Rare travelers reach this island in the South Atlantic Ocean. There is no airport here, but nearest country- South Africa - located 2816 kilometers away.

Them more interesting story island, which was first described by the Portuguese Tristan da Cunha in 1506. True, he did not dare to land on shore. In 1810, the first permanent settlers arrived from Salem, Massachusetts. Four men, led by Jonathan Lambert, named the place Refreshing Island. Three of them had died by 1812, and the only survivor, Thomas Curry, remained to live on the island and took up farming.

The distance of the island from the mainland.

View of Tristan da Cunha from the ocean.

In 1815, the island of Tristan da Cunha was annexed by the British. All because next door - on the island of St. Helena (2161 kilometers away) - Napoleon was languishing in prison. The British were afraid rescue operations, besides, the islands were of strategic importance on the way to Indian Ocean(The Suez Canal will not be dug until 1869).

Now the island is considered part of the British overseas territory of St. Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha (there are 14 such territories in total - from the famous Gibraltar and Falkland Islands to Pitcairn and Anguilla). The island belongs to Great Britain, but is not part of it. The queen has never set foot on the island, and setting foot on this island for a non-inhabitant is an extremely difficult task. Fishing boats from South Africa come here only a few times a year. They are equipped with seats for passengers.

Island flag

City map

As of 2016, the island is inhabited by 268 residents from just seven families (there is even a family tree posted on the island). There is little work here, so many government jobs have been created for residents: police, customs, environmental, environmental and agricultural services. And every resident of the island of Tristan da Cunha is a farmer who owns his own potato field. To ensure that everyone's standard of living remains average, a family is allowed to have a maximum of two cows. No one on the island pays taxes, but the population receives royalties from the sale of seafood.

The only settlement is great name Edinburgh of the Seven Seas. Locals, however, simply call it The Settlement.

View of Edinburgh of the Seven Seas

Ordinary house in Tristan da Cunha

In 2005, the UK gave the island its own postcode (TDCU 1ZZ) to make it easier for residents to order goods online. Is it true, cellular communication there is no. From 1998 to 2006, 64 kilobit Internet was available via satellite phone, but the high cost and poor quality of service forced island residents to abandon it. Now the Internet is only available in cafes, and this is perhaps the most remote Internet cafe in the world from civilization.

Television is available in the form of two BBC channels, so news reaches island residents somewhat faster than in 1919. Then a passing ship (the first since 1909) informed them of the results of the First World War.

Local

Bus stop

Read more:
Report at the Vinsky Forum for 2013
Island of Tristan da Cunha. Wikipedia
Island of Tristan da Cunha. Official site

Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha ... Wikipedia

This term has other meanings, see Tristan da Cunha. Islands of Tristan da Cunha ... Wikipedia

- (Tristan da Cunha) about in in south. parts Atlantic Ocean, possession of Great Britain. Until issue own brands in 1952 used. stamps about the Great Patriotic War of St. Helena and the Ascension, as well as South Africa and Great Britain. A series prepared in 1946 by local authorities... ... Large philatelic dictionary

Tristan da Cunha: Tristan da Cunha (islands) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean. Cunha, Tristan and the famous Portuguese navigator ... Wikipedia

- (Tristan da Cunha) a group of 4 volcanic islands in the southern Atlantic approx. Possession of Great Britain. The area itself large island 117 km². Population of St. 300 people (1988). The main population center is Edinburgh. Fishing, hunting... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

- (Tristan da Cunha), a group of 4 volcanic islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. Possession of Great Britain. The area of ​​the largest island is 117 km2. population over 300 people (1988). Basic locality Edinburgh. Fishing,... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

Tristan da Cunha- (Tristan da Cunha), a group of 4 volcanic islands, in the South Atlantic Ocean (37°06"S and 12°01"W). Administratively (since 1938) part of the British dominion. Area 209 km2 (including the largest and most inhabited... ... Encyclopedic reference book "Africa"

- (Tristan da Cunha, named after the Portuguese navigator Tristão da Cunha, who discovered these islands) a group of 4 volcanic islands in the southern Atlantic Ocean (37°06 S and 12°01 W). Belongs to Great Britain. Square… … Big Soviet encyclopedia

- (Tristan da Cunha) an island in the South Atlantic Ocean, owned by the British. 37°6 S latitude, 12°2w. d. The shape of the island is round, the surface is 116 square meters. km, 61,000 inhabitants Consists of one cone-shaped mountain 2300 or 2540 m high, steep... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Ephron

Islands of Tristan da Cunha Flag of the islands Coat of arms of the islands ... Wikipedia

Books

• Winter is ending. Stories, Andrey Kalinin. A book for those who are looking for their path and believe that any winter ends sooner or later. 14 stories about a variety of people: from the first number on the Forbes list to a young resident of the island...

The island of Tristan da Cunha, which takes three days to reach from South Georgia, is one of the most remote inhabited places on the planet. And, perhaps, the most inaccessible thing: communication with mainland It is carried out once every one to two months by fishing and research vessels from Cape Town. The island is part of the archipelago of the same name, which is part of the British Overseas Territory.

Some of the islands of the archipelago, including the main one, were discovered in 1506 by the Portuguese Tristan da Cunha, but the first human landing on the islands occurred two and a half centuries later.

In 1810, the English warship RMS Baltic landed three people on the island, who became its first permanent residents. In 1812, Great Britain declared the archipelago its territory.

Only the most big Island archipelago, Tristan da Cunha. It is home to the only city of Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, which today has 267 inhabitants. There are only ten surnames used on the island.

Like this interesting place we're heading. It must be said that the remoteness of Tristan has always attracted travelers, but not everyone was able to land on the island. The reason is simple: even with relatively low waves, landing on the shore here is impossible. The only island port is very small and poorly protected from waves. In almost half of the cases, the already rare cruise ships that come here two or three times a year, after staying in the roadstead for a couple of days, move on: the weather does not allow disembarking passengers.

Will we be lucky?

Tristan da Cunha Island

Cloudy morning. We are approaching the main island of the archipelago. Here he is, the desired and unattainable Tristan. The characteristic volcanic cone is half hidden by fog.

So, will you accept travelers today?

Edinburgh of the Seven Seas lies on one of the few plains of this volcanic island. Members of the expedition team on two Zodiacs go on reconnaissance...

... and return with good news: we are landing on Tristan!

We get into the Zodiacs and go to the shore. Even with the slight excitement present this morning, disembarking from the rocking boats onto the quay wall is difficult and proceeds very slowly.

First steps on the island. With a feeling of some unreality of what is happening, I climb the road leading from the port to the city. I experience a feeling of acute novelty, already half-forgotten after many travels. Is this Tristan da Cunha? Am I here?

Here comes the city, Edinburgh of the Seven Seas.

The inhabitants of Tristan are mainly engaged in fishing and farming. For our arrival, local kids had prepared their drawings and sandwiches with fresh fish for sale.

Now I have a piece of Tristan:

Many buildings are abundantly planted with plants, the purpose of which is to reduce the impact of constant strong winds. This is mainly New Zealand flax, which is considered a weed in other places. And sometimes you can see an almost English garden here (after all, we are on British territory).

Edinburgh has all the infrastructure necessary for life: a school, a hospital, a store, running water, two churches and even a swimming pool. There is also a post office, which we will visit later. And now we will go out of town. Like many urban residents of the “mainland,” Tristanians have suburban areas where they grow potatoes.

Some of the guests go out of town on the only island bus, removed from the regular route “city - dachas” on the occasion of our arrival.

The rest local residents disassembled into their SUVs, placing them not only in the cabs, but also in the bodies. Riding in the back has the advantage of good all-round visibility.

The road goes along the coast and through the hills.

There are few plains on the island; the largest is occupied by Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, and the second largest is occupied by summer cottages. Cows graze here and potatoes are grown. City dwellers come here to relax in nature.

We return to the city. The center of Tristan's social life is the post office, which also houses a café, a small museum and a gift shop.

As usual, in such places there are many people who want (including me) to send postcards with rare stamps and envelopes to home and friends.

The most convenient way to sign addresses is while sitting with a cup of coffee, because, as I mentioned, there is a cafe in the post office building. By the way, it also sells local beer, although it tastes a little different from beer.

This a large number of people who want to send letters to the mainland come here only a couple of times a year. But the wonderful postal workers did an excellent job.

The people of Tristan are friendly, if a little shy, and love their island. Even those who go to the UK for university education often return home later.

There was a case in the history of the island when the entire population had to be evacuated due to a volcanic eruption. This happened in 1961, when the Tristanians were taken first to South Africa, then to the UK.

There, stories sometimes happened to the islanders that explained why they felt uncomfortable on the “mainland.” One example: a woman bought groceries in a store and waited for the bus. But then I decided to drink coffee, and, leaving my full bag at the bus stop, I went to the cafe. Having returned and not finding the bag, the woman for a long time could not understand where it could have gone. After all, taking someone else’s property is unthinkable for an islander.

Despite good accommodation conditions and offers to stay, almost all of the evacuees returned to Tristan as soon as the threat had passed. This happened only two years after the evacuation. Returning, the islanders found their city unharmed. But the eruption did not spare the fish factory and the local port, burying them under lava flows.

That is why a small and inconvenient harbor is now used to get to the island - the old one no longer exists. Small fishing boats periodically go out to sea from it.

It's time to get back on board. Boarding in Zodiacs is delayed due to excitement. A local fisherman is happy to show off his freshly caught lobsters to those waiting in line.

Let's go back. The wind is picking up. The ship sways noticeably on the wave. Transferring from Zodiacs on board turns into a wet extreme adventure. But such moments are part of almost any expedition cruise.

We were lucky. Had we approached Tristan a few hours later, landing on the shore would have been impossible.

Tristan da Cunha remains astern. We are heading towards the one in sight inhabited island Nightingale, where, with luck, we too can land on shore.

Nightingale Island (Nightingale Island)

The island is home to rare crested penguins, as well as yellow-nosed albatrosses.

We disembark and walk in small groups to the habitat of crested penguins.

Nightingale Island, or Nightingale Island, is an even less visited place than Tristan da Cunha. This is not surprising: in addition to the remoteness, lack of transport and civilization, there is one more thing: moving around the island requires a certain amount of physical training. Our path across the island turned out to be continuous rough terrain with steep ascents and descents.

In some places it was impossible to climb without a rope attached to the top.

Along the way, you need to watch your step and not step on the albatross chicks that sometimes get in the way.

Here is a colony of crested penguins. They are small in size and live on rocks. Because of the bright yellow feathers on their heads, they are also called golden-haired rock penguins.

And this is another local rarity - the Tristan blackbird:

While we were on the island, a wave broke out. But it’s one thing to cancel disembarkation, but how do you cancel getting back on board? By the way, such a case happened with one of the ships of the Holland America Line, when, due to strong seas, about a thousand tourists stayed overnight on the shore in Port Stanley on Falkland Islands. Falklanders still remember this incident: some of the tourists were then taken home by local residents, and some went to spend the night in the gym of a local school.

But there are no schools or local residents on Nightingale, and you can only spend the night here under open air. So let's get back on board.

To transfer tourists, the Zodiac approaches the landing site at the side of the ship. I will illustrate the danger of transferring people from a boat to this platform during rough seas. So, the Zodiac carefully approached the site, people are ready to move onto it...

In a split second, the Zodiac, having fallen into the trough of the wave, finds itself in this position:

Now what does it look like from the Zodiac. It looks like we have pulled up to the site, we can disembark...

... and bam - the Zodiac with people in an instant turns out to be a meter lower.

After several attempts to start disembarking, our Zodiac, having failed once again, carried away a crew member from the site into the water. He was quickly pulled out, but the landing attempts were stopped.

We drift along with other Zodiacs next to the ship and wait for a “window” in the weather.

It was almost dark when we got on board.

We return to Tristan. While the paperwork is being completed and the representatives of the island administration, who accompanied us to Nightingale, are disembarking, we are standing at the roadstead. There is silence all around, far away the lights of the night Edinburgh of the Seven Seas. And you even begin to get used to the fact that the inaccessible Tristan is not at all inaccessible, but here he is, next to you and shining with his lights, as, for example, the evening Yaroslavl could shine for the passengers of the Volga ship.

Gough Island

Early in the morning we weigh anchor and head south towards Gough Island. This island is officially uninhabited, but there is a small South African weather station operating there. Gough is home to the largest seabird colonies in the area, including the rare Tristan albatross.

The island's problem is mice, once brought here by sailors. They cause enormous harm to the albatross population. Mice eat albatross chicks alive, gradually tearing pieces of meat out of them over the course of two to three days. Now a deratization program is being launched on Gof, within the framework of which all mice on the island will be destroyed (after all, if at least a few individuals remain alive, they will be able to quickly reproduce the population). Biologists have already successfully carried out similar programs on other islands of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

The trek to Gough lasts ten hours. The sea is very rough; waves flood the glass of the observation salon on the upper (seventh) deck. The chances of landing on Gough are slim.

Finally, an island appeared from the veil of bad weather...

We are approaching it... No, landing in such conditions is unthinkable. And you won’t even be able to get closer to see the birds. But we saw Gough!

We go back towards Tristan.

Inaccessible Island

Early in the morning we are already at the Inaccessible Island. This is Tristan's next door neighbor. Impregnable received its name because of the difficulty of getting to it: the island is surrounded by rocks on all sides. Seals and various rare birds, such as the Tristan rail, live here.

The weather in these parts changes instantly. It seems that the island was just covered in fog, and half an hour later the bright sun is shining.

The sea has calmed down, and I can’t even believe that there was a storm here yesterday.

Having walked around the Impregnable, we head towards Tristan, who is in sight. The plan now is this: since the landing on Gof did not work out, we will try to land on Tristan a second time. Sounds interesting. By the way, has anyone done this (two landings on Tristan) before us?

Tristan da Cunha Island

Tristan, as usual, is surrounded by clouds of fog. What surprises me now is not the presence of Tristan in almost constant visibility, but the fact that I’m used to it.

We stand at the roadstead opposite Edinburgh of the Seven Seas and wait for the wind to subside. In the meantime, we are watching the waves crash on the piers at the entrance to the port. Landing on shore under such conditions is impossible.

The weather did not improve. Well, we won’t be able to land on Tristan this time, but it’s a sin to complain, because the day before yesterday we spent several wonderful hours on the island.

We're going into the ocean. There are five ahead sea ​​days"and the end point of our journey is Cape Town.

It may vary for others, but for me, days at sea are never monotonous. Time passes in conversations, reflections, and simply admiring the ocean, which is constantly changing.

It's not yet dawn, and we're already approaching the capital South Africa. The ocean crossing is safely completed. We visited , in and on the islands of the Tristan da Cunha archipelago. They rightly say about such trips that they happen once in a lifetime.

The story about Cape Town and its surroundings does not fit the topic of this story, but who cares - ten years ago I went from this city to St. Helena Island, and wrote about Cape Town small photo report.

I want to say thank you to everyone who read all three parts of my story about crossing the Atlantic south. For me it was a very interesting, one might even say, epic journey. I wish the same for everyone!

Islands of Tristan da Cunha

“...another day passed, and at dawn the voice of the sailor on watch was suddenly heard.
“Earth!” he shouted.
A spyglass appeared from the hatch. Jacques Paganel pointed his instrument in the indicated direction, but did not see anything resembling land there.
“Look at the clouds,” John Mangles advised him.
“Indeed,” said Paganel, “there looms something like a cliff.”
“This is Tristan da Cunha,” announced John Mangles...
"Captain Grant's Children", Jules Verne

Have you ever heard of Tristan da Cunha? If not, don't feel bad because the people living there have probably never heard of you either. The Tristan da Cunha archipelago, located in the southern Atlantic Ocean, is the most remote inhabited place on the planet. Its closest “neighbor” is the island of St. Helena, located 2,430 kilometers from the archipelago, known as a place of exile and recent years life of Napoleon Bonaparte. Tristan da Cunha consists of several islands - Tristan itself, the largest and only inhabited, Nightingale Island and Inaccessible Island, Gough and many small islands. The coast of South Africa is more than 2,800 kilometers from here, and all ten to London!

The history of the islands begins in 1506, when the Portuguese navigator Tristan da Cunha saw them through a telescope and left his name here forever. Due to various reasons, Tristan was not able to walk around the skeletons, so we were the first to set foot on the “most distant land“Only in 1767, and it was the French. Despite this, he named the island after himself - Tristan da Cunha. The first settler of the island was the American Jonathan Lambert, who landed on the shore in January 1811. He named himself the ruler of the island and renamed it "Rest Island".

When the English Governor of the Cape Good Hope Having learned that the island had already been colonized, he offered Lambert a protectorate of England. Lambert agreed and raised the British flag over Tristan. However, two years later Lambert died in a shipwreck, and the island was given its former name.

In 1815, the British settled Napoleon on St. Helena, a similarly lonely piece of land thousands of miles to the north. And to guard possible sea routes for his escape from there, it was decided to place a garrison on Tristan da Cunha. The small, dying American colony took this as a gift from heaven, and recognized the sovereignty of Great Britain over this island.

In 1821, Napoleon died and the garrison was transferred to the Cape of Good Hope.

The main island of the Tristan da Cunha archipelago is the only one of the islands with a permanent population. Center - village Edinburgh of the Seven Seas(Edinburgh of the Seven Seas) with a population of about 300 people (2005). But the residents simply call it settlement(Settlement). And local residents use their ceremonial name as rarely as they use their surnames, of which there are only seven or eight: almost all the families have long been related to each other. No give or take - Noah's Ark. The most ancient families on the island are considered to be Glass (immigrants from the USA, on the island since 1816), Swain (immigrants from England, since 1826), Green (from Holland since 1836), Rogers (from the USA since 1836), Hagan ( USA, 1849), Repetto and Lavarello (both families from Italy since 1892).

Other settlements are simply scientific bases and weather stations.

Today, Tristan da Cunha is a British overseas colony that has so far not demanded independence, all because the island's inhabitants value their historical connection with Great Britain. The island is governed by the Governor of Saint Helena, who appoints an Administrator to represent its interests in the archipelago.

Well, okay, people don’t live on continents alone, but these islands are so far from sea ​​routes that ships enter there no more than once a month. The rest of the time, all 300 residents the only city The islands of “Edinburgh of the Seven Seas” are left to their own devices, and they cope excellently with the elements, with illnesses, with work and with unemployment. Just kidding - they have no unemployment.

Most of the residents are engaged in farming, the rest serve government facilities - weather stations and some other towers inherited from Mother Britain. But what is interesting is that the land is constantly redistributed among community members in order to avoid the accidental enrichment of a random family due to the accidental seizure of the best plot. Since all Tristan residents are distant and close relatives, they decide their affairs in a family way, without involving any “committees for the rights of black-browed and red-cheeked people,” and they do it extremely charmingly. The island is ruled by an elected Chief Islander and eleven members of the Council; there are no other General Courts or Memorial Chambers. But the islanders are such a peaceful and friendly people that litigation between them is a complete fantasy.

All tourists who want to go to Tristan da Cunha must first obtain permission from the Administrator and the Council and take with them a police certificate of no criminal record (with a translation into English). To do this, you need to write a letter to the Secretary of the Administrator [email protected] and indicate when you plan to arrive, where you intend to stay and what the purpose of your visit is. You must also have medical insurance with you that will cover the costs of treatment and evacuation to Cape Town, and sufficient financial resources. Once the Council has issued your permit, the Administrator's Secretary will contact you to assist you in booking your boat tickets from Cape Town.

A visa is not required, but all tourists must carry a passport, which will be stamped upon arrival. In addition, you need to pay a fee: for passengers cruise ships- 30 pounds, and for fishing boats - 20 pounds. Finally, you need to know that the import of food and alcohol here is very strictly controlled. For example, tourists are allowed to bring only 4 liters of beer with them.

Tristana da Cunha has no airport or sea harbor (it was destroyed by the volcanic eruption of Queen Mary Peak in 1961).

The only way to get here is through the port, which is used by fishing boats, ferries and scientific expeditions. Travel to the island from the nearest large city– South Africa's capital Cape Town takes six days one way. Currently, the Ovenstone company, which owns several fishing vessels - Edinburgh, MV Baltic Trader and SA Agulhas, transports tourists along the route Cape Town - Tristan da Cunha - Cape Town. Flight schedules can be found on the website. The average cost of a round trip ticket is about a thousand US dollars.

Tristan da Cunha is an island of volcanic origin. The inhabitants of Tristan da Cunha are tightly tied to their homeland. When in 1961 a volcano seriously damaged the fish factory and the local atmosphere, people were evacuated to Britain and the island of St. Elena, which is nearby (about a thousand kilometers is a mere trifle). It would seem that civilization will inevitably swallow up the provincials with its tenacious advantages. But no, as soon as the military island was repaired, the entire population returned to their “most remote from the whole world” homes. And, probably, they can be understood - they have peace and grace there, a piece of heaven on Earth, albeit without excesses, but also without racial hatred, terrorism, crime, corruption and other “benefits” of the modern world.

Only a small part of the island is accessible to life, on the northern side of which is the capital of the archipelago - “Edinburgh of the Seven Seas”, and locals like to call it simply “The Settlement”. Tristana da Cunha is currently home to 261 people who proudly call it home. All of them are descendants of American, Italian, and Dutch settlers. There is a ban on the settlement of new residents on the island, so the population here fluctuates slightly. This leads to another problem - for more than 200 years, inbreeding occurred on the island, which still leads to serious genetic diseases. Recently, marriages between close relatives (cousins) were officially prohibited, and now residents are faced with another problem: many have to wait several years for their future husband or wife to “grow up.” However, this is a common problem for all such societies.

The official language in Tristan da Cunha is English, but there are several dialects that stem from the fact that the first settlers did not originally speak English. English language. Tristanians profess Christianity (Anglicanism and Catholicism). The island has telephones, television and Internet access.

A few words about the economy. The main source of income for the residents is the factory for catching and processing lobsters and lobsters, which closely cooperates and sells its products to Japan and the USA, although now the turnover with the Americans has dropped significantly, complicating the already difficult life of the residents of Tristan. In addition, Tristan da Cunha sells coins and postage stamps all over the world, which are very rare and highly sought after by collectors. The local currency is the British pound sterling. Credit cards are not accepted, but travelers checks and foreign currencies (Euros, Dollars, South African Rands) can be exchanged at the local treasury.

All land is in common use. No one can buy it here, not even Bill Gates and Roman Abramovich. All families are engaged in farming, growing vegetables, and raising livestock. By the way, livestock numbers are strictly controlled in order to preserve pastures and prevent individual families from accumulating wealth. In other words, there is complete equality here.

The island has a school, post office, museum, cafe, two churches, a supermarket and a tourist center. The local clinic provides free medical care to all residents, many of whom suffer from the same genetic diseases caused by the previously mentioned incest. And most importantly, there is no crime, corruption, or murder on the island. Complete idyll, isn't it?

You must book accommodation on the island in advance by contacting the Administrator’s secretary (it is worth noting that you will often be in contact with him; all communication with the “outside world” for Tristanians goes through him). He can advise you and help you with your booking. Two types of accommodation are available for tourists - in a home family with full board (cost - 40 pounds per night), three meals a day, laundry services and guest house(there are six of them on the island), which can be booked for any period (cost 20 pounds per night + meals).

Local tourist center You can buy a postcard and send it to your friends. But they will immediately tell you that delivery may take several months. Although Russians probably shouldn’t be too upset, because we have long been accustomed to the “super-fast” work of the Russian Post.

Tristan da Cunha offers tourists a number of activities and excursions that can be specially organized by local guides. All inquiries should be directed to Tourism Coordinator Dawn Repetto via email [email protected]

Among the most favorite tourist attractions in Tristan da Cunha there are three. The first is conquering the top of the Queen Mary Peak volcano. All excursions that take place outside the Edinburgh of the Seven Seas require the presence of a local guide (for the safety of tourists and the conservation of wildlife). The second is crested penguins (Rockhopper penguins), which make their nests on rocks and coastal slopes, and after the traditional January molt they return to the sea.

Third, and perhaps the most unique, is a trip to neighboring uninhabited islands archipelago. For example, on a fishing boat you can visit Nightingale Island or Inaccessible Island, but again, you must first coordinate the excursion with the Tristan administration. You can also go to Gough Island, which, like Inaccessible, was declared a wildlife reserve by UNESCO in 1995. This island was discovered by the navigator Gough in 1731. It belongs to the British maritime domain, but the only inhabitants of the island are members of the South Atlantic weather station SANAP, which, in agreement with the British government, was placed here in 1956.

Doesn't exist on Tristan da Cunha organized tours, no hotels, no airport, no nightclubs and expensive restaurants, no normal permanent transport communication. However, he is one of the most unusual places for independent travelers who are determined to discover something new and unknown. Many who come here decide to stay for a long time (several months), realizing that they have found something that they were so missing before. The most important thing is to remember that your trip to Tristan da Cunha needs to be planned in advance, not two or three months in advance, but at least a year in advance.

Such increased attention to these islands at that time was by no means accidental. They were advantageously located on routes connecting the Old World and India and, moreover, were under the protectorate of England, which made them very popular. But the rapid prosperity of Tristan da Cunha came to an end with the construction of the Suez Canal. The settlers who settled on the island did not want to return to the mainland under any pretext, so some of them were “attached” for scientific research, while the rest were engaged in agriculture, animal husbandry, fishing and handicrafts.

You can go there for tourism purposes only to expand your geographical horizons - there is absolutely nothing to see there. Of the entire area of ​​the island, a small piece of land in the north is suitable for life, the rest is a volcano, which has made its appearance four times over the past 100 years. In addition to Tristan da Cunha, the archipelago includes three more smaller islands and many hillocks above sea level, which one wouldn’t dare call an island. So, everything except Tristan has no permanent residents.

Tristan is still registered in Britain, but this is more nominal, just so as not to be “passportless” and not to create another independent island state from nowhere.

The social system of the island is real communism. Even at the very beginning of the colony, Cpl. Grass formulated something like a constitution. Its provisions were determined by the ideas of the French Revolution: freedom, equality, fraternity. And this is still the custom here. The whole community will build a house for the newlyweds here. If the harvest is bad, the neighbors will share theirs. Among the applicants, the one who previously earned less gets the job. Health care and education are free.

For the last 60-odd years, the island has been governed by a council consisting of 10 people and the head of the council, who is also approved by the governor British island Saint Helena. Since the commune on the island is tiny, local politics are right at your fingertips: the reins of government are held by representatives of the most ancient families of immigrants to the island (in fact, the island is a very simplified model of migrant-type countries). Of the 11 members of the council, the head is a representative of the Lavarello clan, the council includes 4 representatives of the Repetto clan, 3 of the Green clan, 1 of the Rogers clan, 2 of the Glass clan. In total, the “Italians” have 5 out of 11 seats, the “Americans” – 3, the Dutch – 3 places. As we see, there was no place for the “Englishmen”.

However, according to local political scientists, the current rise in the influence of Italian clans is a purely temporary phenomenon. Ian Lavarello generally became the first representative of his clan to be appointed to the position of chairman of the council.

It is not customary to shirk community work. It is always there: to fix the road, help in building a house, to crush the lava from which bricks will later be made. The entire list of work necessary for the community is compiled by the British manager.

There is little that can take the Council, or indeed all the other inhabitants of the island, by surprise, because for any conceivable situation they have an iron rule in reserve: to remember how the older generations of settlers acted in such cases. Traditions are what all actions here are based on. Why build a new restaurant building on the island? It would be better to leave everything as it is: how many years have you lived without a restaurant, and why do you need it now? Why build a new board building? After all, the old one is still quite good. What's the use of a satellite phone? After all, if something happened, the ship from Cape Town, at best, would only reach here in a week. In 1906, a volcanic eruption occurred, resulting in the death of livestock and potato plantations. People were resettled in Cape Town. As can be seen from these facts, all external relations of the island have long been limited to the support of the authorities from another British colony, the Cape of Good Hope (currently a province of South Africa).