Chapter 28: The Tristanian Syndrome

Tristan da Cunha is the main island of a remote group of volcanic islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is the most remote inhabited island in the world, 2,400 km from South Africa, the nearest continental land, and 3,360 km away from South America. Tristan has an average diameter of 12 km and a circumference of about 40 km. In this little space created and dominated by a volcano, 288 people currently live, including about 40 visitors. Since the Tristan Island does not have an airport, visitors and inhabitants can travel by ships. Journeys take 6 days from Cape Town. The world’s most isolated community regards the arrival of every ship to the island as a special occasion…