Edinburgh of the Seven Seas "The Settlement"
Roofs of Edinburgh of the Seven Seas
Edinburgh of the Seven Seas
Coordinates: 37°4′2.2″S 12°18′36″W / 37.067278°S 12.31000°W / -37.067278; -12.31000
Country	United Kingdom
Overseas territory	Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
Island	Tristan da Cunha
First inhabited	1816
Named	1867
Founded by	William Glass (British Army)
Named for	Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh
Capital of	Tristan da Cunha
Population  (2009)
• Total	264
Time zone	UTC+0 (GMT)
Area code	+290 8xxx

Edinburgh of the Seven Seas is the capital and the only settlement of the island of Tristan da Cunha, in Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, an overseas territory of the United Kingdom, in the South Atlantic Ocean. Locally it is always called "The Settlement".^[1]

Edinburgh of the Seven Seas is regarded as the most remote permanent settlement on Earth, being 2,173 km² (839 sq mi) from the nearest human settlement, on Saint Helena.^[1]

The first permanent settler was Jonathan Lambert, from Salem, Massachusetts, United States, who came to the islands in December 1810. He declared the islands his property and named them the Islands of Refreshment. Lambert's rule was short-lived, as he died in 1812.

The settlement was founded on the island of Tristan da Cunha in 1816 by a Corporal William Glass (with his South African wife and two children) after the UK annexed Tristan da Cunha.^[2] A military garrison was maintained on the islands as a guard against any French attempts to rescue Napoleon, imprisoned on Saint Helena. The military garrison remained until the end of World War II.

It is named after Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, the second son of Queen Victoria, in honour of his visit to the island in 1867, after which the Settlement was officially (but never locally) known as Edinburgh of the Seven Seas.^[2]

It was damaged in a volcanic eruption near the Settlement in 1961 which forced the entire population to abandon the settlement and move to the UK.^[3] The eruption destroyed the settlement's crayfish factory. The following year a Royal Society expedition went to the islands to assess the damage, and reported that the settlement of Edinburgh of the Seven Seas had been only marginally affected. Most families returned in 1963.

After the return of most of the islanders in 1963, the Settlement was rebuilt. The harbour at Edinburgh was named Calshot Harbour, after the place in Hampshire where the islanders temporarily stayed.

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. There is a school, St Mary's School, with five classrooms, a computer room and other facilities.^[4]

Edinburgh of the Seven Seas has a mild and humid oceanic climate, with moderate temperatures throughout the year.

• DS World's Lands: Edinburgh of the Seven Seas^{[permanent dead link]}
• tripadvisor: Edinburgh of the Seven Seas