The settlement was founded on the island of Tristan da Cunha in 1816 by a Sergeant William Glass from Kelso, Scottish Borders after the UK annexed Tristan da Cunha. A military garrison was maintained on the islands as a guard against any French attempts to rescue Napoleon, who was imprisoned on Saint Helena. The military garrison remained until the end of World War II.
Edinburgh of the Seven Seas is the only major settlement of Tristan da Cunha, and contains a small port, the Administrator's residence, and the post office. It was damaged in a volcanic eruption on the island in 1961, which forced the entire population to abandon the settlement and evacuate to Calshot, Hampshire in the UK. The eruption destroyed the settlement's crayfish factory.
After the return of most of the islanders in 1963, the settlement was rebuilt. The harbour at Edinburgh was named Calshot Harbour, after their temporary home during the eruption.[3]
Geography
Climate
The archipelago has a wet oceanic climate under the Köppen system with mild temperatures, but consistent moderate to heavy rainfall and very limited sunshine, due to the persistent westerly winds. Under the Trewartha classification, Tristan da Cunha has a humid subtropical climate due to the lack of cold weather, and it has a mild oceanic climate (Cfb) according to the Köppen climate classification, with an absence of extreme temperatures. 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, 20° farther from the equator. Frost is unknown below elevations of 500 metres (1,600 ft) and summer temperatures are similarly mild, never reaching above 25 °C (77 °F). 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.
There is one road, nicknamed the "M1", which connects the town with Potato Patches (or The Patches), the primary agricultural area, and is used by the few private cars on the island.[7] Paved paths provide walking access to buildings around town. A bus service called Potato Patches Flier (using a 24-seat Isuzu mini school bus from Cape Town, South Africa[8]) is available free to pensioners to travel to the Patches and stops along the road.[9]
All motor vehicles on the island have Tristan da Cunha plates consisting of "TDC" followed by two or three digits.[10]
The settlement has a small harbour named after the village of Calshot, where the population of Tristan da Cunha stayed following the volcanic eruption, with berths accessible by small vessels only. The island has around 10 scheduled ship visits per year for tourists and island residents to travel to/from the island on multi-day trips from South Africa or Namibia.[11]
The island's local affairs are managed by the Island Council, a 14-member administration that meets six times a year and is elected every three years.[14]
^Courtney, Nicholas (2004). The Queen's Stamps. ISBN0-413-77228-4, page 28. The visit took place during the circumnavigation the Duke of Edinburgh did while commanding HMS Galatea. Tristan da Cunha post office issued four stamps in 1967 to celebrate the centenary of this visit.
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