Edinburgh of the Seven Seas
| Edinburgh of the Seven Seas | |
| St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha | |
|---|---|
 Roofs of Edinburgh of the Seven Seas | |
| Location | |
| Location: | 37°4’2"S, 12°18’36"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 264 (2009) |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Tristan da Cunha |
Edinburgh of the Seven Seas is the main settlement of the island of Tristan da Cunha, the southernmost inhabited island of the St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha territory in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is the only settlement on the island and houses the island's whole population. Locally it is known simply as The Settlement.
Edinburgh contains a small port, the Administrator's residence, and the post office.
The settlement was damaged in a volcanic eruption on the island in 1961 which forced the entire population to abandon the settlement and move to Britain. The eruption destroyed the settlement's crayfish factory. After the return of most of the islanders in 1963, the settlement was rebuilt.
The village was named not after the city of Edinburgh, but after Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, the second son of Queen Victoria, when he visited the island in 1867.[1] Locally it is always referred to as The Settlement.
The settlement was founded on the Tristan da Cunha island in 1815 by a Sergeant Glass after Britain annexed Tristan da Cunha. A military garrison was maintained on the islands as a guard against any French attempts to rescue Napoleon Bonaparte, who lay imprisoned on St Helena to the north. The military garrison remained until the end of the Second World World War.
Edinburgh of the Seven Seas is regarded as the most remote permanent settlement in the world, being over 1,500 miles from the nearest human settlement, on St Helena.
References
- ↑ Courtney, Nicholas (2004). The Queen's Stamps. ISBN 0413772284, page 28. The visit took place during the Duke of Edinburgh's circumnavigation while commanding the HMS Galatea. Tristan da Cunha post office issued four stamps in 1967 to celebrate the centenary of this visit.