Tristan da Cunha

Tristan da Cunha
Constituent part of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha

Flag

Coat of arms
Motto
"Our faith is our strength"
Anthem: "God Save the King"[a]
Map of Tristan da Cunha
Location of Tristan da Cunha archipelago (circled in red) in the southern Atlantic Ocean
Sovereign state United Kingdom
First settlement1810
Dependency of Cape Colony14 August 1816[2]
Dependency of Saint Helena12 January 1938
Current constitution1 September 2009
Capital
and largest settlement
Edinburgh of the Seven Seas
37°4′3″S 12°18′40″W / 37.06750°S 12.31111°W / -37.06750; -12.31111
Official languagesEnglish
Ethnic groups
Tristanians (mostly of British and Italian descent)
Demonym(s)Tristanian
GovernmentDevolved locally governing dependency under a constitutional monarchy
• Monarch
Charles III
• Governor
Nigel Phillips
• Administrator
Philip Kendall[3]
• Chief Islander
Ian Lavarello[4]
LegislatureIsland Council
Government of the United Kingdom
• Minister
Stephen Doughty
Area
• Total
207 km2 (80 sq mi)
• Main island
98 km2 (38 sq mi)
Highest elevation
2,062 m (6,765 ft)
Population
• 2023 estimate
238[5]
• 2016 census
293[6]
• Density
1.4/km2 (3.6/sq mi)
CurrencyPound sterling (£) (GBP)
Time zoneUTC±00:00 (GMT)
Date formatdd/mm/yyyy
Driving sideLeft
Calling code+44 20 (assigned +290)
UK postcode
TDCU 1ZZ
ISO 3166 codeSH-TA
Internet TLD

Tristan da Cunha (/ˌtrɪstən də ˈkn(j)ə/), colloquially Tristan, is a remote group of volcanic islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is one of three constituent parts of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, with its own constitution.[7]

The territory consists of the inhabited island Tristan da Cunha, which has a diameter of roughly 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) and an area of 98 square kilometres (38 sq mi); the wildlife reserves of Gough Island and Inaccessible Island; and the smaller, uninhabited Nightingale Islands. As of October 2018, the main island had 250 permanent inhabitants, who all hold British Overseas Territories citizenship.[8] The other islands are uninhabited, except for the South African personnel of a weather station on Gough Island.

As there is no airstrip on the island, the only way of travelling to or from Tristan is by ship. There are six-day journeys from Cape Town, South Africa, and some cruises offered departing from Ushuaia, Argentina.[9]

  1. ^ "National Anthem". The Royal Family. Archived from the original on 20 May 2024. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  2. ^ Crawford, Allan (1982). Tristan da Cunha and the Roaring Forties. Charles Skilton. p. 20. ISBN 9780284985897. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  3. ^ Grundy, Richard. "Philip Kendall sworn-in as Tristan Administrator". www.tristandc.com. Archived from the original on 11 October 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  4. ^ Grundy, Richard. "2025 Election Day". www.tristandc.com. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  5. ^ Green, Cynthia. "Tristan da Cunha Population Update". www.tristandc.com. Archived from the original on 28 November 2019. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  6. ^ "Census 2016 – summary report" (PDF). St. Helena Government. June 2016. p. 9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 October 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  7. ^ "The St. Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Constitution Order 2009". The National Archives. 2009. Archived from the original on 11 May 2011. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
  8. ^ "Tristan da Cunha Family News". Archived from the original on 21 November 2021. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  9. ^ Corne, Lucy. "Tristan da Cunha: a journey to the centre of the ocean". Lonely Planet. Archived from the original on 5 June 2020. Retrieved 9 April 2020.


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