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Tristan da Cunha (/ ˌ t r ɪ s t ən d ə ˈ k uː n (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.
Tristan da Cunha is a key breeding site for subantarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus tropicalus) and southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina); rogue leopard seals (Hydrurga leptonyx) have occasionally been sighted, as well, considerably further north from their typical Antarctic range. Feral cats were eradicated from Tristan da Cunha by 1974. [5]
Tristan da Cunha, a group of volcanic islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, is the most isolated inhabited archipelago on the planet, making its 242 residents quite self-sufficent.
The St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Constitution Order 2009 (an Order in Council of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom) enacted a new constitution for the territory, which came into effect on 1 September 2009, and elevated Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha from being dependencies of Saint Helena to equal constituent parts.
Tristan da Cunha is in the South Atlantic Ocean, 2,780 km west of the Cape Town on the African mainland. Tristan da Cunha is the youngest and highest island in the ecoregion, with an area of 41 km 2. The island is a volcanic cone that reaches 2,062 metres elevation. Tristan has seacliffs around the shore, up to 600 metres high.
The citizens of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha hold British Overseas Territories citizenship. On 21 May 2002 they were granted access to full British citizenship by the British Overseas Territories Act 2002 , [ 14 ] and there is a special Saint Helena passport issued to them.
The uninhabited islands of Tristan da Cunha were first sighted in May 1506 during a voyage to India by the Portuguese admiral Tristão da Cunha, although rough seas prevented a landing. He named the main island after himself, Ilha de Tristão da Cunha , which was later anglicised to Tristan da Cunha Island. [ 2 ]
Tristan da Cunha is home to ocean-going species including subantarctic fur seal, the southern elephant seal and birds such as northern rockhopper penguins and macaroni penguins. The islands are important for their bird life both those established on the islands and breeding seabirds, of which twenty species nest on Gough Island alone.