Tristan da Cunha

Tristan da Cunha
Motto: 
"Our faith is our strength"
Anthem: "God Save the King"
Territorial song: "The Cutty Wren"
Map of Tristan da Cunha
Location of Tristan da Cunha archipelago (circled in red) in the southern Atlantic Ocean
Sovereign state United Kingdom
First settlement1810
Dependency of Cape Colony14 August 1816
Dependency of Saint Helena12 January 1938
Current constitution1 September 2009
Capital
and largest settlement
Edinburgh of the Seven Seas
37°4′3″S 12°18′40″W / 37.06750°S 12.31111°W / -37.06750; -12.31111
Official languagesEnglish
Ethnic groups
Tristanians (mostly of British and Italian descent)
Demonym(s)Tristanian
GovernmentDevolved locally governing dependency under a constitutional monarchy
 Monarch
Charles III
 Governor
Nigel Phillips
Philip Kendall
Ian Lavarello
LegislatureIsland Council
Government of the United Kingdom
Stephen Doughty
Area
 Total
207 km2 (80 sq mi)
 Main island
98 km2 (38 sq mi)
Highest elevation
2,062 m (6,765 ft)
Population
 2023 estimate
238
 2016 census
293
 Density
1.4/km2 (3.6/sq mi)
CurrencyPound sterling (£) (GBP)
Time zoneUTC±00:00 (GMT)
Date formatdd/mm/yyyy
Driving sideLeft
Calling code+44 20 (assigned +290)
UK postcode
TDCU 1ZZ
ISO 3166 codeSH-TA
Internet TLD

Tristan da Cunha (/ˌtrɪstən də ˈkn(j)ə/), colloquially Tristan, is a remote group of volcanic islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is one of three constituent parts of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, with its own constitution.

The territory consists of the inhabited island Tristan da Cunha, which has a diameter of roughly 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) and an area of 98 square kilometres (38 sq mi); the wildlife reserves of Gough Island and Inaccessible Island; and the smaller, uninhabited Nightingale Islands. As of October 2018, the main island had 250 permanent inhabitants, who all carry British Overseas Territories citizenship. The other islands are uninhabited, except for the South African personnel of a weather station on Gough Island.

As there is no airstrip on the island, the only way of travelling to or from Tristan is by ship. There are six-day journeys from Cape Town, South Africa, and some cruises offered departing from Ushuaia, Argentina.