturalist and zoologist. Palisot collected insects in Oware, Benin, Saint Domingue, and the United ...
)
Sw. Olof Peter Swartz (21 September 1760 – 19 September 1818) was a Swedish botanist and taxonomist. He is best known for his taxonomic work and studies into pteridophytes. Biography Olof Swartz attended the University of Uppsala where he st ...
( Lycopodiaceae) * ''
Notogrammitis billardierei ''Notogrammitis billardierei'', also known as the common finger-fern, or common strap fern, is a small epiphytic or lithophytic fern with small, strap like fronds, found commonly in wet forest in South-Eastern Australia and New Zealand. Descri ...
'' (
Willdenow Carl Ludwig Willdenow (22 August 1765 – 10 July 1812) was a German botanist, pharmacist, and plant taxonomist. He is considered one of the founders of phytogeography, the study of the geographic distribution of plants. Willdenow was al ...
) Parris
(
Polypodiaceae Polypodiaceae is a family of ferns. In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I), the family includes around 65 genera and an estimated 1,650 species and is placed in the order Polypodiales, suborder Polypodiineae. A broader ...
) * ''
Polyphlebium angustatum ''Polyphlebium angustatum'' is a species of fern in the family Hymenophyllaceae. It is found in South America and on a number of Atlantic islands, including Tristan da Cunha. The genus ''Polyphlebium'' is accepted in the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Gr ...
'' ( Carmich.) Ebihara & Dubuisson (
Hymenophyllaceae The Hymenophyllaceae, the filmy ferns and bristle ferns, are a family of two to nine genera (depending on classification system) and about 650 known species of ferns, with a subcosmopolitan distribution, but generally restricted to very damp pla ...
) * ''
Racomitrium lanuginosum ''Racomitrium lanuginosum'' is a widespread species of moss found in montane and arctic tundra, the genus Racomitrium is found across the Northern and Southern hemispheres., however Racomitrium lanuginosum is only found in the Northern hemisphere ...
'' (
Hedw. Johann Hedwig (8 December 1730 – 18 February 1799), also styled as Johannes Hedwig, was a German botanist notable for his studies of mosses. He is sometimes called the "father of bryology". He is known for his particular observations of sexual r ...
) Brid.
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Grimmiaceae Grimmiaceae is a family of mosses in the order Grimmiales. Genera ''The Plant List'' and ''Tropicos'' list the following genera: * '' Aligrimmia'' * '' Bucklandiella'' * '' Codriophorus'' * '' Coscinodon'' * '' Coscinodontella'' * '' Drypt ...
) * '' Rumohra adiantiformis'' (
G.Forst. Johann George Adam Forster, also known as Georg Forster (, 27 November 1754 – 10 January 1794), was a German naturalist, ethnologist, travel writer, journalist and revolutionary. At an early age, he accompanied his father, Johann Reinhold F ...
)
Ching Ching may refer to: People * Ching (given name), a unisex name * Ching (surname), a romanization of some Chinese surnames such as Cheng and Zhuang * Ching Hammill (1902–1925), American football player * Ivan Ching Johnson (1898–1979), Canadia ...
( Dryopteridaceae)


Introduced plants

Tristan da Cunha acquired an estimated 137 non-native vascular plants that can be categorized into four species types; weeds (trees, shrubs, agricultural weeds), grassland species (grasses), garden escapes (vegetables), and other ruderal species. Vascular plants were accidentally introduced in a variety of ways including; impurities in flower or vegetable seeds, seeds or plant fragments from other imported plants and in soil, attached to containers, cars or people. The majority of invasive weed species that has been introduced to the island are spread by seed and cover 50% of arable land in widely distributed patches. These species include prickly sow-thistle (''
Sonchus asper ''Sonchus asper'', the prickly sow-thistle, rough milk thistle, spiny sowthistle, sharp-fringed sow thistle, or spiny-leaved sow thistle, is a widespread flowering plant in the tribe Cichorieae within the family Asteraceae. Description ''Sonchu ...
''), smooth sow-thistle ('' Sonchus oleraceus''), smooth hawksbeard (''
Crepis capillaris ''Crepis capillaris'', the smooth hawksbeard, is a species of flowering plant in the tribe Cichorieae within the family Asteraceae, and is native to Europe. It has become naturalized in other lands and is regarded as a weed in some places. ''Cre ...
''), scrambling fumitory (''
Fumaria muralis ''Fumaria muralis'', known as common ramping-fumitory or wall fumitory, is a flowering herbaceous plant in the poppy family (Papaveraceae) native to western Europe and northwestern Africa. Description ''Fumaria muralis'' is a delicate annual pl ...
''), green field speedwell (''
Veronica agrestis ''Veronica agrestis'', commonly known as green field speedwell, is a species of flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae Plantaginaceae, the plantain family, is a large, diverse family of flowering plants in the order Lamiales that includ ...
''), groundsel ('' Senecio vulgaris''), and nutgrass ('' Cyperus esculentus''). Other invasive weed species that have a more localized distribution in plots include prickly sow-thistle (''Sonchus asper''), smooth sow-thistle ('' Sonchus oleraceus''), smooth hawksbeard (''Crepis capillaris''), and groundsel ('' Senecio vulgaris''). Whether a species is distributed locally or widely depends on the seed's dispersal mechanisms; larger seeds that have not adapted to wind dispersal will be distributed locally, while smaller seeds have adapted to wind dispersal will be widely distributed. The invasive plants have had several negative impacts on native island plant species, including the competitive exclusion of many such species. The out-competition will and can alter the structure of plant communities and the quality of the islands' soil. Introduced vegetation has altered long-term carbon storage as well as the reduction of CO2 in the atmosphere. Native plants such as fern bushes, ''
Phylica ''Phylica'' is a genus of plants in the family Rhamnaceae. It contains about 150 species, the majority of which are restricted to South Africa, where they form part of the '. A few species occur in other parts of southern Africa, and on islands ...
'' bushes, fern brakes, mires, and bogs, contain high organic content matter which functions as storage for carbon. With the introduction of harmful species, the islands will see a decrease in carbon storage of both the soil and vegetation. With multiple changes occurring within the soil due to invasive plant species, the nutrient cycle is bound to be negatively influenced. Invasive plants are also affecting the human population of Tristan da Cunha by being disease carriers and becoming agricultural pests in gardens and pastures. The alien plants are able to survive and continue to grow and spread successfully on the islands because they have the ability to naturalize in temperate regions and have limited necessities needed to survive. The islands' isolation increases archipelago ecology uniqueness which increases susceptibility for foreign invaders. A small human population with minimal development encourages flora and fauna development within a limited food web which increases the invasive species abilities for self-defense. Plants are being controlled by taking surveys of the invasive species, evaluating their impact on biodiversity, and evaluating the feasibility of their eradication. It would be nearly impossible to try and eradicate all invasive plant species so scientists are narrowing down to control particular species based on their impact and feasibility to eradicate. Mitigation plans that are taking place on Tristan are time-consuming and labor-intensive that will take several years using mechanical and chemical procedures.


Fauna


Land

Tristan is primarily known for its wildlife. 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 ...
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 ...
because there are 13 known species of breeding seabirds on the island and two species of resident land birds. The seabirds include northern rockhopper penguins, Atlantic yellow-nosed albatrosses,
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, Atlantic petrels, great-winged petrels,
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,
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,
grey petrel The grey petrel (''Procellaria cinerea''), also called the brown petrel, pediunker or grey shearwater is a species of seabird in the Procellariidae, or petrel family. It is pelagic and occurs in the open seas of the Southern Hemisphere, mainly b ...
s, great shearwaters, sooty shearwaters, Tristan skuas, Antarctic terns and
brown noddies The brown noddy or common noddy (''Anous stolidus'') is a seabird in the family Laridae. The largest of the noddies, it can be told from the closely related black noddy by its larger size and plumage, which is dark brown rather than black. The b ...
. Tristan and Gough Islands are the only known breeding sites in the world for the Atlantic petrel. Inaccessible Island is also the only known breeding ground of the
spectacled petrel The spectacled petrel (''Procellaria conspicillata'') is a rare seabird that nests only on the high western plateau of Inaccessible Island in the South Atlantic Tristan da Cunha group. It is one of the largest petrels that nests in burrows. This ...
. The Tristan albatross is known to breed only on Gough and Inaccessible Islands: all nest on Gough, except for one or two pairs which nest on Inaccessible Island. The endemic Tristan thrush, also known as the "starchy", occurs on all of the northern islands and each has its own subspecies, with Tristan birds being slightly smaller and duller than those on Nightingale and Inaccessible. 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 smallest extant flightless bird in the world, is found only on Inaccessible Island. In 1956, eight
Gough moorhen The Gough moorhen (''Gallinula comeri'') is a medium-sized, almost flightless bird that is similar to the common moorhen (''Gallinula chloropus''), but is smaller, stockier, and has shorter wings. The bird has a distinctive yellow-tipped red bil ...
s were released at Sandy Point on Tristan, and have subsequently colonised the island.


Marine

The largest no take zone in the Atlantic, and at , the fourth largest in the world, was designated on 13 November 2020. The Marine Protected Area bans mining and fishing (except the local
lobster Lobsters are a family (biology), family (Nephropidae, Synonym (taxonomy), synonym Homaridae) of marine crustaceans. They have long bodies with muscular tails and live in crevices or burrows on the sea floor. Three of their five pairs of legs ...
fishery), with enforcement the responsibility of the UK government via satellite surveillance. According to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), the islands and surrounding ocean is one of the most pristine temperate ecosystems on the planet. Various species of whales and dolphins can be seen around Tristan from time to time with increasing sighting rates, although recovery of baleen whales, especially the
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 ...
, were severely hindered by illegal whaling by the Soviet Union in the aftermath of the 1960 volcanic eruption. The subantarctic fur seal ''(Arctophoca tropicalis)'' can also be found in the Tristan archipelago, mostly on Gough Island. The biodiversity of marine life is limited given the islands' isolation, making identifying the impacts of invasion difficult. While much of the marine life is unknown there has been an invasive species identified in the waters around the islands. This species is the South American silver porgy (''
Diplodus argenteus ''Diplodus'' is a genus of fish in the family (biology), family Sparidae, found in the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic and Indian Ocean. Species There are currently 23 recognized species in this genus: * ''Diplodus annularis'' (Carl Linnaeus, Linnaeus, ...
argenteus'') which is thought to have sought refuge in the area due to the wreck of an oil platform off the coast of Tristan in 2006. The silver porgy is omnivorous but is not linked to the consumption of the valued lobster populations that the islanders fish. The silver porgy is however suspected to be consuming components of the islands’ fragile kelp forest. The giant kelp forests of ''
Macrocystis pyrifera ''Macrocystis pyrifera'', commonly known as giant kelp or bladder kelp, is a species of kelp (large brown algae), and one of four species in the genus ''Macrocystis''. Despite its appearance, it is not a plant; it is a heterokont. Giant kelp is ...
'' were extremely limited in biodiversity and has a simple, short-chain food web. While this species is considered non-native and invasive, removal efforts are currently not prioritized. Continued monitoring is suggested and expedition research for all invasive marine species are ongoing..


Economy

The island has a unique social and economic structure in which all resident families farm and all land is communally owned. Outsiders are prohibited from buying land or settling on Tristan. Besides subsistence agriculture, major industries are commercial fishing and government. Major export industries are the Tristan rock lobster (''
Jasus ''Jasus'' is a genus of spiny lobsters which live in the oceans of the Southern Hemisphere. They have two distinct "horns" projecting from the front of the carapace, but lack the stridulating organs present in almost all other genera of spiny ...
'') fishery, the sale of the island's postage stamps and coins, and limited tourism. Like most
British Overseas Territories The British Overseas Territories (BOTs), also known as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs), are fourteen dependent territory, territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom. They are the last remna ...
, it was never a part of the European Union, but was a member of the EU's
Overseas Countries and Territories Association Overseas Countries and Territories Association (OCTA; french: Association des pays et territoires d'outre-mer de l'Union européenne, PTOM) is an international organisation founded on 17 November 2000 during the conference of prime ministers of ove ...
. The
Bank of Saint Helena The Bank of St Helena is a government-owned bank based in the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. It operates branches on St Helena and Ascension Island. The Government of St. Helena owns 100% of the bank ...
was established on Saint Helena and
Ascension Island Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island, 7°56′ south of the Equator in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is about from the coast of Africa and from the coast of South America. It is governed as part of the British Overseas Territory o ...
in 2004. This bank does not have a physical presence on Tristan da Cunha, but residents of Tristan are entitled to its services. Although Tristan da Cunha is part of the same overseas territory as Saint Helena, it does not use the local Saint Helena pound; sterling is used directly instead. The island is located in the South Atlantic Anomaly, an area of the Earth with an abnormally weak magnetic field. On 14 November 2008 a geomagnetic observatory was inaugurated on the island as part of a joint venture between the
Danish Meteorological Institute The Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI; da, Danmarks Meteorologiske Institut) is the official Danish meteorological institute, administrated by the Ministry of Energy, Utilities and Climate. The institute makes weather forecasts and observati ...
and
DTU Space The National Space Institute at the Technical University of Denmark, also known as DTU Space ( da, Institut for Rumforskning og Rumteknologi), is a Danish sector research institute and a part of the Technical University of Denmark. It has a staf ...
.


Transport

The remote location of the islands makes transport to the outside world difficult. Tristan da Cunha has no airstrip and is not generally accessible to air travel, though the wider territory is served by
Saint Helena Airport Saint Helena Airport is an international airport on Saint Helena, a remote island in the south Atlantic Ocean, in the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha. The construction of the runway was finishe ...
and RAF Ascension Island. Fishing boats from South Africa service the islands eight or nine times per year. The RMS ''Saint Helena'' used to connect the main island to St Helena and South Africa once each year during its January voyage, but has done so only a few times in the last years, in 2006, in 2011, and most recently in 2018. In the same year the RMS St. Helena was withdrawn from service. Three ships regularly service Tristan da Cunha, with typically fewer than a dozen visits a year. Other vessels may occasionally visit the island. The harbour at Edinburgh of the Seven Seas is called Calshot Harbour, named after the place in Hampshire, England where the islanders temporarily stayed during the volcanic eruption.


Tourism

Unlike Saint Helena with its airport, hotels and restaurants, due to its remoteness Tristan da Cunha has a very small tourism industry. Tourists are welcome and the hospitality of the population is famous, but as it can only be reached by South African fishing trips in rough seas with limited vacancies, a trip must be planned months in advance, and only after a mandatory visit request is approved by the Island Council. Occasional boats or cruises may include a short visit to the island in their itinerary; but as there is no deep harbour, setting ashore is highly dependent on the maritime conditions. With all these limitations and in spite of the spectacular natural landscapes, visiting the territory is an attractive challenge for more adventurous travellers who can afford the time and money to get there. All visitors staying on Tristan must have a confirmed and fully paid return ticket, health insurance to include cover in case of medical evacuation to Cape Town, and sufficient funds to cover their entire stay. There are no hotels on the island. A visitor can rent a guest house (catered or self-catering) or stay in a private home on a full-board basis. There is a Tourism Post Office that sells souvenirs that might take months to arrive if ordered online.


Communications


Telecommunication

The
ITU The International Telecommunication Union is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for many matters related to information and communication technologies. It was established on 17 May 1865 as the International Telegraph Unio ...
has assigned telephone country code
+290 In the island of Saint Helena and the archipelago of Tristan da Cunha, telecommunications are administered by Sure Saint Helena. There is a fixed five-digit number plan, and the country calling code is +290. Ascension Island is also part of th ...
for Tristan da Cunha; however, residents have access to the
Foreign and Commonwealth Office The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, department of the Government of the United Kingdom. Equivalent to other countries' Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ministries of fore ...
Telecommunications Network, provided by Global Crossing. This service uses a London 020 numbering range, meaning that numbers are accessed via the UK telephone numbering plan. Satellite-delivered internet access arrived in Tristan da Cunha in 1998, but its high cost initially made it almost unaffordable for the local population, who primarily used it only to send email. The connection was also extremely unreliable, connecting through a 64 kbit/s satellite phone connection provided by Inmarsat. Since 2006, a very-small-aperture terminal has provided bandwidth for government purposes that is also made available via an internet cafe and (after office hours) via wifi to island homes. As of 2016, there is not yet any mobile telephone coverage on the islands. The Government an
Tristan da Cunha Association
jointly run the islan
official website
with all practical information, news and facts about the island. While the site is updated from mainland UK, due to slow internet the photos taken and uploaded from Tristan da Cunha are all in low resolution, which also allows it to navigate online in the territory with acceptable speed. ;Amateur radio
Amateur radio Amateur radio, also known as ham radio, is the use of the radio frequency spectrum for purposes of non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, private recreation, radiosport, contesting, and emergency communic ...
operator groups sometimes conduct DX-peditions on the island. One group operated as station ZD9ZS in September–October 2014.


Government

There are no political parties or trade unions on Tristan. Executive authority is vested in the King, who is represented in the territory by the Governor of Saint Helena. As the Governor resides permanently in
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 ...
, an Administrator is appointed to represent the Governor in the islands. The Administrator is a career civil servant in the Foreign Office, selected by London, who acts as the local head of government and takes advice from the Tristan da Cunha Island Council. Since 1998, each Administrator has usually served a three-year term (which begins in September, upon arrival of the supply ship from Cape Town). Fiona Kilpatrick and Stephen Townsend were exceptions to this rule, having taken up their job-share office in January 2020. The Administrator and Island Council work from the Government Building, which is the only two-storey building on the island. The building is sometimes referred to as "Whitehall" or the "H'admin Building" and contains the Administrator's Office, Treasury Department, Administration Offices, and the Council Chamber where Island Council meetings are held. Policing is undertaken by one full-time police inspector and three special constables. Tristan da Cunha has some legislation of its own, but the law of Saint Helena applies generally 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.


Chief Islander

The Island Council is made up of eight elected and three appointed members, who serve a three-year term which begins in February or March. A separate but simultaneous vote is held to select the Chief Islander, who is the community's political leader. James Glass was re-elected to the position in March 2022 to a record-breaking fifth term in the role.


Demographics

Tristan da Cunha recorded a population of 243 in the June 2021 census. The only settlement is Edinburgh of the Seven Seas (known locally as "The Settlement"). The current residents are thought to have descended from fifteen outside ancestors, eight male and seven female, who arrived on the island at various dates between 1816 and 1908. The men were European, and the women were mixed race. Now all of the population has mixed ancestry. In addition, a male contributor of eastern European / Russian descent arrived in the early 1900s. In 1963, when families returned after the evacuation due to the 1961 volcanic eruption, the 200 settlers included four Tristan da Cunha women who brought with them new English husbands. The female descendants have been traced by genetic study to five female founders, believed to be mixed-race (African, Asian and European descent) and from Saint Helena. The historical data recounted that there were two pairs of sisters, but the mtDNA evidence showed only one pair of sisters. The early male founders originated from Scotland, England, the Netherlands, the United States, and Italy, who belonged to three Y-haplogroups: I (M170), R-SRY10831.2, and R (M207) (xSRY10831.2). The male founders shared nine surnames: Collins, Glass, Green, Hagan, Lavarello, Repetto, Rogers, Squibb, and Swain. In addition, a new
haplotype A haplotype ( haploid genotype) is a group of alleles in an organism that are inherited together from a single parent. Many organisms contain genetic material ( DNA) which is inherited from two parents. Normally these organisms have their DNA or ...
was found that is associated with men of eastern Europe and Russia. It entered the population in the early 1900s, at a time when the island was visited by Russian sailing ships. There is "evidence for the contribution of a hidden ancestor who left his genes, but not his name, on the island." Another four instances of non-paternity were found among male descendants, but researchers believed their fathers were probably among the early island population. There are eighty families on the island.


Language

Tristan da Cunha's isolation has led to development of its own accent. In popular writing, it has been described by the writer Simon Winchester as "a sonorous amalgam of Home Counties lockjaw and 19th century idiom, Afrikaans slang and Italian." Unique features of "Tristan da Cunha English" include the non- diphthongization of the vowel of (such as that "face" is pronounced ), and
h-insertion ''H''-dropping or aitch-dropping is the deletion of the voiceless glottal fricative or "''H''-sound", . The phenomenon is common in many dialects of English, and is also found in certain other languages, either as a purely historical development ...
in words like ''" pple"'' and ''" fter"'' (such as that "island" and "highland" are homonyms).


Education

Education is fairly rudimentary; children leave school at age 16, and although they can take
GCSE The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a particular subject, taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. State schools in Scotland use the Scottish Qualifications Certificate instead. Private sc ...
s a year later, few do. The school on the island is St. Mary's School, which serves children from ages 4 to 16. The Naval Station had established a school building during World War II. The current facility opened in 1975 and has five classrooms, a kitchen, a stage, a computer room, and a craft and science room. Tristan students doing post-16 education receive assistance from the Tristan da Cunha Association Education Trust Fund and typically do so in the United Kingdom and South Africa. The Tristan Song Project was a collaboration between St. Mary's School and amateur composers in Britain, led by music teacher Tony Triggs. It began in 2010 and involved St. Mary's pupils writing poems and Triggs providing musical settings by himself and his pupils. A desktop publication entitled ''Rockhopper Penguins and Other Songs'' (2010) embraced most of the songs completed that year and funded a consignment of guitars to the school. In February 2013, the Tristan Post Office issued a set of four Song Project stamps featuring island musical instruments and lyrics from Song Project songs about Tristan's volcano and wildlife. In 2014, the project broadened its scope and continues as the International Song Project.


Religion

The only religion is Christianity, with the only denominations being
Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
and Roman Catholic. The Roman Catholic population is served by the Mission Sui Iuris of Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha, which is administratively a part of the
Apostolic Prefecture of the Falkland Islands The Apostolic Prefecture of Falkland Islands ( la, Apostolica Præfectura de Insulis Falkland) is a Latin Church missionary ecclesiastical jurisdiction or apostolic prefecture of the Catholic Church covering the Falkland Islands and South Georgia ...
.
Edwin Dodgson Edwin Heron Dodgson (30 June 1846 – 3 January 1918) was a clergyman in the Church of England and the youngest brother of Lewis Carroll, author of ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''. He is primarily remembered for his work as a missionary in ...
, youngest brother of Lewis Carroll, spent several years as a missionary on the island in the nineteenth century.


Health

Healthcare is funded by the government, undertaken at most times by one resident doctor. Surgery or facilities for complex childbirth are therefore limited, and emergencies can necessitate communicating with passing fishing vessels so the injured person can be ferried to Cape Town. As of late 2007, IBM and Beacon Equity Partners, co-operating with Medweb, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and the island's government on "Project Tristan", had supplied the island's doctor with access to long distance tele-medical help, making it possible to send
EKG Electrocardiography is the process of producing an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), a recording of the heart's electrical activity. It is an electrogram of the heart which is a graph of voltage versus time of the electrical activity of the hear ...
and X-ray pictures to doctors in other countries for instant consultation. The Camogli Healthcare Centre, usually referred to as the hospital, was built and equipped in 2016/2017 to the latest UK National Health Service standards and was officially opened on 7 June 2017. It is located in the southwestern corner of the settlement below the previous hospital (built in 1971), which is now used by the veterinarians and for general storage. The new hospital was funded by the UK Department for International Development with the intention the improved facilities would allow more procedures to be performed locally by visiting specialists, and therefore reduce the need for expensive referrals to Cape Town. There are normally two expatriate doctors on the island, who provide 24 hour cover. There are also normally two expatriate and four local nurses, as well as two dental technicians, a hospital manager and ancillary staff. The medical staff deal with day-to-day medical matters, handle emergency cases, and undertake minor surgery. More complex and serious cases are transported to Cape Town for treatment, as all expectant mothers for their deliveries. There are instances of health problems attributed to endogamy, including glaucoma. In addition, there is a very high (42%) incidence of asthma among the population and research by Noe Zamel of the University of Toronto has led to discoveries about the genetic nature of the disease. Three of the original settlers of the island had asthma.


Culture


Music and traditional dance

Tristan residents Mary Swain and Percy Lavarello were recorded in 1962 whilst evacuated in Calshot, Hampshire by
Maud Karpeles Maud Karpeles (12 November 1885 – 1 October 1976) was a British collector of folksongs and dance teacher. Early life and education Maud Pauline Karpeles was born at Lancaster Gate in Bayswater, London, in 1885. She was the third of five child ...
and Peter Kennedy singing traditional songs and discussing the culture of the island, mainly music and dance; the full recording (split between seven tapes and also including other Tristan residents) can be heard on the British Library Sound Archive website. On these tapes, Mary Swain sings traditional
English folk songs The folk music of England is a tradition-based music which has existed since the later medieval period. It is often contrasted with courtly, classical and later commercial music. Folk music traditionally was preserved and passed on orally wit ...
learnt from her mother, including seventeenth-century Child Ballads such as " Barbara Allen" and " The Golden Vanity". She also describes how dance was an important element of life on Tristan; well-known dances such as step dances,
waltzes The waltz ( ), meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple ( time), performed primarily in closed position. History There are many references to a sliding or gliding dance that would evolve into the wal ...
,
polkas Polka is a dance and genre of dance music originating in nineteenth-century Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. Though associated with Czech culture, polka is popular throughout Europe and the Americas. History Etymology The term ...
, mazurkas and schottisches were common, as well as many unique traditional dances such as "The Donkey Dance", "The Pillow Dance", "The Chair Dance" and something called "Tabby Oaker's Big Toe" which involved displaying one's feet. It seems that the music and dance of Tristan was ultimately derived from English traditions, but various peculiarities had developed.


Crime

No one has ever been arrested for crime by the single policeman on the island.


Radio and television

Local television began in 1984 using taped programming on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday evenings. Live television did not arrive on the island until 2001, with the introduction of the British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS TV), which now provides six channels: BBC One,
BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...
,
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
, Channel 4,
Sky News Sky News is a British free-to-air television news channel and organisation. Sky News is distributed via an English-language radio news service, and through online channels. It is owned by Sky Group, a division of Comcast. John Ryley is the hea ...
and BFBS Extra, relayed to islanders via local transmitters. Recently the service was upgraded to digital, most TV screens are modern and DTV while some older analogue CRT equipments still are in use with digital boxes connected and there is at least one TV set per house. BFBS Radio 2 is the locally available radio station


Newspapers

The Tristan Times was an online newspaper for the island published from 2003 to 2019. The island government also posts news announcements on its website, which is maintained by the UK-based Tristan da Cunha Association.


Holidays and holiday traditions

The island holds an annual break from government and factory work which begins before Christmas and lasts for three weeks. The beginning of the holiday, called Break-Up Day, is usually marked with parties and celebrations. The islanders would traditionally have parties on
Boxing Day Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December). Though it originated as a holiday to give gifts to the poor, today Boxing Day is primarily known as a shopping holiday. It ...
but not on Christmas Day. Traditionally, on "Old Year's Day/Night" (meaning "New Year's Eve"), the islanders would conceal their identities with masks or
blackface Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used predominantly by non-Black people to portray a caricature of a Black person. In the United States, the practice became common during the 19th century and contributed to the spread of racial stereo ...
and the men would wear women's clothing; everyone would celebrate anonymously moving between households, singing songs, dancing, shouting, playing instruments and firing guns. At the stroke of midnight, a bell would announce the new year. On New Year's Day, the islanders would play cricket and football, and once again party later in the day. The disguises sometimes recall English
Border Morris Border Morris is a collection of individual local dances from villages along the English side of the Wales–England border in the counties of Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire. They are part of the Morris dance tradition. History T ...
dancers. Similarly, in England in the Middle Ages, this period was one of continuous feasting and merrymaking, which climaxed on Twelfth Night, the traditional end of the Christmas season on 6 January. In Tudor England, Twelfth Night itself was forever solidified in popular culture when William Shakespeare used it as the setting for one of his most famous stage plays, titled '' Twelfth Night''. Often a Lord of Misrule was chosen to lead the Christmas revels.


Sport

Football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
,
cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
and baseball were all historically played on the island. It has been reported that football was introduced to the locals in the 1920s by Rev. Henry Rogers, and it remains the island’s favourite sport. Rose, Henry’s wife, wrote about informal kick-abouts continuing for years, and these fast became a part of Tristanian culture. The islanders would split themselves into two teams and play friendly matches, especially on dates of special occasions, such as weddings, christenings etc. In 1940 Tristan da Cunha's footballers played their first "international" game against the crew of a Norwegian ship. No record remains of the score. In the ensuing years, the game flourished, with the islanders playing matches against crews from vessels of various nationalities, including ships from the Royal Navy. With live transmissions of televised football, the sport regained its former popularity. Tristan da Cunha FC was formed in 2002. A local fishing company bought them a kit (white shirts and blue shorts). They had a very basic pitch on American Field, named in recognition of the American forces stationed there during World War II. However, opponents were in short supply. It was a case of waiting for visiting opponents, and sometimes years might go by without any opportunities to play foreign opposition. Their first match was against a South African fishing vessel and they lost 10-6. The remoteness of Tristan da Cunha makes it virtually impossible for the team to travel abroad to play against foreign opposition. In recent times, the club's numbers have dropped to a level where only 5-a-side matches are being played.


Notable people

*
Edwin Heron Dodgson Edwin Heron Dodgson (30 June 1846 – 3 January 1918) was a clergyman in the Church of England and the youngest brother of Lewis Carroll, author of '' Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''. He is primarily remembered for his work as a missionary i ...
(1846–1918), a clergyman in the Church of England, was the youngest brother of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson ( Lewis Carroll), author of '' Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''. He is primarily remembered for his work as a missionary in the island of Tristan da Cunha from 1880–1884. * Conrad Jack Glass (born 1961) is a Tristanian police officer and a former Chief Islander. He is the first islander to have written a book about it, ''Rockhopper Copper'' (2005). *
William Glass William Glass (11 May 1786 – 1853) was a Scottish Corporal and settler. He established the settlement that would become Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, the main settlement on Tristan da Cunha. Early life William Glass was born William Glasgow in ...
(1786-1853), Scottish Corporal and founder of the island's settlement. * Anne Green (born 1952), first female Chief Islander and teacher.


In popular culture


Film

* In
Wim Wenders Ernst Wilhelm "Wim" Wenders (; born 14 August 1945) is a German filmmaker, playwright, author, and photographer. He is a major figure in New German Cinema. Among many honors, he has received three nominations for the Academy Award for Best Docum ...
's ''
Wings of Desire ''Wings of Desire'' (, ; ) is a 1987 romantic fantasy film written by Wim Wenders, Peter Handke and Richard Reitinger, and directed by Wenders. The film is about invisible, immortal angels who populate Berlin and listen to the thoughts of its hu ...
'', a dying man recollecting the things that have apparently meant most to him mentions "Tristan da Cunha". * ''37°4 S'' is a short film about two teenagers who live on the island.


Literature

* Edgar Allan Poe's '' The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket'' (1838), Chapter 15, has a detailed history and description of the island. * In
Jules Verne Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet, and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraor ...
's novel ''In Search of the Castaways'', one of the chapters is set on Tristan da Cunha, and a brief history of the island is mentioned. *
Zinnie Harris Zinnie Harris FRSE is a British playwright, screenwriter and director currently living in Edinburgh. She has been commissioned and produced by the Royal Court Theatre, Royal National Theatre, the National Theatre of Scotland and the Royal Shakespe ...
's play, ''
Further Than the Furthest Thing ''Further than the Furthest Thing'' is a play in two acts by the Scottish playwright Zinnie Harris, set in 1961 on a remote island based loosely on Tristan da Cunha, and in the English city of Southampton. It was inspired by Harris' mother's memor ...
'' (2000), is inspired by events on the island, notably the 1961 volcanic eruption and evacuation of the islanders. * Alice Munro's short story Deep-Holes in her 2009 short story collection ''
Too Much Happiness ''Too Much Happiness'' is a short story collection by Canadian writer Alice Munro, published on August 25, 2009 by McClelland and Stewart's Douglas Gibson Books imprint.Faroe Islands. Later, when her son goes missing, she fantasises that he has found his way to one of these islands and is living there.


Non-fiction

*
Frank T. Bullen Frank Thomas Bullen (April 5, 1857 – March 1, 1915), British author and novelist, was born of poor parents in Paddington, London, on 5 April 1857, and was educated for a few years at a dame school and Westbourne school, Paddington. At the age o ...
provides details of visiting the island in the 1870s in his book ''
The Cruise of the Cachalot ''The Cruise of the Cachalot'' is an 1898 semi-autobiographical travel narrative by Frank T. Bullen that depicts a whaling expedition from a seaman's perspective. After its initial publication, the book sold well amongst readers, and was well like ...
,'' first published in 1898. * Simon Winchester's book '' Outposts: Journeys to the Surviving Relics of the British Empire'' (1985, reprinted in 2003), devotes a chapter to the island, which he visited in the mid-1980s. In the foreword to the reprint, the author states that he was banned from Tristan da Cunha because of his writing about the war-time romance of a local woman. He published a longer account of his banishment in ''
Lapham's Quarterly ''Lapham's Quarterly'' is a literary magazine established in 2007 by former '' Harper's Magazine'' editor Lewis H. Lapham. Each issue examines a theme using primary source material from history. The inaugural issue "States of War" contained doze ...
''. * In 2005, ''
Rockhopper Copper Rockhopper may refer to: * Rockhopper penguin, one of three closely related crested penguins * Rockhopper, a fictional pirate penguin from the online game ''Club Penguin'' * rockhopper, an employment law service from law firm Lewis Silkin LLP * Ro ...
'', the first book about the island written by an Islander, was published. It was written by
Conrad Glass Conrad Jack Glass (born 20 January 1961) is a Tristanian police inspector and civil servant who was Tristan da Cunha's former Chief Islander from 2007 to 2010. Glass is the first islander to have written a book about the island: ''Rockhopper ...
, Tristan da Cunha's longtime Police and Conservation officer.


See also

*
Outline of Tristan da Cunha The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Tristan da Cunha: Tristan da Cunha – group of remote volcanic islands in the south Atlantic Ocean, from South Africa and from South America. It is part of the Br ...
* Sandy Point, Tristan da Cunha


Notes


References


Further reading

; Guides * ''A Short Guide to Tristan da Cunha'' by James Glass and Anne Green, Tristan Chief Islanders (2005, Whitby Press, 12 pages). * ''Field Guides to the Animals and Plants of Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island'' Edited by Peter Ryan (2007, RSPB Publication, 168 pages). * ''Gough Island: A Natural History'' by Christine Hanel, Steven Chown and Kevin Gaston (2005, Sun Press, 169 pages). * ; Culture * ''Tristan da Cunha: History, People, Language'' by Daniel Schreier and Karen Lavarello-Schreier (2003, Battlebridge, 88 pages). * ''Rockhopper Copper: The life and times of the people of the most remote inhabited island on Earth'' by
Conrad Glass Conrad Jack Glass (born 20 January 1961) is a Tristanian police inspector and civil servant who was Tristan da Cunha's former Chief Islander from 2007 to 2010. Glass is the first islander to have written a book about the island: ''Rockhopper ...
MBE, Tristan Police Officer (2005, Polperro Heritage Press, 176 pages). * ''Recipes from Tristan da Cunha'' by Dawn Repetto, Tristan Tourism Co-ordinator (2010, Tristan Books, 32 pages). * ''Corporal Glass's Island: The Story of Tristan da Cunha'' by Nancy Hosegood (1966, Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 192 pages, with several pages of photographs). * ''Three Years in Tristan da Cunha'' by Katherine Mary Barrow (1910, Skeffington & Son, 200 pages, with 37 photographs).


External links


Forum about the island's spoken English


News and government


Tristan da Cunha
– news from the Tristan da Cunha Government and the Tristan da Cunha Association

– former newspaper


History of the island

*

(2 books, and other material)
TRISTAN DA CUNHA
(Spanish)
LIFE Magazine article about 1961 evacuation.


Videos of the island


Return to Trista da Cunha
Global Nomad, National Geographic (2012).
A Day on Tristan da Cunha
Global Nomad, National Geographic (2011).
Tristan da Cunha: The story of Asthma Islandpart 1
an
part 2
BBC Four (2008).
Tristan da Cunha: Life on the island in 1963
(1963).
Tristan da Cunha: Life of an islander in 1963
(1963). {{DEFAULTSORT:Tristan Da Cunha English-speaking countries and territories Important Bird Areas of Saint Helena Seabird colonies States and territories established in 1816 States and territories established in 1938 Former British colonies and protectorates in Africa Mid-Atlantic Ridge Penguin colonies