The Most Remote Inhabited Island In The World
Disconnected from the vast majority of humanity
In 1506, in the early years of the Golden Age of Sail, a Portuguese explorer by the name of Tristão da Cunha spotted an uninhabited cluster of islands deep within the South Atlantic. In true exploration fashion, Cunha named the primary island after himself. The island would go on to be called Tristan da Cunha. At the time, the island offered nothing to the Portuguese sailors. Over the next two centuries, various ships would make stops at the islands. Ships flying the flag of the Dutch East India Company and the French Tricolor would make passes around the island. However, no one made an official claim to the territory until 1785.
In 1785, the British decided to ship a load of prisoners to Tristan da Cunha. Since the Revolutionary War broke out in North America, the British did not have a place to ship their prisoners. Before the war, Britain used Georgia as its primary penal colony. Now, with prisons buckling under the weight of overcrowding, they needed a new outlet for their prison population. However, the islands were surveyed and deemed to be unsuitable for habitation. The prisoners were sent to Australia instead.
In 1810, a small group of men landed on the island with the intention of living there permanently. Most of the group…
